Ever needed to create rounded corners in Illustrator? We show you how in our Adobe Illustrator courses.
There are several methods. One method is to use the Add Anchor Point tool to add a point near a corner on an existing shape, then use the Convert Anchor Point tool to draw out the curvature on that one corner.
Another is via the Effect menu and the Appearance panel. Firstly, create a rectangle and fill it with a solid colour. Then go to the Appearance panel and add a new fill from the options flyout list. Select the new fill and and go to the Effect drop-down menu > Stylize > Round Corners. Then go back to the Effect menu and choose Distort & Transform > Transform. In the Move section offset the fill slightly. Note that the effect can be edited at any stage in future by clicking on Round Corners in the Appearance panel.
Note that a similar effect can be applied to text: select the text object, then go to Effect > Convert to Shape > Rounded Rectangle.
Rounded joins on stars (for example – see above right) can also be saved as a Graphic Style. Create a few star shapes and group them together. Open the Layers panel and note that each object is a sub-layer within a layer. Go to the Appearance panel > Add New Fill > and pick a colour, for example orange. Double-click on the Content label in Appearance. Add New Fill > select the bottom fill > Red > Effects > Path > Offset Path > Offset 10 pixels > Join: Round.
Note that by double-clicking on an object you enter what’s called Isolation Mode, in which you can move, scale and rotate items > then hit Escape to exit the mode. With the Direct Selection tool select a star > then drag it into the Graphic Styles panel. This Graphic Style will be saved with this Illustrator document. Now select a new object and click on the Graphic Style to apply it. Later you can go into the Appearance panel to Offset the path or modify.
Whether you’re a complete beginner or self-taught, our courses will help you gain self-confidence in your Illustrator workflow, as well as adding to your professional skill-set. See many examples of our Illustrator clients’ work on our Facebook page.
Other related Illustrator Blog Posts:
Illustrator workspace
Illustrator basics
Illustrator clipping masks
Illustrator live trace
Illustrator brushes
Illustrator round corners
Aug17