- What’s new
-
Get started
-
Learn the basics
- Illustrator on desktop technical requirements
- Supported file formats
- Homescreen overview
- Show or hide the homescreen
- Modify workspaces
- Manage workspaces
- Set properties with precise values
- Control panel overview
- Contextual Task Bar overview
- Discover panel overview
- Learn faster with the Discover panel
-
App preferences and settings
- Customize keyboard shortcuts
- Find custom keyboard shortcut files
- Export keyboard shortcuts list as a text document
- Delete keyboard shortcuts
- Built-in accessibility features of Adobe Illustrator
- Create accessible content in Adobe Illustrator
- MacBook Pro Touch Bar in Illustrator overview
- Illustrator controls and contextual operations in MacBook Pro Touch Bar
- Use Microsoft surface dial in Illustrator
-
Learn the basics
-
Use generative AI
- Common questions about generative AI features in Illustrator
- Generate similar variations without text prompts
- Generate scenes, subjects, and icons
- Generate patterns
- Manage pattern variations
- Edit generated patterns
- Generate shape fills
- Scenarios with repeat shape fill generation
- Recolor artwork with text prompts
- Generate vector graphics to expand artwork
- Options to expand the expanded artwork
- Generate print bleed
- View 2D objects from new angles
- Scenarios with linked variations
- Manage generated variations
- Partner models in Adobe Illustrator
- Add and import files
-
Create and manage artboards
- Add and edit artboards
- Organize and manage artboards
-
Manage objects
- Select objects
-
Arrange objects
- Move objects
- Move multiple objects at once
- Move objects by specific distances
- Move or duplicate an object by pasting
- Paste an object relative to other objects
- Align or distribute selected objects
- Distribute objects by specific distances
- Rotate objects
- Expand objects
- Rotate multiple objects individually
- Rotate objects by specific angles
- Reflect or flip objects
- Reflect objects along an axis
-
Edit objects
- Divide or split objects
- Cut objects with the Knife tool
- Duplicate objects
- Create duplicate objects using Offset Path
- Edit groups with similar objects
- About clipping masks
- Create clipping masks
- Edit clipping masks
- Add, remove, or release objects from clipping masks
- Hide parts of objects with clipping masks
-
Reshape and transform objects
- Pathfinder panel overview
- Edit areas of overlapping objects with Pathfinder
- Create compound shapes with Pathfinder
- Transform objects
- Transform panel overview
- Scale objects
- Scale multiple objects
- Distort object
- Distort objects with envelopes
- Edit the contents of envelopes
- Envelope panel options
- Shear objects
- Intertwine objects
- About perspective drawing
- Draw objects in perspective
- Perspective grid options
- Define and manage perspective grid preset
- Move the perspective grid and adjust its vanishing points
- Adjust grid cell size and grid extent
- Adjust horizon heights and grid planes
- Adjust the perspective grid and the active plane widget
-
Create traces, mockups, and symbols
- Convert images to vector graphics
- Image Trace panel options
- Edit image trace results
- Save image trace presets
- Edit mockups
- Create mockups for images
- Save mockups as templates
- Create and place symbols
- Symbols panel options
- Edit symbols
- Create or import symbol libraries
- Maintain proportions while scaling symbols
- Transform symbols
-
Measure and align
- Use grids and guides
- Plot and measure
-
Paint and fill
-
Learn painting basics
- About fills and strokes
- Fill and stroke controls
- Apply fill colors
- Apply stroke colors
- Create multiple fills and strokes
- Convert strokes to compound paths
- Remove fills or strokes
- Select objects with same fill and stroke
- Paint tools overview
- Paint with the Live Paint Bucket tool
- Live Paint Bucket tool options
- Create Live Paint groups
- Isolate Live Paint groups
- Merge paths using the Blob Brush tool
- Blob brush options and best practices
- About Live Paint
- Find and close gaps in Live Paint groups
- Expand and release Live Paint groups
- Resize objects or paths within Live Paint groups
- Select faces, edges, and paths in Live Paint groups
- Add paths to a Live Paint group
- Live Paint limitations
-
Apply and edit strokes
- About brushes
- Brushes panel overview
- Draw paths with brush strokes
- Apply brush strokes to paths
- Remove brush strokes
- Customize arrowheads
- Add arrowheads to paths
- Paintbrush tool options
- Create brush libraries
- Import brushes
- Create brushes
- Create dotted or dashed lines
- Modify brushes
- Change the caps or joins of a line
- Convert brush strokes to outlines
- Create and edit gradients
- Create and edit meshes
- Create and edit patterns
-
Learn painting basics
-
Manage colors
- Learn color basics
-
Select and adjust colors
- About selecting colors
- Color Picker overview
- Select colors using the Color Picker
- Color panel options
- Convert color modes
- Make colors printable or web safe
- Change colors to their inverse or complement
- Get precise spot colors using lab values
- Adjust saturation of multiple colors
- Adjust color balance
- Blend colors
- Select colors using the Color panel
