Adobe Illustrator CC Help (2014) And Tutorials 2014 En

User Manual: adobe Illustrator - CC (2014) - Help and Tutorials Free User Guide for Adobe Illustrator Software, Manual

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Adobe® Illustrator® CC Help

June 2014

Legal notices

Legal notices
For legal notices, see http://help.adobe.com/en_US/legalnotices/index.html.

Last updated 6/17/2014

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Contents
Chapter 1: What's new
New features summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Chapter 2: Workspace
Workspace basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
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Customizing the workspace
Tools

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Tool galleries

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Improved User Interface

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Slicing and cutting tool gallery

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Custom Tools Panels

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Working with ConnectNow
Using multiple artboards

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Viewing artwork

Rulers, grids, guides, and cropmarks

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Setting preferences

Recovery, undo, and automation

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Files and templates

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Artboard overview

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

File Info dialog

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Import and export Illustrator CC settings

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Chapter 3: Drawing
Drawing basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Drawing with the Pen, Pencil, orFlare tool
Drawing simple lines and shapes
Editing paths

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

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Drawing pixel-aligned paths forweb workflows

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Adjust path segments

Anchor Point enhancements

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Pen tool rubberband preview

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Enhanced Pencil Tool
Using Image Trace
Perspective drawing

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Symbolism tools and symbol sets
Symbols

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About Perspective Grid

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Using Live Trace | CS5 and earlier

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Automatic corner generation | Illustrator CC
Creating arrows and arrowheads in Illustrator

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Chapter 4: Color
About color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Selecting colors

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Using and creating swatches
Color groups (harmonies)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

Create color themes with Kuler

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Kuler panel | Illustrator CC
Adjusting colors

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Chapter 5: Painting
About painting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Painting with fills and strokes

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Live Paint groups

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Brushes

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Transparency and blending modes
Gradients

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Gradient panel and Gradient tool overview

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Patterns

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Meshes

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Stroke an object

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Create and edit patterns

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Apply or edit a gradient

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Images in brushes | Illustrator CC

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Chapter 6: Selecting and arranging objects
Selecting objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Grouping and expanding objects

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Moving, aligning, and distributing objects
Rotating and reflecting objects
Layers

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Locking, hiding, and deleting objects
Duplicating objects
Stacking objects

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Chapter 7: Reshaping objects
Transforming objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Scaling, shearing, and distortingobjects
Reshape using envelopes
Combining objects

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Cutting and dividing objects
Clipping masks

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Live Rectangles and Rounded Rectangles
Working with Live Corners

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Enhanced reshape workflows with touch support
Blending objects

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Reshaping objects with effects

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Creating shapes using Shape BuilderTool

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Building new shapes using the Shape Buildertool
Creating 3D objects

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Touch-based tools and enhancements | Illustrator CC

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300

Chapter 8: Importing, exporting, and saving
Importing artwork files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Importing bitmap images

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307

Importing Adobe PDF files

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308

Importing EPS, DCS, and AutoCADfiles

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313

Saving artwork
Package files

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312

Importing artwork from Photoshop

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319

Unembed images

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321

Share on Behance

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325

Creating Adobe PDF files
Adobe PDF options

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330

Exporting artwork

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343

File information and metadata

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344

Export SVG graphics styles in CSS | Illustrator CC

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345

Extract CSS | Illustrator CC

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349

Links information

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351

Place multiple files | Illustrator CC
Chapter 9: Type
Importing and exporting text
Creating text

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355

Creating type on a path

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365

Scaling and rotating type

Spelling and language dictionaries
Fonts

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367

Find missing fonts (Typekit workflow)
Text enhancements

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374

Working with Typekit Fonts

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376

Arabic and Hebrew type

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382

Line and character spacing
Tabs

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385

Special characters

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390

Formatting Asian characters
Formatting type

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399

Formatting paragraphs

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408

Hyphenation and line breaks

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411

Updating text from Illustrator10

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413

Character and paragraph styles

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414

Creating composite fonts

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416

Indic support with new Composers | Illustrator CC

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420

Last updated 6/17/2014

ILLUSTRATOR
Contents

Chapter 10: Creating special effects
Appearance attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427

Working with effects
Summary of effects

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436

Create a drop shadow

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436

Drop shadows, glows, and feathering
Creating sketches and mosaics
Graphic styles

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 439

Chapter 11: Web graphics
Best practices for creating webgraphics
SVG

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447

Slices and image maps

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451

Creating animations

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454

Chapter 12: Printing
Setting up documents for printing

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458

Change the page size and orientation

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462

Printing color separations

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463

Printer’s marks and bleeds

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466

PostScript printing

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468

Printing with color management
Trapping

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 472

Printing gradients, meshes, andcolor blends
Printing and saving transparentartwork

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481

Print presets

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488

Overprinting

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489

Specify crop marks for trimming or aligning
White Overprint | Illustrator CC

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 491

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 492

Chapter 13: Automating tasks
Automation with actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 493
Automation with scripts

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500

Data-driven graphics through templates andvariables

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501

Chapter 14: Graphs
Graphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506
Chapter 15: Keyboard shortcuts
Customizing keyboard shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519
Default keyboard shortcuts

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 520

Chapter 16: System Requirements
System requirements for illustrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534

Last updated 6/17/2014

Chapter 1: What's new

New features summary
Live shapes
All rectangles and rounded rectangles have modifiable corners. While each corner can have and independent radius
value, all attributes are retained even when you scale or rotate the rectangle. Rectangles and rounded rectangles now
remember all modifications made, be it width, height, rotation, corner treatment. This capability means you can always
return to the original shape of the object.

(left) The shape around the cassette spindles is a simple Live Rectangle
(center & right) Use the Transform panel or the
Live Corner widgets to reshape the Live Rectangle to a Live Rounded Rectangle

For more information, see the article on Live Rectangles and Rounded Rectangles.

Pen tool preview & drawing-related enhancements

Pen tool preview
The Pen tool displays a preview of what the will be drawn on your artboard, before you click and drop the next point.
This helps you visualize the next curve before you commit to the next point - this gives you much more control and
saves you the time spent in drawing, reviewing, and then re-drawing paths that need to be re-done.
For more information, see the article on the Pen tool rubberband preview.

Anchor point enhancements
Fine adjustment of curves is now easier. Enhanced anchor point controls allow unequal or different-direction handles
to be dragged as you draw to control the smoothness of each segment. You can even change a corner point to smooth
without ruining your shape.

Last updated 6/17/2014

2
What's new

Snapping updates (point, pixel, grid)
When snapping is turned on, your anchor points and handles (direction lines) align to your choice of pixel, grid, or
point. However, handles snapping to the grid restricts the freedom with which you draw. In Illustrator CC 2014,
whatever you choose to snap to, handles are completely unrestricted. When handles are not subject to being snapped
to a grid, you have much finer control over drawing and editing workflows.

Close paths with better control
A task such as precisely closing a path is an oft-repeated vector art workflow. In Illustrator CC 2014, you now have much
better and precise control while connecting end and start points. With this enhancement you can reposition a closing
point or choose to break the handles to adjust the closing curve exactly as per your requirement.
Video
Watch this brief introductory video about the enhancements to the Pen tool, anchor points, handles, and drawing
behavior while using the Pen tool. Check this video link!

Experimental feature: GPU Performance
Illustrator CC 2014 can leverage the power of a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) on your computer. At this
experimental stage, Windows 7 or 8 users that have a compatible NVIDIA graphics card can test the GPU Performance
feature.
For more information, see the knowledgebase article on GPU Performance feature .

Typekit: Missing fonts workflow
Locally-available and Typekit-based fonts can easily be interspersed in Illustrator CC artwork. However, there may be
occasions when you open an artwork file on different computer, and find a few fonts missing. In such a situation, any
Text elements using unavailable fonts are highlighted in pink, and are rendered using a default font. From Illustrator
CC 2014, the online Typekit desktop font library is automatically searched for the missing font. If the missing font is
available online you have the option of syncing it to your current computer.
For more information, read the article on finding missing fonts using the Typekit workflow .

Hello screen

The Hello screen

Last updated 6/17/2014

3
What's new

Illustrator CC 2014 also introduces a new feature to help you discover, learn, use, and promote comprehensive use of
features. The Hello screen is a single location that displays content relevant to your subscription and use. The screen is
displayed each time you start Illustrator, or when you click Home > Welcome. The Welcome screen displays Illustratorrelated tutorials, videos, interactive games, Help content, and much more. A tab-based approach helps you find
interesting content, be it on new features, getting started launch-boards, or nifty tips and techniques.
Note: The Hello feature is enabled for all Universal English (en_US) Illustrator CC 2014 users.

Other important enhancements

Pencil tool enhancements
The Pencil tool has been updated with an additional Fidelity setting for finer control over the paths you draw. This
additional level has been extended to the Paintbrush and Blob Brush tools as well.
Also, you can enable an option that converts the Pencil or Brush tools into the Smooth tool when you press the
Option/Alt key.
For more information, see the article on the enhanced Pencil tool .

Text enhancements
The text engine in Illustrator CC 2014 has been enhanced to make the experience of working with text and fonts in
different languages more predictable. Also, new typographical notations have been added, and some existing ones have
been updated.
For more information, see the article on text-related enhancements .

Actions panel
• On reloading a saved Action Set, certain actions would cause errors. The cause for these errors has been fixed.
• On restarting Illustrator, some actions would cause errors while playing. This error has been fixed.

SVG enhancements
• In the SVG Save Options dialog, the Use textPath checkbox is selected by default. This reduces generated markup,
resulting in smaller SVG output files.
• Markup for generated preview HTML has been cleaned up.

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Chapter 2: Workspace

Workspace basics
Workspace overview
You create and manipulate your documents and files using various elements, such as panels, bars, and windows. Any
arrangement of these elements is called a workspace. The workspaces of the different applications in Adobe® Creative
Suite® 5 share the same appearance so that you can move between the applications easily. You can also adapt each
application to the way you work by selecting from several preset workspaces or by creating one of your own.
Although the default workspace layout varies in different products, you manipulate the elements much the same way
in all of them.

• The Application bar across the top contains a workspace switcher, menus (Windows only), and other application
controls. On the Mac for certain products, you can show or hide it using the Window menu.
• The Tools panel contains tools for creating and editing images, artwork, page elements, and so on. Related tools are
grouped.
• The Control panel displays options for the currently selected tool. In Illustrator, the Control panel displays options
for the currently selected object. (In Adobe Photoshop® this is known as the Options bar. In Adobe Flash®, Adobe
Dreamweaver®, and Adobe Fireworks® this is known as the Property Inspector and includes properties of the
currently selected element.)
• The Document window displays the file you’re working on. Document windows can be tabbed and, in certain cases,
grouped and docked.
• Panels help you monitor and modify your work. Examples include the Timeline in Flash, the Brush panel in
Illustrator, the Layers panel in Adobe Photoshop®, and the CSS Styles panel in Dreamweaver. Panels can be grouped,
stacked, or docked.
• The Application frame groups all the workspace elements in a single, integrated window that lets you treat the
application as a single unit. When you move or resize the Application frame or any of its elements, all the elements
within it respond to each other so none overlap. Panels don’t disappear when you switch applications or when you
accidentally click out of the application. If you work with two or more applications, you can position each
application side by side on the screen or on multiple monitors.
If you are using a Mac and prefer the traditional, free-form user interface, you can turn off the Application frame.
In Adobe Illustrator®, for example, select Window > Application Frame to toggle it on or off. (In Flash, the
Application frame is on permanently for Mac, and Dreamweaver for Mac does not use an Application frame.)

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Default Illustrator workspace
A Tabbed Document windows B Application bar C Workspace switcher D Panel title bar E Control panel F Tools panel G Collapse To Icons
button H Four panel groups in vertical dock

Hide or show all panels
• (Illustrator, Adobe InCopy®, Adobe InDesign®, Photoshop, Fireworks)To hide or show all panels, including the Tools
panel and Control panel, press Tab.
• (Illustrator, InCopy, InDesign, Photoshop) To hide or show all panels except the Tools panel and Control panel,
press Shift+Tab.
Tip: You can temporarily display hidden panels if Auto-Show Hidden Panels is selected in Interface preferences. It’s
always on in Illustrator. Move the pointer to the edge of the application window (Windows®) or to the edge of the
monitor (Mac OS®) and hover over the strip that appears.

• (Flash, Dreamweaver, Fireworks) To hide or show all panels, press F4.

Display panel options
❖ Click the panel menu icon

in the upper-right corner of the panel.

Tip: You can open a panel menu even when the panel is minimized.
Tip: In Photoshop, you can change the font size of the text in panels and tool tips. In the Interface preferences, choose
a size from the UI Font Size menu.

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(Illustrator) Adjust panel brightness
❖ In User Interface preferences, move the Brightness slider. This control affects all panels, including the Control panel.

Reconfigure the Tools panel
You can display the tools in the Tools panel in a single column, or side by side in two columns. (This feature is not
available in the Tools panel in Fireworks and Flash.)
In InDesign and InCopy, you also can switch from single-column to double-column (or single-row) display by setting
an option in Interface preferences.
❖ Click the double arrow at the top of the Tools panel.

Search For Help box
Use the Search For Help box on the right side of the Application bar to search for Help topics and online content. If you
have an active Internet connection, you can access all content on the Community Help website. If you search for Help
without an active Internet connection, search results are limited to Help content that is included with Illustrator.
1 In the search box, type the name of the item on which you want to search (such as a feature, application, or tool).
2 Press Enter.

All topics available from the Community Help center appear in a separate browser window.

About screen modes
You can change the visibility of the illustration window and menu bar using the mode options at the bottom of the Tools
panel. To access panels when in Full Screen Mode, position the cursor at the left or right edge of the screen and the
panels will pop up. If you’ve moved them from their default locations, you can access them from the Window menu.
You can choose one of the following modes:

• Normal Screen Mode
sides.

displays artwork in a standard window, with a menu bar at the top and scroll bars on the

• Full Screen Mode With Menu Bar
bars.
• Full Screen Mode

displays artwork in a full-screen window, with a menu bar at the top and scroll

displays artwork in a full-screen window, with no title bar or menu bar.

Using the status bar
The status bar appears at the lower-left edge of the illustration window. It displays any of the following:

• current zoom level
• current tool in use
• current artboard in use
• navigation controls for multiple artboards
• date and time
• number of undos and redos available
• document color profile
• status of a managed file

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Click the status bar to do any of the following:

• Change the type of information displayed in the status bar by selecting an option from the Show submenu.
• Show the current file in Adobe Bridge by choosing Reveal In Bridge.

Enter values in panels and dialog boxes
You enter values using the same methods in all panels and dialog boxes. You can also perform simple math in any box
that accepts numeric values. For example, if you want to move a selected object 3 units to the right using the current
measurement units, you don’t have to work out the new horizontal position—simply type +3 after the current value in
the Transform panel.

Enter a value in a panel or dialog box
❖ Do any of the following:

• Type a value in the box, and press Enter or Return.
• Drag the slider.
• Drag the dial.
• Click the arrow buttons in the panel to increase or decrease the value.
• Click in the box and then use the Up Arrow key and Down Arrow key on the keyboard to increase or decrease
the value. Hold down Shift and click an arrow key to magnify the increase rate or decrease rate.
• Select a value from the menu associated with the box.

Ways to enter values

Calculate values in a panel or dialog box
1 In a text box that accepts numerical values, do one of the following:

• To replace the entire current value with a mathematical expression, select the entire current value.
• To use the current value as part of a mathematical expression, click before or after the current value.
2 Type a simple mathematical expression using a single mathematical operator, such as + (plus), - (minus), x

(multiplication), / (division), or % (percent).
For example, 0p0 + 3 or 5mm + 4. Similarly, 3cm * 50% equals 3 centimeters multiplied by 50%, or 1.50 cm, and
50pt + 25% equals 50 points plus 25% of 50 points, or 62.5 points.
3 Press Enter or Return to apply the calculation.

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Control panel overview
The Control panel offers quick access to options related to the objects you select. By default, the Control panel is docked
at the top of the workspace.
Options displayed in the Control panel vary depending on the type of object or tool you select. For example, when you
select a text object, the Control panel displays text-formatting options in addition to options for changing the color,
placement, and dimensions of the object. When a selection tool is active, you can access Document Setup and
Preferences from the Control panel.

Control panel
A Hidden options B Link to another panel C Panel menu

When text in the Control panel is blue and underlined, you can click the text to display a related panel or dialog box.
For example, click the word Stroke to display the Stroke panel.

Change the kinds of controls that appear in the Control panel
❖ Select or deselect options in the Control panel menu.

Open and close a panel or dialog box from the Control panel
1 Click a blue underlined word to open its associated panel or dialog box.
2 Click anywhere outside of the panel or dialog box to close it.

Dock the Control panel at the bottom of the workspace
❖ Choose Dock To Bottom from the Control panel menu.

Convert the Control panel to a floating panel
❖ Drag the gripper bar (located on the left edge of the panel) away from its current position.

To redock the Control panel, drag the gripper bar to the top or bottom of the application window (Windows) or
screen (Mac OS).

More Help topics
Work with Adobe Bridge
Customizing the workspace

Customizing the workspace
Manage windows and panels
You can create a custom workspace by moving and manipulating Document windows and panels. You can also save
workspaces and switch among them. For Fireworks, renaming custom workspaces can lead to unexpected behavior.

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Workspace

Note: The following examples use Photoshop for demonstration purposes. The workspace behaves the same in all the
products.

Rearrange, dock, or float document windows
When you open more than one file, the Document windows are tabbed.

• To rearrange the order of tabbed Document windows, drag a window’s tab to a new location in the group.
• To undock (float or untab) a Document window from a group of windows, drag the window’s tab out of the group.
note: In Photoshop you can also choose Window > Arrange > Float in Window to float a single Document window, or
Window > Arrange > Float All In Windows to float all of the Document windows at once. See tech note kb405298 for
more information.
note: Dreamweaver does not support docking and undocking Document windows. Use the Document window’s
Minimize button to create floating windows (Windows), or choose Window > Tile Vertically to create side-by-side
Document windows. Search “Tile Vertically” in Dreamweaver Help for more information on this topic. The workflow
is slightly different for Macintosh users.

• To dock a Document window to a separate group of Document windows, drag the window into the group.
• To create groups of stacked or tiled documents, drag the window to one of the drop zones along the top, bottom, or
sides of another window. You can also select a layout for the group by using the Layout button on the Application bar.
note: Some products do not support this functionality. However, your product may have Cascade and Tile commands
in the Window menu to help you lay out your documents.

• To switch to another document in a tabbed group when dragging a selection, drag the selection over the document’s
tab for a moment.
note: Some products do not support this functionality.

Dock and undock panels
A dock is a collection of panels or panel groups displayed together, generally in a vertical orientation. You dock and
undock panels by moving them into and out of a dock.

• To dock a panel, drag it by its tab into the dock, at the top, bottom, or in between other panels.
• To dock a panel group, drag it by its title bar (the solid empty bar above the tabs) into the dock.
• To remove a panel or panel group, drag it out of the dock by its tab or title bar. You can drag it into another dock or
make it free-floating.

Navigator panel being dragged out to new dock, indicated by blue vertical highlight

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Navigator panel now in its own dock

You can prevent panels from filling all the space in a dock. Drag the bottom edge of the dock up so it no longer meets
the edge of the workspace.

Move panels
As you move panels, you see blue highlighted drop zones, areas where you can move the panel. For example, you can
move a panel up or down in a dock by dragging it to the narrow blue drop zone above or below another panel. If you
drag to an area that is not a drop zone, the panel floats freely in the workspace.
Note: The position of the mouse (rather than the position of the panel), activates the drop zone, so if you can’t see the drop
zone, try dragging the mouse to the place where the drop zone should be.

• To move a panel, drag it by its tab.
• To move a panel group, drag the title bar.

Narrow blue drop zone indicates Color panel will be docked on its own above the Layers panel group.
A Title bar B Tab C Drop zone

Press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) while moving a panel to prevent it from docking. Press Esc while moving
the panel to cancel the operation.

Add and remove panels
If you remove all panels from a dock, the dock disappears. You can create a dock by moving panels to the right edge of
the workspace until a drop zone appears.

