Inspiring

Question

Is there something like a marque selection to delete?

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
February 28, 2025
2 replies
847 views

Hi everybody,

I have a bunch of lines I'm trying to cut through. I've tried both Scissors and Knife. I don't want to individually slect each line to use Scissors, and Knife is sloppy. It doesn't have a Shift-slide option to cut a straight line (or I haven't figured it out).

So I'm like...can I just draw a box across this thing and pathfinder delete / punch it out or something? That's what I'd do in Photoshop.

What's the best practice for something like this? This has to be a routine/easy thing to do.

Thanks for reading everybody.

Jacob Bugge

Community Expert

Xander,

If you do something that actually cuts stroked paths, the shape/direction of the cut ends will be determined by the chosen Cap, Butt/Round/Projecting, basically perpendicular to the path direction at the end.

If you wish to have the (appearance of the) cuts follow a path that may be form any angle with (each of) the paths, you can:

A) If you just wish to hide the ends, use a closed path on top as a Clipping Path, selecting it together with the bunch of lines and creating a Clipping mask/Set; this is reversible;

B) If you can live with filled paths, Object>Path>Outline Stroke for the bunch of lines and use a closed path, or just an open one if only for one end, on top and (without selecting the bunch of line path) use Object>Divide Objects Below, then delete the outlying unwanted end parts; this is irreversible.

Remember to always make a backup of artwork before you destroy it.

Edit: Hi Kurt.

X

Xander36210402r7nsAuthor

Inspiring

This is where I always get messed up. There's no sense of hierarchy with layers in Illustrator. Groups, paths, compound paths, clippings masks...it's a mess, man.

I've got the <Rectangle> sub-layer on top of the Group of lines and nothing shows up in the menu drop down. Not even Ungroup. To do this for above/below, what do the objects need to be? There just isn't a known standard for this that's ever been evident. It's just one of those things you're supposed to figure out like Clipping Masks (which I have over and over then forget, lol).

Can you please tell me what object format these tho things need to be top/bottom so I can get Object>Divide Objects Below to show up or something of that nature?

Thanks for the help, Jacob. 🙂

Monika Gause

Community Expert

This is where I always get messed up. There's no sense of hierarchy with layers in Illustrator. Groups, paths, compound paths, clippings masks...it's a mess, man.

By @Xander36210402r7ns

If you do not set up a hierarchy, then there is none.

Kurt Gold

Community Expert

As far as I understand your request, the Shape Builder tool, the Shaper tool or Live Paint may help.

If that does not help, you may want to share a sample Illustrator file with further instructions, so one can have a look.

X

Xander36210402r7nsAuthor

Inspiring

Hi Kurt,

Sorry about that. It's been a while since I've been on communities. I have to get in the habit of posting visuals. a picture says a thousand words. I need to slice these barcode lines at the gap. The photo in back is inserted into Illustrator, so I need a good clean slice across the middle. I'll tryout what you suggested in the meantime, but that's the idea. Thanks!

Kurt Gold

Community Expert

As far as I can see, in your screenshot there is an unknown animal, probably a monkey or a sloth, residing at a blue trunk. With its long forearm it's embracing another stem at the right handside of a barcode wood.

In case that forearm represents the desired cut line, the suggested ways may work well. If not, you may provide a sample Illustrator file, not just a screenshot.

Sign up

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Sign in to Adobe Community

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Scanning file for viruses.

This file cannot be downloaded