Blend Tool doesn't create/show a spine when blending between two open paths
Normally when creating a blend between two objects with the Blend tool (or Object > Blend > Make), Illustrator creates and shows a spine that can be manipulated with the Pen, Direct Selection and other tools. This spine makes it easy to edit the path of the blend with the Pen and Direct Selection tools.
When creating a blend between two open paths, however, Illustrator does not create or show this spine.
JamesProvost
shared this idea
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Actually, I think I need an option to never create a spline also.
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Margaret Trauth
commented
I got so annoyed by this behavior that I wrote a script to work around it. Now I can just hit command-shift-alt-b and get a blend with a spline, no matter what the paths are - if the first path's open, the script closes it, blends, and opens it again. I can finally blend paths without cursing.
https://egypt.urnash.com/blog/2023/12/04/fixing-an-illustrator-bug-blend-open-paths-with-a-spline/
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Margaret Trauth
commented
I really hate this. Whose workflow of only wanting a spline when they blend between closed paths was this designed around? I work almost exclusively with open paths and it is just *super* annoying to have to either swear, add a blend spline after the fact, and move the start and end points, or swear, undo, close one of the paths, blend, and open the paths again. I want to be able to draw two paths, select them, make a blend, and immediately get to pushing the spline around without all that hassle.
If someone has a good case for only wanting splines generated on closed-path blends, fine: make a switch somewhere to let me choose between "make splines for all blends/closed-path blends only/open-path blends only".
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Eric
commented
I just had this problem, I have used Illustrator for 17 years and always I could use blend tool without problems. The spine is essential to create effective shapes, without a spine the tool is useless :(
