Pen tool[P]lets you draw connected lines and curves with precision using anchor points and direction handles.
- Illustrator User Guide
- Get to know Illustrator
- Introduction to Illustrator
- Workspace
- Workspace basics
- Learn faster with the Illustrator Discover panel
- Create documents
- Toolbar
- Default keyboard shortcuts
- Customize keyboard shortcuts
- Introduction to artboards
- Manage artboards
- Customize the workspace
- Properties panel
- Set preferences
- Touch Workspace
- Microsoft Surface Dial support in Illustrator
- Undo edits and manage design history
- Rotate view
- Rulers, grids, and guides
- Accessibility in Illustrator
- Safe Mode
- View artwork
- Use the Touch Bar with Illustrator
- Files and templates
- Tools in Illustrator
- Tools at a glance
- Select tools
- Navigate tools
- Paint tools
- Text tools
- Draw tools
- Modify tools
- Generative AI (not available in mainland China)
- Quick actions
- Illustrator on the web (beta)
- Illustrator on the web (beta) overview
- Illustrator on the web (beta) FAQ
- Troubleshooting issues FAQ
- Keyboard shortcuts for Illustrator on the web (beta)
- Create and combine shapes on the web
- Add and edit text on the web
- Apply colors and gradients on the web
- Draw and edit paths on the web
- Work with cloud documents on the web
- Invite collaborators to edit on the web
- Illustrator on the iPad
- Introduction to Illustrator on the iPad
- Workspace
- Documents
- Select and arrange objects
- Drawing
- Type
- Work with images
- Color
- Cloud documents
- Basics
- Troubleshooting
- Add and edit content
- Drawing and dimensioning
- Drawing basics
- Edit paths
- Draw pixel-perfect art
- Draw with the Pen, Curvature, or Pencil tool
- Draw simple lines and shapes
- Draw rectangular and polar grids
- Draw and edit flares
- Image Trace
- Simplify a path
- Symbolism tools and symbol sets
- Adjust path segments
- Design a flower in 5 easy steps
- Create and edit a perspective grid
- Draw and modify objects on a perspective grid
- Use objects as symbols for repeat use
- Draw pixel-aligned paths for web workflows
- Measure and plot dimensions
- 3D objects and materials
- Color
- Painting
- Select and arrange objects
- Reshape objects
- Crop images
- Transform objects
- Combine objects
- Cut, divide, and trim objects
- Puppet Warp
- Scale, shear, and distort objects
- Blend objects
- Reshape using envelopes
- Reshape objects with effects
- Build new shapes with Shaper and Shape Builder tools
- Work with Live Corners
- Enhanced reshape workflows with touch support
- Edit clipping masks
- Live shapes
- Create shapes using the Shape Builder tool
- Global editing
- Type
- Add text and work with type objects
- Create bulleted and numbered lists
- Manage text area
- Fonts and typography
- Convert text within images into editable text
- Add basic formatting to text
- Add advanced formatting to text
- Import and export text
- Format paragraphs
- Special characters
- Create type on a path
- Character and paragraph styles
- Tabs
- Find missing fonts (Typekit workflow)
- Arabic and Hebrew type
- Fonts | FAQ and troubleshooting tips
- Create 3D text effect
- Creative typography designs
- Scale and rotate type
- Line and character spacing
- Hyphenation and line breaks
- Spelling and language dictionaries
- Format Asian characters
- Composers for Asian scripts
- Create text designs with blend objects
- Create a text poster using Image Trace
- Create special effects
- Web graphics
- Drawing and dimensioning
- Import, export, and save
- Import
- Creative Cloud Libraries in Illustrator
- Save and export
- Printing
- Prepare for printing
- Printing
- Automate tasks
- Troubleshooting
Learn about the tools in Illustrator that will help you create stunning artwork.
Illustrator tools help you create and refine your artwork with speed, precision, and ease. Based on your expertise and requirements, pick your tools or a combination to draw, paint, reshape, and much more!
Get to know your Illustrator toolbar
When you open a document in Illustrator, the default toolbar appears at the left of the screen. It includes a set of tools that you frequently need while working in Illustrator.
Types of tools in Illustrator
Tools in Illustrator are divided into six categories. Select any of these categories to learn about the tools within them.
