Select one or more paths, compound paths, or both with the Selection tool from the Tool panel.
- What’s new
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Add and import files
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Start new files
- Create documents using presets
- Create and save custom document presets
- New Document dialog overview
- Create documents using blank templates
- Create files with large canvases
- Create documents using templates from Adobe Stock
- Rotate canvas view
- Organize, share, and collaborate using Projects
- Access projects in the Illustrator workspace and other apps
- Find and edit Adobe Express templates
- Import from other apps
- Import other file types
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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
- Partner models in Adobe Illustrator
- Use Auto Select
- Generate patterns
- Manage pattern variations
- Edit generated patterns
- Generate shape fills
- Scenarios with repeat shape fill generation
- Recolor artwork with text prompts
- Generate vector graphics to expand artwork
- Options to expand the expanded artwork
- Generate print bleed
- View 2D objects from new angles
- Scenarios with linked variations
- Manage generated variations
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Draw shapes and paths
- Learn drawing basics
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Draw shapes
- Draw lines
- Draw arcs
- Draw stars
- Draw spirals
- Draw freeform paths with the Pencil tool
- Draw straight lines with the Pencil tool
- Pencil tool options
- Draw shapes with the Curvature tool
- Draw curves with the Pen tool
- Draw curves followed by straight lines
- Reshape paths with the Pencil tool
- Extend paths with the Pencil tool
- Draw line segments with the Pen tool
- Connect two paths with the Pencil tool
- Draw straight lines followed by curves
- Draw two curved segments connected by a corner
- Preview the path
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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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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
- Underline or strikethrough 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
- Apply colors to artboards
- Set video display options for artboards
- Export selected artboards
- Manage colors
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Manage layers
- Lock and hide layers
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Manage objects
- Reshape and transform objects
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Apply special effects and styles
- Apply filter effects
- Create 3D graphics
- Apply graphic styles
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Automate and visualize data
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Automate actions
- Actions panel overview
- Create new actions
- Insert non-recordable tasks into actions
- Specify playback speed
- Insert stops in actions
- Exclude commands from actions
- Add commands to actions
- Re-record actions
- Manage a set of actions
- Play actions on a batch of files
- Batch options
- Install and run scripts
- Merge data
- Set up data source files
- Import data source files
- Variable panel overview
- Work with variables
- Edit dynamic objects
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Visualize data
- Data sets and label options
- Create graphs
- Add graph data
- Add graph labels and data sets
- Adjust decimal digits and column width
- Format columns, bars, and lines
- Select parts of a graph
- Change graph types
- Change graph value axes
- Assign different scales to value axes
- Change the position of legend in graphs
- Combine different graph types
- Add drop shadows to graphs
- Apply marker designs to graphs
- Format pie graphs
- Format graph text
- Reuse graph designs
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Automate actions
- Troubleshoot
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Save and export
- Export files to different formats
- Export to other apps
- Get started
Create Live Paint groups
Learn how to convert artwork into Live Paint groups.
When you want to color each edge or section of your artwork differently, convert it into a Live Paint group. However, certain objects, such as text, images, or artwork with brushes and effects, can’t be made into Live Paint groups directly. Direct conversion of objects with complex effects to Live Paint may remove some details. To retain much of the appearance, convert it to paths first, then to a Live Paint group.
Select the Live Paint Bucket tool, and then select the desired object.
You can also convert objects to a Live Paint group from Object > Live Paint > Make.
Do any of the following for objects that don’t directly convert to Live Paint groups:
- To convert text, select Type > Create Outlines, and then use the Live Paint Bucket tool to turn the outlines into a Live Paint group.
- To convert bitmap images, select Object > Image Trace > Make.
- To convert other objects, select Object > Expand, and then use the Live Paint Bucket tool to turn the objects into a Live Paint group.
Once you turn artwork into a Live Paint group, you can’t convert it back to the original. You can expand the group into its individual components or release the group back to its original paths with no fill and a 0.5 pt black stroke. Certain properties like transparency and effects may be lost when converting to a Live Paint group, and some objects, such as type, bitmap images, and brushes, can’t be converted.