Improve Shape Builder by adapting the Corel’s Smart Fill functionality (Paint Bucket)
Whoever came up with the idea of the Shape Builder, they did utilize not that popular Live Paint in a great way. Make it even better!
Steal and add to Ai the Smart Fill from Corel Draw (see the GIF attached). You don’t have to create a live paint, you just click over the intersection, just like Shape Builder does, and you have your new shape over the original paths. Steal it and make it better — CorelDraw doesn’t understand click and drag here, and it’s less comfortable to set a color (while Ai won’t have any problem here). Like now Shape Builder does nothing when the art is not selected — make it do this instead of nothing.
AdminEgor Chistyakov
(Admin, Adobe Illustrator)
shared this idea
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Ethan Estephan commented
I’d like to suggest adding a dedicated Paint Bucket fill tool to Adobe Illustrator, similar to what’s found in other design software. The current method of filling shapes—selecting each path and applying fill through the Properties panel or using the Live Paint Bucket—can be cumbersome, especially when working with complex or overlapping vector art. A more intuitive, single-click fill tool would significantly speed up the creative process by allowing users to target enclosed areas and apply color without first converting to a Live Paint group or constantly switching tools. This would streamline workflows, reduce repetitive actions, and make the app more beginner-friendly without compromising professional flexibility. Such a feature could enhance Illustrator’s accessibility while keeping it powerful for precise vector design.
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Jonah Miller
commented
The smart fill tool in Corel is very useful as it creates a separate shape of the fill, so if you have a shape made out of multiple lines, it transforms it into one shape. This makes it easier for laser cutting as it cuts or engraves in one smooth line rather than doing each individual line in the shape separately.
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There's is Live Paint, yes, but it's dynamic, converts original art and can't work without regrouping paths. Interactive tool that just creates new filled objects on intersection could be useful for some users.
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Michael Rescigno
commented
we could really use a paint bucket tool, such as the one used in photoshop and MS paint.
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Brittany Daniels commented
I would like Adobe to change the live paint bucket tool to the paint bucket tool in Adobe Illustrator CC so people do not have to change their artwork to live paint group(s) before being able to paint with what is called the live paint bucket tool and/or the live paint selection tool anymore. It is so much easier to paint different sections of artwork in Adobe Photoshop CC 2018 using the paint bucket tool without having to change the artwork into a live paint group. Hope this is taking into consideration for the next big version of the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite.