Join Deke McClelland for an in-depth discussion in this video Merging layers and uniting paths, part of Illustrator CC 2013 One-on-One: Intermediate.
In this movie, we'll combine the branches along with…the leaves on an independent layer in two different ways.…The first method will result in static path outlines…and the second will result in a dynamic compound shape.…I think you will find the difference…between the two to be extremely illuminating.…So let's imagine that I want to keep my original…branches and my leaves, I don't want to lose those.…So what I want to do is take these two layers, duplicate them, and…then merge them together. And here's how that works.…I'll go ahead and click on the Branches Layer, Shift-click on…the Foliage Layer here inside the Layers panel, and I'll duplicate them.…
And this works even with a Locked Layer by going out to the Flyout Menu icon and…choosing Duplicate Selection, and then we'll end up with…two new layers that end in the word copy.…I just want one new layer, so I'll click on one, Shift-click on the other.…Then go back to the Flyout Menu and choose Merge Selected.…That merges the layers, by the way, not the contents of the layer.…
Author
Deke McClelland
Released
8/22/2013- Creating layers, sublayers, and groups
- Lifting a color and creating a swatch
- Assigning colors to paths inside groups
- Adjusting the stacking order
- Using the Width tool to adjust line weight
- Masking a pattern inside a background
- Assigning and modifying a gradient fill
- Creating a radial gradient
- Drawing a linear spiral with the Polar Grid tool
- Adding a credible 3D cast shadow
- Contouring with the Blob Brush and Eraser
- Creating and painting an overlapping path
- Placing Photoshop images in Illustrator files
- Previewing and printing documents
- Optimizing documents for the web
Skill Level Intermediate
Duration
Views
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Introduction
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Welcome to One-on-One2m 18s
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11. Layers and Groups
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Creating and using sublayers5m 48s
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Creating clipping groups6m 40s
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Working in an isolation mode5m 29s
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12. Swatches and Stacking Order
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Searching swatches by name8m 31s
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Adjusting the stacking order6m 30s
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Pasting in front and in back6m 13s
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Combining multiple fills7m 32s
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13. Strokes, Dashes, and Arrows
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Introducing the Stroke panel4m 49s
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Dashes and arrowheads4m 12s
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14. Gradients and the Gradient Tool
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How gradients work1m 3s
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Creating a radial gradient5m 26s
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Adjusting the midpoint skew3m 31s
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15. Seamlessly Repeating Patterns
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16. Align and Distribute
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17. Pathfinder Operations
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Adding to a compound shape3m 20s
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Using Divide and Minus Back4m 28s
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18. Live Paint and Interlocking Paths
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Introducing Live Paint5m 39s
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19. Placing Photoshop Images
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Working with linked images8m 58s
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Linking vs. embedding images10m 29s
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Unembedding an image3m 30s
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20. Printing a Document
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Placement, scale, and tiling5m 59s
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21. Saving for the Web (and PowerPoint)
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Conclusion
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Until next time54s
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Video: Merging layers and uniting paths