Learn how to use Generative Expand to expand your artwork with vector graphics that blend in naturally.
Generative Expand, powered by Adobe Firefly, lets you generate vector graphics to expand your artwork beyond its original bounds. You can expand just the artwork for ideation, or expand the artboard along with the finished artwork to create different layouts. You can also use Generative Expand to fill the print bleed area around an artboard.
Expand your artwork alone or with the artboard.
Select Generative Expand in the Contextual Task Bar. A rectangular frame with handles and widgets appears on the canvas.
You can also access Generative Expand from Object > Generative Expand > Make, the Properties panel, in the Control panel, and the right-click menu.
Drag the handles and widgets of the frame outward to increase the area of the artwork or artboard:
You can optionally add a text prompt, but leave the prompt field blank for Generative Expand to expand your artwork naturally based on the existing content.
Select Generate in the Contextual Task Bar. Generative Expand creates a copy of your original artwork and expands it. Three variations of the output appear in the Properties panel. The first variation automatically appears on the canvas as a generated object on top of your original copy, indicated by on its bounding box.
It also creates a Generative Object group in the Layers panel that contains two subgroups, Expanded Art and Original Art.
Increasing the area alone will not expand the artwork. Ensure you select Generate.
Try out all the variations and select the one that best suits your artwork. Then, select Done in the Contextual Task Bar.
Select Combine in the Contextual Task Bar to merge the objects in the Expanded Art and Original Art subgroups. Parts of real-life objects merge across these subgroups, and you get a logical grouping of objects, allowing you to edit the artwork easily. Once you combine, the artwork is no longer a generated object.
You won't get Combine if you move the expanded artwork from its original position.
Set up a bleed area for the artboard from File > Document Setup. You'll see the bleed area around the artboard with a red-colored boundary.
Select Print Bleed in the upper-right corner of the bleed boundary. Three bleed variations appear in the Properties panel. The first variation automatically appears on the canvas as a generated object on top of your original copy, indicated by on its bounding box. It also creates a Generative Object group in the Layers panel that contains two subgroups, Expanded Art and Original Art.
Try out all the variations and select the one that best suits your artwork. Then, select Done in the Contextual Task Bar.
Select Combine in the Contextual Task Bar to merge the objects in the Expanded Art and Original Art subgroups. Parts of real-life objects merge across these subgroups, and you get a logical grouping of objects, allowing you to edit the artwork easily. Once you combine, the artwork is no longer a generated object.
You won't get Combine if you move the expanded artwork from its original position.
When you select a generated object on the canvas, only the set of variations it came from (linked variations) appears in the Variations section of the Properties panel. You can view all the variations generated using Generative Expand in your document in Window > Generated Variations.
Even if you delete a generated object from the canvas or its linked variations from the Properties panel, they aren't deleted from the Generated Variations panel. On the other hand, if you delete a variation from the Generated Variations panel, it's no longer available as a linked variation for the object on the canvas. You can always undo the deletions by pressing Cmd + Z (macOS) or Ctrl + Z (Windows).
You can run Generative Expand on an already expanded artwork:
Hover over a variation and select More options .
Select Good result or Poor result to rate its quality.
Select Report variation if it's harmful, illegal, or offensive.
If you have a question to ask or an idea to share, come and participate in Adobe Illustrator Community. We would love to hear from you and see your creations.
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