When you need to make intriguing artwork, you may need to use tools and features such as cutting objects or joining them. It can be for an illustration or any other design such as logos. Illustrator, the famous illustration designing software, gives you features that can cut any object, including a line. So what are the steps to cutting a line in Illustrator?

To cut a line in Illustrator, you can use two easy methods. The first is by using the Scissors Tool to cut down any line. The second method is by using the Shape Builder Tool; it is especially helpful if you are cutting down multiple lines or any complex shape. Both methods are quick and straightforward.

Although we can easily use the Scissors Tool as it is the quickest and easiest, it is also important to learn the Shape Builder Tool, as it saves a lot of time by cutting multiple lines together. So, we will explain both these methods in our article with detailed steps.

Cutting A Line In Illustrator:  2 Easy Ways

Mastering all the features of Illustrator, including cutting lines, can positively contribute to our workflow speed. It is especially helpful if we learn the quick and easy ways that work efficiently and also save our time, explained as follows:

Cutting Lines Using The Scissors Tool

Using the scissors tool to cut lines is the easiest and most common way of cutting lines. It has very simple and easy-to-follow steps as described below:

1. To begin, select the line. You can do this by either pressing on the Selection Tool (V) on the left toolbar, or by using the CTRL + A command to select all of the lines altogether.
2. Next, we will click on the Eraser Tool section; it will show us a panel with scissors, a knife, and an eraser tool. 
3. You can select the Scissors tools by either clicking on them or by using the C key.
4. Click on the line to cut it. You will get the number of cuts based on the times you cut it.

Alternatively, you can refer to the following video for clarification of these steps:

Using The Shape Builder Tool To Cut Multiple Lines

If you need to cut or trim multiple lines, this method is ideal and quick. You just have to follow the following two steps:

1. First, click on the shape builder tool on the left toolbar to select the Shape builder tool.
2. To change the merge to eraser mode, click and hold the Alt key. 
3. Now to cut the multiple lines you want to cut, hold both the Alt key and your left mouse click, and drag the mouse over the lines you want to cut.

Conclusion

It can be concluded that cutting lines in Illustrator is a very easy task. You just need to learn the proper technique which can make your artwork process easier and time-saving. In this case, using the scissors tool and the shape builder tool may be useful techniques.