Unite (Add) creates one single shape resulting from the shapes selected.

Shape modes will create a shape with just one color from your selected shapes. Under Shape Modes, you’ll see four options listed below.

In order to use these modes, you’ll have to first select at least two overlapping shapes. Each mode will create different results depending on which one is selected. In this window are two categories Shape Modes and Pathfinders. Locate the pathfinder window by heading to Window > Pathfinderįrom here you’ll see a bunch of different options available.

Pathfinder also speeds up our workflow tremendously, so it’s definitely worth the time spent to master! This quick tutorial will help get you started. We use Pathfinder all the time when designing logos and other graphics to ensure we create clean paths that output correctly. In this tutorial, we show how to use the Pathfinder window inside of Adobe Illustrator (but it is very similar when using InDesign as well.) This set of tools is very useful for combining, dividing, and subtracting overlapping objects. If you use Adobe Illustrator or InDesign, you’ve likely seen the Pathfinder window, but may not be fully aware of how powerful a tool it really is.

Illustrator pathfinder panel