How to remove an overlapping area from the shape below it?

Question

Picture 1 is how I'm going about it (the green path is what I want erased).

Picture 2 is what I want to end up with ultimately (all black being 1 path) but it's just a white filled path on the inside to show what I want.

Picture 3 is what I get using pathfinder->exclude when both paths are highlighted (the top line remains there from the shape I'm trying to erase).

How do I remove that overlapping shape completely to create what's left as one path??

Thanks!

Answer 1

It's hard to see exactly what is going on. My guess is that the overlapping shape you want to subtract from the larger shape is a tiny bit too tall. When you use Exclude you only subtract the parts that are overlapping.

I suggest that you make the overlapping shape a little bit taller and use pathfinder's Minus Front instead of Exclude:

Answer 2

Select the shape with the white shape on top and use Pathfinder > Minus Front

Pathfinder Exclude works, and you could merely select that little black line (which should be an independent shape) and merely delete it. That line is due to the remaining portion of the white shape outside the black shape.