Pathfinder (boolean ops)

Some shapes are easier to build by combining simpler ones. Pathfinder merges or cuts overlapping shapes into a single vector — the quickest way to make a keyhole, a crescent, a badge with a bite taken out, or any silhouette a basic rectangle and ellipse can't give you on their own.

What Pathfinder does#

Instead of drawing a tricky outline point by point, you rough it out from shapes that already overlap, then let a boolean operation do the math. The result is one real, editable vector path — sharp at any size and any print resolution.

There are five operations, all living in the same Pathfinder row in the Properties panel: Union, Subtract, Intersect, Exclude and Divide.

Selecting shapes first#

Pathfinder needs something to combine, so start by selecting two or more combinable shapes — rectangles, ellipses, lines or paths. When a valid multi-selection is active, the Pathfinder row appears in the Properties panel with the five operation buttons.

Stacking order matters for Subtract: the shape (or shapes) on top cut into the shape beneath. If you get the opposite of what you expected, check the order in the Layers panel and try again.

The five operations#

Picture two overlapping circles. Here's what each button leaves you with:

Union#

Union is the everyday "weld these together" command. Overlap a rounded rectangle and a circle and Union them, and you get a single tab-shaped outline with no seam down the middle.

Subtract#

Subtract is how you take a bite out of something. Put a small circle over the edge of a larger one and Subtract, and the top circle carves a crescent out of the shape below.

Intersect#

Intersect keeps the shared area only. Two overlapping circles become a lens (or "vesica") shape — handy for petals, leaves and Venn-style artwork.

Exclude#

Exclude is the inverse of Intersect: it keeps everything the two shapes don't share. Where they overlapped, you're left with a hole — a true compound path, not just a lighter patch.

Divide#

Divide slices every shape along every intersection line and hands you the individual closed pieces. Nothing is deleted; the fragments are stacked exactly where they were, so you can pull them apart, recolor them separately, or delete the ones you don't need.

Compound paths and holes#

Subtract and Exclude produce compound paths — a single object whose inner contours are read as holes rather than filled areas. A ring (donut) is the classic example: one path, with the inner circle punched clean through so you can see the canvas behind it.

This matters at export time. Compound paths carry their holes correctly into SVG and into a print-ready PDF, so the hole stays a hole in every downstream tool and on press — it doesn't fill back in.

Editing the result#

A combined shape is a normal vector path, not a locked-off group. Double-click it with the Select tool to enter point editing and refine the outline with the same anchor points, handles and corner radius you'd use on anything drawn with the Pen tool. If a boolean gives you almost the shape you want, nudge a point or two rather than starting over.

If a result isn't what you pictured, undo (Cmd/Ctrl+Z), adjust the overlap or stacking order, and run the operation again. Because the inputs are ordinary shapes right up until you click, experimenting is cheap.

Why it matters for print#

Boolean operations are the foundation for a clean artwork silhouette. When you're ready to turn a design into a die-cut sticker, label or tag, a single tidy outline is exactly what the cut contour and dieline tool wants to trace — so the machine cut hugs your artwork instead of a messy pile of overlapping edges.

Where to go next#

• Fine-tune a combined shape with the Pen tool and editing paths.
• Turn a clean silhouette into a cut contour or dieline for print.