Skip to main content
annetteh52198697
annetteh52198697
Participant
October 16, 2018
Answered

Keep elements grouped when cropping?

  • October 16, 2018
  • 3 replies
  • 949 views

I need help to keep my vector patterns organized in Illustrator. I'm creating patterns in illustrator and I need to crop them in perfect squares for export to clients and Shutterstock etc.

My process: Add square with no fill or stroke on top of design > Pathfinder > Crop (I was recommended not to use a clipping mask).

Problem: When I do this all my grouped elements are ungrouped and I have a pile of new elements in one big mess. (See attached before and after images at the bottom.)

With a few elements (like the demo below), it's easy to group them again, but my designs have lots of elements, so it becomes a nightmare to organize them from scratch.

Question:

Is there a way to keep elements grouped when cropping them?

Or is there a better process for making patterns and keep elements organized in the file for upload, so the pattern can be modified easily by the user?

Below you see the groups before cropping.

And below you see what happens after cropping.

Help appreciated.

Thanks,

Annette

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Jacob Bugge

Annette,

To easily regroup you can just select one of the red dots and Select>Same>Fill Color, then Ctrl/Cmd+G, and do the same for the blue ones.

3 replies

Jacob Bugge
Community Expert
Jacob BuggeCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
October 16, 2018

Annette,

To easily regroup you can just select one of the red dots and Select>Same>Fill Color, then Ctrl/Cmd+G, and do the same for the blue ones.

    annetteh52198697
    annetteh52198697Author
    Participant
    October 16, 2018

    Hi Jacob,

    That helps so much. So glad I learned this option.

    Thank you!

    Jacob Bugge
    Community Expert
    Jacob BuggeCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    October 16, 2018

    You are welcome, Annette.

    Dalski K
    Dalski K
    Known Participant
    October 16, 2018

    Ah, I see, the only options I can think of are:

    1. to create your own script that would group similar items (maybe based on colour & shape type), but this is never going to work perfectly and it'll be tricky to write the script;
    2. Not to actually create a pattern but send the organised artwork to the clients which is not in pattern form (not really a helpful solution I know);

    Hopefully someone else comes up with a better solution. For now I'd quickly dig around and see if there are any existing scripts for grouping similar shapes. Hopefully there's one out there already that's coincides with your needs.

    Dalski K
    Dalski K
    Known Participant
    October 16, 2018

    You know if you tick the little drop down arrow in the group layer it will collapse under the group layer and you won't see "that mess".

    EDIT: Your item is still a group; what happens is when you crop a pattern it runs another function which "expands" the current layer in the layer panel. Simply collapse that box and that'll hide it.

    annetteh52198697
    annetteh52198697Author
    Participant
    October 16, 2018

    Hi Dalski,

    Thanks for your reply.

    What I'm looking for is to keep elements organized in separate subgroups, e.g. blue circles with blue circles, so it's easier to recolor a single group or make other modifications. If I simply 'hide the mess' it will land with the client/user and might frustrate them.

    Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
    Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices