Create a Pattern Fill

To create a Pattern Fill in Adobe Illustrator:
- Create the Art. If you intend to use the pattern as a background element that you want to add a sense of stability to your design, but do not want the viewer to explore the pattern itself, you may want to use a Simple design (where all the objects fit intact on one tile). Alternatively, if the pattern itself is to be the main focus of the design, you may want to use a Seamless pattern (where the art will span several tiles). Illustrator's pattern creation and editing features support both alternatives.
- Select the Tiling Art.
- Execute the Object > Pattern > Make command. Ai will:
- Launch the Pattern Options dialog and put the Artboard into Pattern Editing Mode. In Pattern Editing mode the Artboard show two distinctive features:
- A Pattern Editing Mode Tool Bar that contains a back pointing arrow, a Save a Copy button, a Done button, and a Cancel button.
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The Pattern Options dialog, showing the default values that apply when you create a new Pattern Swatch.
- The Pattern Swatch, in which the Art is shown at 100% opacity and surrounded by a border, marking the default Tile dimensions.
- Dimmed copies surrounding the full opacity Tile, which show how the tiling will look when used as a Pattern Fill. In the Pattern Options dialog, you can adjust the opacity and the number of Tile copies in the Tiling Preview.
- Create a Pattern Swatch using default settings for:
- The Pattern Name, which it sets to "New Pattern,"
- The Tile Type, which it sets to Grid"), and
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Default Tile's Height is Reduced so that the Triangle spans the Top and Bottom Border
- Add the Pattern Swatch to the Swatches panel.
- Launch the Pattern Options dialog and put the Artboard into Pattern Editing Mode. In Pattern Editing mode the Artboard show two distinctive features:
- While in Pattern Editing Mode, you can change any of the default parameters listed above. At this point, the process is essentially the same as the process of editing a Pattern, which is described in detail in the next section.
- To exit Pattern Editing Mode and save the updates, click the back pointing arrow in the Pattern Editing Mode Tool Bar or click its Done Button. Ai will automatically update and re-render any shapes that use the tile.