Cutting objects


    The Divide Objects Below command in the Object menu and the Knife tool in the toolbox cut objects in a designated shape.

    The Divide Objects Below command acts as a cookie cutter or stencil, using a selected object to cut through other objects, discarding the original selection. The Knife tool cuts objects along a freehand path you draw with the tool, dividing objects into their component filled faces (a face is an area undivided by a line segment).

To cut objects by using the Divide Objects Below command:

  1. Select the object to use as a cutter, and position it so that it overlaps the object to cut. (To retain the original selection, save a copy elsewhere in your document.) The object cuts any object that it overlaps.
  2. To cut the object, choose Object > Path > Divide Objects Below. The shapes that result are ungrouped and selected.

To cut objects by using the Knife tool:

  1. Select the Knife tool Knife tool .
  2. Do one of the following:
    • To cut in a curved path, drag the pointer over the object.
    • To cut in a straight path, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you click on the artboard with the Knife tool, and then drag.