This plug-in is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

Download the Kaleidoscope Plug-in

(only for Illustrator CS or CS2, Windows version)

Download the plug-in file (1.06Mb)

Installation Instructions

  • The plug-in file has been extracted onto your Windows Desktop.
  • Move the Kaleid.aip file to the Adobe Illustrator CS or CS2 Plug-ins folder (See notes below).
  • Restart Adobe Illustrator. The plug-in will be automatically detected.
  • Refer to the User's Instructions .

Locating the Adobe Illustrator CS Plug-ins folder - Windows XP

If you have Administrator privileges you can install the file for use by all users, otherwise you must install it for your own use.

The location of the Plug-ins folder for use by all users depends on the location where Adobe Illustrator was originally installed. The default location is C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator CS\Plug-ins .

The location of the Plug-ins folder for use by a single user is C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator CS\Plugins
where username is your login name.


User's Instructions

To create a kaleidoscope

  1. Create an original object or set of objects.
  2. Deselect all objects.
  3. Select the Kaleidoscope tool.
  4. Starting at its centre, drag out the required size of kaleidoscope.
The kaleidoscope object is created on top of the original objects and may be moved away or placed on another layer.

There are two options controlling how the kaleidoscope is created. Choose between Sweep or In place from the Kaleidoscope preferences dialogue.  When a Sweep kaleidoscope is created, the mirrored content is taken from a sector that rotates around its apex.  An In place kaleidoscope uses a sector that rotates about its centre. To display the Kaleidoscope preferences dialogue, double-click the Kaleidoscope tool icon.

Most Illustrator objects may be included in a kaleidoscope.  Some more complex objects, such as those including clipping paths and compound shapes may not.

Some effects may be successfully applied to a kaleidoscope object after it has been created.

To rotate an existing kaleidoscope

  1. Select a kaleidoscope object that you have created.
  2. Select the Kaleidoscope tool.
  3. Drag the kaleidoscope around its centre.

To make kaleidoscopes rotate automatically

  1. Deselect any kaleidoscope objects that you want to rotate.
  2. Select Rotate Kaleidoscopes from the Object menu.
Parameters for controlling the speed and number of steps may be set using the Kaleidoscope preferences dialogue.  To display the Kaleidoscope preferences dialogue, double-click the Kaleidoscope tool icon.

Information on website