Line Cut Tool for Adobe Illustrator
I would like to suggest a new tool for Adobe Illustrator called “Line Cut”.
The concept is very simple: the user draws a straight line across any selected object, and Illustrator cuts the object along that line from one edge to the other.
The tool should work with:
- Vector shapes;
- Compound paths;
- Groups;
- Text converted to outlines;
- Multiple selected objects;
- Placed or embedded raster images.
For example, if I have a rectangle and draw a line through its middle, the tool would immediately divide the rectangle into two independent objects.
The same concept should work with irregular vector shapes: the line would intersect the object and Illustrator would automatically calculate the intersections and create the resulting separate pieces.
For raster images, the tool could divide the image into separate cropped sections while preserving the original resolution.
Ideally, the workflow would be:
- Select one or more objects.
- Activate the Line Cut Tool.
- Draw a straight line across the objects.
- Illustrator automatically calculates the intersections.
- The objects are divided into separate pieces.
Additional options could include:
- Horizontal, vertical, or free-angle cuts;
- Cutting multiple objects at once;
- Holding Shift to constrain the cutting angle;
- Keeping both resulting pieces;
- Option to delete one side immediately;
- Support for repeated cuts.
This would be particularly useful for graphic designers and print-production users who frequently need to divide artwork quickly.
The main advantage would be speed and simplicity: instead of manually using Pathfinder, Shape Builder, clipping masks, or other workarounds, the user could simply draw a line and cut the artwork.
Thank you for considering this feature request.
Best regards,
Cauã
Cauã Martins
shared this idea
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Hello, Cauã, welcome to UserVoice.
Illustrator offers something like this today (partially — more on this later) with the Knife tool, with Opt/Alt held.
It snaps to Smart Guides now (thanks to this request: https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/36682372), it supports Shift for 45° increments, cuts through everything selected (and doesn’t affect unselected), keeps both parts and keeps them selected.There are some things it doesn’t do.
Won’t remove one part automatically (and if your cut is not straight and is chaotic, resulting in a dozen of pieces, Ai would have to somehow estimate which piece to keep, so no wonder it doesn’t try).
Cmd/Ctrl+D won’t repeat the operation on another objects, because a cut is not a transformation operation, so no 'repeated operations'.
If you cut a clipping group — the contents would get cut. And if you isolate the clipping path specifically — nothing would happen when you cut it.No luck with the embedded images as well — but there are workarounds: you can cut a path first, ungroup it and make a compound path from the parts, use it a clipping mask for you image, and then use the free and awesome puzzleClipper free script by Alexander Ladygin — https://github.com/alexander-ladygin/illustrator-scripts/blob/master/puzzleClipper.jsx (please also upvote a request about this function from the box, here: https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/33839062). Another approach is to use IllustKit plugin suite (https://illustkit.totallypic.com/en/features/creative-efficiency/) with its Clipping Mask Repeat Make one click.
