Working with patterns


    To create a pattern, you create artwork you want to use as a pattern and then drag the artwork to the Swatches palette or use the Define Pattern command. You can use paths, compound paths, meshes, embedded bitmap objects, clipping masks, or text with solid fills or no fill for a pattern, or you can design a pattern from scratch with any of the Illustrator tools. (However, you cannot use patterns, blends, brushstrokes, graphs, or linked bitmap objects in a pattern.) You can customize any pattern by resizing, moving, or transforming it, or coloring its objects.

    Note: The Illustrator Extras folder on the Adobe Illustrator CD includes pattern and texture libraries. In addition, the Adobe Illustrator Startup_CMYK and Startup_RGB files and the Adobe Illustrator CS/Libraries folder contain a smaller collection of these patterns.

    Patterns intended for filling objects (fill patterns) differ in design and tiling from patterns intended to be applied to a path with the Brushes palette (brush patterns). For best results, use fill patterns to fill objects and brush patterns to outline objects.

    Tip iconWhen you modify a pattern in the Swatches palette, any objects filled with that pattern swatch are also updated. (See Replacing and modifying patterns.)

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