Draw a live shape using one of the following tools:
Learn how to create and work with live shapes in Illustrator.
Use the powerful Shape tools to quickly craft vector shapes. Most shapes are live, which means you can dynamically adjust them, without switching the tool, using the on-shape control widgets or the controls available in the Transform panel.
Draw a live shape using one of the following tools:
Use the following on-shape control widgets to modify live shapes:
Scale live shapes |
Rotate live shapes |
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To scale a live shape, drag any of the eight bounding box handles.
To rotate, move the cursor away from a corner until you see the Rotate icon (), and then drag.
Move live shapes |
Create pie shapes |
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To move the live shape, use the center point widget to drag it to the desired area.
For an ellipse, drag one of the pie widgets to create a pie shape.
Add or remove sides from polygons |
Change the corner radius of live shapes |
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To change the number of the sides of a polygon, drag its side widget.
Drag any corner widget to change the corner radius of the live shape.
You can modify the shapes using the Control panel, the Properties panel, or the Transform panel (Window > Transform). For details, see Live shapes properties.
To view or edit the properties of live shapes, do one of the following:
A. Transform panel B. Properties panel
While using the Shape tool, you may choose to hide or show the bounding box. Do one of the following:
You may also choose to hide or show the on-screen control widgets by selecting any live shape drawing tool and clicking the Hide/Show Shape Widgets button () in the Control panel.
You can enable the Real-Time Drawing and Editing feature to enhance the live appearance of objects when you work on them. To enable this feature:
[Windows] Choose Edit > Preferences > Performance > Real-Time Drawing and Editing.
[macOS] Choose Illustrator > Preferences > Performance > Real-Time Drawing and Editing.
Live shapes are displayed as a different object type in the Layers panel. For example, when you draw a Live Rectangle, the layer is named <Rectangle>, in the Layers panel. This helps in identifying the available live shapes, for purposes of selection and modification.
To select all the available Live Shapes in your document, choose Select > Same > Shape.
We've got you started on how to create and modify live shapes. Take a step forward and learn how to transform objects, work with Live Corners, and draw simple lines and shapes in Illustrator.
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.
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