
The “Unite” shape mode is used to combine two or more shapes into a single new shape of your choice.ĭo you want to combine a square shape and a circle shape to form a single object? All you need to do is place the two shapes into the desired position so that a part of them is overlapping. Let’s take a look at them one-by-one: Unite You can also combine several shapes in various ways using the four tools included in the Shape Modes section. You can use shape modes in a lot of different ways. Once the Pathfinder panel is enabled, you will see two sets of tools: Shape Modes and Pathfinders. The first option is to go to the Window menu, scroll down, and select “Pathfinder.” The other option is to use the following shortcut: Shift + Ctrl + F9.

You can think of Pathfinder as a paper cutter, but it's also like a glue stick that can help you combine several shapes together to create an entirely new shape. The Pathfinder panel is a group of tools that can help you create different cutouts using two or more shapes in Illustrator. Illustrator’s Pathfinder is what you need anytime you need to cut out Adobe Illustrator shapes. If you've ever used the Knife Tool or the Scissors Tool to divide objects or crop images in Illustrator, you should know that there is an easier way to cut out shape objects and any image in Illustrator. And we'll also show you how to get the same result in Vectornator-a free and easy-to-use alternative to Adobe Illustrator.

This step-by-step guide will teach you the different ways you can cut out shapes in Illustrator. In this series, we want to show you how to use Adobe Illustrator tools and how to navigate the tricky vector design software.

In the end, we will also give you a preview of similar tools you can use in Vectornator. Learn how to use all the tools found in the Pathfinder Panel to cut out shapes in Illustrator.
