Hello, This should be very simple I know but… I want to make a thin rectangle frame. how do I connect two rectangle shapes so that it cuts the outline and online the inside to make a rectangle? Thank you in advance.
What software are you using? There are as many answers as there are vector programs.
What size does it need to be? So like do you need a 3x5" interior with a 1/4" frame thickness?
Or are you thinking along the lines of “the whole thing needs to be 6"x6” and I want the frame to be 1/2" thick?
Or… “exact size isn’t too important, I need it to be about 3:5 aspect ratio and maybe 6” wide"?
Knowing your constraints would also change how I’d approach it.
2 Likes
Adobe Illustrator but their help section isn’t rally helpful
Generally if you’re “drawing” your frame, with thick stroke on your line it looks right on screen but it’s still one rectangle.
I’m not an illustrator user but if that’s how you’re approaching it, I believe the command you’re looking for is “expand”.
How Do I Expand Vector Shapes in Illustrator? | Sticker Genius.
2 Likes
Thank you very much! I sincerely appreciate your time
1 Like
For Illustrator the command you’re looking for is “object/path/offset”, set the distance to a negative number to make a smaller, interior shape.
@evansd2’s suggestion to “expand” would work nicely if you have set a stroke width matching your frame thickness but if dimensions are important, you have to be careful about whether that stroke is set to inside, center or outside. This also makes your frame one compound object instead of two separate shapes.
Turning a stroke line into a filled shape can is also done with “object/path/outline stroke” which is more specific. “Expand” does a lot of other things at the same time.
4 Likes
If you have the premium subscription, use the shape tool and the outline tool.
1 Like
See what I mean?
1 Like
This topic was automatically closed 32 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.