Moving objects. Adobe ILLUSTRATOR CS2

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To select the next object in the stacking order

You can select an object above or below a selected object in the stacking order.

❖

Do one of the following:

•

To select the nearest object above or below the selected object, choose Select > Next Object Above or Select > Next

Object Below.

•

To select the topmost or bottommost object that overlaps the selected object’s area and that is in a different layer, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) and choose First Object Above or Last Object Below from the context menu.

See also

“About the stacking order” on page 282

To select all objects by characteristic

You can select objects based on various groupings, including by formatting attribute, by layer, or by kind, such as brush strokes or clipping masks.

•

To select all objects in a file, choose Select > All. (To deselect all objects, choose Select > Deselect.)

Note:

Using any selection tool, you can also deselect all objects by clicking or dragging at least 2 pixels away from any object.

•

To select all objects with the same attributes, select one with the attribute you want, choose Select > Same, and then choose an attribute from the list (Blending Mode, Fill & Stroke, Fill Color, Opacity, Stroke Color, Stroke

Weight, Style, Symbol Instance, or Link Block Series).

You can also use the Magic Wand tool to select all objects with the same color, stroke weight, stroke color, opacity, or blending mode.

•

To select all objects of a certain kind, deselect all artwork, choose Select > Object, and then choose an object type

(All On Same Layers, Direction Handles, Brush Strokes, Clipping Masks, Stray Points, or Text Objects).

To save a selection

1

Select one or more objects, and choose Select > Save Selection.

2

In the Save Selection dialog box, type a name in the Name text box, and click OK.

You can reload a saved selection by choosing the selection name from the bottom of the Select menu. You can also delete or rename a selection by choosing Select > Edit Selection.

Moving objects

Moving objects

You can move objects by dragging them with specific tools, by using the arrow keys on the keyboard, or by entering precise values in a palette or dialog box.

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You can use

snapping

to help you position objects as you move them. For example, you can snap the pointer to guides and anchor points and snap object boundaries to gridlines. You can also use the Align palette to position objects in relation to each other.

You can then use the Shift key to constrain the movement of one or more objects so that they move in a precise horizontal, vertical, or diagonal direction relative to the current orientation of the

x

and

y

axes. You can also use the

Shift key to rotate objects in multiples of 45˚.

Hold down Shift while dragging or drawing to limit movement to the nearest 45˚ angle.

See also

“About the Align palette” on page 272

“To work with the grid” on page 42

To move or duplicate objects by pasting

1

Select one or more objects.

2

Choose Edit > Cut to move the selection or Edit > Copy to duplicate the selection.

3

To paste an object into another file, open the file.

4

Choose one of the following commands:

Edit > Paste

To paste the object into the center of the active window.

Edit > Paste In Front

To paste the object directly in front of the selected object.

Edit > Paste In Back

To paste the object directly in back of the selected object.

See also

“About the Clipboard” on page 286

“About the stacking order” on page 282

“About pasting objects between layers” on page 283

“To duplicate objects by dragging” on page 285

To move an object by dragging

1

Select one or more objects.

2

Drag the object to a new location.

If a selected object is filled, you can drag from anywhere on the object. If a selected object is unfilled, if you are viewing artwork as outlines, or if the Object Selection By Path Only preference is selected, you must drag from the object’s path.

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You can use the Snap To Point command in the View menu to have the cursor snap to an anchor point or guide when you drag an object within 2 pixels of the anchor point or guide.

See also

“To drag and drop artwork into a Photoshop document” on page 286

“To drag and drop artwork from Photoshop into Illustrator” on page 286

“To drag and drop artwork to the desktop (Mac OS only)” on page 286

To move an object by using the arrow keys

1

Select one or more objects.

2

Press the arrow key for the direction in which you want to move the object. Press Shift+arrow to move the object ten times the value specified by the Keyboard Increment preference.

The distance the object moves each time you press an arrow key is determined by the Keyboard Increment preference. The default distance is 1 point (1/72 of an inch, or .3528 millimeter). To change the Keyboard Increment preference, choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or Illustrator > Preferences > General (Mac OS).

To move objects by a specific distance with the Move command

1

Select one or more objects.

2

Choose Object > Transform > Move.

When an object is selected, you can also double-click the Selection, Direct Selection, or Group Selection tool to open the Move dialog box.

3

Do any of the following:

•

To move the object left or right, enter either a negative value (moves left) or a positive value (moves right) in the

Horizontal text box.

•

To move the object up or down, enter either a negative value (moves down) or positive value (moves up) in the

Vertical text box.

•

To move the object by an angle that’s relative to the object’s

x

axis, enter either a positive angle (counterclockwise movement) or a negative angle (clockwise movement) in the Distance or Angle text box. You can also enter values between 180˚ and 360˚; these values are converted to their corresponding negative values (for example, a value of

270˚ is converted to –90˚).

