- Illustrator User Guide
- Get to know Illustrator
- Introduction to Illustrator
- Workspace
- Workspace basics
- Create documents
- Learn faster with the Illustrator Discover panel
- Accelerate workflows using the Contextual Task Bar
- Toolbar
- Default keyboard shortcuts
- Customize keyboard shortcuts
- Introduction to artboards
- Manage artboards
- Customize the workspace
- Properties panel
- Set preferences
- Touch Workspace
- Microsoft Surface Dial support in Illustrator
- Undo edits and manage design history
- Rotate view
- Rulers, grids, and guides
- Accessibility in Illustrator
- Safe Mode
- View artwork
- Use the Touch Bar with Illustrator
- Files and templates
- Tools in Illustrator
- Tools at a glance
- Select tools
- Navigate tools
- Paint tools
- Text tools
- Draw tools
- Modify tools
- Generative AI (not available in mainland China)
- Quick actions
- Illustrator on the web (beta)
- Illustrator on the web (beta) overview
- Illustrator on the web (beta) FAQ
- Troubleshooting issues FAQ
- Keyboard shortcuts for Illustrator on the web (beta)
- Create and combine shapes on the web
- Add and edit text on the web
- Apply colors and gradients on the web
- Draw and edit paths on the web
- Work with cloud documents on the web
- Invite collaborators to edit on the web
- Illustrator on the iPad
- Introduction to Illustrator on the iPad
- Workspace
- Documents
- Select and arrange objects
- Drawing
- Type
- Work with images
- Color
- Cloud documents
- Basics
- Troubleshooting
- Add and edit content
- Drawing
- Drawing basics
- Edit paths
- Draw pixel-perfect art
- Draw with the Pen, Curvature, or Pencil tool
- Draw simple lines and shapes
- Draw rectangular and polar grids
- Draw and edit flares
- Trace images
- Simplify a path
- Symbolism tools and symbol sets
- Adjust path segments
- Design a flower in 5 easy steps
- Create and edit a perspective grid
- Draw and modify objects on a perspective grid
- Use objects as symbols for repeat use
- Draw pixel-aligned paths for web workflows
- Measurement
- 3D objects and materials
- Color
- Painting
- Select and arrange objects
- Select objects
- Layers
- Group and expand objects
- Move, align, and distribute objects
- Align, arrange, and move objects on a path
- Snap objects to glyph
- Snap objects to Japanese glyph
- Stack objects
- Lock, hide, and delete objects
- Copy and duplicate objects
- Rotate and reflect objects
- Intertwine objects
- Create realistic art mockups
- Reshape objects
- Crop images
- Transform objects
- Combine objects
- Cut, divide, and trim objects
- Puppet Warp
- Scale, shear, and distort objects
- Blend objects
- Reshape using envelopes
- Reshape objects with effects
- Build new shapes with Shaper and Shape Builder tools
- Work with Live Corners
- Enhanced reshape workflows with touch support
- Edit clipping masks
- Live shapes
- Create shapes using the Shape Builder tool
- Global editing
- Type
- Add text and work with type objects
- Reflow Viewer
- Create bulleted and numbered lists
- Manage text area
- Fonts and typography
- Convert text within images into editable text
- Add basic formatting to text
- Add advanced formatting to text
- Import and export text
- Format paragraphs
- Special characters
- Create type on a path
- Character and paragraph styles
- Tabs
- Find missing fonts (Typekit workflow)
- Arabic and Hebrew type
- Fonts | FAQ and troubleshooting tips
- Creative typography designs
- Scale and rotate type
- Line and character spacing
- Hyphenation and line breaks
- Spelling and language dictionaries
- Format Asian characters
- Composers for Asian scripts
- Create text designs with blend objects
- Create a text poster using Image Trace
- Create special effects
- Web graphics
- Drawing
- Import, export, and save
- Import
- Creative Cloud Libraries in Illustrator
- Save and export
- Printing
- Prepare for printing
- Printing
- Automate tasks
- Troubleshooting
About blended objects
You can blend objects to create and distribute shapes evenly between two objects. You can also blend between two open paths to create a smooth transition between objects, or you can combine blends of colors and objects to create color transitions in the shape of a particular object.
