Squeezing and bloating objects


    The Pucker & Bloat command can either pull a vector object's anchor points outward while curving the segments inward (Pucker) or pull the anchor points inward while curving the segments outward (Bloat). Both options pull the anchor points relative to the object's center point. You can also apply this command to a fill or stroke added to a bitmap object with the Appearance palette.

    You can apply the Pucker & Bloat command as a filter or as an effect. Effects are live, which means you can apply an effect command to an object and then continue to modify or remove the effect at any time. Filters, on the other hand, can't be subsequently modified and can be removed only with the Edit > Undo command. (See Comparing filters and effects.)

To pucker or bloat an object:

  1. Select the object.
  2. Do one of the following:
    • To apply the command as a filter, choose Filter > Distort > Pucker & Bloat.
    • To apply the command as an effect, choose Effect > Distort & Transform > Pucker & Bloat.
  3. Do any of the following:
    • To pull the anchor points outward and drag the segments inward, either drag the slider into negative values (toward Pucker) or enter a value between -1 and -200.
    • To drag the anchor points inward and drag the segments outward, either drag the slider (toward Bloat) or enter a value between 1 and 200.
    • To preview the effect in the document window, select Preview.
  4. Click OK.