Convert to Shape: Change Is Good

The Convert to Shape effect takes the fill of your targeted selection and converts it to a rectangle, a rounded rectangle, or an ellipse. When you first see this effect, you might scratch your head thoughtfully and ask yourself, "Well, if I had wanted a rectangle, wouldn't I have drawn the shape that way in the first place?" It's a good question if your object only has one fill, but if you've added multiple fills, you'll realize that you can apply the Convert to Shape effect on just one of them, which means you can have a single shape with fills that have different shapes. This effect is particularly useful for text objects and for groups and layers as well.

Applying the Convert to Shape Effect

To apply any of the three Convert to Shape effects, target the fill of an object, group, or layer, and choose Effect > Convert to Shape > Rectangle. Although you can choose between the Rectangle, Rounded Rectangle, and Ellipse options, it doesn't matter which one you choose because the ensuing Shape Options dialog allows you to easily switch between the three different shapes via a pop-up menu at the top of the dialog (Figure 7.66).

Figure 7.66. It doesn't make a difference which shape you choose from the Convert to Shape submenu, because you get a chance to change your mind in the Shape Options dialog.

The Shape Options dialog gives you two options for specifying the size of the targeted fill:

• Absolute. The Absolute setting allows you to define a specific width and height for the fill shape, which can be completely different than the size of the object's actual path.

• Relative. The Relative setting allows you to define a specific amount that is added to the object's actual size. For example, if the object's actual path is 4?4 inches, if you use a relative setting with the Extra Width and Extra Height setting set to .5 inch, the shape effect produces a shape that is 4.5?4.5 inches. The Relative setting is useful when you want to create a shape that changes when the original object changes (see the following "What If . . . You Apply the Convert to Shape Effect to Text?" example).

When the Rounded Rectangle setting is chosen from the Shape pop-up menu, you can also specify a corner radius for the fill shape.

What If . . . You Apply the Convert to Shape Effect to Text?

A practical use for the Convert to Shape effect is to create a background for an object that dynamically adjusts itself as you change the object itself. A good example is when you want to create a button that has text inside of it. Using the Convert to Shape effect, you can have Illustrator automatically resize the button as you change the text within it. Here are the steps required to create this dynamic shape:

1.	Choose the Type tool and click a blank area on the artboard to create a Point Type object.
2.	Using your keyboard, type the word Dynamic.
3.	Set your text to 36-point Myriad Roman.
4.	Switch to the Selection tool and select the Type object.
5.	Then, open the Appearance palette, and from the palette menu, choose Add New Fill.
6.	In the Appearance palette, drag the fill you just created so that it appears listed beneath the characters in your Type object (Figure 7.67). Figure 7.67. The fill that you created should be moved so it appears below the characters in the Type object.
7.	With the new fill highlighted in the Appearance palette, choose a color from either the Control palette, the Color palette, or the Swatches palette. At this stage, you won't see the color change into your text, because the fill you are coloring appears beneath the characters in the Type object.
8.	With the colored fill still highlighted in the Appearance palette, choose Effect > Convert to Shape > Rounded Rectangle.
9.	In the Shape Options dialog that appears, choose the Relative options and specify .125 inch for both the Extra Width and the Extra Height fields.
10.	For the Corner Radius, specify a value of .25 inch, and click OK to apply the effect (Figure 7.68). Figure 7.68. The second fill that you created now acts like a background for the text.
11.	Switch to the Type tool and edit the text. You will notice that as you change the text, the colored background expands or contracts as necessary to match the text.

As always, a little bit of experimenting not only gets you more comfortable with these kinds of effects, but it helps you think of ways you can get your work done faster and more efficiently (which is a good thing).