Create compound shapes – Adobe InDesign CS4 User Manual
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USING INDESIGN CS4
Drawing
Create compound shapes
You create compound shapes using the Pathfinder panel (Window
> Object & Layout > Pathfinder). Compound
shapes can be made up of simple or compound paths, text frames, text outlines, or other shapes. The appearance of the
compound shape depends on which Pathfinder button you choose.
Pathfinder panel
A. Original objects B. Add C. Subtract D. Intersect E. Exclude Overlap F. Minus Back
Add
Traces the outline of all objects to create a single shape.
Subtract
Objects in the front “punch holes” in the backmost object.
Intersect
Creates a shape from overlapping areas.
Exclude Overlap
Creates a shape from areas that do not overlap.
Minus Back
Objects in the back “punch holes” in the frontmost object.
In most cases, the resulting shape adopts the attributes (fill, stroke, transparency, layer, and so on) of the frontmost
object. When you subtract shapes, however, objects in the front are deleted. The resulting shape takes on the attributes
of the backmost object instead.
When you include a text frame in a compound shape, the shape of the text frame changes, but the text itself stays the
same. To alter the text itself, create a compound path using text outlines.
Compound shape used as a text frame (left) compared to one created from a text outline (right)
See also
B
C
D
E
F
A
B
C
D
E
F
Updated 18 June 2009