If you are using multiple boxes that are the same color, make sure to look at your layers panel so you know which layer is on top. Some of these tools have different outcomes based on your layer order. If you don’t see the pathfinder toolbar, then you can open it by selecting the “Window” drop-down at the top and selecting “Pathfinder.”

I would have saved myself tons of time if I had just slowed down for a minute and researched how each button works. If you’re anything like I was when first learning the program, then you’re probably familiar with clicking each button in this toolbar until you get the results you were hoping for. How to use Adobe Illustrator’s Shape Building Toolsįirst things first: find the “Pathfinder” tool bar. Don’t forget, you can access the entire Adobe Creative Suite for free in Ignite Studio’s Digital Media Labs.

Read on to learn how to use Adobe Illustrator’s shape building tools. In this article, I’m going to discuss some of the features that I use very frequently that I remember struggling with when first getting started in the program. When start learning Adobe Illustrator things can be overwhelming.

Adobe illustrator subtract shapes