Can I permanently apply an Effect in IllustratorCS3?

November 1, 2007 9:17 AM

Illustrator CS3. Is there a way to "apply" the effects (from the Effects dropdown menu) I've done to vector illustrations in the same manner as I can Expand a complex shape I've created with Pathfinder (deleting the extra shape)?

This has come up a lot. Basically I'll draw something and then use Effects to tweak it (usually make it look rougher or skew it in 3 dimensions or some such). I'll get it the way I like it and then will go to resize it or paste something in it or some crazy thing and it becomes evident that it is Remembering the Old Shape and Applying the Effect on the fly. I don't want it to do that. I want it to be a simple vector shape in the new...um...shape I put it in. Right now I usually have to trace the stoopid thing.

Many thanks!

posted by Wink Ricketts to computers & internet (3 comments total)

Don't the "Filter" options do exactly this?
posted by milarepa at 9:44 AM on November 1, 2007

Object --> expand appearance
posted by nathan_teske at 10:31 AM on November 1, 2007

In the event that "expand appearance" doesn't work, the nuclear option for these types of situations is Object > Flatten Transparency.

There's a bunch of boring addenda I could give you about how PostScript deals with transparency (it cheats) and how Flatten Transparency deals with that, but it's good enough to know that a) it always works (sort of) but b) it will break apart shapes and depending on the objects to be flattened it might rasterize certain shapes depending on the choices you make in the dialog box.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 6:28 PM on November 1, 2007