Traced objects not filling...

Okay, this is silly. I should be able to do this very simply, so I know I'm missing something extremely simple, but this is the third time I've done this and can't get my object to fill afterward. I'm taking a graphic and "tracing" the outline of it. After I have the shape that I want, I want to be able to fill the object. The type of fill (flat, gradient, transparent, etc.) doesn't matter - I'll be using a variety of fill types, but what is happening is that my "Outlined" object is just that - an outline and the fill doesn't work! It works if I use the Shape tool as a continuous line, but if I have to break and then join the shapes, it won't fill! This is driving me nuts - please, what am I doing wrong?

well it does have to be an enclosed shape to fill of course...

if you are breaking - are you then using 'join shapes' [ctrl+J] or 'add shapes' [ctrl+1] ? - I think you might find add shapes works better, but its a bit hard to say for sure without an example :)

Yes, after I create the shape, I use Join Shapes. That didn't work so I tried selecting all the lines, converting to an editable shape, and adding shapes. None of these seem to work. This is driving me nuts! I know I'm doing something wrong but here is an example of a shape that I traced, and can't fill. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks! (I feel really dumb not being able to do this...<blush>)

I just tried it again - there are two lines. When I select Arrange, Combine Shapes, Add Shapes, it creates a line with fill and the inside of my shape stays transparent. It's like it doesn't recognize that the lines have all been added together to create a shape. Here's another attachment. This includes three tries to join, combine/add or convert to shape, and my original lines. Argh! This REALLY should be simple, so obviously I'm doing something wrong! Thanks for any help. Attachment 85672

that attachment is not working for me sorry

Sorry - I'm using Xara Design Pro 7.1 - is there a way to save it in a previous version or does it matter? Oh (D'uh!) Sorry, I deleted one of the attachments, please try this one:Attachment 85673

Steve: look at the second one, Shapes.xar

Coleen: The first shape is closest to what you want, it just wasn't completely closed. I've attached the file with the work done.

-- Ben

Attachment 85674

Thanks Ben! Is that what I missed? I guess there was an infinitesimally small gap somewhere between the lines? I sure couldn't see one...maybe I need to enlarge it more than 1000%...but THANK YOU VERY MUCH! As always, you're the best!

problem sorted then :D

Yup - Thank you very much! I love this forum - the people here are so wonderful and helpful! Wish I knew a little more to be helpful instead of needing assistance...but I am very grateful for everyon'e help!

Coleen - what you do: select the line with the shape editor - press 'home' or 'end' and you will see where the line starts and ends, so you can zoom in at the right spot. It's neat when people do the work for you (and I've been helped several times), but for me I like to know how they did it...

Exactly Guy. I DO want to know how they did it. I "thought" I understood this. I am having the same problem again! It is driving me ABSOLUTELY nuts! This time I enlarged it to 4000% and I found where somehow I had accidentally started a new line - so I tried to join the two lines. I went around the line centimeter by centimeter, at 4000%, found the "break" and selected both lines. Then I tried "join shapes" - no fill. Then I did an undo and tired "add shapes" - same thing - no fill! WTF? What am I doing wrong? Attached is the line. I truly do NOT want some one to do this for me - I want to know what I am doing wrong! Thanks in advance! (And thanks again for all the help I get here!)[
ATTACH]86252[/ATTACH]

Oops - foound the "break" however, it STILL does NOT work when I join the two lines! Grrrrr! This is an excercize in frustration! I do NOT want to have to "color" this in using the Pen tool. Why doesn't Zara just have a "Fill selected shape" tool? If it does...where is it and can someone please explain to me how to use it? TIA.

one think you can try, once the outline is joined up, is on the arrange menu 'convert line to shape' and then 'break shape' - that should give you a filled shape where the enclosed line is not filling automatically

EDIT - actually it will give you two one on top of the other

There is no need for a "fill selected shape" tool. Once you create a shape, if the default fill is none, your shape will be empty. However, if your default is a flat fill, the shape will instantly fill in with the current color. Whatever the current default is, is what the shape will instantly fill with. To change the current fill state of the shape, simply choose what you like while the shape is selected. If this is NOT happening, you have not created a shape yet. In other words, you have not closed the path. To confirm this, select the object and look at the layers pallet. If it says "shape" there is no reason you couldn't fill it. However, if it says line, you will NOT see the fill until the line is closed to form the shape, regardless of what you see on the screen. To close the path, you must find the break or breaks. To find the breaks, simply select any control point and push the "end" key on your keyboard. The selected control point will change to the first break in the path. Select THAT control point and overlap it with the next control point (which should be the other end of the path). When you see the "+" sign your path will close to form a shape. If the "+" sign does not appear when one point is over the other, it is likely that you have two separate lines. Again, you can confirm this in the layers pallet. You can then joint these two lines by selecting BOTH of them, then selecting the end control point of one of the lines and again overlap an end point of the other line. You should then see the "+" sign. In THIS case you will still need to find the open break of the line and CLOSE THAT TOO. Repeat until all the lines are joined and the break is closed to form the a shape.

hi Mike - have you looked at the file?

you have two gaps in that green outline coleen - that is why it would not automatically fill - the second gap is not obvious because the lines are overlapping

Hello Colleen you have two separate tracings in this file. In the first one you have converted your line to a shape and in the second the line is broken in two places. In the following video I've demonstrated a way to easily find and correct the broken lines. I hope this is helpful.

Edit: I see others have responded while I was waiting for youtube processing, but I think this may still be helpful.

Here you are...

:thx

Attachment 86253

strange it -reports as one line but when I closed the obvious gap at the top, and then the second one needs to be closed down near the underside neck fur [identified by using home and end keys in shape tool] ....

nice one frank - now can you explain why it is not two lines in the first place?

it is two lines once you break it apart

Attachment 86255

hum - if you go into wireframe view and zoom in you cann clearly see the two breaks [when zoomed right in at the correct positions]

ok - what I think you have done Coleen is you have used the 'join' function on two lines which then makes them 'one' in the wrong sense - should not use 'join' [ctrl+j] on lines because although it makes them one line object it does not make them one line for the purposes of filling...

Wow - I LOVE you guys! Thank you all! Okay - I did find the second break, but I had already tired converting it to a shape, and didn't go back on the undo far enough to get it back to a line status. That's where the frustration came in. I tried selecting the whole thing, converting it to a shape then imposing it over a square colored background and slicing, intersecting - but all to no avail. The slicing showed me where the second break was...

What I ended up doing was re-tracing the entire thing. Now I have it - perfectly. Mike - you've explained this so I can actually understand what I'm doing wrong - thank you. Honestly - at first I was grumbling because I didn't read your whole post, and I thought "yes we do need a fill selected object" tool, but I finished reading your explanation and really, truly appreciate it. Frances - wow - thanks so much for the quick video - that was great! Steve & David - thanks so much! I think, maybe (knock on wood) I got this now... (whacks self on forehead for how easy this "should" be!) Thank you all! :)

you are quite welcome Coleen. Don't whack yourself too hard, hand tracing takes practice to do it quickly and accurately without accidentally dropping the lines. I've done it many times myself, and usually wind up going back to correct the break(s)

Hi Coleen,

Glad I could help. I get this problem ALL the time when I import or cut and paste something from Illustrator, ESPECIALLY text converted to objects.