• To remove a panel, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) its tab and then select Close, or deselect it from
the Window menu.
• To add a panel, select it from the Window menu and dock it wherever you want.

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Manipulate panel groups
• To move a panel into a group, drag the panel’s tab to the highlighted drop zone in the group.

Adding a panel to a panel group

• To rearrange panels in a group, drag a panel’s tab to a new location in the group.
• To remove a panel from a group so that it floats freely, drag the panel by its tab outside the group.
• To move a group, drag the title bar (the area above the tabs).

Stack floating panels
When you drag a panel out of its dock but not into a drop zone, the panel floats freely. The floating panel allows you to
position it anywhere in the workspace. You can stack floating panels or panel groups so that they move as a unit when
you drag the topmost title bar.

Free-floating stacked panels

• To stack floating panels, drag a panel by its tab to the drop zone at the bottom of another panel.
• To change the stacking order, drag a panel up or down by its tab.
note: Be sure to release the tab over the narrow drop zone between panels, rather than the broad drop zone in a title bar.

• To remove a panel or panel group from the stack, so that it floats by itself, drag it out by its tab or title bar.

Resize panels
• To minimize or maximize a panel, panel group, or stack of panels, double-click a tab. You can also double-click the
tab area (the empty space next to the tabs).
• To resize a panel, drag any side of the panel. Some panels, such as the Color panel in Photoshop, cannot be resized
by dragging.

Collapse and expand panel icons
You can collapse panels to icons to reduce clutter on the workspace. In some cases, panels are collapsed to icons in the
default workspace.

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Panels collapsed to icons

Panels expanded from icons

• To collapse or expand all panel icons in a column, click the double arrow at the top of the dock.
• To expand a single panel icon, click it.
• To resize panel icons so that you see only the icons (and not the labels), adjust the width of the dock until the text
disappears. To display the icon text again, make the dock wider.
• To collapse an expanded panel back to its icon, click its tab, its icon, or the double arrow in the panel’s title bar.
Tip: In some products, if you select Auto-Collapse Icon Panels from the Interface or User Interface Options
preferences, an expanded panel icon collapses automatically when you click away from it.

• To add a floating panel or panel group to an icon dock, drag it in by its tab or title bar. (Panels are automatically
collapsed to icons when added to an icon dock.)
• To move a panel icon (or panel icon group), drag the icon. You can drag panel icons up and down in the dock, into
other docks (where they appear in the panel style of that dock), or outside the dock (where they appear as floating
icons).

Use panel menus
Access the panel menus using the

icon on the upper-right corner of the panel.

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Panel menu (Symbols panel)

Rename or duplicate a workspace
1 Choose Window > Workspace > Manage Workspaces.
2 Do any of the following, and then click OK:

• To rename a workspace, select it, and edit the text.
• To duplicate a workspace, select it, and click the New button.
For a video on customizing the workspace based on different workflows, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0032_en.

Save and switch workspaces
By saving the current size and position of panels as a named workspace, you can restore that workspace even if you
move or close a panel. The names of saved workspaces appear in the workspace switcher in the Application bar.

Save a custom workspace
1 With the workspace in the configuration you want to save, do one of the following:

• (Illustrator) Choose Window > Workspace > Save Workspace.
• (Photoshop, InDesign, InCopy) Choose Window > Workspace > New Workspace.
• (Dreamweaver) Choose Window > Workspace Layout > New Workspace.
• (Flash) Choose New Workspace from the workspace switcher in the Application bar.
• (Fireworks) Choose Save Current from the workspace switcher in the Application bar.
2 Type a name for the workspace.
3 (Photoshop, InDesign) Under Capture, select one or more options:
Panel Locations Saves the current panel locations (InDesign only).
Keyboard shortcuts Saves the current set of keyboard shortcuts (Photoshop only).

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Menus or Menu Customization Saves the current set of menus.

Display or switch workspaces
❖ Select a workspace from the workspace switcher in the Application bar.

In Photoshop, you can assign keyboard shortcuts to each workspace to navigate among them quickly.

Delete a custom workspace
• Select Manage Workspaces from the workspace switcher in the Application bar, select the workspace, and then click
Delete. (The option is not available in Fireworks.)
• (Photoshop, InDesign, InCopy) Select Delete Workspace from the workspace switcher.
• (Illustrator) Choose Window > Workspace > Manage Workspaces, select the workspace, and then click the Delete
icon.
• (Photoshop, InDesign) Choose Window > Workspace >Delete Workspace, select the workspace, and then click
Delete.

Restore the default workspace
1 Select the Default or Essentials workspace from the workspace switcher in the application bar. For Fireworks, see

the article http://www.adobe.com/devnet/fireworks/articles/workspace_manager_panel.html.
Note: In Dreamweaver, Designer is the default workspace.
2 For Fireworks (Windows), delete these folders:Windows

Vista\\Users\\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Fireworks CS4\ Windows XP\\Documents and
Settings\\Application Data\Adobe\Fireworks CS4
3 (Photoshop, InDesign, InCopy) Select Window > Workspace > Reset [Workspace Name].

(Photoshop) Restore a saved workspace arrangement
In Photoshop, workspaces automatically appear as you last arranged them, but you can restore the original, saved
arrangement of panels.

• To restore an individual workspace, choose Window > Workspace > Reset Workspace Name.
• To restore all the workspaces installed with Photoshop, click Restore Default Workspaces in the Interface
preferences.
To rearrange the order of workspaces in the application bar, drag them.

Tools
Tools panel overview
The first time you start the application, the Tools panel appears at the left side of the screen. You can move the Tools
panel by dragging its title bar. You can also show or hide the Tools panel by choosing Window > Tools.

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You use tools in the Tools panel to create, select, and manipulate objects in Illustrator. Some tools have options that
appear when you double-click a tool. These include tools that let you use type, and select, paint, draw, sample, edit, and
move images.
You can expand some tools to show hidden tools beneath them. A small triangle at the lower-right corner of the tool
icon signals the presence of hidden tools. To see the name of a tool, position the pointer over it.
You can also use the Tools panel to change the drawing mode from Draw Normal to Draw Behind or Draw Inside.

Tools panel overview

View hidden tools
❖ Hold down the mouse button on the visible tool.

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Workspace

View tool options
❖ Double-click a tool in the Tools panel.

Move the Tools panel
❖ Drag its title bar.

View the Tools panel in double-stack or single-column
❖ Click the double-arrow on the title bar to toggle between double-stack and single-column view of the Tools panel.

Hide the Tools panel
❖ Choose Window > Tools.

Tear off hidden tools into a separate panel
❖ Drag the pointer over the arrow at the end of the hidden tools panel and release the mouse button.

Close a separate tool panel
❖ Click the close button on the panel’s title bar. The tools return to the Tools panel.

Select a tool
❖ Do one of the following:

• Click a tool in the Tools panel. If there is a small triangle at a tool’s lower-right corner, hold down the mouse
button to view the hidden tools, and then click the tool you want to select.
• Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and then click a tool to cycle through and select hidden tools.
• Press the tool’s keyboard shortcut. The keyboard shortcut is displayed in its tool tip. For example, you can select
the Move tool by pressing the V key.
Tip: To hide tool tips, choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or Illustrator > Preferences > General
(Mac OS), and deselect Show Tool Tips.

Selecting a hidden tool
A Tools panel B Active tool C Tear off panel with hidden tools D Hidden tool triangle E Tool name and shortcut

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Change tool pointers
The mouse pointer for most tools matches the tool’s icon. Each pointer has a different hotspot, where an effect or action
begins. With most tools, you can switch to precise cursors, which appear as cross hairs centered around the hotspot,
and provide for greater accuracy when working with detailed artwork.
❖ Choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or Illustrator > Preferences > General (Mac OS), and select Use

Precise Cursors. Alternatively, press Caps Lock on the keyboard.

More Help topics
Layers panel overview

Select an object with the Selection, Lasso, or Magic Wand tool

Select objects with the Selection tool
1 Select the Selection tool

2 Do either of the following:

• Click an object.
• Drag a marquee around part or all of one or more objects.
3 To add or remove objects from the selection, hold down Shift and click or drag around the objects you want to add

or remove.
. When it is over a selected object
Tip: When the Selection tool is over an unselected object or group, it changes to
or group, the tool changes to . When it is over an anchor point on an unselected object, a hollow square appears
next to the arrow
.

Dragging over objects to select them

For a video on selecting objects, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0034.

More Help topics
Layers panel overview

Expand objects
Expanding objects enables you to divide a single object into multiple objects that make up its appearance. For example,
if you expand a simple object, such as a circle with a solid-color fill and a stroke, the fill and the stroke each become a
discrete object. If you expand more complex artwork, such as an object with a pattern fill, the pattern is divided into all
of the distinct paths that created it.
You typically expand an object when you want to modify the appearance attributes and other properties of specific
elements within it. In addition, expanding objects may be helpful when you want to use an object that is native to
Illustrator (such as a mesh object) in a different application that doesn’t recognize the object.

Before (left) and after (right) expanding an object that has a fill and stroke

Expanding is particularly helpful if you are having difficulty printing transparency effects, 3D objects, patterns,
gradients, strokes, blends, flares, envelopes, or symbols.
1 Select the object.
2 Choose Object > Expand.

If the object has appearance attributes applied to it, the Object > Expand command is dimmed. In this case, choose
Object > Expand Appearance and then choose Object > Expand.
3 Set options, and then click OK:
Object Expands complex objects, including live blends, envelopes, symbol sets, and flares.
Fill Expands fills.
Stroke Expands strokes.
Gradient Mesh Expands gradients to a single mesh object.
Specify Sets the tolerance for color values between color stops. Higher numbers help maintain a smooth color

transition; low numbers can create a more banded appearance.
Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you choose Object > Expand to expand a gradient using the
settings last entered in the Expand dialog box.

Moving, aligning, and distributing objects

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Move objects
You can move objects by dragging them with specific tools, by using the arrow keys on the keyboard, or by entering
precise values in a panel or dialog box.
You can use snapping to help you position objects as you move them. For example, you can snap the pointer to guides
and anchor points and snap object boundaries to gridlines. You can also use the Align panel to position objects in
relation to each other.
You can then use the Shift key to constrain the movement of one or more objects so that they move in a precise
horizontal, vertical, or diagonal direction relative to the current orientation of the x and y axes. You can also use the
Shift key to rotate objects in multiples of 45°.

Hold down Shift while dragging or drawing to limit movement to the nearest 45° angle.

More Help topics
Use the grid
Rotate objects
Transform panel overview
Drawing pixel-aligned paths for web workflows

Move or duplicate an object by pasting
1 Select one or more objects.
2 Choose Edit > Cut to move the selection or Edit > Copy to duplicate the selection.
3 To paste an object into another file, open the file. (To paste between layers, see Pasting objects between layers .)
4 Choose one of the following commands:
Edit > Paste Pastes the object into the center of the active window.
Edit > Paste In Front Pastes the object directly in front of the selected object.
Edit > Paste In Back Pastes the object directly in back of the selected object.
Edit > Paste in Place Pastes artwork on the active artboard at the same position as the artboard from where the

artwork is copied.
Edit > Paste on All Artboards Pastes artwork on all the artboards at the same location where the artwork is on the

current artboard.

Move an object by dragging
1 Select one or more objects.
2 Drag the object to a new location.

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If a selected object is filled, you can drag from anywhere on the object. If a selected object is unfilled, if you are
viewing artwork as outlines, or if the Object Selection By Path Only preference is selected, you must drag from the
object’s path. (See Duplicate selections using drag and drop.)
You can use the Snap To Point command in the View menu to have the cursor snap to an anchor point or guide when
you drag an object within 2 pixels of the anchor point or guide.

Move an object using the arrow keys
1 Select one or more objects.
2 Press the arrow key for the direction in which you want to move the object. Press Shift+arrow to move the object

ten times the value specified by the Keyboard Increment preference.
The distance the object moves each time you press an arrow key is determined by the Keyboard Increment
preference. The default distance is 1 point (1/72 of an inch, or .3528 millimeter). To change the Keyboard Increment
preference, choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or Illustrator > Preferences > General (Mac OS).

Move an object by a specific distance
1 Select one or more objects.
2 Choose Object > Transform > Move.

When an object is selected, you can also double-click the Selection, Direct Selection, or Group Selection tool to open
the Move dialog box.
3 Do any of the following:

• To move the object left or right, enter either a negative value (moves left) or a positive value (moves right) in the
Horizontal text box.
• To move the object up or down, enter either a negative value (moves down) or positive value (moves up) in the
Vertical text box.
• To move the object by an angle that’s relative to the object’s x axis, enter either a positive angle (counterclockwise
movement) or a negative angle (clockwise movement) in the Distance or Angle text box. You can also enter
values between 180° and 360°; these values are converted to their corresponding negative values (for example, a
value of 270° is converted to –90°).
4 If the objects contain a pattern fill, select Patterns to move the pattern. Deselect Objects if you want to move the

pattern but not the objects.
5 Click OK, or click Copy to move a copy of the objects.

Directions relative to the x axis

Move an object using x and y coordinates
1 Select one or more objects.
2 In the Transform panel or Control panel, enter new values in either the X or Y text box, or both.

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To change the reference point, click a white square on the reference point locator

before you enter the values.

Move multiple objects at once
1 Select one or more objects.
2 Choose Object > Transform > Transform Each.
3 Set the distance you want to move the selected objects in the Move section of the dialog box.
4 Do one of the following:

• To move the objects by the specified amounts, click OK.
• To move the objects randomly, but no more than the specified amounts, select the Random option. For example,
if you draw a brick wall and want the bricks to appear slightly offset from each other instead of perfectly aligned,
you could select the Random option. Then click OK.

Paste an object relative to other objects
1 Select the object you want to paste.
2 Choose Edit > Copy or Edit > Cut.
3 Select the object in front or in back of which you want to paste.
4 Choose Edit > Paste In Front or Edit > Paste In Back.

If you paste more than one object, all pasted objects appear in front or in back of the selected artwork. However, the
relative painting order among the individual pasted objects remains the same.

Pasting objects between layers
The Paste Remembers Layers option determines where artwork is pasted in the layer hierarchy. By default, Paste
Remembers Layers is off, and artwork is pasted into whichever layer is active in the Layers panel. When Paste
Remembers Layers is on, artwork is pasted into the layer from which it was copied, regardless of which layer is active
in the Layers panel.
You set this option by selecting Paste Remembers Layers from the Layers panel menu. A check mark displays when the
option is on.
Turn on Paste Remembers Layers if you’re pasting artwork between documents and you want to automatically place it
into a layer of the same name as that from which it originated. If the target document does not have a layer of the same
name, Illustrator creates a new layer.

More Help topics
Layers panel overview

Paste in place and paste on all artboards
The Paste in Place command pastes artwork on the active artboard. To use this command, click Edit > Paste in Place.
The keyboard shortcut is Ctrl+Shift+V (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+V (Mac).
The Paste on All Artboards command pastes the selected artwork on all the artboards. Before using the Paste on All
Artboards command, make sure that the artboard from which you are copying the object, is the active artboard.
To use the Paste on All Artboards command, click Edit > Paste on All Artboards when you cut or copy the artwork.

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If you copy artwork, and then select Paste on All Artboards, the artwork is repasted on the artboard from where it is
copied. (Recommended) Cut and then paste objects if you do not need to modify the original objects before using the
Paste on All Artboards command.
Note: Paste in Place and Paste on All Artboards commands paste the object at the same position as the copied objects
referenced from the active artboard at the time of copying.

Align and distribute objects
You use the Align panel (Window > Align) and the align options in the Control panel to align or distribute selected
objects along the axis you specify. You can use either the object edges or anchor points as the reference point, and you
can align to a selection, an artboard, or a key object. A key object is one specific object in a selection of multiple objects.
The Align options are visible in the Control panel when an object is selected. If they do not appear, choose Align from
the Control panel menu.
By default, Illustrator calculates alignment and distribution based on the objects’ paths. However, when working with
objects that have different stroke weights, you can use the edge of the stroke to calculate alignment and distribution
instead. To do this, select Use Preview Bounds from the Align panel menu.
For a video on aligning and distributing objects, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0035.

More Help topics
Workspace basics
Using multiple artboards

Align or distribute relative to the bounding box of all selected objects
1 Select the objects to align or distribute.
2 In the Align panel or Control panel, select Align To Selection

, and then click the button for the type of alignment

or distribution you want.

Align or distribute relative to one anchor point
1 Click the Direct-Selection tool, hold down Shift, and select the anchor points you want to align or distribute. The

last anchor point you select becomes the key anchor point.
The Align To Key Anchor

option is automatically selected in the Align panel and Control panel.

2 In the Align panel or Control panel, click the button for the type of alignment or distribution you want.

Align or distribute relative to a key object
1 Select the objects to align or distribute.
2 Click again on the object you want to use as a key object (you don’t need to hold down Shift as you click this time).

A blue outline appears around the key object, and Align To Key Object
panel and Align panel.

is automatically selected in the Control

3 In the Align panel or Control panel, click the button for the type of alignment or distribution you want.

Note: To stop aligning and distributing relative to an object, click again on the object to remove the blue outline, or
choose Cancel Key Object from the Align panel menu.

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Align or distribute relative to an artboard
1 Select the objects to align or distribute.
2 Using the Selection tool, Shift-click in the artboard you want to use to activate it. The active artboard has a darker

outline than the others.
3 In the Align panel or Control panel, select Align To Artboard

, and then click the button for the type of alignment

or distribution you want.

Distribute objects by specific amounts
You can distribute objects using exact distances between their paths.
1 Select the objects to distribute.
2 Use the Selection tool

to click the path of the object you want the other objects to distribute around. The object
you click will remain fixed in its position.

3 In the Align panel, enter the amount of space to appear between objects in the Distribute Spacing text box.

If the Distribute Spacing options aren’t displayed, select Show Options from the panel menu.
4 Click either the Vertical Distribute Space button or the Horizontal Distribute Space button.

Rotating and reflecting objects
Rotate objects
Rotating an object turns it around a fixed point that you designate. The default reference point is the object’s center
point. If you have multiple objects in a selection, the objects will rotate around a single reference point, which is the
center point of the selection or bounding box by default. To rotate each object around its own center point, use the
Transform Each command.

Results of Rotate tool (left) compared to Transform Each command (right)

More Help topics
Transform panel overview
Move objects
Scale objects

Rotate an object using the bounding box
1 Select one or more objects.

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2 With the Selection tool

pointer changes to

, move the pointer outside the bounding box and near a bounding box handle so that the
, and then drag.

Rotate an object with the Free Transform tool
1 Select one or more objects.
2 Select the Free Transform tool

3 Position the pointer anywhere outside the bounding box so that the pointer changes to

, and then drag.

Rotate an object with the Rotate tool
1 Select one or more objects.
2 Select the Rotate tool

3 Do any of the following:

• To rotate the object around its center point, drag in a circular motion anywhere in the document window.
• To rotate the object around a different reference point, click once anywhere in the document window to
reposition the reference point. Then move the pointer away from the reference point and drag in a circular
motion.
• To rotate a copy of the object instead of the object itself, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) after you
start to drag.
For finer control, drag farther from the object’s reference point.

Rotate an object by a specific angle
You can control the exact angle of rotation with the Rotate command.
1 Select one or more objects.
2 Do one of the following:

• To rotate around a different reference point, select the Rotate tool. Then Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click
(Mac OS) where you want the reference point to be in the document window.
• To rotate around the center point, choose Object > Transform > Rotate, or double-click the Rotate tool.
3 Enter the rotation angle in the Angle text box. Enter a negative angle to rotate the object clockwise; enter a positive

angle to rotate the object counterclockwise.
4 If the objects contain a pattern fill, select Patterns to rotate the pattern. Deselect Objects if you want to rotate the

pattern but not the objects.
5 Click OK, or click Copy to scale a copy of the objects.

To place multiple copies of the object in a circular pattern around a reference point, move the reference point away
from the center of the object, click Copy, and then repeatedly choose Object > Transform > Transform Again.

Rotate an object with the Transform panel
1 Select one or more objects.
2 Do one of the following:

• To rotate the object around its center point, enter a value for the Angle option in the panel.
• To rotate the object around a different reference point, click a white square on the reference point locator
the panel, and enter a value for the Angle option.

