How to cut a shape in two

Cutting a shape in two is a job for the cut tools in Vectornation by Zaweba. The Path cutter cuts a path at the point you click. The Free cut draws a line straight through closed shapes and splits them along it. Rectangle cut and Mirror cut, added in version 0.9.15, give you two more ways to divide artwork. Pick the one that matches the cut you have in mind.

Cutting at a point with the Path cutter

The Path cutter is the scissors of the set. Click on a path and it is cut at that spot. On an open path, one click splits it into two. On a closed shape, one cut opens it up, and a second cut elsewhere separates it into two pieces.

Use it when you want to remove part of an outline, split a line so the halves can have different strokes, or open a circle into an arc. It is precise because you choose the exact point.

Slicing through with the Free cut

The Free cut is the knife. Drag a freehand line through closed shapes and they are cut along it, as if you had sliced through paper. Both sides become closed shapes, so each can be filled, moved or recoloured on its own.

Hold Alt while dragging for a straight cut, and Alt with Shift to snap the line to 45 degree steps, which gives clean horizontal, vertical and diagonal cuts. The Free cut acts on the selection if there is one, or on everything under the line if nothing is selected. Select first when you only want to cut one shape out of a busy area.

This is the tool for splitting a circle into two halves for a two colour logo, slicing a shape at an angle for a dynamic look, or cutting an illustration into pieces for an animation or a puzzle.

Rectangle cut and Mirror cut

Rectangle cut and Mirror cut sit with the other cut tools and came in with version 0.9.15. As their names suggest, one cuts with a rectangle and the other mirrors the cut. Try each on a copy of your shape first to see how it divides the artwork before you use it on the real thing.

Other ways to divide shapes

Object > Path has commands that divide as well. Divide objects below uses a selected path to cut through everything underneath it, which is handy when you have drawn the cutting line first and placed it exactly. Split into grid turns a shape into an even grid of pieces, the quick way to make tiles or panels.

The Pathfinder panel can also divide overlapping shapes along all their edges, and the Shape builder can then remove the pieces you don't want.

Getting clean cuts

Zoom in before you cut. A Free cut line that stops just short of the edge won't cut through, and a Path cutter click that lands slightly off the path won't register.

Watch strokes. After cutting a closed shape, the cut edges get the stroke too. If you want two shapes that sit together with no visible line between them, remove the stroke or use a fill only.

When the pieces will be printed or cut on a machine, check that the new edges meet exactly. Moving a piece a fraction by accident leaves a hairline gap that shows in print.

Keep a copy of the whole shape before a complicated cut. It is easier to start again than to rebuild a shape from its pieces.

Cuts that would take careful pen work to draw by hand take a moment with the right tool. Vectornation by Zaweba has one for each kind of cut.