Draw tools help you to draw and edit objects and paths, and create perspective. You can also add symbols and graphs to your artwork.
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Pencil tool[N]lets you draw freehand paths like drawing with a pencil. |
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Add Anchor Point tool[+]lets you add anchor points on paths. |
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Delete Anchor Point tool[-]lets you remove anchor points from paths. |
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Anchor Point tool[Shift+C]lets you convert from corner points to smooth anchor points, and adjust the direction handles if smooth. |
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Curvature tool[Shift+~]lets you draw and edit connected lines and curves easily using anchor points. |
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Line Segment tool[\]lets you draw line segments. |
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Arc tool lets you draw arcs. |
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Spiral tool lets you draw spirals and rotate them to adjust the size. |
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Rectangular Grid tool lets you add rectangular grids. |
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Polar Grid tool lets you add polar grids containing concentric circles and radial divisions. |
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Rectangle tool [M]lets you draw rectangles and squares. |
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Rounded Rectangle tool lets you draw rectangles with rounded corners. |
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Ellipse tool [L]lets you draw ellipses and circles. |
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Polygon tool lets you draw polygons of up to 1000 sides. |
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Star tool lets you draw stars of up to 1000 arms. |
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Flare tool lets you add flare objects that have a bright center, a halo, rays, and rings. |
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Paintbrush tool[B]lets you apply brush strokes freehand. |
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Blob Brush tool[Shift+B]lets you draw filled shapes freehand. |
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Smooth tool lets you draw over an existing path to smooth it. |
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Path Eraser tool lets you erase parts of a path segment by drawing over the path. |
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Join tool lets you join two paths to create a single path. |
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Shaper tool[Shift+N]lets you sketch rough freehand shapes and converts them into crisp vector shapes. |
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Symbol Sprayer tool[Shift+S]lets you create multiple instances of a symbol picked from the Symbols panel. |
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Symbol Shifter tool lets you rearrange symbol instances in a symbol set. |
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Symbol Scruncher tool lets you adjust the spacing between symbol instances in a symbol set. |
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Symbol Sizer tool lets you resize symbol instances. |
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Symbol Spinner tool lets you rotate symbol instances. |
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Symbol Stainer tool lets you gradually change the hue of symbol instances. |
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Symbol Screener tool lets you adjust transparency of symbol instances. |
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Symbol Styler tool lets you apply a style from the Graphic Styles panel to symbol instances. |
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Column Graph tool[J]lets you create a graph with data presented as vertical bars. |
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Stacked Column Graph tool lets you create a column graph with partitions that correspond to components of the whole. |
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Bar Graph tool lets you create a graph with data presented as horizontal bars. |
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Stacked Bar Graph tool lets you create a bar graph with partitions that correspond to components of the whole. |
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Line Graph tool lets you create a graph with lines connecting individual data points, showing the data trend. |
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Area Graph tool lets you create a graph with lines connecting individual data points, and fills the area below the line with a solid color. |
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Scatter Graph tool lets you create a graph using x-axis and y-axis values. |
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Pie Graph tool lets you create a circular graph with slices corresponding to the proportions of data components. |
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Radar Graph tool lets you create a circular graph with axes that grow outward from the center, in which each axis represents a variable. |
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Slice tool[Shift+K]lets you divide the artboard into different areas and save them as separate images. |
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Slice Selection tool lets you select, move, or transform a slice. |
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Perspective Grid Tool [Shift+P]lets you show, move, and adjust the perspective grid. |
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Perspective Selection tool[Shift+V]lets you select, move, scale, and duplicate objects that are in perspective, or bring an existing object into perspective. |
Before you work on your artwork, you need to select some or all of its elements. Select tools let you not just select, but move, rotate, scale, and transform your artwork, with varying degrees of precision.
Watch this animation to see some of the Select tools in action. Use the practice file to try them out.
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Selection tool [V] lets you select an object or a group of objects to move and resize. |
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Direct Selection tool [A] lets you select anchor points and path segments to reshape objects. |
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Group Selection tool lets you select an object within a group, or a group of objects within a parent group. |
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Magic Wand tool [Y] lets you select objects that share an attribute, like color or opacity. |
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Lasso tool [Q] lets you drag to draw a shape around the elements that you want to select. |
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Artboard tool [Shift+O] lets you select, create, and adjust artboards on the canvas. |
Navigate tools let you set your focus on an area of the artwork. You can perform basic actions like zoom in or out, rotate the view, drag artwork, or add grids to work on the canvas.