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Tip: You can also call up the Transform panel by clicking X, Y, W, or H in the Control panel.
3 You can rotate a symbol around its registration point, using the Transform panel. For more information see Symbol

registration point.

Rotate multiple objects individually
1 Select the objects to rotate.
2 Choose Object > Transform > Transform Each.
3 Do either of the following in the Rotate section of the dialog box:

• Click the angle icon or drag the angle line around the icon.
• In the Angle text box, enter an angle between –360° and 360°.
4 Click OK, or click Copy to rotate a copy of each object.

Rotate the x and y axes of a document
By default, the x and y axes are parallel to the horizontal and vertical sides of the document window.
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or Illustrator > Preferences > General (Mac OS).
2 Specify an angle in the Constrain Angle text box. A positive angle rotates the axes counterclockwise; a negative angle

rotates the axes clockwise.
Rotating the axes is useful if your artwork consists of elements that are rotated to the same angle, such as a logo and
text displayed on a 20° angle. Instead of rotating each element you add to the logo, you can simply rotate the axes by
20°. Everything you draw is created along the new axes.

Object aligned with default axes (left) compared to alignment with axes rotated 20° (right)

The following objects and actions are not affected by the new axes:

• Objects that already exist
• Rotating and blending
• Drawing with the Pencil or Live Trace tool

Reflect or flip objects
Reflecting an object flips the object across an invisible axis that you specify. You can reflect objects using the Free
Transform tool, the Reflect tool, or the Reflect command. If you want to specify an axis from which to reflect, use the
Reflect tool.
To create a mirror image of an object, you can copy while reflecting.

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Reflect an object with the Free Transform tool
1 Select the object to reflect.
2 Select the Free Transform tool

3 Do one of the following:

• Drag a handle of the bounding box past the opposite edge or handle until the object is at the desired level of
reflection.
• To maintain the object’s proportions, hold down Shift while dragging a corner handle past the opposite handle.

Reflect an object with the Reflect tool
1 Select the object.
2 Select the Reflect tool

3 To draw the invisible axis across which you want the object to reflect, click anywhere in the document window to

set one point of the axis. The pointer changes to an arrowhead.
4 Position the pointer at another point to define the invisible axis, and do one of the following:

• Click to set the second point of the invisible axis. When you click, the selected object flips over the defined axis.

Click to set one point of the axis (left), then click again to set the other axis point and reflect the object across the axis (right).

• To reflect a copy of the object, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and click to set the second point
of the invisible axis.
• Adjust the axis of reflection by dragging instead of clicking. Shift-drag to constrain the angle by 45°. As you drag,
the invisible axis of reflection rotates around the point you clicked in step 3 and an outline of the object appears
reflected. When the outline is in the desired position, release the mouse button.

Dragging the second point of the reflect axis to rotate the axis

For finer control, drag farther from the object’s reference point.

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Reflect by specifying an axis
1 Select the object to reflect.

• To reflect the object around the object’s center point, choose Object > Transform > Reflect or double-click the
Reflect tool
.
• To reflect the object around a different reference point, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) anywhere
in the document window.
2 In the Reflect dialog box, select the axis across which you want the object to be reflected. You can reflect an object

across a horizontal, a vertical, or an angled axis.
3 If the object contains patterns and you want to reflect the patterns, select Patterns. (To reflect only the patterns,

deselect Objects.)
4 To preview the effect before you apply it, select Preview.
5 Do one of the following:

• To reflect the object, click OK.
• To reflect a copy of the object, click Copy.

Layers
About layers
When creating complex artwork, it’s a challenge to keep track of all the items in your document window. Small items
get hidden under larger items, and selecting artwork becomes difficult. Layers provide a way to manage all the items
that make up your artwork. Think of layers as clear folders that contain artwork. If you reshuffle the folders, you change
the stacking order of the items in your artwork. You can move items between folders and create subfolders within
folders.
The structure of layers in your document can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. By default, all items are
organized in a single, parent layer. However, you can create new layers and move items into them, or move elements
from one layer to another at any time. The Layers panel provides an easy way to select, hide, lock, and change the
appearance attributes of artwork. You can even create template layers, which you can use to trace artwork, and exchange
layers with Photoshop.
For a video on using layers and groups, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0041. For information on using layers to create
animations, see www.adobe.com/go/learn_ai_tutorials_layers_en.

Layers panel overview
You use the Layers panel (Window > Layers) to list, organize, and edit the objects in a document. By default, every new
document contains one layer, and each object you create is listed under that layer. However, you can create new layers
and rearrange items to best suit your needs.
By default, Illustrator assigns a unique color (up to nine colors) to each layer in the Layers panel. The color displays
next to the layer name in the panel. The same color displays in the illustration window in the bounding box, path,
anchor points, and center point of a selected object. You can use this color to quickly locate an object’s corresponding
layer in the Layers panel, and you can change the layer color to suit your needs.

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When an item in the Layers panel contains other items, a triangle appears to the left of the item’s name. Click the
triangle to show or hide the contents. If no triangle appears, the item contains no additional items.

Layers panel
A Visibility column B Edit column C Target column D Selection column

The Layers panel provides columns to the left and right of the listings. Click in a column to control the following
characteristics:
Visibility column Indicates whether items in the layers are visible

template

layers or outline

or hidden (blank space), or whether they are

layers.

Edit column Indicates whether items are locked or unlocked. The lock icon
indicates that the item is locked and
cannot be edited; a blank space indicates that the item is unlocked and can be edited.
Target column Indicates whether items are targeted for application of effects and edit attributes in the Appearance

panel. When the target button appears as a double ring icon (either
indicates that the item is not targeted.

), the item is targeted; a single ring icon

Selection column Indicates whether items are selected. A color box appears when an item is selected. If an item, such

as a layer or group, contains some objects that are selected and other objects that are unselected, a smaller selection
color box appears next to the parent item. If all of the objects within the parent item are selected, the selection color
boxes are the same size as the marks that appear next to selected objects.
You can use the Layers panel to display some items as outlines and other items as they will appear in the final artwork.
You also can dim linked images and bitmap objects to make it easier to edit artwork on top of the image. This is
especially useful when tracing a bitmap image.

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Display options for layered artwork
A Object displayed in Outline view B Bitmap object dimmed to 50% C Selected object displayed in Preview view

More Help topics
Workspace basics
View artwork as outlines
Trace artwork
Lock or unlock objects or layers
Hide or show objects or layers

Change the display of the Layers panel
1 Choose panel Options from the Layers panel menu.
2 Select Show Layers Only to hide paths, groups, and collective elements in the Layers panel.
3 For Row Size, select an option to specify the height of rows. (To specify a custom size, enter a value between 12 and

100.)
4 For Thumbnails, select a combination of layers, groups, and objects for which to display thumbnail previews.

Note: Displaying thumbnails in the Layers panel may result in slow performance when you are working with complex
files. Turn off layer thumbnails to improve performance.

Set layer and sublayer options
1 Do one of the following:

• Double-click the item name in the Layers panel.
• Click the item name and choose Options For from the Layers panel menu.

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• Choose New Layer or New Sublayer from the Layers panel menu.
2 Specify any of the following:
Name Specifies the name of the item as it appears in the Layers panel.
Color Specifies the layer’s color setting. You can either choose a color from the menu or double-click the color

swatch to select a color.
Template Makes the layer a template layer.
Lock Prevents changes to the item.
Show Displays all artwork contained in the layer on the artboard.
Print Makes the artwork contained in the layer printable.
Preview Displays the artwork contained in the layer in color instead of as outlines.
Dim Images Reduces the intensity of linked images and bitmap images contained in the layer to the specified

percentage.

Create a layer
1 In the Layers panel, click the name of the layer above which (or in which) you want to add the new layer.
2 Do one of the following:

• To add a new layer above the selected layer, click the Create New Layer button

in the Layers panel.

• To create a new sublayer inside the selected layer, click the Create New Sublayer button

in the Layers panel.

Tip: To set options when you create a new layer, choose New Layer or New Sublayer from the Layers panel menu.
For different drawing modes, Illustrator provides several options, which include:

• The Draw Behind mode automatically creates an active new layer behind the active layer.
• In draw behind mode, artwork is drawn behind all artwork on a selected layer if no artwork is selected.

Move an object to a different layer
1 Select the object.
2 Do one of the following:

• Click the name of the desired layer in the Layers panel. Then choose Object > Arrange > Send To Current Layer.
• Drag the selected-art indicator

, located at the right of the layer in the Layers panel, to the layer you want.

Tip: You can move objects or layers into a new layer by selecting them and choosing Collect In New Layer from
the Layers panel menu. Hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) to select nonadjacent items; hold
down Shift to select adjacent items.

Release items to separate layers
The Release To Layers command redistributes all of the items in a layer into individual layers and can build new objects
in each layer based on the object’s stacking order. You can use this feature to prepare files for web animation work.
1 In the Layers panel, click the name of a layer or group.
2 Do one of the following:

• To release each item to a new layer, choose Release To Layers (Sequence) from the Layers panel menu.

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• To release items into layers and duplicate objects to create a cumulative sequence, choose Release To Layers
(Build) from the Layers panel menu. The bottommost object appears in each of the new layers, and the topmost
object only appears in the topmost layer. For example, assume Layer 1 contains a circle (bottommost object), a
square, and a triangle (topmost object). This command creates three layers—one with a circle, square, and
triangle; one with a circle and square; and one with just a circle. This is useful for creating cumulative animation
sequences.

Release To Layers (Build) command creates new layers

Consolidate layers and groups
Merging and flattening layers are similar in that they both let you consolidate objects, groups, and sublayers into a single
layer or group. With merging, you can select which items you want to consolidate; with flattening, all visible items in
the artwork are consolidated in a single layer. With either option, the stacking order of the artwork remains the same,
but other layer-level attributes, such as clipping masks, aren’t preserved.

• To merge items into a single layer or group, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) and click the names
of the layers or groups that you want to merge. Alternatively, hold down Shift to select all listings in between the
layer or group names you click. Then, select Merge Selected from the Layers panel menu. Note that items will be
merged into the layer or group that you selected last.
Layers can only merge with other layers that are on the same hierarchical level in the Layers panel. Likewise,
sublayers can only merge with other sublayers that are within the same layer and at the same hierarchical level.
Objects can’t be merged with other objects.

• To flatten layers, click the name of the layer into which you want to consolidate the artwork. Then select Flatten
Artwork from the Layers panel menu.

Locate an item in the Layers panel
When you select an item in your document window, you can quickly locate the corresponding item in the Layers panel
using the Locate Object command. This command is especially helpful for locating items in collapsed layers.
1 Select an object in the document window. If you select more than one object, the frontmost object in the stacking

order will be located.
2 Choose Locate Object from the Layers panel menu. This command changes to Locate Layer if the Show Layers Only

panel option is selected.

More Help topics
Using layers to create animations

Locking, hiding, and deleting objects

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Lock or unlock objects or layers
Locking objects prevents you from selecting and editing them. You can quickly lock multiple paths, groups, and
sublayers by locking their parent layer.

• To lock objects, click the edit column button (to the right of the eye icon) in the Layers panel for the object or layer
you want to lock. Drag across multiple edit column buttons to lock multiple items. Alternatively, select the objects
you want to lock, and then choose Object > Lock > Selection.
• To unlock objects, click the lock icon

in the Layers panel for the object or layer you want to unlock.

You can also use the following commands to lock and unlock objects:

• To lock all objects that overlap the area of the selected object and that are in the same layer, select the object, and
then choose Object > Lock > All Artwork Above.
• To lock all layers other than the layer that contains a selected item or group, choose Object > Lock > Other Layers
or choose Lock Others from the Layers panel menu.
• To lock all the layers, select all the layers in the Layers panel, and then choose Lock All Layers from the panel menu.
• To unlock all objects in the document, choose Object > Unlock All.
• To unlock all objects within a group, select an unlocked and visible object within the group. Hold down Shift+Alt
(Windows) or Shift+Option (Mac OS) and choose Object > Unlock All.
• If you locked all layers, choose Unlock All Layers from the Layers panel menu to unlock them.
Note: The Lock menus are disabled when you’re in isolation mode.

More Help topics
Layers panel overview

Hide or show objects or layers
Choose from the following methods:

• In the Layers panel, click the eye icon next to the item you want to hide. Click again to redisplay the item. If you
hide a layer or group, all items in the layer or group are hidden.
• Drag across multiple eye icons to hide multiple items.
• Select an object you want to hide, and choose Object > Hide > Selection.
• To hide all objects above an object in a layer, select the object and choose Object > Hide > All Artwork Above.
• To hide all unselected layers, choose Hide Others from the Layers panel menu, or Alt-click (Windows) or
Option-click (Mac OS) the eye icon for the layer you want to show. Alternatively, to hide all other layers other than
the layer that contains the selected object or group, choose Object > Hide > Other Layers.
• To show all objects, choose Object > Show All. All previously hidden objects are shown. Any previously selected
objects are selected.
• To show all layers and sublayers, select Show All Layers from the Layers panel menu. Hidden objects aren’t displayed
by this command, only hidden layers.
• To show all objects within a group, select an unlocked and visible object in the group. Hold down Shift+Alt
(Windows) or Shift+Option (Mac OS) and choose Object > Show All.
Note: The Show All and Hide menus are disabled when you’re in isolation mode.

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More Help topics
Layers panel overview

Delete objects
❖ Do one of the following:

• Select the objects and then press Backspace (Windows) or Delete.
• Select the objects and then choose Edit > Clear or Edit > Cut.
• Select the items you want to delete in the Layers panel, and then click the Delete icon . Alternatively, drag the
item name in the Layers panel to the Delete icon in the panel, or choose Delete “Layer name” from the Layers
panel menu.
Deleting a layer also deletes all artwork that is in the layer. For example, if you delete a layer that contains sublayers,
groups, paths, and clipping sets, all those elements will be deleted along with the layer.
Note: A document must have a least one layer. If a document has only one layer, the Delete icon and Delete command
are not available.

More Help topics
Layers panel overview

Duplicating objects
Duplicate objects by dragging
1 Select one or more objects.
2 Select the Selection, Direct Selection, or Group Selection.
3 Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) the selection (but not a handle on the bounding box).

Duplicate objects by using the Layers panel
You can quickly duplicate objects, groups, and entire layers by using the Layers panel.
1 Select the items you want to duplicate in the Layers panel.
2 Do one of the following:

• Choose Duplicate “Layer name” from the Layers panel menu.
• Drag the item in the Layers panel to the New Layer button

at the bottom of the panel.

• Start to drag the item to a new position in the Layers panel, and then hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac
OS). Release the mouse button when the indicator is in the position where you want to place the duplicated item.
If you release the mouse button when the indicator is pointing to a layer or group, the duplicated item is added
to the top of the layer or group. If you release the mouse button when the indicator is between items, the
duplicated item will be added in the specified position.

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Duplicate selections using drag and drop
You can use the Clipboard to transfer selections between an Illustrator file and other Adobe software including Adobe
Photoshop and Adobe InDesign. The Clipboard is particularly useful for importing paths because paths are copied to
the Clipboard as PostScript language descriptions. Artwork copied to the Clipboard is pasted in PICT format in most
applications. However, some applications take the PDF version (such as InDesign) or the AICB version. PDF preserves
transparency; AICB lets you specify whether you want to preserve the overall appearance of the selection or copy the
selection as a set of paths (which can be useful in Photoshop).
To specify copying preferences, choose Edit > Preferences > File Handling & Clipboard (Windows) or Illustrator >
Preferences > File Handling & Clipboard (Mac OS). Select PDF, AICB, or both. If you select AICB, select Preserve Paths
to discard any transparency in the copied artwork or Preserve Appearance And Overprints to flatten any transparency,
maintain the copied artwork’s appearance, and preserve overprinted objects.

Drag and drop artwork into a Photoshop document
1 Select the artwork you want to copy.
2 Open the Photoshop document into which you want to copy the selection.
3 Do one of the following:

• To copy the artwork into Photoshop as bitmap images, drag the selection toward the Photoshop window, and
when a black outline appears, release the mouse button. To position the selection in the center of the Photoshop
image, hold down Shift before dragging the selection. By default, selected objects are copied as bitmap images to
the active layer.
• To copy vector artwork into Photoshop as paths, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS), and drag
the selection to the Photoshop document. When you release the mouse button, the selection becomes a
Photoshop path.

Drag and drop artwork from Photoshop into Illustrator
1 Open the Photoshop document from which you want to copy.
2 Select the artwork you want to copy.
3 Select the Move tool

and drag the selection from Photoshop into the Illustrator file.

Drag and drop artwork to the desktop (Mac OS only)
1 Select the artwork you want to copy.
2 Drag the selection onto the desktop.

Selections are copied to the desktop as a picture clipping, which can be dragged and dropped into the desired
document. Picture clippings are converted to PICT format when dragged to the desktop.

Offset duplicate objects
You can create a replica of an object, set off from the selected object by a specified distance, by using the Offset Path
command or Offset Path effect. Offsetting objects is useful when you want to create concentric shapes or make many
replications of an object with regular distances between each replication.
You can offset an object’s path relative to its original path by using the Offset Path effect in the Effect menu. This effect
is useful for converting a mesh object into a regular path. For example, if you have released an envelope, or want to
convert a mesh shape for use in another application, apply the offset path command with an offset value of 0, and then
delete the mesh shape. You can then edit the remaining path.

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More Help topics
About effects
Stroke an object

Offset objects using the Offset Path command
1 Select one or more objects.
2 Choose Object > Path > Offset Path.
3 Specify the offset distance, line join type, and miter limit.
4 Click OK.

Offset objects using the Offset Path effect
1 Select one or more objects.
2 Choose Effect > Path > Offset Path.
3 Specify the offset distance, line join type, and miter limit.
4 Click OK.

Offset objects using keyboard
1 Select one or more objects.
2 Hold down Alt and press an arrow key.

A duplicate object is created, and is offset by the Keyboard Increment value specified in the General preferences. The
location of the new object is determined by the arrow key you used.
Note: If a duplicate is not created, make sure that the Keyboard Increment preference is set to a value other than zero.

Stacking objects
Specify where to add new objects in the stacking order
Illustrator stacks successively drawn objects, beginning with the first object drawn.
How objects are stacked determines how they display when they overlap. The stacking order of objects depends on the
drawing mode you are using. When a new layer is created in the Draw Normal mode, it is placed right above the active
layer and any new objects are drawn at the top of active layer. However, in the Draw Behind mode, when a new layer is
created, it is placed right below the active layer and any new objects are drawn behind the selected object (or at the
bottom of the active layer if no objects are selected).
You can change the stacking order (also called the painting order) of objects in your artwork at any time using either
the Layers panel or Object > Arrange commands.
❖ In the Layers panel, do either of the following:

• In the Draw Behind mode, select the object below which you want to add the new object.

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• In the Draw Normal mode, to add the new object to the top of a layer, click the name of the layer to make it active.
In the Draw Behind mode, to add the new object to the bottom of a layer, click the name of the layer to make it
active.

Change the stacking order using the Layers panel
The artwork at the top of the Layers panel is at the front of the stacking order, while artwork at the bottom of the Layers
panel is at the back of the stacking order. Within a layer, objects are also stacked hierarchically. By creating multiple
layers in your artwork, you can control how overlapping objects are displayed.
❖ Do any of the following:

• Drag the item’s name and release the mouse button when black insertion marks appear in the desired position.
Black insertion marks appear either between two other items in the panel or on the left and right edges of a layer
or group. Items that are released over a layer or group are moved above all other objects in the item.
• Click in the item’s selection column (between the target button and the scroll bar), drag the selection color box
to a different item’s selection color box, and release the mouse button. If the item’s selection color box is dragged
to an object, the item is moved above the object; if it’s dragged to a layer or group, the item is moved above all
other objects in the layer or group.
• To reverse the order of items in the Layers panel, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) and click
the names of the items whose order you want to reverse. The items must be at the same level in the layer
hierarchy. For example, you can select two top-level layers, but you cannot select two paths that are in different
layers. Then select Reverse Order from the Layers panel menu.
note: You cannot move a path, group, or collective element to the top position in the Layers panel—only layers can
reside at the top of the layer hierarchy.

