8 comments

  • Weston VierreggerWeston Vierregger, 7 years ago

    Is this a thing? Do designers think Pathfinder is unpredictable? I feel like I've got a pretty good handle on it... the biggest bump in the road is just knowing when you should/shouldn't use compound paths for more intricate cutting/joining.

    7 points
    • Sacha GreifSacha Greif, 7 years ago

      For me the hard part is knowing which shape is above/below. Maybe they could add some kind of preview mode that shows you the result of the operation when you hover over each button.

      8 points
      • Weston VierreggerWeston Vierregger, 7 years ago

        Ah yes. I do find myself just quickly Cmd-Shift-Bracket-ing to quickly jump a shape straight to the back/front just in case... but that isn't Illustrator specific. I have a terrible habit of not utilizing my layers in Illy. :'(

        0 points
    • Tom WoodTom Wood, 7 years ago

      Agree with you here. It seems pretty good to me – I use this daily and don't ever feel confused as to which one I need for which operation.

      Sacha's suggestion is a good one though, as a feature that you could activate/deactivate that would be clever.

      One thing I do like about Sketch's approach to this is how it retains the "live" shape, so you always tweak it or kill it.

      0 points
      • Dan SherrattDan Sherratt, 7 years ago

        I thought Illustrator did this too? It's always bugging me I have to delete the invisible path.

        0 points
        • John PJohn P, 7 years ago

          It used to be the default and you had to hit expand every time. Now the non-destructive ones are alt+click and destructive is the default.

          2 points
      • Mig JMig J, 7 years ago

        You can hold Alt/Option when clicking a Shape Mode to make a 'Compound Shape' (different to a Compound Path) that remains live.

        2 points