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Work with documents in Illustrator on the iPad

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  1. Illustrator User Guide
  2. Get to know Illustrator
    1. Introduction to Illustrator
      1. What's new in Illustrator
      2. Common questions
      3. Illustrator system requirements
      4. Illustrator for Apple silicon
    2. Workspace
      1. Workspace basics
      2. Learn faster with the Illustrator Discover panel
      3. Create documents
      4. Toolbar
      5. Default keyboard shortcuts
      6. Customize keyboard shortcuts
      7. Introduction to artboards
      8. Manage artboards
      9. Customize the workspace
      10. Properties panel
      11. Set preferences
      12. Touch Workspace
      13. Microsoft Surface Dial support in Illustrator
      14. Undo edits and manage design history
      15. Rotate view
      16. Rulers, grids, and guides
      17. Accessibility in Illustrator
      18. Safe Mode
      19. View artwork
      20. Use the Touch Bar with Illustrator
      21. Files and templates
    3. Tools in Illustrator
      1. Tools at a glance
      2. Select tools
        1. Selection
        2. Direct Selection
        3. Group Selection
        4. Magic Wand
        5. Lasso
        6. Artboard
      3. Navigate tools
        1. Hand
        2. Rotate View
        3. Zoom
      4. Paint tools
        1. Gradient
        2. Mesh
        3. Shape Builder
      5. Text tools
        1. Type
        2. Type on a Path
        3. Vertical Type
      6. Draw tools
        1. Pen
        2. Add Anchor Point
        3. Delete Anchor Point
        4. Anchor Point
        5. Curvature
        6. Line Segment
        7. Rectangle
        8. Rounded Rectangle
        9. Ellipse
        10. Polygon
        11. Star
        12. Paintbrush
        13. Blob Brush
        14. Pencil
        15. Shaper
        16. Slice
      7. Modify tools
        1. Rotate
        2. Reflect
        3. Scale
        4. Shear
        5. Width
        6. Free Transform
        7. Eyedropper
        8. Blend
        9. Eraser
        10. Scissors
    4. Quick actions
      1. Retro text
      2. Neon glow text
      3. Old school text
      4. Recolor
      5. Convert sketch to vector
  3. Illustrator on the iPad
    1. Introduction to Illustrator on the iPad
      1. Illustrator on the iPad overview
      2. Illustrator on the iPad FAQs
      3. System requirements | Illustrator on the iPad
      4. What you can or cannot do on Illustrator on the iPad
    2. Workspace
      1. Illustrator on the iPad workspace
      2. Touch shortcuts and gestures
      3. Keyboard shortcuts for Illustrator on the iPad
      4. Manage your app settings
    3. Documents
      1. Work with documents in Illustrator on the iPad
      2. Import Photoshop and Fresco documents
    4. Select and arrange objects
      1. Create repeat objects
      2. Blend objects
    5. Drawing
      1. Draw and edit paths
      2. Draw and edit shapes
    6. Type
      1. Work with type and fonts
      2. Create text designs along a path
      3. Add your own fonts
    7. Work with images
      1. Vectorize raster images
    8. Color
      1. Apply colors and gradients
  4. Cloud documents
    1. Basics
      1. Work with Illustrator cloud documents
      2. Share and collaborate on Illustrator cloud documents
      3. Share documents for review
      4. Upgrade cloud storage for Adobe Illustrator
      5. Illustrator cloud documents | Common questions
    2. Troubleshooting
      1. Troubleshoot create or save issues for Illustrator cloud documents
      2. Troubleshoot Illustrator cloud documents issues
  5. Add and edit content
    1. Drawing
      1. Drawing basics
      2. Edit paths
      3. Draw pixel-perfect art
      4. Draw with the Pen, Curvature, or Pencil tool
      5. Draw simple lines and shapes
      6. Image Trace
      7. Simplify a path
      8. Define perspective grids
      9. Symbolism tools and symbol sets
      10. Adjust path segments
      11. Design a flower in 5 easy steps
      12. Perspective drawing
      13. Symbols
      14. Draw pixel-aligned paths for web workflows
    2. 3D objects and materials
      1. About 3D effects in Illustrator
      2. Create 3D graphics
      3. Map artwork over 3D objects
      4. Create 3D Text
      5. Create 3D objects
    3. Color
      1. About color
      2. Select colors
      3. Use and create swatches
