Multiple Layers of the Same Shape?

[Gareth_Williams]

Hi everybody, I have a logo which was text but I turned the text into shapes. I am trying to modify the points on the shapes but I have found that the anchor points are in fact not just one shape! It’s hard to explain but when you move or delete an actor point you have to move three layers of it. The shape is repeated underneath twice. You can change the colour of one of them so I have turned it red in this example. The grey bits appear to be two shapes stuck together. Can anyone explain what is happening and how to make it just one shape? Thanks.

[Rene Andritsch]

Did you have effects applied to that text before converting? Have you tried to use the Direct selection Tool and marquee select over an anchor point? That should select all anchor points underneath it.

The shape should just be grey with a red outline, correct?

[Mike_Gondek · Accepted solution]

With direct select tool Option click to select one group. Cut that , select all, delete then paste.

Add your colored strokes and fills in appearance, then you can move just one point.

May Odin be with you.

[Gareth_Williams]

Thanks guys. I don’t think it had any effects when I converted the text to a shape, and there is no stroke on it. It is just a fill but many shapes over the top of each other.

Anyway, using the direct selection tool and option clicking I have managed to copy and paste four different shapes. The white square in the middle is a separate shape rather than a hole in the main shape! That came out red when I pasted it! So basically it’s made of these four shapes all combined together.

I will experiment with the direct selection tool and option clicking. I should be able to sort it out so it’s just one shape. I’ll update the thread later! Thanks again.

[Gareth_Williams]

Ok, when I did the same thing on the same letter which I hadn’t already tried to modify. As you can see in the picture, I’ve got exactly the same shape three times including the separate square. Does anybody know why this happened? I can fix this by deleting two of the main shapes and two of the little squares and cutting the last square out of the last main shape with the pathfinder to make one shape. It’s a bit annoying that I’ve got to do all that for every letter in the logo! Anyway, thanks again for your help. May Odin be with us all!

[Ton Frederiks]

If they are the exact same shape on top of each other you can try to select them and use Object > Live Paint > Make followed by Object > Live Paint > Expand

[Ton Frederiks]

Or If they are the exact same shape on top of each other you can try to select them and click in the Pathfinder panel: Divide