How to Make a Seamless Pattern Swatch in Adobe Illustrator

The thought of making a Seamless Pattern Swatch in Adobe Illustrator may seem intimidating until you watch this video! Susan Rutledge demonstrates how simple it is to create a Seamless Pattern Swatch in just a few easy-to-follow steps. Use the swatch to fill ANY object on your artboard! Keyboard shortcuts provided for both MAC and PC users.

[@dellbelew6297]

I have learned so much from your tutorials. You are a favorite because your voice is clear, you don't give unnecessary information (that is, you don't talk too much! lol), and your visuals are clear. Thank you for sharing.

[@SusanRutledge]

Thank you Dell. I’m honored to be one of your favorites and so glad you’re learning from my tutorials. Thanks for watching and leaving such a kind comment. Made my day!

[@pkzbdz4530]

This is the best tutorial I've come by so far. Thank you so so much.

[@SusanRutledge]

Thank you for the nice comment. I'm gad you found it helpful. And thanks for leaving a comment!

[@kitnewlin3068]

Susan, you are THE BOMB!!! Can't tell you how many tutorials I've watched on seamless patterns, all of which left me scratching my head and more confused than EVER!!! You are a gifted teacher and I appreciate you more than I can express! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!

[@SusanRutledge]

Kit you are very welcome. Thanks so much for the comment - it's encouraging to hear from people who find my tutorials helpful. I took a break over the holidays and am posting my first video of 2023 this afternoon.

[@francois3094]

Clean talk, clean voice, clean explanation, and clean work; thank you :)

[@SusanRutledge]

You are welcome. Thank you for watching and leaving a comment!

[@pagi-99]

You explained it very very well. The pattern itself looks so nice. Thank you so much for making this tutorial 🏆

[@SusanRutledge]

You are welcome. I'm glad you liked it. Thank you for leaving a comment!

[@natashawebb9496]

Hi Susan, That was really clear and helpful, I'll certainly be checking out your other videos thank you.

[@SusanRutledge]

I'm glad you found it helpful. Thanks for leaving a comment - and thanks for watching!

[@MsRobsClass]

This is, by far, one of the best tutorials of any stripe that I've come across on KZbin. The way Ms. Rutledge leads you through the steps is paced perfectly with just the right amount of scaffolding built in. I've been taking an online class in surface pattern design, got frustrated with the limitations, and decided to see if I could figure things out for myself with some help from KZbin. This video does not disappoint. In addition to her very clear, step by step instructions and calming voice, Ms. Rutledge has added visuals for the keyboard shortcuts needed for some of the steps (for both Mac and PC users, thanks for the inclusivity!) and I noticed on some steps she found a way to show it twice without it coming across as repetitive. Overall, a perfectly planned and paced lesson. I was able to make several seamless repeat patterns this weekend and each time got a little easier. (The only issue I'm currently having is when I export the design, there's a glitch where some extra space comes in at one or two edges, so I have to carefully crop to make it actually seamless. Hoping to figure out why that's happening!) Great work, I'm now a subscriber and looking forward to learning more from this lovely instructor. Thank you so much.

[@SusanRutledge]

Rory, thank you for your glowing comments and for subscribing. I truly appreciate them. I'm glad you found the tutorial helpful. I do have about 50 tutorials posted to date, and you may find some of them helpful as well. I'd be interested to hear more about the glitch when you export. I don't think I've run into that problem.

[@MsRobsClass]

@@SusanRutledge no, thank YOU for making such great resources! I'm very much looking forward to digging in and learning more. You really are a great teacher. 😊 The glitch is most likely related to the way I'm doing things on my end. I'll end up with a square swatch, but when I export it, the pattern might not extend all the way to the edge so there will be maybe 4 pixels of transparent space on one or two sides, meaning when I upload my design in a repeat I get these weird lines unless I crop. I've been following your tutorial with elements I've made outside of illustrator and I think that's why I'm running into this issue. When I get to the step to expand appearance, that's not an option (won't let me click on it) so I use 'expand' instead. Totally user error on my part and apologies if my previous review didn't make that clear.