More Help topics
Layers panel overview

Change the stacking order using commands
❖ Do any of the following:

• To move an object to the top or bottom position in its group or layer, select the object you want to move and
choose Object > Arrange > Bring To Front or Object > Arrange > Send To Back.
• To move an object by one object to the front or one object to the back of a stack, select the object you want to
move, and choose Object > Arrange > Bring Forward or Object > Arrange > Send Backward.
For an example of how changing the stacking order in an illustration changes the design, see
www.adobe.com/go/learn_ai_tutorials_depth_en. This tutorial is available only in English.

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Transforming objects
Transforming
Transforming encompasses moving, rotating, reflecting, scaling, and shearing objects. You can transform objects using
the Transform panel, Object > Transform commands, and specialized tools. You can also perform many types of
transformations by dragging the bounding box for a selection.
Sometimes you may want to repeat the same transformation several times, especially when you are copying objects.
The Transform Again command in the Object menu lets you repeat a move, scale, rotate, reflect, or shear operation as
many times as you want, until you perform a different transform operation.
Use the Info panel to view the current dimensions and position of your selection as you transform it.
For a video on scaling, skewing, and rotating objects, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0040.

Transform panel overview
The Transform panel (Window > Transform) displays information about the location, size, and orientation of one or
more selected objects. By typing new values, you can modify the selected objects, their pattern fills, or both. You can
also change the transformation reference point and lock the object’s proportions.
All values in the panel refer to the bounding boxes of the objects except for the X and Y values, which refer to the
selected reference point. To pixel-align individual objects to pixel grid, check the Align to Pixel Grid check box.note:
The reference point locator in the Transform panel specifies an object’s reference point only when you transform the object
by changing the values in the panel. Other methods of transforming (such as using the Scale tool) use the object’s center
point or the pointer location as the reference point.

Transform panel
A Reference point locator B Panel menu C Lock proportions icon

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Transform an object’s patterns
When you move, rotate, reflect (flip), scale, or shear an object that is filled with a pattern, you can transform just the
object, just the pattern, or both the object and pattern. Once you transform an object’s fill pattern, all patterns that you
subsequently apply to that object are transformed the same way.

• To specify how you want to transform patterns when using the Transform panel, select an option from the panel
menu: Transform Object Only, Transform Pattern Only, or Transform Both.
• To specify how you want to transform patterns when using a transform command, set the Objects and Patterns
options in the corresponding dialog box. For example, select Patterns and deselect Objects if you want to transform
the pattern but not the object.
• To transform patterns but not objects when using a transform tool, hold down the tilde key (~) while dragging. The
borders of the object appear to be transformed, but when you release the mouse button, the borders snap back to
their original configuration, leaving only the pattern transformed.
• To prevent patterns from transforming when using transform tools, choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows)
or Illustrator > Preferences > General (Mac OS) and deselect Transform Pattern Tiles.
• To return an object’s fill pattern to its original state, fill the object with a solid color, and then reselect the desired
pattern.

Transform using the bounding box
When you select one or more objects with the Selection tool, a bounding box displays around them. Use the bounding
box to easily move, rotate, duplicate, and scale objects by dragging the object or a handle (one of the hollow squares
along the bounding box).

• To hide the bounding box, choose View > Hide Bounding Box.
• To show the bounding box, choose View > Show Bounding Box.
• To reorient the bounding box after you rotate it, choose Object > Transform > Reset Bounding Box.

Selected objects before (left) compared to after (right) scaling using the bounding box

More Help topics
Scale objects
Shear objects
Move objects
Rotate objects
Reflect or flip objects

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Scaling, shearing, and distortingobjects
Scale objects
Scaling an object enlarges or reduces it horizontally (along the x axis), vertically (along the y axis), or both. Objects scale
relative to a reference point which varies depending on the scaling method you choose. You can change the default
reference point for most scaling methods, and you can also lock the proportions of an object.
Note: After you scale an object, Illustrator does not retain the original size of the object in memory. Therefore, you cannot
resume the original size of the object. However, you can see the resolution of the object in the Document Info panel and
decide on the scale at which you want to resize the object, while retaining the object’s resolution.
By default, strokes and effects are not scaled along with objects. To scale strokes and effects, choose Edit > Preferences
> General (Windows) or Illustrator > Preferences > General (Mac OS), and select Scale Strokes & Effects. If you want
to choose whether to scale strokes and effects on a case-by-case basis, use the Transform panel or the Scale command
to scale objects.

The Scale Strokes & Effects option scales the object, the drop shadow effect, and the stroke (left); only the object scales when this option is off
(right).

Scale objects with the Scale tool
1 Select one or more objects.
2 Select the Scale tool

3 Do any of the following:

• To scale relative to the object’s center point, drag anywhere in the document window until the object is the
desired size.
• To scale relative to a different reference point , click where you want the reference point to be in the document
window, move the pointer away from the reference point, and then drag until the object is the desired size.
• To maintain the object’s proportions as it scales, hold down Shift as you drag diagonally.
Tip: While using the Scale tool with the Shift key, start dragging at an angle of 45° horizontally or vertically but
in an angle.

• To scale the object along a single axis, hold down Shift as you drag vertically or horizontally.
For finer control over scaling, start dragging farther from the reference point.

Scale objects with the bounding box
1 Select one or more objects.
2 Select the Selection tool or the Free Transform tool

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3 Drag a bounding box handle until the object is the desired size.

Objects scale relative to the opposite handle of the bounding box.
4 Do any of the following to control the scaling behavior:

• To maintain the object’s proportions, hold down Shift as you drag.
• To scale relative to the object’s center point, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you drag.

Scale objects to a specific width and height
1 Select one or more objects.
2 In the Transform panel, enter a new value in the Width (W) or Height (H) box, or both.

You can do any of the following before you enter a value to control the scaling behavior:

• To maintain the objects’ proportions, click the lock proportions button

• To change the reference point for scaling, click a white square on the reference point locator

• To scale stroked paths and any size-related effects along with the object, select Scale Strokes & Effects from the
panel menu.
You can also maintain proportions by entering a value in the W or H box, and then pressing Ctrl (Windows) or
Command (Mac OS) while you press Enter.

Scale objects by a specific percentage
1 Select one or more objects.
2 Do one of the following:

• To scale from the center, choose Object > Transform > Scale or double-click the Scale tool

• To scale relative to a different reference point, select the Scale tool and Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac
OS) where you want the reference point to be in the document window.
3 In the Scale dialog box, do one of the following:

• To maintain the object’s proportions as it scales, select Uniform, and enter a percentage in the Scale text box.
• To scale the height and width separately, select Non-Uniform, and enter a percentage in the Horizontal and
Vertical text boxes.
The scale factors are relative to the reference point and can be negative or positive.
4 To scale stroked paths and any size-related effects along with the object, select Scale Strokes & Effects.
5 If the objects contain a pattern fill, select Patterns to scale the pattern. Deselect Objects if you want to scale the

pattern but not the objects.
6 Click OK, or click Copy to scale a copy of the objects.

Scale multiple objects
1 Select the objects.
2 Choose Object > Transform > Transform Each.

Note: You cannot enter a specific width for scaling multiple objects. In Illustrator, you can only scale objects in
percentage measurements.
3 Set percentages for horizontal and vertical scaling in the Scale section of the dialog box.
4 To change the reference point, click a white square on the reference point locator

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5 Click OK, or click Copy to scale a copy of each object.

Shear objects
Shearing an object slants, or skews, the object along the horizontal or vertical axis, or a specified angle that’s relative to
a specified axis. Objects shear relative to a reference point which varies depending on the shearing method you choose
and can be changed for most shearing methods. You can lock one dimension of an object as you shear it, and you can
shear one object or multiple objects simultaneously.
Shearing is useful for creating cast shadows.

Shearing relative to the center (left) compared to shearing relative to a user-defined reference point (right)

Shear objects with the Shear tool
1 Select one or more objects.
2 Select the Shear tool

3 Do one of the following:

• To shear relative to the object’s center, drag anywhere in the document window.
• To shear relative to a different reference point , click anywhere in the document window to move the reference
point, move the pointer away from the reference point, and then drag until the object is at the desired slant.
• To shear along the object’s vertical axis, drag anywhere in the document window in an up or down direction. To
constrain the object to its original width, hold down Shift.
• To shear along the object’s horizontal axis, drag anywhere in the document window in a left or right direction.
To constrain the object to its original height, hold down Shift.

Shear objects with the Shear command
1 Select one or more objects.
2 Do one of the following:

• To shear from the center, choose Object > Transform > Shear or double-click the Shear tool

• To shear from a different reference point, select the Shear tool and Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac
OS) where you want the reference point to be in the document window.
3 In the Shear dialog box, enter a shear angle from -359 to 359. The shear angle is the amount of slant applied to the

object in a clockwise direction and is relative to a line that’s perpendicular to the shear axis.
4 Select the axis along which to shear the object.

If you chose an angled axis, enter a value between –359 and 359, relative to the horizontal axis.
5 If the objects contain a pattern fill, select Patterns to move the pattern. Deselect Objects if you want to move the

pattern but not the objects.

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6 Click OK, or click Copy to shear a copy of the objects.

Shear objects with the Free Transform tool
1 Select one or more objects.
2 Select the Free Transform tool

3 Do one of the following:

• To shear along the object’s vertical axis, start dragging the middle-left or middle-right bounding-box handle, and
then hold down Ctrl+Alt (Windows) or Option+Command (Mac OS) as you drag up or down. You can also hold
down Shift to constrain the object to its original width.
• To shear along the object’s horizontal axis, start dragging the top-middle or bottom-middle bounding-box
handle and then hold down Ctrl+Alt (Windows) or Option+Command (Mac OS) as you drag right or left. You
can also hold down Shift to constrain the object to its original height.

Shear objects with the Transform panel
1 Select one or more objects.
2 In the Transform panel, enter a value in the Shear text box.

To change the reference point, click a white square on the reference point locator

before you enter the value.

You can also call up the Transform panel by clicking X, Y, W, or H in the Control panel.

Distort objects
You can distort objects by using the Free Transform tool or a liquify tool. Use the Free Transform tool when you want
to distort freely; use a liquify tool if you want to take advantage of specific preset distortions such as twirls, puckers, or
wrinkles.

Distort objects with the Free Transform tool
1 Select one or more objects.
2 Select the Free Transform tool

3 Start dragging a corner handle on the bounding box (not a side handle), and then do one of the following:

• Hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) until the selection is at the desired level of distortion.
• Hold down Shift+Alt+Ctrl (Windows) or Shift+Option+Command (Mac OS) to distort in perspective.
Distorting in perspective

Distort objects using a liquify tool
You cannot use liquify tools on linked files or objects that contain text, graphs, or symbols.
To find liquify tools in the Tools panel, see Tools panel overviewand Reshaping tool gallery.
1 Select a liquify tool, and click or drag over the objects you want to distort.
2 (Optional) To isolate the distortion to specific objects, select the objects before using the tool.
3 (Optional) To change the size of the tool cursor and set other tool options, double-click the liquify tool and specify

any of the following:
Width and Height Controls the size of the tool cursor.

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Angle Controls the orientation of the tool cursor.
Intensity Specifies the rate of change for the distortion. Higher values equal faster changes.
Use Pressure Pen Uses the input from a tablet or pen instead of the Intensity value. If you don’t have a pressure-

sensitive tablet attached, this option is dimmed.
Complexity (Scallop, Crystallize, and Wrinkle tools) Specifies how closely the results of the particular brush are

spaced on the object’s outline. This is closely tied with the Detail value.
Detail Specifies the spacing between points introduced into the object’s outline (higher values space points closer
together).
Simplify (Warp, Twirl, Pucker, and Bloat tools) Specifies how much you want to reduce the superfluous points that

do not measurably affect the overall appearance of the shape.
Twirl Rate (Twirl tool only) Specifies the rate at which the twirl is applied. Enter a value between –180° and 180°.
Negative values twirl the object clockwise and positive values twirl counterclockwise. The object twirls faster with
values that are closer to either –180° or 180°. To twirl slowly, specify a rate close to 0°.
Horizontal and Vertical (Wrinkle tool only) Specifies how far apart the control points are placed.
Brush Affects Anchor Points, Brush Affects In Tangent Handles, or Brush Affects Out Tangent Handles (Scallop,
Crystallize, Wrinkle tools) Enables the tool brush to make changes to these properties.

More Help topics
Transform panel overview
Move objects
Rotate objects
Reflect or flip objects
Reshaping tool gallery
Transform using the bounding box

Reshape using envelopes
About envelopes
Envelopes are objects that distort or reshape selected objects. You can make an envelope out of an object on your
artboard, or you can use a preset warp shape or a mesh grid as an envelope. You can use envelopes on any object except
graphs, guides, or linked objects.

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Mesh grid envelope

Envelope created from another object

The Layers panel lists envelopes as . Once you apply an envelope, you can continue to edit the original
objects. You can also edit, delete, or expand an envelope at any time. You can edit an envelope shape or the enveloped
object, but not both at the same time.

Distort objects using an envelope
1 Select one or more objects.
2 Create the envelope using one of the following methods:

• To use a preset warp shape for the envelope, choose Object > Envelope Distort > Make With Warp. In the Warp
Options dialog box, select a warp style and set options.
• To set up a rectangular grid for the envelope, choose Object > Envelope Distort > Make With Mesh. In the
Envelope Mesh dialog box, set the number of rows and columns.
• To use an object as the shape of the envelope, make sure the object is at the top of the stacking order for the
selected object. If it’s not, use the Layers panel or an Arrange command to move it up, and reselect all the objects.
Then choose Object > Envelope Distort > Make With Top Object.
3 Reshape the envelope by doing any of the following:

• Drag any anchor point on the envelope with the Direct Selection or Mesh tool.
• To delete anchor points on the mesh grid, select an anchor point with either the Direct Selection or Mesh tools,
and then press Delete.
• To add anchor points to the mesh grid, click on the grid with the Mesh tool.
Tip: To apply a stroke or fill to an envelope, use the Appearance panel.

Edit the contents of an envelope
1 Select the envelope and do one of the following:

• Click the Edit Contents button

in the Control panel.

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• Choose Object > Envelope Distort > Edit Contents.
note: If your envelope consists of grouped paths, click the triangle to the left of the entry in the Layers
panel to view and target the path you want to edit.
2 Edit it as desired.

Note: When you modify the contents of an envelope, the envelope shifts to recenter the results with the original content.
3 To return the object to its enveloped state, do one of the following:

• Click the Edit Envelope button

in the Control panel.

• Choose Object > Envelope Distort > Edit Envelope.

Reset an envelope
1 Select the envelope.
2 Do one of the following:

• To reset or switch to a preset warp style, choose a new warp style and set options in the Control panel. If desired,
click the Envelope Options button
to open the dialog box and set more options.
• To reset or switch to a mesh grid envelope, choose Object > Envelope Distort > Reset With Mesh. Specify the
number of rows and columns for the mesh grid. Select Maintain Envelope Shape to keep the warp shape intact.

Remove an envelope
You can remove envelopes by either releasing them or expanding them. Releasing an enveloped object creates two
separate objects: the object in its original state and the envelope shape. Expanding an enveloped object removes the
envelope, but the object retains its distorted shape.

• To release an envelope, select the envelope, and choose Object > Envelope Distort > Release.
• To expand an envelope, select the envelope, and choose Object > Envelope Distort > Expand.

Envelope options
Envelope options determine how art is distorted to fit the envelope. To set envelope options, select the envelope object
and click the Envelope Options button
in the Control panel, or choose Object > Envelope Distort > Envelope
Options.
Anti-Alias Smooths rasters when distorted with an envelope. Deselecting Anti-Alias can decrease the time it takes to

distort rasters.
Preserve Shape Using Specifies how rasters preserve their shape when distorted by nonrectangular envelopes. Select

Clipping Mask to use a clipping mask on the raster, or Transparency to apply an alpha channel to the raster.
Fidelity Specifies how precisely you want the object to fit the envelope mold. Increasing the Fidelity percentage can add

more points to the distorted paths and increase the time it takes to distort the objects.
Distort Appearance Distorts appearance attributes (such as applied effects or graphic styles) along with an object’s

shape.
Distort Linear Gradients Distorts linear gradients along with an object’s shape.
Distort Pattern Fills Distorts patterns along with an object’s shape.

note: If you expand the envelope with a Distort option selected, the respective property is expanded separately.

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More Help topics
Reshaping objects with effects

Combining objects
Methods of combining objects
You can combine vector objects to create shapes in a variety of ways in Illustrator. The resulting paths or shapes differ
depending on the method you use to combine the paths.
Pathfinder effects
Pathfinder effects let you combine multiple objects using one of ten interaction modes. Unlike compound shapes, you
can’t edit the interactions between objects when you use a Pathfinder effect.
Compound shapes
Compound shapes let you combine multiple objects and specify how you want each object to interact with the other
objects. Compound shapes are more versatile than compound paths because they provide four kinds of interactions:
add, subtract, intersect, and exclude. In addition, the underlying objects are not changed, so you can select each object
within a compound shape to edit it or change its interaction mode.
Compound paths
Compound paths let you use an object to cut a hole in another object. For example, you can create a doughnut shape
from two nested circles. Once you create a compound path, the paths act as grouped objects. You can select and
manipulate the objects separately using the Direct Selection tool or Group Selection tool; or you can select and edit the
combined path.
Note: You can also add to an object by using the Blob Brush tool. When you use this brush, paths you paint are added to
adjacent paths that use identical fill attributes. (See Draw and merge paths with the Blob Brush tooland Building new
shapes using the Shape Builder tool .)

Pathfinder

Pathfinder panel overview
You use the Pathfinder panel (Window > Pathfinder) to combine objects into new shapes.

Pathfinder panel

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The top row of buttons in the panel, make paths or compound paths by default, and compound shapes only when you
press the Alt or Option key. You can choose from the following shape modes:
Add To Shape Area Adds the area of the component to the underlying geometry.
Subtract from Shape Area Cuts out the area of the component from the underlying geometry.
Intersect Shape Areas Uses the area of the component to clip the underlying geometry as a mask would.
Exclude Overlapping Shape Areas Uses the area of the component to invert the underlying geometry, turning filled

regions into holes and vice versa.
The bottom row of buttons in the panel, called Pathfinder effects, let you create final shape combinations on the first
click. (See Apply Pathfinder effects .)

Shape modes
A All components in Add mode B Subtract mode applied to squares C Intersect mode applied to squares D Exclude mode applied to squares

Pathfinder options
You can set Pathfinder Options from the Pathfinder panel menu or by double-clicking a Pathfinder effect in the
Appearance panel.
Precision Affects how precisely the Pathfinder effects calculate an object’s path. The more precise the calculation, the
more accurate the drawing and the more time is required to generate the resulting path.
Remove Redundant Points Removes unnecessary points as you click a Pathfinder button.
Divide And Outline Will Remove Unpainted Artwork Deletes any unfilled objects in the selected artwork as you click

the Divide or Outline button.

Apply Pathfinder effects
Pathfinder effects let you create new shapes out of overlapping objects. You can apply Pathfinder effects by using the
Effects menu or the Pathfinder panel.

• Pathfinder effects in the Effects menu can only be applied to groups, layers, and text objects. After you apply the
effect, you can still select and edit the original objects. You can also use the Appearance panel to modify or remove
the effect.

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• Pathfinder effects in the Pathfinder panel can be applied to any combination of objects, groups, and layers. The final
shape combination is created when you click a pathfinder button; after that, you cannot edit the original objects. If
the effect results in multiple objects, they are automatically grouped together.
For a video on using Pathfinder effects and clipping masks and how to import clipping masks into Flash, see
www.adobe.com/go/vid0057.

More Help topics
Group or ungroup objects
Move an object to a different layer
Targeting items for appearance attributes
Building new shapes using the Shape Builder tool

Apply a Pathfinder effect using the Effects menu
1 Do one of the following:

• Group together the objects you want to use, and select the group.
• Move the objects you want to use into a separate layer, and target the layer.
2 Choose Effect > Pathfinder and choose a Pathfinder effect.

To quickly apply the same Pathfinder effect again, choose Effect > Apply [effect].

