Shear objects

Select one or more objects.

Select the Shear tool from the tool panel.

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 , select anywhere in the document to set the new reference point, move the mouse away from it, and drag to adjust the slant.
• To shear along the object’s vertical axis, drag anywhere in the document window in an up or down direction.
• 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 or width while shearing along the object’s horizontal or vertical axis, press Shift.

Select one or more objects.

Do one of the following:

• To shear from the center, select 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 (macOS) where you want to set the new reference point.

In the Shear dialog box, enter a Shear Angle from -359° to 359°.

The shear angle defines the clockwise slant applied to an object, measured relative to a line perpendicular to the shear axis.

Select the Axis along which to shear the object:

• Horizontal: Slants the object along the horizontal axis, shifting the top and bottom edges sideways.
• Vertical: Slants the object along the vertical axis, shifting the left and right edges up or down.
• Angle: Shears the object diagonally at a custom angle from -359° to 359° relative to the horizontal axis.

Select one of the following Options, and then select OK:

• Transform Objects: Applies the shear transformation to both shape and pattern.
• Transform Patterns: Applies the shear only to the pattern fill inside the object, leaving the object’s shape unchanged.

Select Copy to shear a copy of the objects, while keeping the original objects unchanged.

Select one or more objects.

Select the Free Transform tool from the tool panel.

Do one of the following:

• To shear along the vertical axis, drag the middle-left or middle-right bounding-box handle, and then press Ctrl + Alt (Windows) or option + command (macOS) as you drag up or down.
• To shear along the horizontal axis, drag the top-middle or bottom-middle bounding-box handle, and then press Ctrl + Alt (Windows) or option + command (macOS) as you drag right or left.

To constrain the object to its original height or width while shearing along the object’s horizontal or vertical axis, press Shift.

Select one or more objects.

Select Window > Transform.

You can also open the Transform panel by selecting Transform from the Control panel.

In the Transform panel, select a Reference Point .

Enter a value in the Shear text box or select a value from the dropdown.