      4. Adjust colors
      5. Use the Adobe Color Themes panel
      6. Color groups (harmonies)
      7. Color Themes panel
      8. Recolor your artwork
    4. Painting
      1. About painting
      2. Paint with fills and strokes
      3. Live Paint groups
      4. Gradients
      5. Brushes
      6. Transparency and blending modes
      7. Apply stroke on an object
      8. Create and edit patterns
      9. Meshes
      10. Patterns
    5. Select and arrange objects
      1. Select objects
      2. Layers
      3. Group and expand objects
      4. Move, align, and distribute objects
      5. Stack objects    
      6. Lock, hide, and delete objects
      7. Copy and duplicate objects
      8. Rotate and reflect objects
      9. Intertwine objects
    6. Reshape objects
      1. Crop images
      2. Transform objects
      3. Combine objects
      4. Cut, divide, and trim objects
      5. Puppet Warp
      6. Scale, shear, and distort objects
      7. Blend objects
      8. Reshape using envelopes
      9. Reshape objects with effects
      10. Build new shapes with Shaper and Shape Builder tools
      11. Work with Live Corners
      12. Enhanced reshape workflows with touch support
      13. Edit clipping masks
      14. Live shapes
      15. Create shapes using the Shape Builder tool
      16. Global editing
    7. Type
      1. Add text and work with type objects
      2. Create bulleted and numbered lists
      3. Manage text area
      4. Fonts and typography
      5. Format type
      6. Import and export text
      7. Format paragraphs
      8. Special characters
      9. Create type on a path
      10. Character and paragraph styles
      11. Tabs
      12. Find missing fonts (Typekit workflow)
      13. Arabic and Hebrew type
      14. Fonts | FAQ and troubleshooting tips
      15. Create 3D text effect
      16. Creative typography designs
      17. Scale and rotate type
      18. Line and character spacing
      19. Hyphenation and line breaks
      20. Spelling and language dictionaries
      21. Format Asian characters
      22. Composers for Asian scripts
      23. Create text designs with blend objects
      24. Create a text poster using Image Trace
    8. Create special effects
      1. Work with effects
      2. Graphic styles
      3. Appearance attributes
      4. Create sketches and mosaics
      5. Drop shadows, glows, and feathering
      6. Summary of effects
    9. Web graphics
      1. Best practices for creating web graphics
      2. Graphs
      3. SVG
      4. Slices and image maps
  6. Import, export, and save
    1. Import
      1. Place multiple files
      2. Manage linked and embedded files
      3. Links information
      4. Unembed images
      5. Import artwork from Photoshop
      6. Import bitmap images
      7. Import Adobe PDF files
      8. Import EPS, DCS, and AutoCAD files
    2. Creative Cloud Libraries in Illustrator 
      1. Creative Cloud Libraries in Illustrator
    3. Save
      1. Save artwork
    4. Export
      1. Use Illustrator artwork in Photoshop
      2. Export artwork
      3. Collect assets and export in batches
      4. Package files
      5. Create Adobe PDF files
      6. Extract CSS | Illustrator CC
      7. Adobe PDF options
      8. Document info panel
  7. Printing
    1. Prepare for printing
      1. Set up documents for printing
      2. Change the page size and orientation
      3. Specify crop marks for trimming or aligning
      4. Get started with large canvas
    2. Printing
      1. Overprint
      2. Print with color management
      3. PostScript printing
      4. Print presets
      5. Printer's marks and bleeds
      6. Print and save transparent artwork
      7. Trapping
      8. Print color separations
      9. Print gradients, meshes, and color blends
      10. White Overprint
  8. Automate tasks
    1. Data merge using the Variables panel
    2. Automation with scripts
    3. Automation with actions
  9. Troubleshooting 
    1. Crash issues
    2. Recover files after crash
    3. File issues
    4. Supported file formats
    5. GPU device driver issues
    6. Wacom device issues
    7. DLL file issues
    8. Memory issues
    9. Preferences file issues
    10. Font issues
    11. Printer issues
    12. Share crash report with Adobe
    13. Improve Illustrator performance

Learn how to create a new document, open or import an existing document, and save or export a document on Illustrator on the iPad.