Blending objects is not the same as applying blending modes or transparency to objects. For information on blending modes and transparency, see About blending modes.
Once you create a blend, the blended objects are treated as one object. If you move one of the original objects, or edit the original object’s anchor points, the blend changes accordingly. In addition, the new objects blended between the original objects don’t have their own anchor points. You can expand the blend in order to divide the blend into distinct objects.
The following rules apply to blended objects and their associated colors:
You cannot blend between mesh objects.
If you blend between one object painted with a process color and another object painted with a spot color, the blended shapes are painted with a blended process color. If you blend between two different spot colors, process colors are used to paint the intermediate steps. If, however, you blend between tints of the same spot color, the steps are all painted with percentages of the spot color.
If you blend between two patterned objects, the blended steps will only use the fill of the object on the topmost layer.
If you blend between objects that have blending modes specified with the Transparency panel, the blended steps will only use the blending mode of the top object.
If you blend between objects with multiple appearance attributes (effects, fills, or strokes), Illustrator attempts to blend the options.
If you blend between two instances of the same symbol, blended steps will be instances of that symbol. If, however, you blend between two instances of different symbols, the blended steps will not be symbol instances.
By default, blends are created as knockout transparency groups, so that if any of the steps consist of overlapping transparent objects, these objects will not show through each other. You can change this setting by selecting the blend and deselecting Knockout Group in the Transparency panel.
Create blends
The Blend tool and Make Blend command let you create blends, which are a series of intermediate objects and colors between two or more selected objects.
Create a blend with the Blend tool
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Select the Blend tool .
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Do one of the following:
To blend in sequential order with no rotation, click anywhere on each object, but avoid anchor points.
To blend to a specific anchor point on an object, click the anchor point with the Blend tool. When the pointer is over an anchor point, the pointer changes from a white square to transparent with a black dot in its center.
To blend open paths, select an endpoint on each path.
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When you are finished adding objects to the blend, click the Blend tool again.Note:
By default, Illustrator calculates the optimum number of steps to create a smooth color transition. To control the number of steps or distance between steps, set blending options. (See Blend options.)
Create a blend with the Make Blend command
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Select the objects you want to blend.
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Choose Object > Blend > Make.Note:
By default, Illustrator calculates the optimum number of steps to create a smooth color transition. To control the number of steps or distance between steps, set blending options.
Blend options
You can change the blend options for an existing blend. To do this, select the blended object and do one of the following:
- Double-click the Blend tool
- Choose Object > Blend > Blend Options.
- In the Properties panel, click the Blend Options button in the Quick Actions section.
The Blend Options dialog box appears, in which you can set the following blend options:
Spacing
Determines how many steps are added to the blend.
Smooth Color
Lets Illustrator auto-calculate the number of steps for the blends. If objects are filled or stroked with different colors, the steps are calculated to provide the optimum number of steps for a smooth color transition. If the objects contain identical colors, or if they contain gradients or patterns, the number of steps is based on the longest distance between the bounding box edges of the two objects.
Specified Steps
Controls the number of steps between the start and end of the blend.
Specified Distance
Controls the distance between the steps in the blend. The distance specified is measured from the edge of one object to the corresponding edge on the next object (for example, from the rightmost edge of one object to the rightmost edge of the next).
Orientation
Determines the orientation of blended objects.
Align to Page
Orients the blend perpendicular to the x axis of the page.
Align to Path
Orients the blend perpendicular to the path.
Change the spine of a blended object
The spine is the path along which the steps in a blended object are aligned. By default, the spine forms a straight line.
- To adjust the shape of the spine, drag the anchor points and path segments on the spine with the Direct Selection tool.
- To replace the spine with a different path, draw an object to use as the new spine. Select the spine object and the blended object, and choose Object > Blend > Replace Spine.
- To reverse the order of a blend on its spine, select the blended object and choose Object > Blend > Reverse Spine.
Reverse the stacking order in a blended object
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Select the blended object.
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Choose Object > Blend > Reverse Front To Back.
Release or expand a blended object
Releasing a blended object removes the new objects and restores the original objects. Expanding a blended object divides the blend into distinct objects, which you can edit individually like any object.
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Select the blended object.
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Do one of the following:
Choose Object > Blend > Release.
Choose Object > Blend > Expand.