# \[AI\] Expanding Patterns
**URL:** https://forum.kirupa.com/t/ai-expanding-patterns/264181
**Category:** design
**Created:** [June 23, 2008, 7:50pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/ai-expanding-patterns/264181 "2008-06-23T19:50:32Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@NeoDreamer](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/NeoDreamer)
#### Post date: [June 23, 2008, 7:50pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/ai-expanding-patterns/264181/1 "2008-06-23T19:50:32Z")
I need help expanding objects filled with patterns in Adobe Illustrator CS3. I choose Object \> Expand (because “Expand Appearance” is grayed out). The resultant pattern becomes a hairline stroke: 😑
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### Author:  [@Illustratr](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/Illustratr)
#### Post date: [June 23, 2008, 10:19pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/ai-expanding-patterns/264181/2 "2008-06-23T22:19:24Z")
Hmmm…that is interesting. I suppose a workaround would be to re-select the hairlines after the Expand and change the stroke back. You could also select a hairline flower and look in your Appearance palette to see if that might give you any clues as to why the stroke gets reduced. Without AI on this PC at the moment I can’t currently duplicate the problem and be of more help right now.
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### Author:  [@soulty](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/soulty)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2008, 1:29am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/ai-expanding-patterns/264181/3 "2008-06-24T01:29:19Z")
post up a example ai file with the pattern. I’ll check it out.
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### Author:  [@wes\_design](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/wes_design)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2008, 2:14am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/ai-expanding-patterns/264181/4 "2008-06-24T02:14:36Z")
yeah post the file; I am thinking the hairline could be the fact that the file was made a different way… without lines and the programs is compensating for the option…
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### Author:  [@NeoDreamer](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/NeoDreamer)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2008, 2:24am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/ai-expanding-patterns/264181/5 "2008-06-24T02:24:42Z")
Here is the source file: [U][www.designaxe.com/storage/help.zip](http://www.designaxe.com/storage/help.zip)
[/U]**[file size : 889kb]**
Edit: If I expand the pattern before making the pattern, then all is well. But I kind of wasted like an hour doing that since I had a lot of different textures. Any faster way to expand without having to redefine the patterns?
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### Author:  [@soulty](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/soulty)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2008, 11:40am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/ai-expanding-patterns/264181/6 "2008-06-24T11:40:41Z")
Can’t see a way around it, funny thought I actually got it working, and by working i mean when i extract a new shape with the pattern applied it asked to extract fill and stroke and the stroke would stay the same width but I have no idea what I made it work, lol… and when i reopened your file i couldnt repeat the result!! :sigh:
But like you said I think patterns work best when the graphics being made into a pattern/shape are extracted as one whole raw vector before hand.
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### Author:  [@NeoDreamer](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/NeoDreamer)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2008, 2:36pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/ai-expanding-patterns/264181/7 "2008-06-24T14:36:56Z")
When expanding, “stroke” is grayed out.
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### Author:  [@Illustratr](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/Illustratr)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2008, 2:42pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/ai-expanding-patterns/264181/8 "2008-06-24T14:42:04Z")
Right, because the pattern itself is only being applied as a fill in your case. If you were to create your design using the pattern as a stroke and no fill then “fill” would be grayed out when trying to expand.
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### Author:  [@soulty](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/soulty)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2008, 2:47pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/ai-expanding-patterns/264181/9 "2008-06-24T14:47:51Z")
^^ exactly, it **was** grayed out, but some how I got both fill and stroke working options open. but besides that, the pattern is the issue not your method of extraction. all you have to simply do is apply the same amount of stroke back on the shape once it’s extracted or extract the shape before creating the pattern swatch… for the time being that will work for you until someone finds a solution.
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### Author:  [@mlk](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/mlk)
#### Post date: [June 27, 2008, 6:05pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/ai-expanding-patterns/264181/10 "2008-06-27T18:05:00Z")
object\>flatten transparency (vectors to 100%)
works most of the time
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### Author:  [@wes\_design](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/wes_design)
#### Post date: [June 27, 2008, 7:11pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/ai-expanding-patterns/264181/11 "2008-06-27T19:11:23Z")
the link doesn’t work