4

If the objects contain a pattern fill, select Patterns to move the pattern. Deselect Objects if you want to move the pattern but not the objects.

5

Click OK, or click Copy to move a copy of the objects.

90

180

135

–135

45

0

–45

–90

Directions relative to the x axis

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To move objects using x and y coordinates

1

Select one or more objects.

2

In the Transform palette or Control palette, enter new values in either the X or Y text box, or both.

To change the reference point, click a white square on the reference point locator before you enter the values.

See also

“About the Transform palette” on page 291

To move multiple objects with the Transform Each command

1

Select one or more objects.

2

Choose Object > Transform > Transform Each.

3

Set the distance you want to move the selected objects in the Move section of the dialog box.

4

Do one of the following:

•

To move the objects by the specified amounts, click OK.

•

To move the objects randomly, but no more than the specified amounts, select the Random option. For example, if you draw a brick wall and want the bricks to appear slightly offset from each other instead of perfectly aligned, you could select the Random option. Then click OK.

See also

“To rotate multiple objects individually” on page 275

“To scale multiple objects with the Transform Each command” on page 295

Aligning and distributing objects

About the Align palette

You use the Align palette to align or distribute selected objects along the axis you specify. You can use either the object edges or anchor points as the reference point. To display the Align palette, choose Window > Align.

By default, only the most commonly used options are visible in the Align palette. To show all options, choose Show

Options from the palette menu. Alternatively, click the double triangle on the palette’s tab to cycle through the display sizes.

See also

“To work with palettes” on page 31

To align or distribute objects

1

Select the objects to align or distribute.

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2

In the Align palette, do any of the following:

•

To align or distribute relative to the bounding box of all selected objects, click the button for the type of alignment or distribution you want.

•

To align or distribute relative to a specific object, click that object. Then click the button for the type of alignment or distribution you want.

•

To stop aligning and distributing relative to an object, choose Cancel Key Object from the Align palette menu.

•

To align relative to the artboard, select Align To Artboard from the palette menu. Then click the button for the type of alignment you want.

By default, Illustrator calculates alignment and distribution based on the objects’ paths. However, when working with objects that have different stroke weights, you can use the edge of the stroke to calculate alignment and distri­ bution instead. To do this, select Use Preview Bounds from the Align palette menu.

See also

“About the Align palette” on page 272

To distribute objects by specific amounts

You can distribute objects using exact distances between their paths.

1

Select the objects to distribute.

2

In the Align palette, enter the amount of space to appear between objects in the Distribute Spacing text box.

If the Distribute Spacing options aren’t showing, select Show Options from the palette menu.

3

Select the Selection tool , and then click the path of the object to which you want the other objects to distribute.

The object you click will remain fixed in its position.

4

Click either the Vertical Distribute Space button or the Horizontal Distribute Space button.

See also

“About the Align palette” on page 272

Rotating objects

Rotating objects

Rotating an object turns it around a fixed point that you designate. The default reference point is the object’s center point. If you have multiple objects in a selection, the objects will rotate around a single reference point, which is the center point of the selection or bounding box by default. To rotate each object around its own center point, use the

Transform Each command.

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Results of Rotate tool (left) compared to Transform Each command (right)

To rotate objects using the bounding box

1

Select one or more objects.

2

With the Selection tool , move the pointer outside the bounding box and near a bounding box handle so that the pointer changes to , and then drag.

See also

“To use the bounding box” on page 292

To rotate objects with the Free Transform tool

1

Select one or more objects.

2

Select the Free Transform tool .

3

Position the pointer anywhere outside the bounding box so that the pointer changes to , and then drag.

To rotate objects with the Rotate tool

1

Select one or more objects.

2

Select the Rotate tool .

3

Do any of the following:

•

To rotate the object around its center point, drag in a circular motion anywhere in the document window.

•

To rotate the object around a different reference point, click once anywhere in the document window to reposition the reference point. Then move the pointer away from the reference point and drag in a circular motion.

•

To rotate a copy of the object instead of the object itself, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) after you start to drag.

For finer control, drag farther from the object’s reference point.

To rotate objects by a specific angle

You can control the exact angle of rotation with the Rotate command.

1

Select one or more objects.

2

Do one of the following:

•

To rotate around the center point, choose Object > Transform > Rotate, or double-click the Rotate tool.

•

To rotate around a different reference point, select the Rotate tool. Then Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click

(Mac OS) where you want the reference point to be in the document window.

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3

Enter the rotation angle in the Angle text box. Enter a negative angle to rotate the object clockwise; enter a positive angle to rotate the object counterclockwise.

4

If the objects contain a pattern fill, select Patterns to rotate the pattern. Deselect Objects if you want to rotate the pattern but not the objects.

5

Click OK, or click Copy to scale a copy of the objects.

To place multiple copies of the object in a circular pattern around a reference point, move the reference point away from the center of the object, click Copy, and then repeatedly choose Object > Transform > Transform Again.

To rotate objects with the Transform palette

1

Select one or more objects.

