Let’s look at another example using the same two design elements—one of which is grouped. Select the first set of objects and change the opacity value in the Transparency palette to 50 percent. Now select the group and make the same change to the opacity value. Observe the results.

When applying an opacity setting to individual overlapping objects, you can see one object through the other (left), but when the opacity is applied to a group, the entire group takes on the attribute, giving it a different appearance (right).

The first design element has the opacity value applied to each object individually, and each object interacts with the other, enabling you to see through one object to the one underneath it. The grouped objects have the same opacity applied, but you don’t see the objects overlapping with each other. Again, this appearance is due to the fact that Illustrator is applying the opacity setting to the container, not to the objects themselves. As in the previous example with the drop shadow, simply ungrouping the two objects removes the opacity setting as well.

These two examples clearly illustrate how groups can have attributes applied to them, or how they can control how grouped objects interact with each other. In this context, you begin to see that grouping objects is more than just making files easier to manage. Creating groups can have a significant impact on the appearance of your art. In fact, simply ungrouping art can alter the appearance of your file completely.

The obvious questions you should be asking are, “How do I know when I’m applying an attribute to an object versus a group?” and “How can I tell if ungrouping something will alter the appearance of my file?” The answers lie in the all-important Appearance palette, which tells you what is targeted. If you think back to the grouping examples we discussed earlier, you’ll recall that when you selected the group, the drop shadow was applied to the group because it was targeted. Had the individual paths been targeted, the drop shadow would have been applied to the paths themselves.