: How do I create a transparent hole in Adobe Illustrator I am designing some key tags and am VERY new to illustrator. I currently just have a circle placed where I would like the hole, is

@Kaufman565

Use the pathfinder tool:

Google it or youtube it:

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@Berryessa866

If you want to make the area transparent without destructively or practically affecting any of the other artwork you can use a knockout group. If you want to cut through everything so there is nothing visible below, you can use a page knockout group.


Make sure your shape is above everything else
Give the shape a fill and set its opacity to 0%
Check "Page Knockout Group" from the panel menu...




If you only want to cut through specific parts of your artwork (e.g. you need a background image), you can use a regular knockout group, which you define on the group or layer you want to cut through. You can see an example here:


How do I make an object fill transparent without showing objects below in Illustrator?

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@Kaufman565

The easy method:
Select the circle, Object > Path > Divide Objects Below.



Then click the circle again and delete: Hey presto...

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@Kristi927

Create a circle.
Increase the strength of the stroke to whatever fits your imagination.
Make the fill No color and the stroke the desired color.
If anything looks good, go to Object → Path → Contour Line (or Stroke Line).
Ungroup the result with Object → Ungroup.

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