To get started with Illustrator on the iPad, create, open or import a cloud document or export a cloud or a local document. All your documents are automatically saved as cloud documents. You can export or publish your documents in a variety of formats.

Create a document

  1. Tap  Create new on the Illustrator Home screen.
  2. In the dialog that appears, do one of the following:
    • Choose a standard document preset from Print, Screen, or Illustration tabs. 
    • Choose a custom preset: In the New file section on the right, specify the artboard size, number of artboards, and other settings. 
       Select Save this size to easily create an artboard of the same size. You can find your saved artboard sizes in the Saved tab for future use. 
  3. Tap Create file.
Create a document
Choose a preset and create a document

1. To quickly create a new document from the Home screen, choose your frequently used preset in the Start something new section. Go to the Your files tab to name it. Your recently used document presets are also available in the Recent tab on the Home screen.

2. All the new documents that you create with Illustrator on the iPad are by default saved as cloud documents.

3. You can quickly open most of your recent documents from the Recent section.

Import or open a document

To open a document, do one of the following on the Home screen:

  • Go to Your files > Creative Cloud documents to open a cloud document.
  • Tap   Import and open to open a document saved on your iPad.
Note:

You can quickly open your most recent documents from the Recent section.

Place a file within Illustrator document

To place a file within your Illustrator document:

  1. Tap   in the toolbar on the left.
  2. Choose one of the following options:
    •   Camera: Capture a photo using the built-in camera and place it directly in your document.
    •   Photos: Place photos saved on your iPad into your document.
    •   Files: Import files that are saved on your iPad into your document.
    •   Creative Cloud: Place linked Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Fresco cloud documents and place them directly in your document.
    •     Your libraries: Place assets from the Creative Cloud Libraries into your document.
Import a document
Place an asset within your Illustrator document

Rename and save a document

Illustrator on the iPad auto-saves your document every three minutes. If your document isn't saved,  the name of the document shows an * asterisk in the title bar. You can save your file manually and rename your file while working on the document.

  1. Tap the name of the document in the title bar and do any of the following:
    • To rename your document, select the name of the document, type the new name, and tap OK. 
    • To save your document, select Save Now  . The timestamp displays the time at which the document was saved.
Note:

You can also press Cmd + S to save your document.

When you select  in the navigation bar, your document is saved as a cloud document and displayed in the Cloud documents section of the Home screen. If you're not connected to the Internet, your updates are saved locally on the device and get auto-synced as soon as you go online.

Make documents available offline

Go to Home screen > Your files > Cloud documents, tap  below your cloud document thumbnail, and choose Make available offline.

  • The   icon indicates that the document is available offline.
  • The   icon indicates that the document is available only online.

Export a document

To export and publish your Illustrator document in another format, tap    in the navigation bar. Do one of the following:

  • Tap Publish and export: 
    1. Choose the required file format: AI, PDF, SVG, PNG, PSD.
    2. Tap Export.
  • Tap   Quick export as PNG to quickly export the document as a PNG file. 
  • Tap  Start livestream to showcase your design workflows to inspire others.
Export a document
Export your Illustrator document

Related video

Watch this 4-minute video to learn what cloud documents are, and how they allow you to move freely between Illustrator on your desktop and iPad to work on the same document wherever convenient.

Create and edit on the go with Illustrator on the iPad and access and edit your Illustrator documents anywhere.

What's next?

We've got you started on how to work with documents in Illustrator on the iPad. Take a step forward and learn how to manage your app settings, workspace basics, and all about touch shortcuts and gestures on the iPad.

Got a question or an idea?

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