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ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR CS2
User Guide
To set Live Paint gap options
The Gap Options dialog box lets you preview and control gaps that may occur in your Live Paint groups. Gaps are
small spaces between paths. Often, you don’t want paint to flow though gaps when coloring faces. You could
manually edit paths to close gaps, or you can select Gap Detection and fine tune the setting so that Illustrator
prevents paint from leaking through the gap size that you specify. Each Live Paint group has its own independent
gap settings.
If paint leaks through and paints faces you did not intend, you probably have a gap in your artwork. In this case you
can create a new path that closes the gap, edit existing paths to close the gap, or adjust the gap options in the Live
Paint group.
To highlight any gaps as you’re working on a Live Paint group, choose View > Show Live Paint Gaps. This command
highlights any gaps found on the currently selected Live Paint group, based on your gap options settings for that
group.
Paths that don’t fully intersect can create gaps in your Live Paint artwork. You can avoid this problem by overdrawing
paths (that is, extending them past each other). You can then select and delete the excess edges that result or apply a
stroke of “None” to them.
1
Choose Object > Live Paint > Gap Options.
2
Set any of these options and click OK:
Gap Detection
Specifies whether Illustrator recognizes gaps in Live Paint paths. Note that selecting this option may
slow Illustrator when working on large, complex Live Paint groups. In this case, you can choose Close Gaps With
Paths to help speed Illustrator up again.
Paint Stops At
Sets the size of the gap paint can’t flow through.
Custom
Specifies a custom Paint Stops At gap size.
Gap Preview Color
Sets the color for previewing gaps in Live Paint groups. You can choose a color from the menu,
or click the color well next to the Gap Preview Color menu to specify a custom color.
Close Gaps With Paths
When gap detection is selected, Illustrator doesn't close any gaps it finds, it simply prevents
paint from flowing through them. To close the gaps, edit the paths manually or select Close Gaps With Paths. This
option inserts unpainted paths into your Live Paint group that closes gaps. Note that since these paths are unpainted
it may appear the gap is still there, but it is not.
Preview
Displays currently detected gaps in Live Paint groups as colored lines, based on the preview color you chose.
Note:
You can also preview gaps by choosing View > Show Live Paint Gaps.
See also
“About Live Paint” on page 228
Brushes
About brushes
Brushes let you stylize the appearance of paths. You can apply brush strokes to existing paths, or you can use the
Paintbrush tool to draw a path and apply a brush stroke simultaneously.