Apply a Pathfinder effect using the Pathfinder panel
1 Select the objects to which you want to apply the effect.

To apply a Pathfinder effect to a group or layer, target the group or layer.
2 In the Pathfinder panel, click a pathfinder button (in the bottom row), or Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac

OS) a Shape Mode button (in the top row).

Summary of Pathfinder effects
Add Traces the outline of all objects as if they were a single, merged object. The resulting shape takes on the paint
attributes of the top object.
Intersect Traces the outline of the region overlapped by all the objects.
Exclude Traces all nonoverlapping areas of the objects, and makes overlapping areas transparent. Where an even
number of objects overlap, the overlap becomes transparent. Where an odd number of objects overlap, the overlap
becomes filled.
Subtract Subtracts the frontmost objects from the backmost object. You can use this command to delete areas of an

illustration by adjusting the stacking order.
Minus Back Subtracts the objects in back from the frontmost object. You can use this command to delete areas of an

illustration by adjusting the stacking order.
Divide Separates a piece of artwork into its component filled faces (a face is an area undivided by a line segment).

note: When you use the Divide button in the Pathfinder panel, you can use the Direct Selection or Group Selection tool to
manipulate the resulting faces independently of each other. You can also choose to delete or preserve unfilled objects when
applying the Divide command.

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Trim Removes the part of a filled object that is hidden. It removes any strokes and does not merge objects of the same

color.
Merge Removes the part of a filled object that is hidden. It removes any strokes and merges any adjoining or
overlapping objects filled with the same color.
Crop Divides artwork into its component filled faces, and then deletes all the parts of the artwork that fall outside the

boundary of the topmost object. It also removes any strokes.
Outline Divides an object into its component line segments, or edges. This command is useful for preparing artwork
that needs a trap for overprinting objects. (See Create a trap.)

note: When you use the Outline button in the Pathfinder panel, you can use the Direct Selection or Group Selection tool to
manipulate each edge independently. You can also choose to delete or preserve unfilled objects when applying the Outline
command.
Hard Mix Combines colors by choosing the highest value of each of the color components. For example, if Color 1 is

20% cyan, 66% magenta, 40% yellow, and 0% black; and Color 2 is 40% cyan, 20% magenta, 30% yellow, and 10% black,
the resulting hard color is 40% cyan, 66% magenta, 40% yellow, and 10% black.
Soft Mix Makes the underlying colors visible through the overlapping artwork, and then divides the image into its
component faces. You specify the percentage of visibility you want in the overlapping colors.
Trap Compensates for potential gaps between colors in artwork by creating a small area of overlap (called a trap)
between two adjoining colors.

Compound shapes

About compound shapes
A compound shape is editable art consisting of two or more objects, each assigned a shape mode. Compound shapes
make it easy to create complex shapes because you can precisely manipulate the shape mode, stacking order, shape,
location, and appearance of each path included.
Compound shapes act as grouped objects and appear as items in the Layers panel. You can use
the Layers panel to show, select, and manipulate the contents of a compound shape—for example, to change the
stacking order of its components. You can also use the Direct Selection tool or the Group Selection tool to select
components of a compound shape.
When you create a compound shape, it takes on the paint and transparency attributes of the topmost component in
Add, Intersect, or Exclude mode. Subsequently, you can change the paint, style, or transparency attributes of the
compound shape. Illustrator facilitates this process by automatically targeting the whole compound shape when you
select any part of it, unless you explicitly target a component in the Layers panel.

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Working with compound shapes
A Original objects B Compound shape created C Individual shape modes applied to each component D Style applied to entire compound shape

Work with compound shapes
Creating a compound shape is a two-part process. First, you establish a compound shape in which all components have
the same shape mode. Then, you assign shape modes to the components until you obtain the desired combination of
shape areas.

Create a compound shape
1 Select all the objects you want to be part of the compound shape.

You can include paths, compound paths, groups, other compound shapes, blends, text, envelopes, and warps in a
compound shape. Any open paths you select are automatically closed.
2 Do one of the following:

• In the Pathfinder panel, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) a Shape Modes button. Each component
of the compound shape is assigned the shape mode you select.
• Select Make Compound Shape from the Pathfinder panel menu. Each component of the compound shape is
assigned the Add mode by default.
3 Change the shape mode of any component by selecting it with the Direct Selection tool or Layers panel and clicking

a Shape Mode button.
Note that you never need to change the mode of the backmost component, because its mode is not relevant to the
compound shape.
To sustain maximum performance, create complex compound shapes by nesting other compound shapes (containing
up to about 10 components each) instead of using many individual components.

Modify a compound shape
1 Use the Direct Selection tool or Layers panel to select an individual component of the compound shape.
2 Look for the highlighted Shape Mode button in the Pathfinder panel to identify which mode is currently applied to

a selected component.

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Note: If you’ve selected two or more components that use different modes, question marks appear on the Shape Mode
buttons.
3 In the Pathfinder panel, click a different Shape Mode button.

Release and expand a compound shape
Releasing a compound shape separates it back into separate objects. Expanding a compound shape maintains the shape
of the compound object, but you can no longer select the individual components.
1 Select the compound shape using the Selection tool or Layers panel.
2 Do one of the following:

• Click Expand in the Pathfinder panel.
• Choose Expand Compound Shape from the Pathfinder panel menu.
The compound shape is converted to a or item in the Layers panel, depending on the
shape mode it used.

• Choose Release Compound Shape from the Pathfinder panel menu.

Move compound shapes between Illustrator and Photoshop
The shape layers and layer clipping paths (vector masks) in Adobe Photoshop are types of compound shapes. You can
import shape layers and layer clipping paths into Illustrator as compound shapes and continue to manipulate them. In
addition, you can export compound shapes to Photoshop. Keep the following in mind when using compound shapes
with Photoshop:

• Only compound shapes that reside at the top level of the layer hierarchy are exported to Photoshop as shape layers.
• A compound shape painted with a stroke using a join other than round, or with a weight in points that is not an
integer, is rasterized when exported to the PSD file format.

Compound paths

About compound paths
A compound path contains two or more paths that are painted so that holes appear where paths overlap. When you
define objects as a compound path, all objects in the compound path take on the paint and style attributes of the
backmost object in the stacking order.
Compound paths act as grouped objects and appear as items in the Layers panel. Use the Direct
Selection tool or the Group Selection tool to select part of a compound path. You can manipulate the shape of individual
components of a compound path, but you cannot change appearance attributes, graphic styles, or effects for individual
components, and you cannot manipulate components individually in the Layers panel.
If you want more flexibility in the compound path creation, you can create a compound shape and then expand it.

Cut a hole in an object using a compound path
1 Select the object to use as a hole, and position it so that it overlaps the object to cut. Repeat for any additional objects

you want to use as holes.
2 Select all the objects you want to include in the compound path.

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3 Choose Object > Compound Path > Make.

Apply fill rules to compound paths
You can specify whether a compound path is a nonzero winding path or an even-odd path.
Nonzero winding fill rule Uses mathematical equations to determine if a point is outside or inside a shape. Illustrator
uses the nonzero winding rule as the default rule.
Even-odd fill rule Uses mathematical equations to determine if a point is outside or inside a shape. This rule is the more

predictable rule because every other region within an even-odd compound path is a hole, regardless of path direction.
Some applications, such as Adobe Photoshop, use the even-odd rule by default, so compound paths imported from
these applications will use the even-odd rule.
Self-intersecting paths are paths that intersect themselves. You can choose to make these paths either nonzero winding
or even-odd, depending on how you want them to look.

Self-intersecting path with Use Non-Zero Winding Fill Rule (left) compared with Use Even-Odd Fill Rule (right)

When you create a nonzero winding compound path, you can specify whether overlapping paths appear with holes or
are filled by clicking a Reverse Path Direction button in the Attributes panel.

Fill rules
A Four circular paths B Circular paths selected, converted into compound path C Reverse Path Direction applied to innermost path

Change the fill rule for a compound path
1 Select the compound path using the Selection tool or Layers panel.
2 In the Attributes panel, click the Use Non-Zero Winding Fill Rule button

or the Use Even-Odd Fill Rule button

Change a hole in a compound path to a filled area
1 Make sure that the compound path uses the nonzero winding fill rule.
2 With the Direct Selection tool, select the part of the compound path to reverse. Do not select the entire compound

path.
3 In the Attributes panel, click the Reverse Path Direction Off button

Return a compound path to its original components
1 Select the compound path using the Selection tool or Layers panel.

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2 Choose Object > Compound Path > Release.

More Help topics
Mix overlapping colors
Trapping

Cutting and dividing objects
Methods for cutting, dividing, and trimming objects
Illustrator provides the following methods to cut, divide, and trim objects:
Divide Objects Below command Acts as a cookie cutter or stencil, using a selected object to cut through other objects,
discarding the original selection. To use this command, choose Object > Path > Divide Objects Below.
Cut Path At Selected Anchor Point button

Cuts a path at the anchor point and the one anchor point becomes two anchor points with one located directly on top
of the other. To access this button, select one or more anchor points with the Direct Selection tool and locate the button
in the Control panel.
Knife tool

Cuts objects along a freehand path you draw with the tool, dividing objects into their component filled faces (a face is
an area undivided by a line segment). Click and hold the Eraser tool to see and choose the Knife tool. See Cut objects
with the Knife tool .
Scissors tool

Splits a path, graphics frame, or empty text frame at an anchor point or along a segment. Click and hold the Eraser tool
to see and choose the Scissors tool. See Split a path.
Split Into Grid command Lets you divide one or more objects into multiple rectangular objects arranged in rows and

columns. You can precisely change the height, width, and gutter size between rows and columns, and quickly create
guides for laying out artwork. To use this command, choose Object > Path > Split Into Grid.
Compound paths and compound shapes Let you use an object to cut a hole in another object.
Pathfinder effects Provide various ways to divide and trim overlapping objects.
Clipping masks Let you use an object to hide portions of other objects. See Clipping masks

More Help topics
Clipping masks
Compound shapes
Compound paths
Pathfinder
Split a path

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Cut objects with the Divide Objects Below command
1 Select the object to use as a cutter, and position it so that it overlaps the objects to cut.
2 Choose Object > Path > Divide Objects Below.

Cut objects with the Knife tool
1 Select the Knife tool

. Click and hold the eraser tool to see and select the Knife tool. See Select a toolfor other
methods of selecting tools.

2 Do one of the following:

• To cut in a curved path, drag the pointer over the object.
• To cut in a straight path, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you click on the artboard with the
Knife tool, and then drag.

More Help topics
Slicing and cutting tool gallery
Tools panel overview

Divide an object into a grid
1 Select the object.

If you select more than one object, the resulting grid of objects uses the appearance attributes of the topmost object.
2 Choose Object > Path > Split Into Grid.
3 Enter the number of rows and columns you want.
4 (Optional) Do any of the following:

• To set the size of each row and column, enter values for Height and Width.
• To set the amount of space that separates rows from one another and columns from one another, enter values for
Gutter.
• To change the dimensions of the entire grid of objects, enter values for Total.
• To add guides along the row and column edges, select Add Guides.
5 Click OK.

More Help topics
Layers panel overview

Copy appearance attributes by dragging
1 Select the object or group (or target the layer in the Layers panel) whose appearance you want to copy.
2 Do one of the following:

• Drag the thumbnail at the top of the Appearance panel onto an object in the document window. If a thumbnail
isn’t showing, choose Show Thumbnail from the panel menu.
• Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) the target icon in the Layers panel onto the item to which you
want to copy appearance attributes.
• To move appearance attributes instead of copying them, drag the target icon in the Layers panel from any item
that has the desired attributes onto the item to which you want to apply it.

Copy appearance attributes using the Eyedropper tool
You can use the Eyedropper tool to copy appearance attributes from one object to another, including character,
paragraph, fill, and stroke attributes between type objects. By default, the Eyedropper tool affects all attributes of a
selection. To customize the attributes affected by this tool, use the Eyedropper dialog box.
1 Select the object, type object, or characters whose attributes you want to change.
2 Select the Eyedropper tool

3 Move the Eyedropper tool onto the object whose attributes you want to sample. (When you’re correctly positioned

over type, the pointer displays a small T.)
4 Do one of the following:

• Click the Eyedropper tool to sample all appearance attributes and apply them to the selected object.
• Shift-click to sample only the color from a portion of a gradient, pattern, mesh object, or placed image and apply
the color to the selected fill or stroke.
• Hold down the Shift key and then the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) key while clicking to add the
appearance attributes of an object to the selected object’s appearance attributes. Alternatively, click first, and then
hold down Shift+Alt (Windows) or Shift+Option (Mac OS).
note: You can also click an unselected object to sample its attributes and Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac
OS) an unselected object to which you want to apply the attributes.

Copy attributes from the desktop using the Eyedropper tool
1 Select the object whose attributes you want to change.
2 Select the Eyedropper tool.
3 Click anywhere on the document and continue to hold down the mouse button.
4 Without releasing the mouse button, move the pointer over the object on your computer desktop whose attributes

you want to copy. When directly over the object, release the mouse button.
Note: The Eyedropper tool samples only the RGB color from the screen when sampling anywhere outside the current
document. The Eyedropper tool indicates it is sampling RGB color from the screen by displaying a black-colored square
to the right of the tool.

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Specify which attributes you can copy with the Eyedropper tool
1 Double-click the Eyedropper tool.
2 Select the attributes you want to copy with the Eyedropper tool. You can sample appearance attributes including

transparency, and various fill and stroke properties, as well as character and paragraph properties.
3 Choose the sample size area from the Raster Sample Size menu.
4 Click OK.

Working with effects
About effects
Illustrator includes a variety of effects, which you can apply to an object, group, or layer to change its characteristics.
Illustrator CS3 and earlier included effects and filters, but now Illustrator includes only effects (with the exception of
SVG Filters). The primary difference between a filter and an effect is that a filter permanently modifies an object or
layer, but an effect and its properties can be changed or removed at any time.
Once you apply an effect to an object, the effect appears in the Appearance panel. From the Appearance panel, you can
edit the effect, move it, duplicate it, delete it, or save it as part of a graphic style. When you use an effect, you must
expand the object before you can access the new points.note: Previous versions of Illustrator included filters and effects.
The effects in the top half of the Effects menu are vector effects. You can apply these effects only to vector objects or to
the fill or stroke of a bitmap object in the Appearance panel. The following effects and effects categories from the top
section are exceptions to this rule and can be applied to both vector and bitmap objects: 3D effects, SVG Filters, Warp
effects, Transform effects, Drop Shadow, Feather, Inner Glow, and Outer Glow.
The effects in the bottom half of the Effects menu are raster effects. You can apply them to either vector or bitmap
objects.
For a video on using the Appearance panel and the Graphics Styles panel, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4022_ai.

More Help topics
Effects quick reference
Expand objects

Apply an effect
1 Select the object or group (or target a layer in the Layers panel).

If you want to apply an effect to a specific attribute of an object, such as its fill or stroke, select the object and then
select the attribute in the Appearance panel.
2 Do one of the following:

• Choose a command from the Effect menu.
• Click Add New Effect

in the Appearance panel, and choose an effect.

3 If a dialog box appears, set options, and then click OK.

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To apply the effect and settings that were used last, choose Effect > Apply [Effect Name]. To apply the last used effect
and set its options, choose Effect > [Effect Name].

More Help topics
Targeting items for appearance attributes

About raster effects
Raster effects are effects that generate pixels, rather than vector data. Raster effects include SVG Filters, all of the effects
at the bottom section of the Effect menu, and the Drop Shadow, Inner Glow, Outer Glow, and Feather commands in
the Effect > Stylize submenu.
The Resolution Independent Effects (RIE) capability in Illustrator CS5 makes it possible to do the following:

• When the resolution in Document Raster Effects Settings (DRES) changes, the parameters in the effect are
interpreted to a different value so that there is minimal or no change in the appearance of the effect. The new
modified parameter values are reflected in the Effect dialog box.
• For effects with more than one parameter, Illustrator reinterprets only those parameters that are related to the
document raster effects resolution setting.
For example, there are different parameters in the Halftone Pattern dialog box. However, only the Size value changes
when the DRES changes.

Halftone Pattern effect before and after the resolution value changes from 300 ppi to 150ppi

You set rasterization options for a document by choosing Effect > Document Raster Effects Settings. (See Rasterization
options .)
If an effect looks good on-screen, but loses detail or appears jagged when printed, increase the document raster effects
resolution.

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Rasterization options
You can set the following options for all raster effects in a document or when you rasterize a vector object.
Color Model Determines the color model that is used during rasterization. You can generate an RGB or CMYK color

image (depending on the color mode of your document), a grayscale image, or a 1-bit image (which may be black and
white or black and transparent, depending on the background option selected).
Resolution Determines the number of pixels per inch (ppi) in the rasterized image. When rasterizing a vector object,
select Use Document Raster Effects Resolution to use global resolution settings.
Background Determines how transparent areas of the vector graphic are converted to pixels. Select White to fill
transparent areas with white pixels, or select Transparent to make the background transparent. If you select
Transparent, you create an alpha channel (for all images except 1-bit images). The alpha channel is retained if the
artwork is exported into Photoshop. (This option anti-aliases better than the Create Clipping Mask option.)
Anti-alias Applies anti-aliasing to reduce the appearance of jagged edges in the rasterized image. When setting
rasterization options for a document, deselect this option to maintain the crispness of fine lines and small text.

When rasterizing a vector object, select None to apply no anti-aliasing and maintain the hard edges of line art when it
is rasterized. Select Art Optimized to apply anti-aliasing that is best suited to artwork without type. Select Type
Optimized to apply anti-aliasing that is best suited to type.
Create Clipping Mask Creates a mask that makes the background of the rasterized image appear transparent. You do
not need to create a clipping mask if you selected Transparent for Background.
Add Around Object Adds a padding or border around the rasterized image, using the specified number of pixels. The
resulting image’s dimensions appear as the original dimensions plus the Add Around Object setting’s value. You can use
this setting, for example, to create a snapshot effect: Specify a value for Add Around Object setting, choose White
Background, and do not select Create Clipping Mask. The white boundary added to the original object becomes a
visible border on the image. You can then apply a Drop Shadow or Outer Glow effect to make the original artwork look
like a photo.

More Help topics
Rasterize a vector object
Image resolution guidelines for final output

Applying effects to bitmap images
Effects let you apply a special look to bitmap images as well as vector objects. For example, you can apply an
impressionistic look, apply lighting changes, distort images, and produce many other interesting visual effects.
Consider the following information when applying effects specifically to bitmap objects:

• Effects do not work on linked bitmap objects. If you apply an effect to a linked bitmap, it is applied to an embedded
copy of the bitmap instead of to the original. To apply the effect to the original, you must embed the original bitmap
in the document.
• Adobe Illustrator supports plug-in effects from Adobe products such as Adobe Photoshop and from non-Adobe
software developers. Once installed, most plug-in effects appear in the Effect menu and work the same way as do
built-in effects.
• Some effects can be memory-intensive, especially when applied to a high-resolution bitmap image.

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More Help topics
About linked and embedded artwork
About plug-in modules

Improving performance for effects
Some effects are very memory-intensive. The following techniques can help improve performance when applying these
effects:

• Select the Preview option in effect dialog boxes to save time and prevent unintended results.
• Change the settings. Some commands, such as Glass, are extremely memory-intensive. Try different settings to
increase their speed.
• If you plan to print to a grayscale printer, convert a copy of the bitmap image to grayscale before applying effects.
Note, however, that in some cases, applying an effect to a color bitmap image and then converting it to grayscale may
not have the same result as applying the same effect directly to a grayscale version of the image.

Modify or delete an effect
You modify or delete an effect by using the Appearance panel.
1 Select the object or group (or target the layer in the Layers panel) that uses the effect.
2 Do one of the following:

• To modify the effect, click its blue underlined name in the Appearance panel. In the effect’s dialog box, make the
desired alterations, and then click OK.
• To delete the effect, select the effect listing in the Appearance panel, and click the Delete button.