[@seowebservice]

Your all type of nature design is really helpful for online people's keep it up good work stay blessings Fahid Augustin Pervaiz from Lahore Pakistan

[@SusanRutledge]

Thank you for your kind comment! I'm glad you found this helpful.

[@ozlem1277]

As everyone says, it's an amazing tutorial!

[@SusanRutledge]

Thank you so much. Glad you liked it!

[@eneseldes4360]

Susan I am in love with your voice, made following the tutorial so much easier lmao

[@Plumblossom9546]

Just what I was looking for! Most other tutorials show a single design centered in a tile, but do not show how to manage elements that blend across the edges of tiles. So thorough and easy to follow! Thank you! 🙏🏻

[@SusanRutledge]

You’re welcome. I’m glad you found it helpful!

[@orlamdc]

Very easy to follow tutorial. Thank you.

[@SusanRutledge]

You're welcome. Thank you for watching and for leaving a comment!

[@aine4400]

amazing ! thank you Susan - love how u explain how a seamless pattern works in principle; you don’t rush through it and are very clear :) - cannot wait to see more videos from you :)

[@SusanRutledge]

Thank you for your comments. I'm glad you found the tutorial helpful. And thanks for watching!

[@shahriard8278]

THANK U SOOO MUCH. BY FAR THE BEST AND COMPLETEST INSTRUCTIONS I'VE FOUND. SUBSCRIBED DONE

[@SusanRutledge]

Thank you for your encouraging comments. I'm so glad you found the tutorial helpful! Thank you for watching!

[@ursalaoutrageous9249]

Your verbal instructions are great! I subscribed.

[@SusanRutledge]

Thank you for subscribing. I’ll keep adding videos and of course you can check out the 50+ on my channel.

[@jacquieriley7101]

I love this workflow... better placement of items on the design, thank you Susan

[@SusanRutledge]

You are welcome. I'm glad you found this helpful. Thank you for watching.

[@colleencollins547]

This is so clear and easy to follow. Thank you for sharing!

[@SusanRutledge]

You are very welcome. Thanks for watching and leaving a comment!

[@kathyjakopovich2176]

This was so AWESOME! Thank you!!!

[@SusanRutledge]

You are welcome!

[@candicelaxton7767]

Thank you Susan! This was an extremely helpful video, easy to follow along, and I learned a ton about the tools and shortcuts that make the process of creating patterns in Illustrator so much easier. : )

[@SusanRutledge]

I'm glad you found it helpful. Thank you for watching and for your encouraging comments. Making seamless pattern swatches is one my (many) favorites in Illustrator!

[@fairypenguinos]

after so long I finally learn. It was using the move tool, that's how you get that appearance... Of all the tutorials, this was the best and I like how you explained slowly and showed multiple times how to do it. thanks 👽🐧

[@SusanRutledge]

You are welcome. When I learned how to use the move tool to create Pattern Swatches it was an aha moment for me too! Glad you found it helpful. Thanks for watching and leaving a comment!

[@patparton2201]

Excellent!. Well explained and easy to follow.

[@SusanRutledge]

Thank you. I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for watching!

[@damianadasik4033]

Thank You so so so much! I had a trouble doing that (I had seen a few videos before yours) because after all that process I couldn't move/drag that into swatches and thanks to your method finally I was able to create it and move into patterns :3 Thank You so so much, I subscribed You :3

[@SusanRutledge]

Thank you Damian. I'm glad you found this helpful! Thanks for subscribing and leaving a comment!

[@tracyjohn826]

Wonderful video! Thank you SO MUCH ! Have subscribed

[@SusanRutledge]

Thank you for your kind comment. I've taken a couple of months off to celebrate the holidays with family but look forward to posting new videos in January!

