Properties panel
A path by itself is only an abstract geometrical description. To make a path visible, you have to fill it, stroke it, or apply some effect to it. You can control a path's fill, stroke, and effects in the Properties panel. When you have text selected, you can change its font, size, and so on.
Appearance category
The Properties panel consists of several sections, most notably the Appearance category. When you select a path or shape, the Appearance category displays the current fill and stroke settings for that object and lets you change each of these attributes. For more information about a particular feature in this panel, click the link next to the feature in the following list.
The Appearance category of the Properties panel
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Caption |
Name |
For more information |
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Fill button |
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Stroke button |
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Fill Type / Stroke Type |
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More Swatches button |
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Color Picker |
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Color sliders |
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Color Dropper |
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Stroke Gallery |
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Stroke Width |
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Fill Opacity |
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Stroke Opacity |
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The Appearance category also lets you create custom colors and custom gradients.
Expanding the Appearance category
In the Properties panel, you can hide or show the Appearance category by clicking the triangular Show/Hide button .png "Cc295045.e633a862-b406-4c42-b18e-d39fd8d2c4b6(en-us,Expression.10).png")
to the left of the category's name. You can also click the Expand button .png "Cc295045.d8b75fcd-4e19-43f5-9363-5b92809bb582(en-us,Expression.10).png")
at the bottom of the category to view more options. These options include Blend Mode, Fill Rules, and Stroke options (including dashes).
Other categories
The Properties panel expands to include other categories, depending on the type of object you have selected. For example, when you select an object made with the Polygon tool, the Properties panel displays the Edit Polygon category. When you select a text object, the Text category appears.
The Properties panel always displays the Effects category. For more information, see Apply live effects.