Summary of effects
Effects quick reference
Effect

Action

Effect > 3D

Convert open or closed paths, or bitmap objects, into threedimensional (3D) objects, which you can rotate, light, and shade.
See also: Create 3D objects

Effect > Artistic

Simulate a painterly appearance on traditional media.
See also: Artistic effects

Effect > Blur

Retouch images and smooth transitions by averaging the pixels next
to the hard edges of defined lines and shaded areas in an image.
See also: Blur effects

Effect > Brush Strokes

Create a painterly or fine-arts look using different brush- and inkstroke effects.
See also: Brush Strokes effects

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Effect

Action

Effect > Convert To Shape

Reshape either a vector or a bitmap object.
See also: Reshaping objects with effects

Effect > Crop Marks

Applies crop marks to the selected object.
See also: Specify crop marks for trimming or aligning

Effect > Distort & Transform
(top section of menu)

Reshape vector objects, or apply the effects to a fill or stroke added to
a bitmap object with the Appearance panel.
See also: Reshaping objects with effects

Effect > Distort

Geometrically distort and reshape an image.

(bottom section of menu)

See also: Distort effects (bottom of menu)

Effect > Path

Offset an object’s path relative to its original location, turn type into a
set of compound paths that you can edit and manipulate as you would
any other graphic object, and change the stroke of a selected object to
a filled object that’s the same width as the original stroke. You can also
apply these commands to a fill or stroke added to a bitmap object with
the Appearance panel.
See also: Offset duplicate objects, Convert type to outlines, Convert
strokes to compound paths

Effect > Pathfinder

Combine groups, layers, or sublayers into single editable objects.
See also: Apply Pathfinder effects

Effect > Pixelate

Sharply define a selection by clumping pixels of similar color values.
See also: Pixelate effects

Effect > Rasterize

Convert a vector object to a bitmap object.
See also: Rasterize a vector object

Effect > Sharpen

Focus blurry images by increasing the contrast of adjacent pixels.
See also: Sharpen effect

Effect > Sketch

Add texture to images, often for a three-dimensional effect. The
effects are also useful for creating a fine-arts or hand-drawn look.
See also: Sketch effects

Effect > Stylize
(top section of menu)

Add arrowheads, drop shadows, round corners, feathered-edged,
glowing, and scribble-styled appearances to objects.
See also: Create a drop shadow, Apply an inner or outer glow, Add
arrowheads, Feather the edges of an object, Create a sketch using the
Scribble effect, Round the corners of objects

Effect > Stylize
(bottom section of menu)

The Glowing Edges command produces a painted or impressionistic
effect on a selection by displacing pixels and by finding and
heightening contrast in an image.
See also: Stylize effect (bottom of menu)

Effect > SVG Filters

Add XML-based graphic properties such as drop shadows to your
artwork.
See also: Apply SVG effects

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Effect

Action

Effect > Texture

Give an image the appearance of depth or substance, or add an
organic look.
See also: Texture effects

Effect > Video

Optimize images captured from video or artwork intended for
television.
See also: Video effects

Effect > Warp

Distort or deform objects, including paths, text, meshes, blends, and
raster images.
See also: Reshaping objects with effects

Artistic effects
Artistic effects are raster-based and use the document’s raster effects settings whenever you apply the effect to a vector
object.
Colored Pencil Draws an image using colored pencils on a solid background. Important edges are retained and given a
rough crosshatch appearance; the solid background color shows through the smoother areas.
Cutout Portrays an image as though it were made from roughly cut-out pieces of colored paper. High-contrast images
appear as if in silhouette; colored images are built up as if from several layers of colored paper.
Dry Brush Paints the edges of the image using a dry-brush technique (between oil and watercolor). The effect simplifies

an image by reducing its range of colors.
Film Grain Applies an even pattern to the shadow tones and midtones of an image. A smoother, more saturated pattern
is added to the image’s lighter areas. This effect is useful for eliminating banding in blends and visually unifying
elements from various sources.
Fresco Paints an image in a coarse manner using short, rounded strokes as if hastily applied.
Neon Glow Adds various types of glows to the objects in an image. This effect is useful for colorizing an image while

softening its look. To select a glow color, click the glow box and select a color from the color picker.
Paint Daubs Lets you choose from various brush sizes (from 1 to 50) and types for a painterly effect. Brush types
include simple, light rough, light dark, wide sharp, wide blurry, and sparkle.
Palette Knife Reduces detail in an image to give the effect of a thinly painted canvas that reveals the texture underneath.
Plastic Wrap Coats the image as if in shiny plastic, accentuating the surface detail.
Poster Edges Reduces the number of colors in an image according to the Posterization value you set; then finds the
edges of the image and draws black lines on them. Broader areas of the image have simple shading, while fine, dark
detail is distributed throughout the image.
Rough Pastels Makes an image appear as if stroked with colored pastel chalk on a textured background. In areas of
bright color, the chalk appears thick with little texture; in darker areas, the chalk appears scraped off to reveal the
texture.
Smudge Stick Softens an image using short diagonal strokes to smudge or smear the darker areas of the images. Lighter

areas become brighter and lose detail.
Sponge Creates images with highly textured areas of contrasting color as if painted with a sponge.
Underpainting Paints the image on a textured background, and then paints the final image over it.

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Watercolor Paints the image in a watercolor style, simplifying details, and using a medium brush loaded with water and
color. Where significant tonal changes occur at edges, the effect saturates the color.

Blur effects
The commands in the Blur submenu in the Effect menu are raster-based and use the document’s raster effects settings
whenever you apply the effect to a vector object.
Gaussian Blur Quickly blurs a selection by an adjustable amount. This effect removes high-frequency detail and can
produce a hazy effect.
Radial Blur Simulates the soft blur created by a zooming or rotating camera. Choose Spin to blur along concentric
circular lines, and then specify a degree of rotation. Choose Zoom to blur along radial lines, as if zooming in or out of
the image, and specify an amount from 1 to 100. Blur quality ranges from Draft for the fastest but grainy results to Good
and Best for smoother results, which are indistinguishable except on a large selection. Specify the origin of the blur by
dragging the pattern in the Blur Center box.
Smart Blur Blurs an image with precision. You can specify a radius, a threshold, and a blur quality. The Radius value

determines the size of the area searched for dissimilar pixels. The Threshold value determines how dissimilar the pixels
must be before they are affected. You also can set a mode for the entire selection (Normal) or for the edges of color
transitions (Edge Only and Overlay). Where significant contrast occurs, Edge Only applies black-and-white edges, and
Overlay Edge applies white.

Brush Strokes effects
The Brush Strokes effects are raster-based and use the document’s raster effects settings whenever you apply the effect
to a vector object.
Accented Edges Accentuates the edges of an image. When the Edge Brightness control is set to a high value, the accents

resemble white chalk. When it is set to a low value, the accents resemble black ink.
Angled Strokes Repaints an image using diagonal strokes. The lighter areas of the image are painted in strokes going

in one direction, while the darker areas are painted in strokes going the opposite direction.
Crosshatch Preserves the details and features of the original image while adding texture and roughening the edges of

the colored areas in the image with simulated pencil hatching. The Strength option controls the number of hatching
passes (from 1 to 3).
Dark Strokes Paints dark areas of an image closer to black with short strokes, and paints lighter areas of the image with

long, white strokes.
Ink Outlines Redraws an image with fine narrow lines over the original details, in pen-and-ink style.
Spatter Replicates the effect of a spatter airbrush. Increasing the values of the options simplifies the overall effect.
Sprayed Strokes Repaints an image using its dominant colors with angled, sprayed strokes of color.
Sumi-e Paints an image in Japanese style as if with a wet brush full of black ink on rice paper. The effect is soft, blurry

edges with rich blacks.

Distort effects (bottom of menu)
The Distort commands can be very memory-intensive. They are raster-based and use the document’s raster effects
settings whenever you apply the effect to a vector object.
Diffuse Glow Renders an image as if it were being viewed through a soft diffusion filter. The effect adds see-through
white noise to an image, with the glow fading from the center of a selection.

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Glass Makes an image appear as if it were being viewed through different types of glass. You can choose a preset glass

effect or create your own glass surface using a Photoshop file. You can adjust scaling, distortion, and smoothness
settings, as well as texturizing options.
Ocean Ripple Adds randomly spaced ripples to the artwork, making the artwork look as if it were under water.

Pixelate effects
The Pixelate effects are raster-based and use the document’s raster effects settings whenever you apply the effect to a
vector object.
Color Halftone Simulates the effect of using an enlarged halftone screen on each channel of the image. For each
channel, the effect divides the image into rectangles and replaces each rectangle with a circle. The circle size is
proportional to the brightness of the rectangle.

To use the effect, enter a value in pixels for the maximum radius of a halftone dot (from 4 to 127), and enter a screenangle value (the angle of the dot relative to the true horizontal) for one or more channels. For Grayscale images, use
only channel 1. For RGB images, use channels 1, 2, and 3, which correspond to the red, green, and blue channels. For
CMYK images, use all four channels, which correspond to the cyan, magenta, yellow, and black channels.
Crystallize Clumps colors into polygon shapes.
Mezzotint Converts an image to a random pattern of black-and-white areas, or of fully saturated colors in a color

image. To use the effect, choose a dot pattern from the Type pop-up menu in the Mezzotint dialog box.
Pointillize Breaks up the color in an image into randomly placed dots, as in a pointillist painting, and uses the

background color as a canvas area between the dots.

Sharpen effect
The Unsharp Mask command in the Sharpen submenu in the Effect menu focuses blurry images by increasing the
contrast of adjacent pixels. This effect is raster-based and uses the document’s raster effects settings whenever you apply
the effect to a vector graphic.
Unsharp Mask Finds the areas in the image where significant color changes occur and sharpens them. Use the Unsharp

Mask effect to adjust the contrast of edge detail and produce a lighter and darker line on each side of the edge. This
effect emphasizes the edge and creates the illusion of a sharper image.

Sketch effects
Many of the Sketch effects use black and white colors to redraw the image. The effects are raster-based and use the
document’s raster effects settings whenever you apply the effect to a vector graphic.
Bas Relief Transforms an image to appear carved in low relief and lit to accent the surface variations. Dark areas of the

image are colored black; light colors are colored white.
Chalk & Charcoal Redraws an image’s highlights and midtones with a solid midtone gray background drawn in coarse

chalk. Shadow areas are replaced with diagonal charcoal lines. The charcoal is drawn in black, the chalk in white.
Charcoal Redraws an image to create a posterized, smudged effect. Major edges are drawn boldly while midtones are

sketched using a diagonal stroke. Charcoal is colored black; the paper is colored white.
Chrome Treats the image as if it were a polished chrome surface. Highlights are high points and shadows are low points

in the reflecting surface.
Conté Crayon Replicates the texture of dense dark and pure white Conté crayons on an image. The Conté Crayon effect
uses black for dark areas and the white for light areas.

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Graphic Pen Uses fine, linear ink strokes to capture the details in the original image. The effect replaces color in the

original image using black for ink and white for paper. This command is especially striking with scanned images.
Halftone Pattern Simulates the effect of a halftone screen while maintaining the continuous range of tones.
Note Paper Creates an image that appears to be constructed of handmade paper. The effect simplifies an image, and

combines the effect of the Grain command (Texture submenu) with an embossed appearance. Dark areas of the image
appear as holes in the top layer of paper surrounded by white.
Photocopy Simulates the effect of photocopying an image. Large areas of darkness tend to copy only around their
edges; midtones fall away to either solid black or white.
Plaster Molds an image as if from plaster, and then colorizes the result using black and white. Dark areas are raised;

light areas are sunken.
Reticulation Simulates the controlled shrinking and distorting of film emulsion to create an image that appears

clumped in the shadow areas and lightly grained in the highlights.
Stamp Simplifies the image to appear stamped with a rubber or wood stamp. This command is best used with blackand-white images.
Torn Edges Reconstructs the image as ragged, torn pieces of paper, and then colorizes the image using black and white.

This command is useful for images consisting of text or high-contrast objects.
Water Paper Uses blotchy daubs that appear painted onto fibrous, damp paper, causing the colors to flow and blend.

Stylize effect (bottom of menu)
The Glowing Edges effect is raster-based and uses the document’s raster effects settings whenever you apply the effect
to a vector graphic.
Glowing Edges Identifies the edges of color and adds a neon-like glow to them.

Texture effects
The Texture effects are raster-based and use the document’s raster effects settings whenever you apply the effect to a
vector graphic.
Craquelure Paints an image onto a high-relief plaster surface, producing a fine network of cracks that follow the

contours of the image. Use this effect to create an embossing effect with images that contain a broad range of color or
grayscale values.
Grain Adds texture to an image by simulating different kinds of grain—regular, soft, sprinkles, clumped, contrasty,

enlarged, stippled, horizontal, vertical, or speckle. For more information on using these texturizing options, see Use
texture and glass surface controls .
Mosaic Tiles Draws the image as if it were made up of small chips or tiles and adds grout between the tiles. (In contrast,
the Pixelate > Mosaic command breaks up an image into blocks of different-colored pixels.)
Patchwork Breaks up an image into squares filled with the predominant color in that area of the image. The effect

randomly reduces or increases the tile depth to replicate highlights and shadows.
Stained Glass Repaints an image as single-colored adjacent cells outlined in the foreground color.
Texturizer Applies a texture you select or create to an image.

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Video effects
The Video effects are raster-based and use the document’s raster effects settings whenever you apply the effect to a
vector graphic.
De-Interlace Smooths moving images captured on video by removing either the odd or even interlaced lines in a video

image. You can choose to replace the discarded lines by duplication or interpolation.
NTSC Colors Restricts the gamut of colors to those acceptable for television reproduction to prevent oversaturated

colors from bleeding across television scan lines.

Use texture and glass surface controls
Some effects included in Illustrator have texturizing options, such as the Glass, Rough Pastels, Grain, and Fresco effects.
The texturizing options can make an object appear as though painted onto various textures, such as canvas or brick, or
viewed through glass blocks.
1 In the effect’s dialog box, choose a texture type from the Texture pop-up menu (if available), or choose Load Texture

(only available for Rough Pastels or Glass commands) to specify a file.
2 Set other options, if available:

• Drag the Scaling slider to enlarge or reduce the effect on the bitmap image’s surface.
• Drag the Relief slider to adjust the depth of the texture’s surface.
• From the Light Direction pop-up menu, choose the direction from which you want the light to appear.
• Select Invert to reverse the surface’s light and dark colors.

Create a drop shadow
1 Select an object or group (or target a layer in the Layers panel).
2 Choose Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow.
3 Set options for the drop shadow, and click OK:
Mode Specifies a blending mode for the drop shadow.
Opacity Specifies the percentage of opacity you want for the drop shadow.
X Offset and Y Offset Specifies the distance you want the drop shadow to be offset from the object.
Blur Specifies the distance from the edge of the shadow where you want any blurring to occur. Illustrator creates a

transparent raster object to simulate the blur.
Color Specifies a color for the shadow.
Darkness Specifies the percentage of black you want added for the drop shadow. In a CMYK document, a value of

100%, used with a selected object that contains a fill or stroke color other than black, creates a multicolored black
shadow. A value of 100% used with a selected object that contains only a black fill or stroke creates a 100% black
shadow. A value of 0% creates a drop shadow the color of the selected object.

Drop shadows, glows, and feathering

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Apply an inner or outer glow
1 Select an object or group (or target a layer in the Layers panel).
2 Choose Effect > Stylize > Inner Glow or Effect > Stylize > Outer Glow.
3 Click the color preview square next to the blending mode menu to specify a color for the glow.
4 Set additional options, and click OK:
Mode Specifies a blending mode for the glow.
Opacity Specifies the percentage of opacity you want for the glow.
Blur Specifies the distance from the center or edge of the selection where you want any blurring to occur.
Center (Inner Glow only) Applies a glow that emanates from the center of the selection.
Edge (Inner Glow only) Applies a glow that emanates from the inside edges of the selection.

When you expand an object that uses an inner-glow effect, the inner glow reveals itself as an opacity mask If you
expand an object that uses an outer glow, the outer glow becomes a transparent raster object.

Feather the edges of an object
1 Select the object or group (or target a layer in the Layers panel).
2 Choose Effect > Stylize > Feather.
3 Set the distance over which the object fades from opaque to transparent, and click OK.

Original object selected (left) and using feather effect (right)

More Help topics
About effects
Targeting items for appearance attributes
About raster effects
Selecting objects

Creating sketches and mosaics

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Create a sketch using the Scribble effect
1 Do one of the following:

• Select the object or group (or target a layer in the Layers panel).
• To apply the effect to a specific object attribute, such as a stroke or fill, select the object, and then select the
attribute in the Appearance panel.
• To apply the effect to a graphic style, select a graphic style in the Graphic Styles panel.
2 Choose Effect > Stylize > Scribble.
3 Do one of the following:

• To use a preset scribble effect, choose one from the Settings menu.
• To create a custom scribble effect, begin with any preset, and then adjust the Scribble options.
4 If creating a custom scribble, adjust any of the following Scribble options and click OK:
Angle Controls the direction of the scribble lines. You can click any point on the angle icon, drag the angle line
around the angle icon, or enter a value between –179 and 180 in the box. (If you enter a value that’s outside that
range, the value is translated to its equivalent in-range value.)
Path Overlap Controls the amount the scribble lines stay within or extend beyond the path boundaries. A negative

value constrains the scribble lines within the path boundary and a positive value extends the scribble lines beyond
the path boundary.
Variation (for Path Overlap) Controls the lengths of the difference in scribble line lengths relative to each other.
Stroke Width Controls the width of the scribble lines.
Curviness Controls the amount the scribble lines curve before they reverse direction.
Variation (for Curviness) Controls how different the scribble line curves are relative to each other.
Spacing Controls the amount of space between scribble line folds.
Variation (for Spacing) Controls how different the amount of space is between scribble line folds.

Create a mosaic
1 Import a bitmap image to use as the basis for the mosaic. The image must be embedded, not linked.

You can also rasterize a vector object to use it as the basis for the mosaic.
2 Select the image.
3 Choose Object > Create Object Mosaic.
4 If you want to change the dimensions of the mosaic, enter values for New Size.
5 Set options to control the spacing between tiles and the total number of tiles, along with any other additional

options, and click OK:
Constrain Ratio Locks the width or height dimensions to the dimensions of the original bitmap image. Width

calculates the appropriate number of tiles to use for the width of the mosaic, based on the original number of tiles
for the width. Height calculates the appropriate number of tiles to use for the height of the mosaic, based on the
original number of tiles for the height.
Result Specifies whether the mosaic tiles are color or grayscale.
Resize Using Percentages Changes the size of the image by percentages of width and height.
Delete Raster Deletes the original bitmap image.

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Use Ratio Makes the tiles square, using the number of tiles specified in Number Of Tiles. This option is located
below the Cancel button.

More Help topics
Targeting items for appearance attributes
About effects
Modify or delete an effect
Selecting objects
Rasterize a vector object
About linked and embedded artwork

Graphic styles
About graphic styles
A graphic style is a set of reusable appearance attributes. Graphic styles allow you to quickly change the look of an
object; for example, you can change its fill and stroke color, alter its transparency, and apply effects in one step. All the
changes you apply with graphic styles are completely reversible.
You can apply graphic styles to objects, groups, and layers. When you apply a graphic style to a group or layer, every
object in the group or layer takes on the attributes of the graphic style. For example, assume you have a graphic style
that consists of 50% opacity. If you apply the graphic style to a layer, all objects in or added to that layer will appear 50%
opaque. However, if you move an object out of the layer, the object’s appearance reverts to its previous opacity.
For a video on using the Appearance panel and the Graphics Styles panel, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4022_ai.
If you apply a graphic style to a group or layer, but the style’s fill color doesn’t appear in the artwork, drag the Fill
attribute above the Contents entry in the Appearance panel.

Graphic Styles panel overview
You use the Graphic Styles panel (Window > Graphic Styles) to create, name, and apply sets of appearance attributes.
The panel lists a default set of graphic styles when you create a document. Graphic styles that are saved with the active
document appear in the panel when that document is open and active.
If a style doesn’t have a fill and stroke (for example, an effect-only style) the thumbnail appears in the shape of the object
with a black outline and white fill. In addition, a little red slash appears, indicating the absence of a fill or stroke.
If you’ve created a style for type, choose Use Text For Preview from the Graphics Styles panel menu to see a thumbnail
of the style applied to a letter rather than a square.
To see any style more clearly, or to preview the style on a selected object, right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac OS)
the style’s thumbnail in the Graphic Styles panel and view the large pop-up thumbnail that appears.
For a video on using the Appearance panel and the Graphics Styles panel, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4022_ai.