[@matrixnavigator6669]

Thank you so much! Very well explained. I started feeling just as you said - intimidated by this process, but after watching your video, I'm now excited to get started!

[@SusanRutledge]

Thank you for your encouraging comments. I’m so glad you found this helpful! Have fun and thanks for watching!

[@Ms101968]

I much prefer making patterns this way rather than using the Pattern Tool. Thanks for the Tut!

[@SusanRutledge]

You are welcome. Thank you for watching!

[@esmeraldaleal4911]

Thank you, I just found your page and so much helpful videos. I have a question as a fashion designer I need to be able to upload an image to illustrator of a patterns and fabrics and add it to my swatches . Do you have any idea to do that? I can’t find any new videos

[@SusanRutledge]

I do wish there was an easy answer. I just tried scanning two blouses. The patterns on the fabric were fairly small, so I could get an entire repeat on my scanner. But the fabric wasn't flat and I wasn't able to get a scan good enough to make a swatch. Perhaps it was stretched from being sewn and washed. If you have flat fabric with a fairly small pattern, perhaps you would have better results. The idea would be to identify the pattern repeat and crop it. The crop has to be a square. I'll continue to ponder your question and if I come up with a good solution, I will respond back to your question - and perhaps make a video about it. I wish you well in your designing business!

[@SusanRutledge]

Check out this tutorial. I believe you may find this designer's videos helpful - kzbin.info/www/bejne/ooS1hH6rnrKUhJI

[@madelinegrudens]

Perfectly explained! I can now make my own and not pull out any hair! Great teacher! New sub! - EDIT: I tried it today and it worked exactly as you explained - except my rectangle would not place on top/in front - no thanks to Illustrator for their bugs :( - but you my friend are a huge help!!!! Thanks a million bazillion - whatever that works out to mathematically :)

[@SusanRutledge]

Thanks for you encouraging comment. It made me smile! I'm curious why placing the rectangle on top didn't work. If you continue to have problems, after you expand and create outlines of your designs, unlock the back rectangle in the layer's panel, copy it Command+C (Control+C on PC), then try Edit>Paste in Place. Maybe that will work. You'll want to figure out how to get Illustrator to place that upper rectangle in place so your pattern is seamless. Let me know if you're able to make it work!

[@madelinegrudens]

@@SusanRutledge I'm so grateful that you responded - that's extra special. Sometimes Illustrator doesn't do what you expect or want, but no worries, I know how to use it and I got it to work, but will try your suggestion. I made quite a few patterns with your method and it works perfectly!! Thanks again.

[@SusanRutledge]

@@madelinegrudens you're welcome.

[@yatighazali674]

Thank you..your video your explanation very clear❤..this video very helpful

[@SusanRutledge]

Thank you for your kind comment. I've taken a couple of months off to celebrate the holidays with family but look forward to posting new videos in January!

[@AccentShmaccent]

well done, thank you... I dig your teaching style!

[@SusanRutledge]

I appreciate your comments. Glad you liked the tutorial. Thanks for watching!

[@RootedRisings]

Great tutorial!! I am curious to know if you use the pattern feature in Illustrator.

[@SusanRutledge]

I have a tutorial about using the grid repeat which may be what you're talking about. I THINK it may have been referred to as the pattern feature at one time. Let me know if this answers your question. Here's the link. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rH3HcoWor7ljp6M

[@alipran]

Very helpful Thanks for sharing ❤

[@SusanRutledge]

You are welcome. Thanks for watching and leaving a comment!

[@annfa4421]

Such a well done tutorial!

[@SusanRutledge]

Thank you, and thanks for watching!

[@umerbel]

Hi, Where did you learn all this from? you are amazing.

[@adilmehmood2915]

Awesome work Susan, excellent pro level tutorial. Keep up the good work. Cant wait to see more from u. +Subs

[@SusanRutledge]

Thank you for your encouraging comments! And thank you for watching!

[@nicitha]

This is a really good tutorial, well done!

