Generate vector graphics to expand artwork

Last updated on Sep 11, 2025

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.

Try it yourself
Follow along with a sample file to learn how to expand your artwork with vector graphics.

Open Illustrator

Expand your artwork alone or with the artboard.

Expand artwork

Do one of the following based on what you want to expand:

To expand the artwork alone, use the Selection tool to select the artwork on the canvas. Your artwork must contain at least two separate objects or a grouped object.
To expand the artboard along with the artwork, select the Artboard tool, and then select 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:

Press Shift + Option (macOS) or Shift + Alt (Windows) to drag in all directions at the same time.
Enter the width and height in the Properties panel to get a precise area.

Optionally, add a text prompt. Leave it blank to let Generative Expand expand your artwork naturally based on the existing content.

Note

You can only drag the handles and widgets of the frame outward. You can't rotate the frame.

To expand the artwork alone, you must increase the area. To expand the artboard along with the artwork, increasing the area is optional if you place the artwork centrally on the artboard.

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 Generative Object on top of your original copy, indicated by on its bounding box.
A Generative Object group appears in the Layers panel with two subgroups: Expanded Art and Original Art.

Note

Increasing the area alone won't expand the artwork. You must select Generate.

Preview 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 parts of objects across Expanded Art and Original Art. You get a logical grouping of objects that helps you edit them easily in the future. Once you combine, the artwork is no longer a Generative Object.

The Combine option isn't available if you move the expanded artwork from its original position.

Scenarios with different objects

When you run Generative Expand on artwork that includes any of these objects—raster image, Symbol, Symbol Set, Graph, Live Paint, Image Trace output, Envelope Distort, Envelope Mesh, Envelope Warp, Mesh, Blend, Shaper Group, Brush path, Radial Repeat, Grid Repeat, Mirror Repeat, Radial Gradient, Freeform Gradient, color stop in gradient, non-native art, Perspective object, Intertwine object, Dimension object, and Mockup object—Generative Expand tries to match their visual appearance in the output without actually generating them. When you combine the expanded and original portions, these objects don't merge.
Linear gradients in the artwork can expand. You can merge the original and expanded portions and edit them as linear gradients.
Clip groups in the artwork can expand. You can merge the original and expanded portions.
Text objects can expand only when selected with other valid object types.
Locked objects can't expand.
Filled artwork with edges cropped to maximize the scene gives the best output.

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Edit generated patterns

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