Duplicating Objects - Adobe ILLUSTRATOR CS2 User Manual

Before (left) and after (right) expanding an object that has a fill and stroke
Expanding is particularly helpful if you are having difficulty printing transparency effects, 3D objects, patterns,
gradients, strokes, blends, flares, envelopes, or symbols.
To expand an object
1 Select the object.
Choose Object > Expand.
2
If the object has appearance attributes applied to it, the Object > Expand command is dimmed. In this case, choose
Object > Expand Appearance and then choose Object > Expand.
3 Set Expand options (see "Expand options" on page 285), and click OK.
Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you choose Object > Expand to expand a gradient using the
settings last entered in the Expand dialog box.
Expand options
Expands complex objects, including live blends, envelopes, symbol sets, and flares.
Object
Expands fills.
Fill
Expands strokes.
Stroke
Expands gradients to a single mesh object.
Gradient Mesh
Expands gradients into the number of objects you specify. Higher numbers help maintain a smooth color
Specify
transition; low numbers can create a more banded appearance.

Duplicating objects

To duplicate objects by dragging
Select one or more objects.
1
2 Select the Selection, Direct Selection, or Group Selection.
Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) the selection (but not a handle on the bounding box).
3
To duplicate objects by using the Layers palette
You can quickly duplicate objects, groups, and entire layers by using the Layers palette.
Select the items you want to duplicate in the Layers palette.
1
ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR CS2 285
User Guide