[@SusanRutledge]

Thank you. I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for watching!

[@dblares1]

Great video!

[@SusanRutledge]

Thank you and thanks for watching!

[@avinashkate6460]

Thank you , I like this video; it's very helpful.

[@SusanRutledge]

You are welcome. I'm glad you found it helpful. Thanks for watching!

[@agathaandrade4975]

Excellent video! Thank you so much! I followed your instructions (step by step) and was able to create the pattern swatch. Unfortunately, I can see the "tile" edges. It is as if illustrator assumes it is a swatch made with the Pattern Maker. I even looked at the "Preferences" to see if there was something there, but I can't figure out what is wrong. I've tried so many times, even with different designs, but the result is always the same. There is a line around the "tile". There is no stroke in the background. And the "show tile edges" on the Pattern Maker is unchecked. Once again, I did not use the Pattern Maker. Any suggestion will be greatly appreciated. Thank you, again!

[@SusanRutledge]

Agatha, if you are following all the directions, it is perplexing for sure. Every now and then I do encounter a strange glitch in Illustrator for no apparent reason. The one thing that sometimes helps is to turn off Illustrator and restart my computer. I know that sounds too simple, but if you haven't tried that, give it a shot. I'm working on recording another tutorial, but if that doesn't solve your problem, send me another reply and when I finish recording, I'll work with you to try to figure it out.

[@agathaandrade4975]

@@SusanRutledge Susan, thank you very much for your reply! You are right: Illustrator has glitches that cannot be explained. That day in particular, I experienced crash after crash, and error messages. I believe my file was corrupted somehow. I begun another file from scratch, followed your instructions again (step by step) and it worked perfectly! Thank you so much for your generosity, and for trying to help me out! I appreciate your knowledge and your kindness! 😊

[@SusanRutledge]

@@agathaandrade4975 yeah! I’m so glad it worked. I was hoping to hear back from you. Happy creating!

[@stripypaint]

Super helpful and well explained!!

[@SusanRutledge]

Thank you. I'm glad it was helpful. Seamless Pattern Swatches are fun to make and so useful in illustrations. I appreciate your comment!

[@michellesudhakar9961]

Thanks for the video, its beautifully explained and easy to follow. How do share my pattern with someone who does not have AI?

[@SusanRutledge]

It's going to depend on the software being used. Are you talking about using the pattern in Photoshop or another software? Let me know, and I'll try to give you an answer. I've only used my seamless pattern swatches in Illustrator because that's my goto program for digital designs.

[@michellesudhakar9961]

@@SusanRutledge Thanks! I'm using AI but was wondering if there was a better way to export my designs, especially when i have a lot of them. I've been through the options and the only method that does not compromise the resolution of the image is to export each design individually. I found that when saved as export for screens the designs are of lower resolution. Has this been your experience as well?

[@SusanRutledge]

@@michellesudhakar9961 I actually haven't had a need to export the images because I only use Illustrator. If you are exporting for use in AI, you can create a new Swatches Panel with all of your designs in it, and export the Swatches Panel. Do you know how to do that? If not, let me know, and I'll make a quick video for you.

[@remochii]

Great video! learned a lot from you

[@SusanRutledge]

Thanks you! This is one of my many favorite functions of Illustrator! Glad you found it helpful.

[@mandolinschreck7248]

What function tool can we use for the "crop" step if we do not have a properties panel ? I am using CS6 (before 2018 version that offers the properties panel). Thank you!

[@SusanRutledge]

Create the artwork just like the video instructs but DON'T add a copy of the background square on top. Select ALL artwork and the background, get the Shape Builder Tool (Shift+M), hold down the Option Key (Alt on a PC) and drag your mouse over all the artwork that hangs on the outside of the square. This will delete all the unwanted pieces and leave you with a perfect design. Group remaining background and artwork together and drag it into the Swatches Panel to create a swatch. I hope this helps and answers your question. If it doesn't, let me know and I'll make a quick tutorial for you.

