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Align Stroke to one side of open path

The feature which allows you to align stroke to inside or outside of a path for closed shapes is fantastic and gives a great deal of dynamic help. Currently, the only way to align a stroked path and another shape is inaccurately with only visual cues or expand the stroked path and lose editability.

I don't know if it has been suggested but a feature which allowed you to preserve a non destructive workflow and interact with shapes more easily is very much within reach. Simply create an equivalent for the align stroke to inside or outside of path for unclosed paths.

101 votes
Sam Blomley shared this idea  ·   ·  Report…  ·  Admin →
How important is this to you?
Under Review  ·  AdminEgor Chistyakov (Admin, Adobe Illustrator) responded  · 

The team has encountered several issues with this feature. It requires them to change the basic algorithms and it is going to take them more time than anticipated.

While it still works in Beta 28.8.0.7, the next Beta build will have Inside/Outside aligned strokes for open paths disabled. The Beta is scheduled to be live on 7th of August.

Once this is ready to be enabled back, the team will update the status.

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  • Quirky Tritus commented  ·   ·  Report

    This has to be some sort of a bad joke. I just finished designing over 200 icons for a huge client, USING that functionality.

    Automatically updated Illustrator yesterday, and the functionality disappeared. I am NOT using beta releases.

    Along with that, all my icons have now offset lines... i.e. they all need to be reworked. You really are pushing us, designers, away from using your software.

  • Margaret Trauth commented  ·   ·  Report

    Oh that's a long-standing annoyance it's nice to see the back of!

    Upvoted the related bug, thanks for the link Egor <3

  • Rene Andritsch commented  ·   ·  Report

    This is a wonderful addition! When trying it out just one counter intuitive thing happens. If you have a closed shape like a circle or rectangle and the user cuts it open at two anchor points the stroke switches to the opposite side.

    It looks like an inner stroke despite being displayed as an outer stroke in the stroke panel. I know this can be solved by reversing the path but that is one step that should not be necessary in my opinion. Thanks for working on that feature!

  • [Deleted User] commented  ·   ·  Report

    How come this simple feature is not in illustrator
    Please enable this

  • Skies commented  ·   ·  Report

    I can not believe something THIS BASIC has NOT been implemented yet. I break a path and the align jumps to center. SERIOUSLY???

    Why isn't this the top voted request? Am I missing something here ?

  • andrea commented  ·   ·  Report

    When using the PEN, I can't align the stroke to interior or exterior, I can only use the stroke centred.

    If I create a square, I can use the stroke in the three ways.

    Could be an error, or what happen to the pen, that I can not align the stroke ¿?

  • Ahmed Hamama commented  ·   ·  Report

    IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE !!!! Just tell us only one reason why aligning stroke to inside an open path doesn't work ?

  • Anonymous commented  ·   ·  Report

    YES PLEASE! This will also be helpful when dealing with pixel-perfect artwork. As mentioned, aligning an unclosed path to a shape doesn't work, and makes working in pixel mode a pain - throws alot of things off. If the path were able to flip to a side, it would be much easier workflow! I get that it has never been available, but back in the day, things were much more limiting. Seems like it shouldn't take much to offer this option. Pretty please!

    Also, it would be handy to be able to have a stroke offset along a path - like say 15 pixels to the left side of the path, etc. Would be handy in many occurances. But first and foremost, is the afforementioned request. Seems well past time to offer that functionality.

  • E commented  ·   ·  Report

    This is very neccessary, because if you have gradient stroke outside artwork, then part of the stroke covers the artwork. I would really need to have gradient on outer stroke and with all three alignment options for the gradient.

    Please make this possible. I have got the logic behind it explained, but from a user perspective I just want to accomplish the gradient stroke (with all alignment options), on the stroke outside, so artwork is not covered. So even if it is not "logic", then anyone using this would expect to be able to use any of the greyed out options, and get the same look on the stroke when it is outside as it is when it is centered.

  • Virgil Ierubino commented  ·   ·  Report

    Better workaround: create a Width Profile using the Width Tool that strokes only to one side.

    I am posting this in case it's helpful – I still agree with this suggestion that open paths should allow "left" or "right" path alignment (based on direction of path).

    Alternatively, Adobe could allow us to offset a path one way or another (as an effect, say)? The current Offset Path, applied to an open path, will offset it in both directions.

  • Mitch Torbert commented  ·   ·  Report

    Agreed. It could use the same "inside" and "outside" stroke toggles. But on an open path, those could even be arbitrarily applied as left of path and right of path. Virgil's workaround suggestion is fine, but is inaccurate with scaling, either built as an art brush or pattern brush. I.e. when a 1pt "lopsided" stroke is made, it's applied a bit closer to 2pt width.

  • Virgil Ierubino commented  ·   ·  Report

    Workaround: create a Brush that is lopsided (i.e. has colour to only one side).

  • Joe Deutscher commented  ·   ·  Report

    A stroke can only currently be set to the default (center, I guess your call it) of an open path. It would be nice to allow it to be set to the inside or outside. Since an open party doesn’t really have an inside or outside, I imagine it would work in a way similar to how the direction of an arrowhead can be reversed. This would save me a lot of time when working with graphics that require aligned open and closed paths.

  • Claude commented  ·   ·  Report

    Please please add this Adobe, it will make my life easier.

  • Matt commented  ·   ·  Report

    This would be a welcome feature! So far I've had to do it using the width tool which is a bit of a pain as you have to adjust each point.

  • Kristina commented  ·   ·  Report

    YES. I have spent hours trying to find a way to stroke one side of my complex logo.

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