Reuse an effect on multiple objects
If you like the properties that you have set on an effect, such as the color and depth of a drop shadow, you might want to use the same effect again without having to remember the specific properties that you set before. To reuse an effect, you can convert the value of the Effect property to a reusable resource, and then apply it to another object.
To convert an effect into a resource
On the artboard or under Objects and Timeline, select the object to which an effect is applied.
Under the Appearance category of the Properties panel, click Advanced property options
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next to the Effect property.On the shortcut menu that appears, click Convert to New Resource.
In the Create Effect Resource dialog box that appears, enter a name for your resource and choose where in your project it will be stored. By default, the effect will be stored in the current document, and thus can be reused only by other objects in the same document. For more information, see Create a resource.
Click OK.
A green box appears around the property, and the Advanced property options marker changes to green
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, to indicate that the property now has a resource applied to it. The resource is visible in the Resources tab.
To apply an effect resource to another object
On the artboard or under Objects and Timeline, select the object to which you want to apply the effect resource.
Under the Appearance category of the Properties panel, click Advanced property options
next to the Effect property.On the shortcut menu that appears, point to Local Resource, and then click the name of an effect resource.
To convert individual properties of an effect to resources
Resources turn values into reusable entities. For example, if you want multiple objects in your application to use the same color, you could convert the color to a resource and apply it to each object. Then, if you want to change the color, you only have to change it in one location instead of changing multiple objects. This strategy is very useful for defining a unique look for your application. Almost any property value can be converted to a resource, and resources can be nested. For example, you could convert the Color property of a drop shadow effect to a resource (in order to apply the color resource to other objects in your project), and then convert the entire Effect property to a resource.
The following procedure describes how to convert the properties in an effect to reusable resources.
Do one of the following:
Under Objects and Timeline, expand the object to display the effect that is applied to it, and then select the effect.
The Properties panel displays the properties of the effect in the Miscellaneous category. (Third-party effects might display properties under a different category.)
On the artboard or under Objects and Timeline, select the object to which an effect is applied.
Under the Appearance category of the Properties panel, click Expand
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, next to the Effect property, to display its properties.
Under the Appearance category of the Properties panel, click Advanced property options
next to the property that you want to convert to a resource.Note
If you convert the Color property, a color resource will be created. This is different from a brush resource, which can be applied to properties like the Fill property of a rectangle. However, you can apply color resources to brushes. For more information, see Create a brush or color resource.
On the shortcut menu that appears, click Convert to New Resource.
In the Create Color Resource dialog box that appears, enter a name for your resource and choose where in your project it will be stored. By default, the effect will be stored in the current document, and thus can be reused only by other objects in the same document. For more information, see Create a resource.
Click OK.
A green box appears around the property, and the Advanced property options marker changes to green
, to indicate that the property now has a resource applied to it. The resource is visible in the Resources tab. For more information, see Apply or remove a resource.