Is it possible to turn a stroke into a shape? Is it possible to expand a shape so that it grows out?

If I have an organic shape (ie not a square or circle) and I want to give it an outline, but not use stroke, if I place a copy of the shape below it and expand it then the outlines don't match up, and for very complex shapes it can be time consuming to adjust it. If I could put a stroke on it then extract it into a shape, that would be one way.
Alternatively, is it possible to expand a shape so that it grows out, similiar to expanding a selection in Photoshop?
I'm using Illustrator CS3, but let me know if it's possible in other versions.

Object > Path > Offset path
also available as an effect

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How to paste a group into a shape so that contents warps accordingly?

Hi. I need help accomplishing something which I assume is pretty basic in Illustrator, but I can't seem to find any tutorial on the web on how to do it.
I made a tall and narrow rectangular shape. Lets just say 40 pixels wide by 800 pixels high. I gave it no stroke, but gave it a red fill. I copied this rectangle six times and aligned them all adjacent to one another, side by side. I gave each of the other six tall and narrow rectangles different fill colors: orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. Then I grouped all seven rectangles together resulting in a rainbow colored rectangle 280 pixels wide and 800 pixels high.
On a separate layer I used the pen tool to create a wavy-like shape, curving, zigging and zagging so that the shape is of varying widths and extends to 800 pixels high from top to bottom. I guess the shape resembles a long winding water-slide at a water theme park, or possibly a winding pillar of smoke coming out of a chimney. I hope you get the picture.
Now, what I want to do is to take that rainbow colored group and somehow insert it into that wavy winding shape. By this I don't mean like a clipping mask, but rather I'm expecting the group of rainbow-colored rectangles to warp and distort itself in reference to the curves and varying widths of the wavy shape in which it is nested.
I hope this is clear.
Thanks for any help

What you need is an envelope , but most probably it won't work when you just use the wavy form as an envelope. Illustrator plays by its own rules. There are some threads that discuss problems like this. Envelope will be a good term to search for.
Normally you'll have to first create a simple rectangle mesh, form that in that wavy kind of fashion and then use it as an envelope. But some other methods were discussed here already.
You should read on envelopes in the manual first.

Turn a broad stroke into a filled shape?

Hi there,
I've made some lines/paths using a broad 20pt stroke which tapers to a point (using variable width profile).
is it possible to turn these paths into filled shapes so the paths would become the outer edges of the current stroke?
thanks for any help!
using CC
Steve

Yes, you can convert a stroke to a filled shape.
You can use either object>expand appearence then ungroup
or
You can use object>path>outline stroke

Need info about making brush strokes into objects

I have been using a Wacom graphics tablet and Freehand to create my illustrations for many years (since Freehand v.2). Since Freehand's days are obviously numbered, I have finally decided to make the switch. So far, it hasn't been that difficult, but I seem to get stuck on one problem, and for me, it is a pretty big one.
In Freehand, I select the "variable stroke" tool in order to make a variable width line. It actually doesn't make a stroke, though. It makes a shape. I can then select the points anywhere on the edge of the shape and make adjustments.
In Illustrator, I do basically the same thing. I make a stroke, and the more pressure I put on the tablet the thicker the line gets. So far, so good. But, I can't do any adjustments to the thickness, make the ends of the line taper to a point, etc. So in order to make that stroke into a shape (with points along the outside edge) that I can adjust, I have to select the stroke, go to Object, then Expand Appearance for each stroke I make. This is a tremendous timewaster for me.
My question: Is there any way to make the "Expand Appearance" function stay on so that every stroke I make is automatically converted to a shape? Or, is there another function in Illustrator CS1 that I can select that will make all of my strokes shapes as I draw them?
If it will help, you can look at some of my work to see how I use the Variable Stroke tool and how essential it is to my style of illustration at: http://www.norrishallstudio.com