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Right-click style thumbnail to view large pop-up thumbnail. Selected style is an effect-only style.

Change how graphic styles are listed in the panel
❖ Do any of the following:

• Select a view size option from the panel menu. Select Thumbnail View to display thumbnails. Select Small List
View to display a list of named styles with a small thumbnail. Select Large List View to display a list of named
styles along with a large thumbnail.
• Select Use Square For Preview from the panel menu to view the style on a square or the shape of the object on
which it was created.
• Drag the graphic style to a different position. When a black line appears in the desired position, release the mouse
button.
• Select Sort By Name from the panel menu to list the graphic styles in alphabetic or numeric order (Unicode
order).
• Select Use Text For Preview from the panel menu to view the style on the letter T. This view provides a more
accurate visual description for styles applied to text.

Graphic style for type using text for the preview

Create graphic styles
You can create a graphic from scratch by applying appearance attributes to an object, or you can base a graphic style on
other graphic styles. You can also duplicate existing graphic styles.

Create a graphic style
1 Select an object and apply any combination of appearance attributes, including fills and strokes, effects, and

transparency settings.
You can use the Appearance panel to adjust and order the appearance attributes and create multiple fills and strokes.
For example, you can have three fills in a graphic style, each with a different opacity and blending mode that defines
how the various colors interact.

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2 Do any of the following:

• Click the New Graphic Style button

in the Graphic Styles panel.

• Select New Graphic Style from the panel menu, type a name in the Style Name box, and click OK.
• Drag the thumbnail from the Appearance panel (or the object from the illustration window) into the Graphic
Styles panel.
• Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the New Graphic Style button, enter the name of the graphic style,
and click OK.

Drag the thumbnail from the Appearance panel to the Graphic Styles panel to save the attributes.

Create a graphic style based on two or more existing graphic styles
❖ Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) to select all the graphic styles you want to merge, and then

choose Merge Graphic Styles from the panel menu.
The new graphic style contains all the attributes of the selected graphic styles and is added to the end of the list of
graphic styles in the panel.

Duplicate a graphic style
❖ Choose Duplicate Graphic Style from the panel menu, or drag the graphic style onto the New Graphic Style button.

The new graphic style appears at the bottom of the list in the Graphic Styles panel.

Apply a graphic style
1 Select an object or group (or target a layer in the Layers panel).
2 To apply a single style to an object, do either of the following:

• Select a style from the Styles menu in the Control panel, the Graphic Styles panel, or a graphic style library.
• Drag the graphic style onto an object in the document window. (The object does not have to be selected first.)
3 To merge a style with an object’s existing style attributes, or apply multiple styles to an object, do either of the

following:

• Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) the style from the Graphic Styles panel to the object.
• Select the object, and then Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the style in the Graphic Styles panel.
Note: To preserve the color of type when applying a graphic style, deselect Override Character Color in the Graphic
Styles panel menu.

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Use graphic style libraries
Graphic style libraries are collections of preset graphic styles. When you open a graphic style library, it appears in a new
panel (not the Graphic Styles panel). You select, sort, and view items in a graphic style library the same as you do in the
Graphic Styles panel. However, you can’t add items to, delete items from, or edit the items in graphic style libraries.

Open a graphic style library
❖ Select a library from the Window > Graphic Style Libraries submenu or the Open Graphic Style Library submenu

in the Graphic Styles panel menu.
To automatically open a library when you start Illustrator, choose Persistent from the library’s panel menu.

Create a graphic style library
1 Add the graphic styles you want to the Graphic Styles panel, and delete any graphic styles you don’t want.

To select all graphic styles that aren’t used in a document, choose Select All Unused from the Graphic Styles panel
menu.
2 Choose Save Graphic Style Library from the Graphic Styles panel menu.

You can save the library anywhere. However, if you save the library file in the default location, the library name will
appear in the User Defined submenu of the Graphic Style Libraries and Open Graphic Style Library menu.

Move graphic styles from a library to the Graphic Styles panel
• Drag one or more graphic styles from the graphic styles library to the Graphic Styles panel.
• Select the graphic styles you want to add, and select Add To Graphic Styles from the library’s panel menu.
• Apply a graphic style to an object in the document. The graphic style is automatically added to the Graphic Styles
panel.

Work with graphic styles
In the Graphic Styles panel, you can rename or delete graphic styles, break the link to a graphic style, and replace
graphic style attributes.

Rename a graphic style
❖ Choose Graphic Style Options from the panel menu, rename the file, and then click OK.

Delete a graphic style
❖ Choose Delete Graphic Style from the panel menu and click Yes, or drag the style onto the Delete icon.

Any objects, groups, or layers that used the graphic style retain the same appearance attributes; however, these
attributes are no longer associated with a graphic style.

Break the link to a graphic style
1 Select the object, group, or layer that has the graphic style applied to it.
2 Do one of the following:

• Choose Break Link To Graphic Style from the Graphic Styles panel menu, or click the Break Link To Graphic
Style button
in the panel.
• Change any appearance attribute of the selection (such as a fill, stroke, transparency, or effect).

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The object, group, or layer retains the same appearance attributes and is now independently editable. However,
these attributes are no longer associated with a graphic style.

Replace graphic style attributes
• Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) the graphic style you want to use onto the graphic style you want to
replace.
• Select an object or group (or target a layer in the Layers panel) that has the attributes you want to use. Then Alt-drag
(Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) the thumbnail at the top of the Appearance panel onto the graphic style you
want to replace in the Graphic Styles panel.
• Select the graphic style you want to replace. Then select artwork (or target an item in the Layers panel) that has the
attributes you want to use, and choose Redefine Graphic Style “Style name” from the Appearance panel menu.
The replaced graphic style keeps its name but takes on new appearance attributes. All occurrences of the graphic
style in the Illustrator document are updated to use the new attributes.

Import all graphic styles from another document
1 Choose Window > Graphic Style Libraries > Other Library or select Open Graphic Style Library > Other Library

from the Graphic Styles panel menu.
2 Select the file from which you want to import graphic styles, and click Open.

The graphic styles appear in a graphic style library panel (not the Graphic Styles panel).

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Chapter 11: Web graphics

Best practices for creating webgraphics
Illustrator provides a variety of tools for creating layout for web pages, or creating and optimizing web graphics. For
example, use web-safe colors, balance image quality with file size, and choose the best file format for your graphic. Web
graphics can take advantage of slices and image maps, and you can use a variety of optimization options and work with
Device Central to ensure your files display well on the web.

About web graphics
When designing graphics for the web, you must consider different issues than when designing graphics for print. For
a video on saving graphics for the web, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0063. For a video on importing, and copying and
pasting between web applications, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0193.
To help you make informed decisions about web graphics, keep in mind the following three guidelines:
Use web-safe colors.
Color is often a key aspect of artwork. However, the colors you see on your artboard aren’t necessarily the colors that
will appear in a web browser on someone else’s system. You can prevent dithering (the method of simulating unavailable
colors) and other color problems by taking two precautionary steps when creating web graphics. First, always work in
RGB color mode. Second, use a web-safe color.
Balance image quality with file size.
Creating small graphics file sizes is essential to distributing images on the web. With smaller file sizes, web servers can
store and transmit images more efficiently, and viewers can download images more quickly. You can view the size and
the estimated download time for a web graphic in the Save For Web & Devices dialog box.
Choose the best file format for your graphic.
Different types of graphics need to be saved in different file formats to display their best and create a file size suitable
for the web. For more information on specific formats, see Web graphics optimization options .
There are many Illustrator templates made specifically for the web, including web pages and banners. Choose File >
New From Template to choose a template.

More Help topics
Save For Web & Devices overview
Optimize an image for the web
Shift a color to a web-safe color

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About pixel preview mode
To enable web designers to create pixel accurate designs, the pixel-aligned property has been added in Illustrator CS5.
When the pixel-aligned property is enabled for an object, all the horizontal and vertical segments in the object get
aligned to the pixel grid, which provides a crisp appearance to strokes. On any transformation, as long as this property
is set for the object, it gets realigned to the pixel grid according to its new coordinates. You can enable this property by
selecting the Align to Pixel Grid option from the Transform panel. Illustrator CS5 also provides the Align New Objects
to Pixel Grid option at the document level, which is enabled by default for Web documents. With this property enabled,
any new objects that you draw have the pixel-aligned property set by default.
For more information, see Drawing pixel-aligned paths for web workflows .
When you save artwork in a bitmap format, such as JPEG, GIF, or PNG, Illustrator rasterizes the artwork at 72 pixels
per inch. You can preview how objects will appear when rasterized by choosing View > Pixel Preview. This is especially
helpful when you want to control the precise placement, size, and anti-aliasing of objects in a rasterized graphic.
To understand how Illustrator divides objects into pixels, open a file that contains vector objects, choose View > Pixel
Preview, and magnify the artwork so that you can see its individual pixels. The placement of pixels is determined by the
pixel grid that divides the artboard into 1-point (1/72 inch) increments. You can view the pixel grid if you zoom in to
600% view. If you move, add, or transform an object, the object snaps to the pixel grid. As a result, any anti-aliasing
along the “snapped” edges of the object (usually the left and top edges) disappears. Now deselect the View > Snap To
Pixel command, and move the object. This time, you’ll be able to position the object between the grid lines. Notice how
this affects the anti-aliasing of the object. As you can see, making very minor adjustments can affect how the object is
rasterized.

Pixel Preview off (top) compared to on (bottom)

Note: The pixel grid is sensitive to the ruler origin (0,0). Moving the origin of the ruler will change how Illustrator rasterizes
artwork.

More Help topics
Drawing pixel-aligned paths for web workflows
About bitmap images

Using Adobe Device Central with Illustrator
Device Central enables Illustrator users to preview how Illustrator files will look on a variety of mobile devices.
For example, a graphic artist may use Illustrator to design a wallpaper for mobile phones. After creating the file, the
artist can easily test the file on a wide variety of phones. The artist can then make adjustments, such as altering the file
so that it looks good on a number of phones, or creating two separate files that cover a range of popular phone screen
sizes.

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More Help topics
Creating mobile content in Illustrator

Access Illustrator from Adobe Device Central
1 Start Device Central.
2 Select File > New Document In > Illustrator.

In Device Central, the New Document panel appears with the correct options to create a new mobile document in
the selected application.
3 Make any necessary changes, such as selecting a Player Version, Display Size, Flash Version, or Content type.
4 Do one of the following:

• Select the Custom Size for All Selected Devices option and add a width and height (in pixels).
• Select a device or multiple devices from the Device Sets list or Available Devices list.
5 If you selected multiple devices, Device Central selects a size for you. If you want to select a different size, click on a

different device or set of devices.
6 Click Create.

The selected application opens with a new mobile document ready to edit.

Create mobile content with Adobe Device Central and Illustrator
1 In Illustrator, select File > New.
2 In New Document Profile, select Mobile and Devices.
3 Click Device Central to close the dialog box in Illustrator and open Device Central.
4 Select a content type.

The available Devices list on the left is updated and shows the devices that support the content type selected.
5 In Device Central, select a device, several devices, or a device set.

Based on the device(s) selected and content type, Device Central suggests one or multiple artboard sizes to be
created. To create one document at a time, select a suggested document size (or select the Custom Size for all selected
Devices option and enter custom values for Width and Height).
6 Click Create.

A blank AI file of the specified size opens in Illustrator. The new file has the following parameters set by default:

• Color Mode: RGB
• Raster Resolution: 72 ppi
7 Fill the blank AI file with content in Illustrator.
8 When you finish, select File > Save For Web& Devices.
9 In the Save for Web & Devices dialog box, select the desired format and change other export settings as desired.
10 Click Device Central.

A temporary file with the export settings specified is displayed in the Device Central Emulator tab. To continue
testing, double-click the name of a different device in the Device Sets orAvailable Devices lists.
11 If, after previewing the file in Device Central, you need to make changes to the file, go back to Illustrator.

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12 In the Illustrator Save for Web & Devices dialog box, make adjustments such as selecting a different format or quality

for export.
13 To test the file again with the new export settings, click Device Central.
14 When you are satisfied with the results, click Save in the Illustrator Save for Web & Devices dialog box.

Note: To simply open Device Central from Illustrator (instead of creating and testing a file), select File > Device Central.
For a tutorial about creating content with Illustrator and Device Central, see http://www.adobe.com/go/vid0207.

Tips for creating Illustrator images for mobile devices
To optimize graphical content for mobile devices, save artwork created in Illustrator in any SVG format, including
SVG-t, which is especially designed for mobile devices.
Use the following tips to ensure that images created in Illustrator display well on mobile devices:

• Use the SVG standard to create content. Using SVG to publish vector graphics on mobile devices results in a small
file size, display independence, superior color control, zooming ability, and editable text (within the source code).
Also, because SVG is XML-based, you can incorporate interactivity into images, such as highlighting, tool tips,
special effects, audio, and animation.
• Work within the final dimensions of your target mobile device(s) from the beginning. Although SVG is scalable,
working within the correct size will ensure that final graphics are optimized in quality and size for the target
device(s).
• Set Illustrator color mode to RGB. SVG is viewed on RGB raster display devices, such as a monitor.
• To reduce file size, try reducing the number of objects (including groups) or making it less complex (fewer points).
Using fewer points significantly reduces the amount of textual information needed to describe the artwork in the
SVG file. To reduce points, select Object > Path > Simplify and try different combinations to find a balance between
quality and number of points.
• Use symbols when possible. Symbols define the vectors that describe an object once, instead of multiple times. This
is useful if artwork contains objects like button backgrounds that are reused.
• When animating graphics, limit the number of objects used and try to reuse objects whenever possible to reduce file
size. Apply animations to groups of objects instead of to individual objects to avoid code repetition.
• Consider using SVGZ, the compressed gzipped version of SVG. Compression can reduce file size dramatically,
depending on the content. Text can usually be heavily compressed, but binary-encoded content, such as embedded
rasters (JPEG, PNG, or GIF files), cannot be compressed significantly. SVGZ files can be uncompressed by any
application that expands files compressed with gzip. To use SGVZ successfully, check that your target mobile device
can decompress gzip files.
For more tips and techniques for creating content for mobile phones and devices, see
www.adobe.com/go/learn_cs_mobilewiki_en.

Slices and image maps

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About slices
Web pages can contain many elements—HTML text, bitmap images, and vector graphics, to name a few. In Illustrator,
you can use slices to define the boundaries of different web elements in your artwork. For example, if your artwork
contains a bitmap image that needs to be optimized in JPEG format, while the rest of the image is better optimized as
a GIF file, you can isolate the bitmap image using a slice. When you save the artwork as a web page using the Save For
Web & Devices command, you can choose to save each slice as an independent file with its own format, settings, and
color table.
Slices in an Illustrator document correspond to table cells in the resulting web page. By default, the slice area is exported
as an image file that is enclosed in a table cell. If you want the table cell to contain HTML text and a background color
instead of an image file, you can change the slice type to No Image. If you want to convert Illustrator text to HTML text,
you can change the slice type to HTML Text.

Sliced artwork using different slice types
A No Image slice B Image slice C HTML Text slice

You can view slices on the artboard and in the Save For Web & Devices dialog box. Illustrator numbers slices from left
to right and top to bottom, beginning in the upper left corner of the artwork. If you change the arrangement or total
number of slices, slice numbers are updated to reflect the new order.
When you create a slice, Illustrator slices the surrounding artwork into automatic slices to maintain the layout using a
web-based table. There are two types of automatic slices: auto slices and subslices. Auto slices account for the areas of
your artwork that you did not define as a slice. Illustrator regenerates auto slices every time you add or edit slices.
Subslices indicate how overlapping user-defined slices will be divided. Although subslices are numbered and display a
slice symbol, you cannot select them separately from the underlying slice. Illustrator regenerates subslices and auto
slices as needed while you work.

More Help topics
Save For Web & Devices overview
Slice output options

Create slices
❖ Do one of the following:

• Select one or more objects on the artboard, and choose Object > Slice > Make.
• Select the Slice tool
and drag over the area where you want to create a slice. Shift-drag to constrain the slice
to a square. Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) to draw from the center.
• Select one or more objects on the artboard, and choose Object > Slice > Create From Selection.

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• Place guides where you want to slice the artwork, and choose Object > Slice > Create From Guides.
• Select an existing slice, and choose Object > Slice > Duplicate Slice.
Tip: Use the Object > Slice > Make command when you want the slice dimensions to match the boundary of an
element in your artwork. If you move or modify the element, the slice area automatically adjusts to encompass
the new artwork. Also use this command to create a slice that captures text and basic formatting characteristics from
a text object.
Tip: Use the Slice tool, the Create From Selection command, or the Create From Guides command when you want
the slice dimensions to be independent of the underlying artwork. Slices that you create in one of these ways
appear as items in the Layers panel, and you can move, resize, and delete them in the same way as other vector
objects.

Select slices
Use the Slice Select tool

to select a slice in the illustration window or the Save For Web & Devices dialog box.

• To select a slice, click it.
• To select multiple slices, Shift-click. (In the SaveFor Web & Devices dialog box, you can also Shift-drag.)
• To select an underlying slice when working with overlapping slices, click the visible section of it.
In addition, you can select slices in the illustration window by doing one of the following:

• To select a slice that was created using the Object > Slice > Make command, select the corresponding artwork on the
artboard. If the slice is tied to a group or layer, select the target icon adjacent to the group or layer in the Layers panel.
• To select a slice that was created using the Slice tool, the Create From Selection command, or the Create From
Guides command, target the slice in the Layers panel.
• Click on the slice path with the Selection tool

• To select a slice path segment or slice anchor point, click on either item with the Direct Selection tool.
note: You cannot select auto slices. These slices are dimmed.

Set slice options
A slice’s options determine how the content of the slice will look and function in the resulting web page.
1 Do one of the following with the Slice Select tool:

• Select a slice in the illustration window, and choose Object > Slice > Slice Options.
• Double-click a slice in the Save For Web & Devices dialog box with the Slice Select tool.
2 Select a slice type and set the corresponding options:
Image Select this type if you want the slice area to be an image file in the resulting web page. If you want the image

to be an HTML link, enter a URL and target frameset. You can also specify a message that will appear in the browser’s
status area when the mouse is positioned over the image, alternative text that will appear when the image is not
visible, and a background color for the table cell.
No Image Select this type if you want the slice area to contain HTML text and a background color in the resulting
web page. Enter the text you want in the Text Displayed In Cell text box and format the text using standard HTML
tags. Be careful not to enter more text than can be displayed in the slice area. (If you enter too much text, it will
extend into neighboring slices and affect the layout of your web page. However, because you cannot see the text on
the artboard, this will not be apparent until you view the web page in a web browser.) Set the Horiz and Vert options
to change the alignment of text in the table cell.

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HTML Text This type is available only when you created the slice by selecting a text object and choosing Object >

Slice > Make. The Illustrator text is converted to HTML text with basic formatting attributes in the resulting web
page. To edit the text, update the text in your artwork. Set the Horiz and Vert options to change the alignment of
text in the table cell. You can also select a background color for the table cell.
Tip: To edit the text for HTML Text slices in the Slice Options dialog box, change the slice type to No Image. This
breaks the link with the text object on the artboard. To ignore text formatting, enter as the first word
in the text object.

Lock slices
Locking slices prevents you from making changes accidentally, such as resizing or moving.

• To lock all slices, choose View > Lock Slices.
• To lock individual slices, click the slices’ edit column in the Layers panel.

Adjust slice boundaries
If you created a slice using the Object > Slice > Make command, the position and size of the slice is tied to the artwork
it contains. Therefore, if you move or resize the artwork, the slice boundaries adjust automatically.
If you created a slice using the Slice tool, the Create From Selection command, or the Create From Guides command,
you can manually adjust slices in the following ways:

• To move a slice, drag the slice to a new position with the Slice Selection tool
to a vertical, horizontal, or 45° diagonal line.

