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I have trouble manually tracing around an irregular shape, such as a pitcher winding up to pitch a ball. I use the shape editor to outline the figure. When I finish I find that there's two outlines, and they're not connected. Is there some way to get them connected as one complete outline?
You need to select both paths. Click on one and shift click to get the other. Use the shape edit tool to drag one towards the other. You should see a change in the tool and then the lines will connect. Then connect the othe ends of the line. This should become an object.
Rich
Select one of the outlines and give it a different outline color. You will see that you created two line segments instead of a closed path (I do this all the time).
Remember there the two lines meet, then select both lines and switch to the Shape Editor Tool. When you are over the place where the two line ends meet the cursor will change to a cross hair and a small four way arrow. Drag the end control point away a short distance then back. The cursor will change to a + to indicate the two lines are about to be joined.
Repeat this step for the other two end points and with any luck, you will have a closed shape.
You can also select one of the current end points, then press Enter to automatically close the shape.
Yes,
It might be easiest to see what you are doing if you select one line and change it's color.
If there is only one color then all is well and all you have to do is with the shape editor select one end point and move it onto the other endpoint till you see + and the shape will fill. If on the other hand there is a break where you thought there was only one line that's where changing the line color would come in handy and you can distinctly see one line is a different so follow the same procedure to join the lines and they willl become one color once you have a line with no breaks then you can join the endpoints to get a fill.
Ctrl+J
If you only have one line it can be hard to see where the start- or endpoint is. Select the line, go to shape editor and click "home" or "end" and the corrseponding point will show up.