How to Combine a Line and a Closed Shape in Illustrator
- 1). Launch Adobe Illustrator, and choose "File" and "Open." Then, find the file that contains the artwork you desire to combine, and open it by clicking "Open."
- 2). Select the line to be merged into a closed shape with the "Direct Selection" tool. Choose "Window," and "Stroke," then verify that this line has a stroke weight of at least one point.
- 3). Expand the line by choosing "Object," and "Expand Appearance." Deselect the line by clicking in a blank area of the canvas. Switch to the "Group Selection" tool, and select the line's outline.
- 4). Nudge the outline away from the original line's path with the "Down" arrow, and deselect it. Select the remaining line path, and delete it.
- 5). Position the line's outline over or under the closed shape with the active selection tool.
- 6). Hold the "Shift" key and click the closed shape to make it an active selection. The closed shape and the line outline should both be active selections.
- 7). Combine the closed shape and the line with a Pathfinder effect. Choose "Add" from the Pathfinder panel, or any other desired Pathfinder effect. Choose "Object" and "Expand Appearance" to finalize merging the two objects together.
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