. Press Shift to restrict movement

• To resize a slice, select the slice with Slice Selection tool, and drag any corner or side of the slice. You can also use
the Selection tool and Transform panel to resize slices.
• To align or distribute slices, use the Align panel. Aligning slices can eliminate unneeded auto slices to generate a
smaller, more efficient HTML file.
• To change the stacking order of slices, drag the slice to a new position in the Layers panel or select an Object >
Arrange command.
• To divide a slice, select the slice and choose Object > Slice > Divide Slices.
You can combine slices that were created by any method. Select the slices and choose Object > Slice > Combine
Slices. The resulting slice takes its dimensions and position from the rectangle created by joining the outer edges of
the combined slices. If the combined slices are not adjacent or are of different proportions or alignments, the new
slice may overlap other slices.
To resize all slices to the artboard boundaries, choose Object > Slice > Clip To Artboard. Slices that extend beyond
the artboard are truncated to fit the artboard and autoslices that lie within the artboard are extended to the artboard
boundaries; all artwork remains the same.

Remove slices
You can remove slices by deleting them or by releasing them from the corresponding artwork.

• To delete a slice, select the slice, and press Delete. If the slice was created using the Object > Slice > Make command,
the corresponding artwork is deleted at the same time. If you want to keep the corresponding artwork, release the
slice instead of deleting it.
• To delete all slices, choose Object > Slice > Delete All. Slices created with the Object > Slice > Make command are
released, not deleted.

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• To release a slice, select the slice and choose Object > Slice > Release.

Show or hide slices
• To hide slices in the illustration window, choose View > Hide Slices.
• To hide slices in the Save For Web & Devices dialog box, click the Toggle Slices Visibility button

• To hide slice numbers and change the color of slice lines, choose Edit > Preferences > Smart Guides & Slices
(Windows) or Illustrator > Preferences > Smart Guides & Slices (Mac OS).

Create image maps
Image maps enable you to link one or more areas of an image—called hotspots—to a URL. When a user clicks on the
hotspot, the web browser loads the linked file.
The main difference between using image maps and using slices to create links is in how the artwork is exported as a
web page. Using image maps keeps the artwork intact as a single image file, while using slices causes the artwork to be
divided into separate files. Another difference between image maps and slices is that image maps enable you to link
polygonal or rectangular areas in your artwork, while slices enable you to link only rectangular areas. If you need to link
only rectangular areas, using slices may be preferable to using an image map.
Note: To avoid unexpected results, don’t create image-map hotspots in slices that contain URL links—either the image map
links or the slice links may be ignored in some browsers.
1 Select the object that you want to link to a URL.
2 In the Attributes panel, select a shape for the image map from the Image Map menu.
3 Enter a relative or full URL in the URL text box, or select from the list of available URLs. You can verify the URL

location by clicking the Browser button.
To increase the number of visible entries in the URL menu, select panel Options from the Attributes panel menu.
Enter a value from 1 to 30 to define how many URL entries you want to be displayed in the URL list.

More Help topics
Best practices for creating web graphics

SVG
About SVG
Bitmap image formats for the web—GIF, JPEG, WBMP, and PNG—describe images using a grid of pixels. The resulting
files tend to be bulky, limited to a single (often low) resolution, and consume large amounts of bandwidth on the web.
SVG, on the other hand, is a vector format that describes images as shapes, paths, text, and filter effects. The resulting
files are compact and provide high-quality graphics on the web, in print, and even on resource-constrained, handheld
devices. Users can magnify their view of an SVG image on-screen without sacrificing sharpness, detail, or clarity. In
addition, SVG provides superior support for text and colors, which ensures that users will see images as they appear on
your Illustrator artboard.

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The SVG format is entirely XML-based and offers many advantages to developers and users alike. With SVG, you can
use XML and JavaScript to create web graphics that respond to user actions with sophisticated effects such as
highlighting, tool tips, audio, and animation.
You can save artwork in SVG format using the Save, Save As, Save A Copy, or Save For Web & Devices command. To
access the complete set of SVG export options, use the Save, Save As, or Save A Copy command. The Save For Web &
Devices command provides a subset of SVG export options which are applicable to web-oriented work.
For a video on creating mobile content in Illustrator, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0207.
How you set up your artwork in Illustrator will affect the resulting SVG file. Keep in mind the following guidelines:

• Use layers to add structure to an SVG file. When you save artwork in SVG format, each layer is converted to a group
() element. (For example, a layer named Button1 becomes in the SVG file.) Nested
layers become SVG nested groups, and hidden layers are preserved with the display="none" SVG styling property.
• If you want objects on different layers to appear transparent, adjust the opacity of each object instead of each layer.
If you alter opacity at the layer level, the resulting SVG file will not display transparency as it appears in Illustrator.
• Raster data is not scalable in the SVG Viewer and cannot be edited like other SVG elements. If possible, avoid
creating artwork that will be rasterized in the SVG file. Gradient meshes and objects that use the Rasterize, Artistic,
Blur, Brush Strokes, Distort, Pixelate, Sharpen, Sketch, Stylize, Texture, and Video effects are rasterized when saved
in SVG format. Similarly, graphic styles that include these effects also produce rasterization. Use SVG effects to add
graphic effects without causing rasterization.
• Use symbols and simplify the paths in your artwork to improve SVG performance. Also avoid using brushes that
produce a lot of path data, such as the Charcoal, Fire Ash, and Scroll Pen, if performance is a high priority.
• Use slices, image maps, and scripts to add web links to an SVG file.
• A scripting language, such as JavaScript, opens unlimited functionality to an SVG file. Pointer and keyboard
movements can invoke scripting functions such as rollover effects. Scripts can also use the document object model
(DOM) to access and modify the SVG file—inserting or deleting SVG elements, for example.

Apply SVG effects
You can use SVG effects to add graphic properties such as drop shadows to your artwork. SVG effects differ from their
bitmap counterparts in that they are XML-based and resolution-independent. In fact, an SVG effect is nothing more
than a series of XML properties that describe various mathematical operations. The resulting effect is rendered to the
target object instead of the source graphic.
Illustrator provides a default set of SVG effects. You can use the effects with their default properties, edit the XML code
to produce custom effects, or write new SVG effects.
To modify Illustrator’s default SVG filters, use a text editor to edit the Adobe SVG Filters.svg file in the Documents and
Settings//Application Data/Adobe/Adobe Illustrator CS5 Settings/ folder. You can modify existing
filter definitions, delete filter definitions, and add new filter definitions.
1 Select an object or group (or target a layer in the Layers panel).
2 Do one of the following:

• To apply an effect with its default settings, select the effect from the bottom section of the Effect > SVG Filters
submenu.
• To apply an effect with custom settings, choose Effect > SVG Filters > Apply SVG Filter. In the dialog box, select
the effect, and click the Edit SVG Filter button
. Edit the default code and click OK.

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• To create and apply a new effect, choose Effect > SVG Filters > Apply SVG Filter. In the dialog box, click the New
SVG Filter button , enter the new code, and click OK.
When you apply an SVG filter effect, Illustrator displays a rasterized version of the effect on the artboard. You
can control the resolution of this preview image by modifying the document’s rasterization resolution setting.
Note: An SVG effect must be the last effect when an object uses multiple effects; in other words, it must appear at the
bottom of the Appearance panel (just above the Transparency entry). If other effects follow an SVG effect, the SVG
output will consist of a raster object.

Import effects from an SVG file
1 Choose Effect > SVG Filter > Import SVG Filter.
2 Select the SVG file you want to import effects from, and click Open.

SVG Interactivity panel overview
You use the SVG Interactivity panel (Window > SVG Interactivity) to add interactivity to your artwork when it is
exported for viewing in a web browser. For example, by creating an event that triggers a JavaScript command, you can
quickly create movement on a web page when the user performs an action such as moving a mouse cursor over an
object. The SVG Interactivity panel also lets you see all the events and JavaScript files associated with the current file.

Delete an event from the SVG Interactivity panel
• To delete one event, select it and click the Delete button or choose Delete Event from the panel menu.
• To delete all events, choose Clear Events from the panel menu.

List, add, or remove events linked to a file
1 Click the Link JavaScript Files button

2 In the JavaScript Files dialog box, select a JavaScript entry and do one of the following:

• Click Add to browse for additional JavaScript files.
• Click Remove to remove the selected JavaScript entry.

Add SVG interactivity to artwork
1 In the SVG Interactivity panel, select an event. (See SVG events .)
2 Enter the corresponding JavaScript, and press Enter.

SVG events
onfocusin Triggers the action when the element receives focus, such as selection by the pointer.
onfocusout Triggers the action when the element loses focus (often when another element receives focus).
onactivate Triggers the action with a mouse click or keypress, depending upon the SVG element.
onmousedown Triggers the action when the mouse button is pressed down over an element.
onmouseup Triggers the action when the mouse button is released over an element.
onclick Triggers the action when the mouse is clicked over an element.
onmouseover Triggers the action when the pointer is moved onto an element.

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onmousemove Triggers the action while the pointer is over an element.
onmouseout Triggers the action when the pointer is moved away from an element.
onkeydown Triggers the action when a key is pressed down.
onkeypress Triggers the action while a key is pressed down.
onkeyup Triggers the action when a key is released.
onload Triggers the action after the SVG document has been completely parsed by the browser. Use this event to call
one-time-only initialization functions.
onerror Triggers the action when an element does not load properly or another error occurs.
onabort Triggers the action when the page loading is stopped before the element is completely loaded.
onunload Triggers the action when the SVG document is removed from a window or frame.
onzoom Triggers the action when the zoom level is changed for the document.
onresize Triggers the action when the document view is resized.
onscroll Triggers the action when the document view is scrolled or panned.

More Help topics
Optimize an image for the web
Save in SVG format
About raster effects
Modify or delete an effect
Best practices for creating web graphics

Creating animations
About Flash graphics
The Flash (SWF) file format is a vector-based graphics file format for scalable, compact graphics for the web. Because
the file format is vector-based, the artwork maintains its image quality at any resolution and is ideal for the creation of
animation frames. In Illustrator, you can create individual animation frames on layers and then export the image layers
into individual frames for use on a website. You can also define symbols in an Illustrator file to reduce the size of an
animation. When exported, each symbol is defined only once in the SWF file.
You can save artwork as a SWF file by using the Export command or the Save For Web & Devices command. Benefits
of each include: Export (SWF) commandProvides the most control over animation and bitmap compression.Save For
Web & Devices commandProvides more control over the mix of SWF and bitmap formats in a sliced layout. This
command offers fewer Image options than the Export (SWF) command, but uses the Export command’s last-used
settings. (See SWF optimization options (Illustrator) .)
Keep the following information in mind when preparing artwork to save as SWF:

• To keep the file size as small as possible when using symbols, apply effects to the symbol in the Symbols panel rather
than to symbol instances in the artwork.

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• Using the Symbol Stainer and Symbol Styler tools results in larger SWF files because Illustrator must create a copy
of each symbol instance to maintain their appearances.
• Mesh objects and gradients with more than eight stops are rasterized and will appear as bitmap-filled shapes.
Gradients with fewer than eight stops are exported as gradients.
• Patterns are rasterized into small images the size of the pattern art and tiled to fill the art.
• If a bitmap object extends beyond the boundaries of a slice, the entire object is included in the exported file.
• SWF supports rounded caps and joins only. Beveled or square caps and joins become rounded when exported to
SWF.
• Pattern-filled text and pattern-filled strokes convert to paths and are filled with the pattern.
• Although text retains many of its features when exported to SWF, some information is lost. When importing a SWF
file into Flash, leading, kerning, and tracking aren’t maintained. Instead, text is broken into separate records to
simulate the look of leading. When the SWF file is subsequently played in Flash Player, the appearance of the
leading, kerning, and tracking in the file is maintained. If you wish to export text as paths, select Text As Outlines
in the SWF Options dialog box, or convert the text to outlines before exporting to SWF by choosing the Create
Outlines command.
For a video on using Illustrator and Flash together, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4099_xp. For a video on using symbols
effectively between Illustrator and Flash, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0198. For a video on using text effectively between
Illustrator and Flash, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0199

Create Flash animations
There are many ways to create Flash animations in Illustrator. One of the easiest is to place each animation frame on a
separate Illustrator layer, and select the AI Layers To SWF Frames option when you export the artwork.
For a video on exporting SWF files from Illustrator, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0214. For a video on creating mobile
content in Illustrator, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0207. You can also go to Adobe Studio (http://studio.adobe.com) for
tips and tutorials on creating Flash animations.
1 Create the artwork you want to animate. Use symbols to reduce the file size of the animation and simplify your work.
2 Create a separate layer for each frame in the animation.

You can do this by pasting the base artwork into a new layer and then editing the artwork. Or, you can use the
Release To Layers command to automatically generate layers consisting of objects that build up cumulatively.
3 Make sure the layers are in the order in which you want to display them as animation frames.
4 Do one of the following:

• Choose File > Export, choose Flash (SWF) for the format, and click Export. In the SWF Options dialog box,
select AI Layers To SWF Frames for Export As. Set additional animation options, and click OK.
• Choose File > Save For Web & Devices. Choose SWF from the Optimized File Format menu. From the Type Of
Export menu, choose AI Layers To SWF Frames. Set additional options, and click Save.

Working with Illustrator and Flash
You can move Illustrator artwork into the Flash editing environment or directly into Flash Player. You can copy and
paste artwork, save files in SWF format, or export artwork directly to Flash. In addition, Illustrator provides support
for Flash dynamic text and movie clip symbols. For a video on using Flash and Illustrator together, see
www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4099_xp.
You can also use Device Central to see how Illustrator artwork will appear in Flash Player on different handheld devices.

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Pasting Illustrator artwork
You can create graphically rich artwork in Illustrator and copy and paste it into Flash simply, quickly, and seamlessly.
When you paste Illustrator artwork into Flash, the following attributes are preserved:

• Paths and shapes
• Scalability
• Stroke weights
• Gradient definitions
• Text (including OpenType fonts)
• Linked images
• Symbols
• Blending modes
In addition, Illustrator and Flash support pasted artwork in the following ways:

• When you select entire top-level layers in Illustrator artwork and paste them into Flash, the layers are preserved
along with their properties (visibility and locking).
• Non-RGB Illustrator colors (CMYK, grayscale, and custom) convert to RGB in Flash. RGB colors paste as expected.
• When you import or paste Illustrator artwork, you can use various options to preserve effects (such as drop shadow
on text) as Flash filters.
• Flash preserves Illustrator masks.
Exporting SWF files from Illustrator
From Illustrator, you can export SWF files that match the quality and compression of SWF files exported from Flash.
When you export, you can choose from a variety of presets to ensure optimal output, and you can specify how to handle
multiple artboards, symbols, layers, text, and masks. For example, you can specify whether Illustrator symbols are
exported as movie clips or graphics, or you can choose to create SWF symbols from Illustrator layers.
Importing Illustrator files into Flash
When you want to create complete layouts in Illustrator and then import them into Flash in one step, you can save your
artwork in the native Illustrator format (AI) and import it, with high fidelity, into Flash using the File > Import To Stage
or File > Import To Library commands in Flash.
If your Illustrator file contains multiple artboards, you select the artboard you want to import from the Import dialog
box in Flash, and specify settings for each layer in that artboard. All objects on the selected artboard import as a single
layer in Flash. If you import another artboard from that same AI file, the objects from that artboard import as a new
layer in Flash.
When you import Illustrator artwork as an AI, EPS, or PDF file, Flash preserves the same attributes as for pasted
Illustrator artwork. In addition, when an imported Illustrator file contains layers, you can import them in any of the
following ways:

• Convert Illustrator layers to Flash layers
• Convert Illustrator layers to Flash frames
• Convert all Illustrator layers to a single Flash layer
Symbol workflow

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Symbol workflow in Illustrator is similar to symbol workflow in Flash.
Symbol creation When you create a symbol in Illustrator, the Symbol Options dialog box lets you name the symbol
and set options specific to Flash: movie clip symbol type (which is the default for Flash symbols), Flash registration grid
location, and 9-slice scaling guides. In addition, you can use many of the same symbol keyboard shortcuts in Illustrator
and Flash (such as F8 to create a symbol).
Isolation mode for symbol editing In Illustrator, double-click a symbol to open it in isolation mode for easier editing.

In isolation mode, only the symbol instance is editable—all other objects on the artboard are dimmed and unavailable.
After you exit isolation mode, the symbol in the Symbols panel, and all instances of that symbol are updated
accordingly. In Flash, symbol-editing mode and the Library panel work in a similar fashion.
Symbol properties and links Using the Symbols panel or the Control panel, you can easily assign names to symbol
instances, break links between instances and symbols, swap a symbol instance with another symbol, or create a copy of
the symbol. In Flash, the editing features in the Library panel work in a similar way.

Static, dynamic, and input text objects
When you bring static text from Illustrator into Flash, Flash converts the text to outlines. In addition, you can set up
your text in Illustrator as dynamic text. Dynamic text enables you to edit text content programmatically in Flash, and
easily manage projects that require localization in multiple languages.
In Illustrator, you can specify individual text objects as static, dynamic, or input text. Dynamic text objects in Illustrator
and Flash have similar properties. For example, both use kerning that affects all characters in a text block rather than
individual characters, both anti-alias text the same way, and both can be linked to an external XML file containing text.

More Help topics
About symbols
Release items to separate layers
Flash export options
SWF optimization options (Illustrator)
Optimizing images
Web graphics optimization options
Output settings for web graphics
Best practices for creating web graphics

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Chapter 12: Printing

Setting up documents for printing
To make optimum decisions about printing, you should understand basic printing principles, including how the
resolution of your printer or the calibration and resolution of you monitor can affect the way your artwork appears
when printed. Illustrator’s Print dialog box is designed to help you through the printing workflow. Each set of options
in the dialog box is organized to guide you through the printing process.

Print a composite of artwork
A composite is a single-page version of artwork that corresponds to what you see in the illustration window—in other
words, a straightforward print job. Composites are also useful for proofing the overall page design, verifying image
resolution, and identifying problems that may occur on an imagesetter (such as PostScript errors).
1 Choose File > Print.
2 Select a printer from the Printer menu. To print to a file instead of a printer, select Adobe PostScript® File or Adobe

PDF.
3 Choose one of the following artboard options:

• To print everything on one page, select Ignore Artboards.
• To print each artboard separately, deselect Ignore Artboards and specify if you want to print all artboards (All),
or a specific range, such as 1-3.
4 Select Output on the left side of the Print dialog box, and make sure that Mode is set to Composite.
5 Set additional printing options.
6 Click Print.

If your document uses layers, you can specify which ones to print. Choose File > Print, and select an option from the
Print Layers menu: Visible And Printable Layers, Visible Layers, or All Layers. For a video on creating crop areas
for print, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0213.

Make artwork nonprintable
The Layers panel makes it easy to print different versions of your artwork. For example, you can choose to print only
the type objects in a document in order to proof your text. You can also add nonprinting elements to artwork to record
important information.

• To prevent artwork from displaying in the document window, printing, and exporting, hide the corresponding items
in the Layers panel.
• To prevent artwork from printing, but not from showing on the artboard or exporting, double-click a layer name in
the Layers panel. In the Layer Options dialog box, deselect the Print option, and click OK. The layer name changes
to italics in the Layers panel.

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• To create artwork that does not print or export, even when visible on the artboard, select Template in the Layer
Options dialog box.
Note: You can also specify multiple artboards in your document and then choose one artboard at a time for printing in the
Print dialog box. Only artwork within the artboard prints. For a video on defining crop artboards, see
www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4016_ai.

More Help topics
Layers panel overview
Using multiple artboards

Print dialog box options
Each category of options in the Print dialog box—from General options to Summary options—is organized to guide
you through the process of printing your document. To display a set of options, select the set name on the left side of
the dialog box. Many of these options are preset by the startup profile you chose when you started your document.
General Set the page size and orientation, specify how many pages to print, scale the artwork, specify tiling options and
choose which layers to print.
Marks & Bleed Select printer’s marks and create a bleed.
Output Create color separations.
Graphics Set printing options for paths, fonts, PostScript files, gradients, meshes, and blends.
Color Management Select a color profile and rendering intent for printing.
Advanced Control the flattening (or possible rasterization) of vector artwork during printing.
Summary View and save a summary of print settings.

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