Norris,
Illustrator 7 and earlier drew all brush strokes as filled shapes. (It only had calligraphic brushes.) The live centerline arrived in AI 8, along with the other brush types.
While Illustrator does not have any "auto Expand" option, and one could theoretically be added, I wonder if it might not instead be preferable to give direct user interface control over the data collected by the tablet.
For example, take the following brush stroke:
If expanded, it would look like this:
But even though the individual anchor points of the fill shape would then be editable, it would still not be convenient to do most kinds of editing. The centerline kind of edits would become very difficult. But even doing things that preserve the centerline, such as thickening the stroke or adjusting the apparent pen tilt, you would have to move anchor points on both sides, possibly adding some, adjusting handle lengths, etc.
What if there was an option, possibly available via a button on the Control Palette when a brush stroke was selected, to show control handles for the pressure and other tablet data, something like this:
The controls would have sensitive regions that activated different kinds of variation, similar to how the Bounding Box transform controls do. Possibly it would be workable to control them via the Direct Select tool, but if that turned out to interfere too much with other Direct Select tool operations (such as adjusting the direction handles of the centerline, which would be likely to often be near the pressure controls), then there could be a dedicated tool or mode for adjusting them.
There are up to 5 kinds of tablet data that are collected at each sample point: pressure, tilt, bearing, rotation, and stylus barrel pressure. But only at most four can have meaning for any brush stroke, since there are at most four brush options that can be assigned tablet data to vary by. (For calligraphic brushes, the options are angle, roundness and diameter. For scatter brushes, they are size, spacing, scatter and rotation.)
If the tablet data controls had the I-beam shape shown above, there are four easily distinguishable aspects of the control: its length, its angle relative to the centerline, the width of the crossbars, and the tilt of the crossbars relative to the I-beam vertical.
(One could imagine assigning more variation, such as controlling the two crossbars independently, or moving the I-beam offcenter, but the more variables one allows, the trickier it gets to manipulate.) One could say that the length controlled whichever tablet data point was attached to the diameter or size of the brush, the I-beam angle controlled whichever tablet data point was attached to the brush angle or rotation, the crossbar width controlled whichever tablet data point was attached to the brush spacing or roundness, and the crossbar tilt controlled whichever tablet data point was attached to the scatter distance of a scatter brush. (One could also imagine calligraphic brushes having a symmetry setting, that controlled whether the brush shape was elliptical or squashed like a pear, and attach that to the crossbar tilt.)
Since there would be way too much visual clutter to show every sample point, I think it should be sufficient to show them at anchor points, and possibly at max and min values for the variable data. If the user wanted to gain control at a position where there was no marker displayed, they could always add an anchor point.
Although I am calling it "tablet data", a path drawn with a mouse or with one of the shape tools could still have the controls. It would start initally with all "average" values since no data was collected, and tablet data would be artificially constructed by moving the controls and then saved.
If controls like that were available for live brush strokes, would you still prefer to auto-expand your brush strokes on mouse up instead of leaving them live?
(For all I know, there may be some third-party plugin that already provides some such controls. The tablet data can be accessed and modified through the AITabletData suite in the public SDK.)

Turn a script into an .exe file?

Hi,
How can I turn a JavaScript into an .exe file (on Windows)? The
advantage is that if the script uses only ScriptUI features, it will
never need to launch InDesign. Additionally, it is possible to package
it that way with a special icon that appears if it is placed on the
desktop, and when it runs the icon appears in the taskbar.
An example of what I'd look to achieve is the hyphenchecker script,
written by the late Teus de Jong. There is one Windows-only version
available on his website (which is still being maintained, probably by
his son) which is an .exe file -- precisely what I'm trying to do.
Thanks,
Ariel

straight form javascript i don't think there is a way.
however you can use, i think, Visual Basic (not vbScript!!) as a wrapper for js (using doScript)?

Have just turned my beloved into a PC by downloading Mavericks. How do I get rid of it?

Have just turned my Apple into a PC by downloading Mavericks. How do I get rid oif it?

Erase the hard drive, then restore your old system from your backup. Otherwise,
Install Mavericks, Lion/Mountain Lion Using Internet Recovery
Be sure you backup your files to an external drive or second internal drive because the following procedure will remove everything from the hard drive.
Boot to the Internet Recovery HD:
Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND-OPTION- R keys until a globe appears on the screen. Wait patiently - 15-20 minutes - until the Recovery main menu appears.
Partition and Format the hard drive:
1. Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.
2. After DU loads select your newly installed hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed. Quit DU and return to the main menu.
Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion. Mavericks: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion, Mavericks and click on the Install button. Be sure to select the correct drive to use if you have more than one.
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet
            if possible because it is three times faster than wireless.
This should restore the version of OS X originally pre-installed on the computer.
If you originally started with Snow Leopard:
Clean Install of Snow Leopard
Be sure to make a backup first because the following procedure will erase
the drive and everything on it.
     1. Boot the computer using the Snow Leopard Installer Disc or the Disc 1 that came
         with your computer. Insert the disc into the optical drive and restart the computer.
         After the chime press and hold down the "C" key. Release the key when you see
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Download and install Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1.

