This article delves into the art of enhancing pie graphs by separating a slice from the rest and giving it more dimension, involving a degree of mathematical computation. The process includes utilizing the selection tool to access and analyze the pie chart data, working out the degree representation of the slice in relation to the whole pie, and finally using the segment tool to move the slice out proportionally from the center.
Key Insights
- The article offers a comprehensive guide on how to elevate a pie chart design by separating and accentuating a particular slice. This involves mathematical computations to ensure the slice is moved out proportionally.
- It explains the use of the selection tool to unlock the pie graph, access the data, and make necessary calculations to determine the degree representation of the slice.
- The process involves using the line segment tool to create a stroke, rotating it at a 45 degree angle to serve as a reference, and then moving the selected slice along this line. Further enhancements such as adding a drop shadow to the image are also detailed.
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In this video, we will stylize our pie graph by removing the top-right slice and moving it outside the pie graph to give it a little more dimension. To do this, we’ll need to do a little bit of math, so I’m going to use the Type Tool to add some text above and show our math.
Let’s start by looking at the data from our pie chart. I’ll hit ESC, then V on the keyboard to access the Selection Tool. I’ll unlock the pie graph and select it. I’ll then right-click and select 'Data, ' and we can observe the data.
Currently, if we add all three of our values, we have a total of 120. This top-right section is our 30 section, so it makes up 30 out of the 120.
Therefore, let’s close this data box and go into our math text. If we double-click, we’ll type out the math above. We have 30 for our data, and it makes up 120. If we do the math, it will equal 0.25, meaning this area takes up 25 percent of our graph. So, 25 percent of the graph multiplied by 360 (for the 360 degrees of the circle) will result in 90.
Therefore, this takes up 90 degrees of our graph. To move it out, we want to shift the center of our graph. We’ll move it at a 45-degree angle from the center. To do this, we’ll use the Line Segment Tool and draw a stroke. Then, we’ll select the stroke and add color.
Next, we want to rotate this 45 degrees so that we can use it as a reference. To do this, we’ll right-click on the path and go to Transform, Rotate. From here, we’ll change the angle to 45 degrees and click OK.
Now, if we move this to the bottom using V on the keyboard for the Selection Tool and intersect this line with the center of our pie graph, we’ll see that it splits this slice in two.
Therefore, we now simply need to move this slice of our graph. To do this, I’ll hit A on the keyboard, select the part of our graph, and drag it right along our line.
In this case, I don’t want to drag it too far, so I’ll leave it right about here. So, it’s still part of the graph, but it’s cut out. Depending on which piece you’re trying to remove from a pie graph, this math will vary.
We’ll then hit V on the keyboard to select this path, hit the Delete key, and we’ve now successfully moved our pie graph piece out proportionally from the center.
We can also delete our math above by selecting it and hitting the Delete key.
As one final change, let’s add a drop shadow to our image. To do this, we’ll select the graph and go to Effect. We’ll go to Stylize, then Drop Shadow. If we select Preview, we can see a preview of our drop shadow. I’m going to offset it a little more to the left and down using X and Y. Let’s change the opacity from 60 to 50 and hit TAB. Here, we have a slight drop shadow behind it.
I’ll also reduce the blur from 0.1 to 0.05 and hit TAB. In this case, I’ll bring it a little closer and see how it looks now. I’ll go a little heavier at 70 percent.
Remember, this is all experimental, so feel free to choose whatever drop shadow you prefer. I’ll change the offset a little more to the left, and I like the look of this. We’ll then click OK, and we’ve completed our drop shadow. Let’s remove this piece.
As one final change, let’s select our pie graph, and we’ll simply remove the stroke by selecting 'None.'
We’ll click outside, and this looks good. Let’s now save our work by hitting CTRL + S on the keyboard to save. In the next video, we will begin adding some lines to help bring our attention to this slice. See you in the next video!