Adobe · Adobe Illustrator on Windows or macOS

Fill Shapes With the Live Paint Bucket in Illustrator

Source-checked About 5 minutes

Answer

Select the paths you want to color, choose Object > Live Paint > Make, then select the Live Paint Bucket tool or press K. Pick a fill color, move over a highlighted face, and click to fill it.

Before you continue
  • GroupTurn the selected paths into a Live Paint group.
  • FillClick only when the intended face is highlighted.
  • SaveKeep an editable copy before expanding the group.
Open Adobe's Live Paint Bucket instructions
Guide steps7 steps
  1. Select the paths that form the artwork
  2. Create a Live Paint group
  3. Choose the Live Paint Bucket
  4. Choose a color and find the correct face
  5. Click to apply the fill
  6. Fix gaps when paint leaks or will not fill
  7. Keep an editable copy before expanding
  8. If it still does not work

Select the paths that form the artwork

Use the Selection tool to select the lines and shapes whose enclosed areas you want to fill. Live Paint treats the visible intersections as paintable faces.

Create a Live Paint group

Choose Object > Live Paint > Make. This is required before the Live Paint Bucket can fill the areas between intersecting paths.

Choose the Live Paint Bucket

Select the Live Paint Bucket tool in the toolbar or press K. If it is hidden, open the toolbar's Edit Toolbar panel and add it.

Choose a color and find the correct face

Select a fill color. Move the pointer over the artwork and wait for the intended area to receive a thick highlight. The highlight shows what the next click will fill.

Click to apply the fill

Click the highlighted face. Move to other faces and repeat as needed. Use the tool's color controls or the Swatches panel to change the next fill.

Follow Adobe's current Live Paint steps

Fix gaps when paint leaks or will not fill

Select the Live Paint group and choose Object > Live Paint > Gap Options. Turn on gap detection and preview the result, then choose the smallest setting that closes the unintended opening.

Use Adobe's Gap Options guide

Keep an editable copy before expanding

Save or duplicate the Live Paint group before choosing Object > Live Paint > Expand. Expanding converts the live group into ordinary paths and changes how it can be edited.

If it does not work

  • If the bucket shows a prohibited symbol, confirm that the paths are selected and Object > Live Paint > Make completed successfully.
  • If the wrong region highlights, zoom in and inspect for a gap or an extra crossing path before changing the paint color.
  • If the tool is missing, press K or use Edit Toolbar rather than resetting the entire workspace.
Sources and verification

Checked against official documentation on . Scope: Adobe Illustrator on Windows or macOS.

The written steps follow the current official help pages linked below. The saved video is an older walkthrough and may show different labels.

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