Select Window > Type > Character.
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Learn the basics
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Learn the basics
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Add and import files
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Start new files
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Start new files
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Use generative AI
- Common questions about generative AI features in Illustrator
- Generate similar variations without text prompts
- Generate scenes, subjects, and icons
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- Generate shape fills
- Scenarios with repeat shape fill generation
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- Options to expand the expanded artwork
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Manage objects
- Select objects
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Arrange objects
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- Move multiple objects at once
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- 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
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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
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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
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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
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Measure and align
- Use grids and guides
- Plot and measure
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Paint and fill
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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
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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
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Learn painting basics
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Manage colors
- Learn color basics
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Design with text
- Add and manage text
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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
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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
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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
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Create and manage artboards
- Add and edit artboards
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Organize and manage artboards
- Use the artboard context menu
- Cut, copy, and paste artboards
- Move artboards
- Rearrange artboards
- Reorder artboards
- Align and distribute artboards
- Lock artboards
- Modify display settings of artboards
- Set artboard views
- Set video display options for artboards
- Apply colors to artboards
- Export selected artboards
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Manage layers
- Create and organize layers
- Lock and hide layers
- Apply and modify layer effects
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Apply special effects and styles
- Apply filter effects
- Create 3D graphics
- Apply graphic styles
- Automate and visualize data
- Troubleshoot
Snap glyph to angles, anchor points, or text area
Learn to draw and align objects precisely with text positioned at any angle or position.
Draw and snap with angular guides on a glyph
Angular Guides let you snap objects to a glyph at a specific angle when moving, scaling, rotating, or drawing with the Pen tool. Angular Guides appear only when a single glyph with angled segments is selected or when the glyph or text frame is rotated.
In the Character panel > More options , select Show Snap to Glyph Options.
In the Snap to Glyph section, select Angular Guides.
Select the glyph you want to snap to.
Right-click the character you want to snap to a glyph, then select Snap to Glyph from the context menu.
Rotate the glyph or text frame to activate angular guides.
Use the Pen tool, or move, scale, or rotate an object near the angled segment of the glyph. Optionally, you can also move, scale, or rotate objects using the Angular Guides.
Objects at an angle will snap to their bounding box and object center.
Draw and snap to anchor points on a glyph
The Anchor Point snapping works only with the Pen tool or when you move an object close to a glyph’s anchor point using the Selection tool.
Select Window > Type > Character.
In the Character panel > More options , select Show Snap to Glyph Options.
In the Snap to Glyph section, select Anchor Point.
Select the Pen tool and hover over the glyph to view the anchor points.
Draw the shape using the Pen tool.
The drawn shape will be snapped with the anchor points on the text.
Snap to the area text
The Snap to Glyph feature works with both point text and area text. All guides and anchors are shown for a single line of text. For a paragraph, only glyph bounds are shown to simplify the experience.
Select Window > Type > Character.
In the Character panel > More options , select Show Snap to Glyph Options.
Create or select a block of paragraph text inside a text box.
To precisely snap to a glyph in the paragraph, select the glyph.
Use the glyph guides for further snapping.