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Hand tool[H]lets you move the canvas around to view parts of your artwork. |
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Print Tiling tool lets you adjust the printable area of artboards. |
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Rotate View tool [Shift+H]lets you change the canvas orientation to a specific angle. |
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Zoom tool[Z]lets you zoom in and out of the canvas. |
Illustrator offers a fine collection of vector brushes with which you can apply fills and strokes to elements in your artwork. You can also add blends and build complex shapes to get the desired visual effect.
Watch this animation to see some of the Paint tools in action. Use the practice file to try them out.
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Gradient tool[G]lets you create a gradual blend between colors. |
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Mesh tool[U]lets you blend colors and create contours on the surfaces of objects. |
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Shape Builder tool[Shift+M]lets you create complex shapes by merging and erasing simpler objects. |
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Live Paint Bucket tool[K]lets you create a Live Paint group and apply color, patterns, or gradients to different elements. |
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Live Paint Selection tool[Shift+L]lets you select elements of the Live Paint group. |
Text tools help you to add and edit text (type) in your artwork. Apart from plain text, you can also add text on a path or in an area, and apply the desired text effects.
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Type tool[T]lets you enter text at a point or in an area. |
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Area Type tool lets you use the boundaries of objects to enter and control the flow of text. |
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Type on a Path tool lets you enter text along the shape of a path. |
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Vertical Type tool lets you enter text vertically at a point. |
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Vertical Area Type tool lets you use the boundaries of objects to enter and control the flow of vertical text. |
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Vertical Type On A Path tool lets you enter vertical text along the shape of a path. |
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Touch Type tool[Shift+T]lets you move, scale, and rotate individual characters in a word. |
Use advanced Modify tools in Illustrator to manipulate objects and paths.
Watch this animation to see some of the Modify tools in action. Use the practice file to try them out.
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Rotate tool[R]lets you rotate an object around a reference point. |
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Reflect tool[O]lets you flip an object over a reference point. |
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Scale tool[S]lets you resize an object relative to a reference point. |
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Shear tool lets you slant or skew an object relative to a reference point. |
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Reshape tool lets you reshape a path relative to an anchor point on the path. |
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Width tool[Shift+W]lets you change the thickness of strokes. |
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Warp tool[Shift+R]lets you shape an object inward or outward. |
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Twirl tool lets you twirl an object around a reference point. |
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Pucker tool lets you stretch or shrink an object to give a spiky appearance. |
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Bloat tool lets you stretch or shrink an object to give a rounded appearance. |
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Scallop tool lets you add rounded projections on an object's outline. |
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Crystallize tool lets you add spiky structures on an object's outline. |
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Wrinkle tool lets you add wrinkled structures on an object's outline. |
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Puppet Warp tool lets you add pins to warp an object. |
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Free Transform tool[E]lets you distort an object freeform. |
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Measure tool lets you measure the distance between two points. |
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Eyedropper tool[I]lets you pick a color from one object and apply it to another. |
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Blend tool[W]lets you blend objects or paths together. |
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Eraser tool[Shift+E]lets you remove parts of the artwork. |
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Scissors tool[C]lets you split a path at a segment or an anchor point. |
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Knife tool lets you cut out objects or text along a freehand path. |
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Dimension tool lets you easily measure and plot dimensions such as distance, angle, and radius. |
Customize the Illustrator toolbar
As you get more familiar with Illustrator tools, you can customize the toolbar according to your preference. You can choose to group frequently used tools and place them at the top of the toolbar or hide those tools you don't use frequently.
While these tools are powerful in themselves, experienced users often combine multiple tools to achieve more precise and complex results. Watch some tutorials and try out beginner projects to learn how to combine various tools.
If you'd like to be part of a lively creative community, share your artwork on Behance, Adobe's own platform.
Can't find the Illustrator toolbar?
The Illustrator toolbar should appear on the left of your canvas by default. If you're unable to locate it or closed it by mistake, learn how to bring back the toolbar.
Have a question or an idea?
If you have a question to ask or an idea to share, come and participate in Adobe Illustrator Community. We'd love to hear from you.