Illustrator

Create seamless geometric patterns

  1. Make sure that Smart Guides are turned on and that Snap To Point is selected in the View menu.
  2. Select the geometric object. For precise positioning, position the Direct Selection tool on one of the object’s anchor points.
  3. Begin dragging the object vertically from one of its anchor points; then press Alt+Shift (Windows) or Option+Shift (Mac OS) to copy the object and constrain its movement.
  4. When the copy of the object has snapped into place, release the mouse button and then release the keys.
  5. Using the Group Selection tool, Shift-click to select both objects, and begin dragging the objects horizontally by one of their anchor points; then press Alt+Shift (Windows) or Option+Shift (Mac OS) to create a copy and constrain the move.
    Select both objects (left) and drag to create a copy (right).

  6. When the copy of the object has snapped into place, release the mouse button, and then release the keys.
  7. Repeat steps 2 through 6 until you’ve built the pattern you want.
  8. Use the Rectangle tool  to do one of the following:

    • For a fill pattern, draw a bounding box from the center point of the upper left object to the center point of the lower right object.

    • For a brush pattern, draw a bounding box that surrounds the objects and coincides with their outer boundaries. If the pattern is to be a corner tile, hold down Shift as you drag to constrain the bounding box to a square.

      Bounding box for a fill pattern (left) compared to the bounding box for a brush pattern (right)

  9. Paint the geometric objects the desired color.
  10. Save the geometric objects as a pattern swatch.