The Complete Procedure For Turning Audio Cassettes Into MP3s

Please consider me a baby , or ignorant on how to begin the process of turning many old and rare cassettes into MP3 format.
One friend told me that I need to get an audio interface device to go with my MacBook Pro to do this.
Another friend said he uses Adobe Audition to turn his cassettes into MP3s, but I am not sure if he uses this with a PC or with a Mac. The whole thing is not clear to me.
I read briefly in another query that Taste or Spin Doctor is used to do this. Are they similar soft ware like Adobe Audition, and if so are they more user friendly ?
I need to be able to visualize what kind of wires I need to connect the Mac to an audio interface to the cassette player.
I want to get the best quality sound I can, within a certain budget, if there are certain factors that I am not aware of. I'm archiving these recordingsd for generations to come.
Once I learn from you how to connect all of this together, I need to know how I will edit these tapes. Some will be at a low volume and I may need to increase the volume, some may be distorted and loud. Some will have a hiss on them or some other interference.
Another concern is that when a freind did some cassettes for me into MP3 before, entire sides of a cassette with many songs all got "stuck together" as if they were all one song. I would like to be able to divide them up on a side. Do I do this editing as the recording is being done, or do I do this later ? What is possible ? It seems it is better to do it as it is playing.
Thanks very much for reading this and helping me to get started with your guidance !
Sincerely,
Gaura
Message was edited by: Gauradas

If you can see the track in your iTunes library, right-click the track and choose "Show in Windows Explorer." This will take you right to the folder where the corresponding song file is located.

Editing: How to turn a clip into slow motion

Is it possible to turn a clip into slow motion?
Message was edited by: jthfour

Yes.
Use Modify>Speed. (Command-J)
Set the % to less than 100. eg 50% is half speed, 25% quarter and so on.
Check the Frame Blending box.
Al

How to turn a silhouette into an outline?

I need to create a line drawing of the outline of a chair. I tried following the various Illustrator tutorials to take the image of a chair and create a silhouette. However, I can't figure out how to take this silhouette and get just the outline of it. The Illustrator Image Trace tool doesn't seem to have an option to just save the outline.
Is there an easy way in Illustrator or Photoshop to turn this silhouette into an outline image that I can save as a file? I will print the outline in a very light opacity so that the lines are barely visible for hand rendering. I don't want to use the pen tool to outline the silhouette because my hand is too shaky to do a good job.
THank you for any advice...

Thank you Monika and Steve for suggesting to ungroup and then use the direct selection to edit it, and to change the fill to zero and the stroke to a very thin line.
It turned out that the outline was very wavy/crooked, since image trace outlined the pixels somewhat haphazardly. So the final solution was complicated because I had to learn how to use direct select and edit anchor points to straighten out the lines.
I guess it would have been easier to use a light box and just trace the image by hand. oh well. I learned alot about Illustrator.
Thank you again for your helpfulness!

How do I turn an image into a transparency?

Hi,
There's a question I've seen asked dozens or hundreds of times, and I thought I found an answer a few years ago. I've since forgotten how to do it:
Turn an image into a transparency.
Now, the obvious solution is to set the layer to "multiply." Yes, this is the effect I want. However, I want the layer to be transparent instead.
Another solution is to draw an image on a transparent layer. This works great, but only applies if I create the image from scratch. I want to convert an existing image.
Another solution is multiple steps:
1) Copy image
2) Click "edit in quick mask mode."
3) Paste image
4) Exit quick mask mode.
5) Invert selection.
6) Ctrl+backspace to fill selection with black, on a blank transparent layer.
Result? The image is now transparent! However, this converts the image to greyscale! Great for linework and text, terrible for photos or art!
In an older version of Photoshop 7, I believe I got the following to work:
A) Follow the previous steps 1-6, creating a layer with transparency
B) Copy the original picture to a layer above the transparency
C) Group the layer with the transparency layer below. (Note, grouping doesn't work the same any more.)
D) The top layer provides the colors, but the bottom layer provides the transparency.
E) It is too light, so you take the top layer, and maximize "saturation" 100%.
F) Merge the two layers. It retains the transparency of the bottom layer, with the hue of the top layer.
This no longer works, because I don't know how grouping layers works anymore.
So, I need white pixels to be transparent. Black pixels to have zero transparency. Red pixels to have zero transparency. Etc.
Meanwhile, grey pixels are solid black, but partly transparent. Pink pixels are solid red, but partly transparent.
All pixels are 100% saturated, and the "lightness" is determined by how transparent they are.
So, an analogy would be printing a photo on a transparency. I need to convert an image to a transparency.
If the image/layer were overlaid on white, it would look exactly like the original photo.
Does anyone know how to accomplish this? Mathematically, it's easy. But I don't know about any filter, process, or method to make the conversion using CS5.
Thanks,
Ben

