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Divide
The Divide tool breaks up a piece of art into its component filled faces.

Trim
The Trim tool removes hidden parts of an object. It will remove any strokes and does not merge objects of the same color.

Merge
This tool removes the part of a filled object that is hidden from view. It removes strokes and merges adjoining/overlapping objects filled with the same color.

Crop
The Crop tool divides art into its component filled faces and deletes all parts of the art that falls outside the boundary of the top most object. It also removes strokes.

Outline
The Outline tool divides an object into its component line segments. Each segment can then be ungrouped and manipulated independently. This can be useful for preparing artwork that needs a trap for overprinting objects.

Final Thoughts
Adobe Illustrator 9 is considered the best vector art graphics program available. The only thing limiting a digital artist (those from outside Palm Beach County anyway) is their knowledge of Illustrator and their own imagination.

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