- Change color tints
-
Use swatches
- About Swatches
- Swatches panel overview
- Add colors to swatches
- Create swatches from the Color Guide panel
- Create process color swatches
- Create spot-color swatches
- Create gradient swatches
- Reorder swatches
- Duplicate swatches
- Replace, merge, or delete swatches
- Group swatches
- Move colors into swatch groups
- Create and open swatch libraries
- Edit swatch libraries
- Move swatches from swatch libraries to the swatches panel
- Share swatches between applications
-
Modify colors
- Recolor artwork
- Recolor options overview
- Edit colors using Edit Colors dialog
- Modify colors in swatch groups
- Apply local or global changes to color properties
- Assign new colors to selected artworks
- View original colors in artworks
- Limit colors in artworks
- Color reduction options
- Edit swatch groups using the color wheel
- Add or remove colors from swatch groups
- Edit an individual color in color groups
- Delete swatch groups
-
Apply transparency and blending
- Transparency panel overview
- Adjust opacity
- Opacity mask overview
- Adjust transparency using opacity masks
- Clip and invert opacity masks
- Deactivate, reactivate, or remove opacity masks
- Create knockout shapes
- Create transparency knockout groups
- View transparency in the artwork
- Blended objects overview
- Blending mode types
- Change and manage blending modes
- Blend Options overview
- Modify the spine of blended objects
- Reverse the stacking order in blended objects
- Release or expand blended objects
-
Design with text
- Add and manage text
-
Work with fonts and scripts
- Font browser overview
- Find and apply fonts
- Organize fonts using Creative Cloud Libraries
- Apply the fonts organized in Creative Cloud Libraries
- Supported font file types in Adobe Illustrator
- Find, apply, and adjust variable fonts
- Find and replace fonts
- Preview, add, or replace missing fonts
- Identify fonts using Retype
- Edit text without replacing missing fonts
- Edit fonts
- Apply Retype-suggested fonts to live text
- About Adobe Asian composers
- Justify text using Kashida and hyphenation
-
Edit and format text
- Character panel overview
- Transform text
- Change case and capitalization styles
- Adjust kerning and tracking
- Vary font height
- Turn fractional character widths off or on
- Paragraph panel overview
- Align text
- Adjust word and letterspacing in justified text
- Indent text
- Adjust paragraph spacing
- Create bulleted or numbered lists
- Move or flip text
- Adjust text alignment and spacing on paths
- Apply effects to text on paths
-
Use special characters and glyphs
- About character sets and alternate glyphs
- Insert special characters
- Glyphs panel overview
- Replace characters with alternate glyphs
- OpenType panel overview
- Use ligatures and contextual alternates
- Use swashes, titling alternates, or stylistic alternates
- Add stylistic sets to selected text
- Insert white space and break characters
- Snap to Glyph options
- Snap with glyph guides
- Snap glyph to angles, anchor points, or text area
-
Manage layers
- Create and organize layers
- Lock and hide layers
- Apply and modify layer effects
-
Apply special effects and styles
- Apply filter effects
- Create 3D graphics
- Apply graphic styles
- Troubleshoot
Color panel options
Last updated on
Feb 10, 2026
Explore the Color panel and use it to apply, edit, or customize colors for your artwork.
Select Window > Color to open the Color panel. You can select the Color panel menu icon to show or hide options in the Color panel, switch color models between Grayscale, RGB, HSB, or CMYK, invert the current color, apply its complement, or create new swatches.
A. Default Fill and Stroke B. Swap Fill and Stroke C. Panel menu D. Color value input field E. Hexadecimal color value F. Click to copy value G. Color slider H. Color spectrum bar I. Black or White color J. None K. In Web Color L. Out of Web Color Warning M. Stroke color N. Fill color
Options |
Functions |
Default Fill and Stroke |
Resets the object's colors to a white fill and black stroke. Press D to use the option. |
Swap Fill and Stroke |
Switches the object's fill and stroke colors. Press Shift + X to use the option. |
Color value input field |
Specifies color values for precise color selection and control. |
Hexadecimal color value |
Displays the final color value created by adjusting individual color components. |
Click to copy value |
Copies the color value to use it. |
Color slider |
Adjusts individual color values based on the selected color model. Drag sliders to mix custom colors. |
Color Spectrum bar |
Displays a gradient of color based on the selected color model. Select a color from the spectrum to apply it to your artwork. |
None |
Removes the current Fill or Stroke. |
In Web Color |
Shows a correction option for non-web-safe colors. Use the option to adjust to the nearest web-safe color. |
Out of Web Color Warning |
Alerts you when a selected color isn’t web safe and auto-adjusts it to the nearest web-safe color. |
Stroke |
Sets or changes the outline color of your artwork. |
Fill |
Sets or changes the interior color of your artwork. Press X to switch between Fill and Stroke. |