Hello!
I hope that I understand what you need.
(One could just put the image on a layer, and lower its opacity, but you seem to be looking for an effect in wich the tranparency is not the same for all pixels.)
Try this:
1) Turn your image image as a layer (double-click it if it is a background layer) [In order to add a mask]
2) Select all, Copy (CTRL+a, CTRL+C)
3) add a layer mask (click the rectangle with a circle in the bottom of the layers panel) [to be able to change transparency]
4) target the mask [so that you can past an image in it] ALT+click the mask, paste the image.
5) Invert the colors of the mask (CTRL+I) [in order for the white to be transparent and the black opaque].
You now have a layer whose transparency is based on the lightness of the pixels.
Hope that's what you are after!
Pierre

HT1329 I wish to transfer all the music on my ipod (synced with my home computer) to my itunes on my work computer. Is this possible? I am concerned if I plug my ipod into the work computer, which has itunes but no music content, that it will automaticall

I wish to transfer all the music on my ipod (synced with my home computer) to my itunes on my work computer. Is this possible? I am concerned if I plug my ipod into the work computer, which has itunes but no music content, that it will automatically sync and wipe all the content from ipod. Can anyone advise?

Only if you use a third-party utility such as Phone to PC and only if you use the same Apple ID for your other computer.

I just got a new nano and downloaded the most up to date itunes then I plugged it into my computer and it does not turn on at all, no charge image and my computer doesn't even recognize that there is a connection. How do I fix this?

I just got a new nano and downloaded the most up to date itunes then I plugged it into my computer and it does not turn on at all, no charge image and my computer doesn't even recognize that there is a connection. How do I fix this?

By calling iPod tech support while you are under warranty. You also have 14 days to return it w/no questions asked for a replacement or your $$$ back.

Mail turns PDF attachment into jepg

I use distiller and acrobat to create PDFs from Quark documents; for the last few days, attaching a new PDF to an email in Mail has turned the PDF into a jpeg which PC users can't open. The problem has just cleared itself (without me knowingly doing anything) but it has happened before and I guess may happen again. Any idea of the cause and solution?

What I should have said is Apple should not make the Image Size adjustment an available option when a PDF file is attached to a message.
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Need to turn this PLSQL into a procedure

Hi All,
I have the following PLSQL which declares a cursor, then loops using the cursor variable. I'm new to creating procedures and packages and i'm having trouble turning this PLSQL into one of those. When i put my PLSQL code in a procedure it doesn't like the DECLARE statement or the CURSOR section. I'm not sure how to tweak it to get the syntax correct for a procedure. Can someone point me in the right direction?
Here is the PLSQL:
DECLARE
/* Output variables to hold the result of the query: */
groupid assignment_group.id%TYPE;
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CURSOR Asset_Rank_HistoryCursor IS
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LOOP
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EXIT WHEN Asset_Rank_HistoryCursor%NOTFOUND;
/* Insert the the new rows */
insert into ASSET_RANK_GROUPED (asset_id , dt, rank, score, ASSIGNMENT_GROUP_ID)
select asset_id, max_dt, rownum, score, groupid from (
SELECT <big nasty select statement>
END LOOP;
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CLOSE Asset_Rank_HistoryCursor;
END;
How do i change my DECLARE and CURSOR statement so the procedure will create. Do i need to break it out into a function?

I figured it out... just had to play w/ the syntax. Had to make sure the BEGIN statement was AFTER the CURSOR declaration and had to make sure any variables are declared up top, didn't need a DECLARE section in procedure. I just put the groupid variable right after IS at the top of procedure creation statement.

I made a picture collage in pages from the pictures in iPhoto. You used to be able to print and then say save as a jpeg to iPhoto and that option is gone. How do you turn your document into a jpeg now.

I made a picture collage in pages from the pictures in iPhoto. You used to be able to print and then say save as a jpeg to iPhoto and that option is gone. How do you turn your document into a jpeg now?

If you chose print, you can save as PDF. If you open the saved PDF in preview, you can save as JPEG, GIF, PNG. FYI you can crop in preview.
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Is it possible to turn a stroke into a shape? Is it possible to expand a shape so that it grows out?

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