[@salauddinsarker8663]

Lovely, I learn something.

[@SusanRutledge]

I'm glad you learned something. Thank you for responding!

[@shivanandsonavale7366]

Its really really helpful video I am so much thankful of you .....I have some questions how can I contact you

[@SusanRutledge]

Thank you! I'm glad the video as helpful. and thanks for watching. I'll be happy to respond to your questions on KZbin. That way others can benefit from the answers as well!

[@IslanderJena]

great video tutorial! what tools did use to create the artwork? is it the pen tool? or you created a brush? new to illustrator here, would appreciate your reply :)

[@SusanRutledge]

Hi Jen. I used a combination of tools, but not the pen tool. I created Art Brushes for the three stems. The leaf is an oval with pointed leaves - point added with the Anchor Point Tool (Shift+C); I added the center vein with the Line Segment Tool, then used the Warp Tool to slightly distort them. The flowers are made with an ellipse that has a pointed anchor on one end. I rotate/copied the Ellipse to fill the circle. Several of my tutorials show how to make designs - some for Pattern Brushes and some for Art Brushes. A very basic one you might check out is kzbin.info/www/bejne/fH2sno1-fq-ibKs. If you don't find what you need, let me know and I'll make a tutorial on how I made those specific designs. You will find the more you use Illustrator, the more you'll love it. I have about 50 tutorials teaching how to do/create various things. And I'm trying to add 1-2 more each week. Stay in touch and have fun!

[@artcomlotus3091]

Can we do it in Photoshop cc?

[@SusanRutledge]

I'm not proficient enough in Photoshop to answer that question. I'm so sorry. It would be great if you could.

[@artcomlotus3091]

@@SusanRutledge No at all, your valuable answer is clear. I think I can do it with Photoshop CC but it takes more time to learn. Thank you so much.

[@SusanRutledge]

@@artcomlotus3091 you're welcome.

[@bunyaminalbayrak6047]

Dear Susan, I applied what you said, it all happened. However, it does not throw it into the swatches panel. No matter what you do. I applied to all of them. By the way, I'm using Illustrator 2022. what should i do, open answer. Thanks for everything...

[@SusanRutledge]

After you go through the steps of making the swatch on the artboard, you must actually drag it into the swatches panel. I can't tell from your comment if you did that, since you said it didn't "throw it into the swatches panel". If you DID try to drag it in and it won't go, then perhaps there is something in the design that can't be in a swatch, although most of the time, expanding the object takes care of that. Let me know if you tried to drag it in, and if so, what are the components in your design?

[@czai30tv14]

Thank you 💖 it helps me a lot ☺️

[@SusanRutledge]

You are welcome. Thanks for letting me know!

[@aysharafiq8912]

Helpful video 💜 plz make a video on half drop repeat aswell

[@SusanRutledge]

I'm glad you found it helpful. I will be happy to make one on the Half Drop Repeat.

[@SusanRutledge]

I created a tutorial for a half drop seamless pattern swatch. Check it out!

[@michellewillinganz872]

thank you

[@SusanRutledge]

You are welcome. Thanks for leaving a comment!

[@gastonindustrialdesign]

thank you!!

[@SusanRutledge]

You are welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@lutfunchowdhury5711]

Thank u, it was helpful

[@SusanRutledge]

You are welcome. I'm so glad you found it helpful. Thank you for watching!

[@mubashirahmed8746]

Pretty good

[@SusanRutledge]

Thank you.

[@candinasalvador5572]

Where have you been all my school life🥰this was amazing😍thank you for saving me from having to pay someone to do this❣️this tutorial was succinct and super easy to follow. 🎉

[@NishchalAgarwal-m1b]

i am confused. i thought illustrator makes seemless patterns by default.

[@SusanRutledge]

Yes, Illustrator will make a seamless pattern, but I prefer to use this method for more complex designs. There are many different methods to do many things in Illustrator. Use the one you’re most comfortable with.