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- 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
Workspace layout and basics
The Touch workspace is an all-new reimagined, intuitive, and simplified workspace, designed to work with your Windows 8 -powered touch-enabled device. The workspace is optimized for easy, quick, and efficient touch-based interactions.
A. App bar B. Tool bar C. Control panel bar D. Document bar
The layout has a cleaner interface that allows you to comfortably use a stylus or your finger tip to access the tools and controls of the Touch workspace. Some important notes while working with the Touch workspace:
- Compared to the classic workspaces, panels are consolidated and reimagined to make using them easy
- Annotator sizes are larger to eliminate issues related to accuracy. This makes it easier to work with widgets, control points, and handles
- Drawing tools use a precise cursor to help pinpoint the exact origins and endings of paths
- Panels like the Align panel have been redesigned and recreated for an intuitive approach to drawing and repositioning of objects
- Illustrator-native gestures and Operating System gestures are supported
Switching between workspaces
Switching to the Touch workspace or back to a classic workspace is similar to switching between any of the previous workspaces. However, the interface has additional options to switch quickly, and some special conditions under which workspaces switch automatically.
Switch to the Touch workspace
Do one of the following while working in a classic workspace (for example, Essentials, Typography) in Illustrator CC 2014.1:
- Tap in the App bar
- From the Workspaces menu, choose Touch
- Tap Window > Workspace > Touch
- If attached, detach the keyboard for the device
Exit the Touch workspace
When you exit the Touch workspace, the last used workspace is activated. Do one of the following in the Touch workspace:
- Tap in the app bar
- From the workspaces menu, choose a different workspace.
- If detached, attach a keyboard to the device
App bar
The App bar provides information and options related to the active Illustrator document:
- File dropdown: Tap to create, close, save, or share documents.
- Save As / Save button: Tap to save the open document.
- Filename: Tap to view a list of open documents or close the current document.
- Previous workspace: Tap to switch the previously used workspace
- Workspace dropdown: Tap to view a list of available workspaces. Choose a workspace to switch to that workspace.
- Help overlays icon: Tap to view the Help Overlays that describe various parts of the Touch workspace and the gestures supported in this workspace.
Tool bar
The Toolbar lists the various tools and basic editing actions (undo, redo, delete) available. Tap any tool to use it.
When you tap a Tool group, a drawer opens to display all the tools belonging to the group. Tap a tool in the group to select it.
Tools and Tool groups
Tools available in the Touch workspace are consolidated to best suit touch-enabled workflows:
- Selection tool
- Selection tools group: Direction Selection tool, Group selection tool.
- Pen tools group: Curvature tool, Pen tool, Anchor Point tool.
- Type group: Type tool, Touch Type tool.
- Shaper tool: The Shaper tool. More about Shaper tool.
- Shapes group: Rectangle tool, Rounded Rectangle tool, Ellipse tool.
- Drawing tools group: Brush tool, Pencil tool, Stencil tool, Join tool.
- Shape Builder tool
- Free Transform tool
- Undo, Redo, Delete buttons
Control panel
The Control panel consists of other panels that are available for the selected tool or object. Available panels are:
- Color panel: Modify fill and stroke proxies using the RBG, CMYK, or Color picker tabs.
- Stroke panel: Specify the weight or profile of a stroke.
- Transparency panel: Choose blending modes or specify the opacity of an object.
- Transform: Modify the shape of an object, or manipulate corners in Rounded Rectangles.
- Align panel: Select objects and specify how they must align using this intuitive panel.
- Context menu: Choose from various actions you can perform on a selected object.
- Text panel: Specify font, font families, or the alignment of text in this panel.
Document bar
The Document bar provides information and options about the currently open Illustrator document:
- Artboard: Tap to view available artboards and tap an artboard name to switch to the artboard.
- Artboard controls: Navigate between artboards or create an artboard.
- View controls: View artboards, all at once, fitted to screen, or zoomed in at 100% magnification.
Gestures
The Touch workspace provides gesture support to enable you to quickly work with objects drawn on your artboard:
- Zoom in (increase magnification): Pinch outward to zoom in on the artboard.
- Zoom out (reduce magnification): Pinch inwards to zoom out of the artboard.
- Pan: Drag across to screen with two fingers to pan across the artboard.
- Context widget: Tap and hold an object to bring up the Context widget.
- Select objects (Selection tool): Tap an object, or Tap on the artboard and drag across objects to select.
- Switch Selection / Drawing modes: Tap with two fingers to toggle between selection and drawing modes.
Illustrator also supports Touch Bar, the multitouch display at the top of the MacBook Pro keyboard. For more information about Touch Bar fundamentals, see this Apple documentation page.
Related resources
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