Roughening


    The Roughen command transforms a vector object's path segments into a jagged array of peaks and valleys of various sizes. You can also apply this command to a fill or stroke added to a bitmap object with the Appearance palette.

    You can apply the Roughen 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 with only the Edit > Undo command. (See Comparing filters and effects.)

To roughen an object:

  1. Select the object.
  2. Do one of the following:
    • To apply the command as a filter, choose Filter > Distort > Roughen.
    • To apply the command as an effect, choose Effect > Distort & Transform > Roughen.
  3. Select one of the following Size unit options (used to set the maximum length for segment paths):
    • Relative to set the maximum length by a percentage of the object's size.
    • Absolute to set the maximum length by a specific amount.
  4. To set the maximum length for segment paths, enter a value in the Size text box.
  5. To set the density of jagged edges per inch, enter a Detail value between 0 and 100. Lower numbers decrease the density; higher values increase it.
  6. To set the type of jagged edge, select Smooth (for soft edges) or Corner (for sharp edges).
  7. To preview the effect in the document window, select Preview.
  8. Click OK.