2

Do one of the following:

•

To rotate the object around its center point, enter a value for the Angle option in the palette.

•

To rotate the object around a different reference point, click a white square on the reference point locator in the palette, and enter a value for the Angle option.

You can also call up the Transform palette by clicking X, Y, W, or H in the Control palette.

See also

“About the Transform palette” on page 291

To rotate multiple objects individually

1

Select the objects to rotate.

2

Choose Object > Transform > Transform Each.

3

Do either of the following in the Rotate section of the dialog box:

•

Click on the angle icon or drag the angle line around the icon.

•

In the Angle text box, enter an angle between –360˚ and 360˚.

4

Click OK, or click Copy to rotate a copy of each object.

See also

“To move multiple objects with the Transform Each command” on page 272

“To scale multiple objects with the Transform Each command” on page 295

To rotate the x and y axes of a document

By default, the

x

and

y

axes are parallel to the horizontal and vertical sides of the document window.

1

Choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or Illustrator > Preferences > General (Mac OS).

2

Specify an angle in the Constrain Angle text box. A positive angle rotates the axes counterclockwise; a negative angle rotates the axes clockwise.

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Rotating the axes is useful if your artwork consists of elements that are rotated to the same angle, such as a logo and text displayed on a 20˚ angle. Instead of rotating each element you add to the logo, you can simply rotate the axes by

20˚. Everything you draw is created along the new axes.

y y y x

20 x

Object aligned with default axes (left) compared to alignment with axes rotated 20˚ (right)

The following objects and actions are

not

affected by the new axes:

•

Objects that already exist

•

Rotating and blending

•

Drawing with the Pencil or Auto Trace tool

Reflecting objects

Reflecting objects

Reflecting an object flips the object across an invisible axis that you specify. You can reflect objects using the Free

Transform tool, the Reflect tool, or the Reflect command.

To create a mirror image of an object, you can copy while reflecting.

To reflect an object with the Free Transform tool

1

Select the object to reflect.

2

Select the Free Transform tool.

3

Do one of the following:

•

Drag a handle of the bounding box past the opposite edge or handle until the object is at the desired level of reflection.

•

To maintain the object’s proportions, hold down Shift while dragging a corner handle past the opposite handle.

To reflect an object with the Reflect tool

1

Select the object.

2

Select the Reflect tool .

3

To draw the invisible axis across which you want the object to reflect, click anywhere in the document window to set one point of the axis. The pointer changes to an arrowhead.

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4

Position the pointer at another point to define the invisible axis, and do one of the following:

•

Click to set the second point of the invisible axis. When you click, the selected object flips over the defined axis.

Click to set one point of the axis (left), then click again to set the other axis point and reflect the object across the axis (right).

•

To reflect a copy of the object, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and click to set the second point of the invisible axis.

•

Adjust the axis of reflection by dragging instead of clicking. Shift-drag to constrain the angle by 45˚. As you drag, the invisible axis of reflection rotates around the point you clicked in step 3 and an outline of the object appears reflected. When the outline is in the desired position, release the mouse button.

Dragging the second point of the reflect axis to rotate the axis

For finer control, drag farther from the object’s reference point.

To reflect by specifying an axis

1

Select the object to reflect.

•

To reflect the object around the object’s center point, choose Object > Transform > Reflect or double-click the

Reflect tool.

•

To reflect the object around a different reference point, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) anywhere in the document window.

2

In the Reflect dialog box, select the axis across which you want the object to be reflected. You can reflect an object across a horizontal, a vertical, or an angled axis.

3

If the object contains patterns and you want to reflect the patterns, select Patterns. (To reflect only the patterns, deselect Objects.)

4

To preview the effect before you apply it, select Preview.

5

Do one of the following:

•

To reflect the object, click OK.

•

To reflect a copy of the object, click Copy.

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Using layers

About layers

When creating complex artwork, it’s a challenge to keep track of all the items in your document window. Small items get hidden under larger items, and selecting artwork becomes difficult. Layers provide a way to manage all the items that make up your artwork. Think of layers as clear folders that contain artwork. If you reshuffle the folders, you change the stacking order of the items in your artwork. You can move items between folders and create subfolders within folders.

The structure of layers in your document can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. By default, all items are organized in a single, parent layer. However, you can create new layers and move items into them, or move elements from one layer to another at any time. The Layers palette provides an easy way to select, hide, lock, and change the appearance attributes of artwork. You can even create template layers, which you can use to trace artwork, and exchange layers with Photoshop.

About the Layers palette

You use the Layers palette to list, organize, and edit the objects in a document. By default, every new document contains one layer, and each object you create is listed under that layer. However, you can create new layers and rearrange items to best suit your needs. To display the Layers palette, choose Window > Layers.

By default, Illustrator assigns a unique color to each layer in the Layers palette. The color displays in the layer’s selection column when one or more objects within the layer are selected and also displays in the selected object’s selection column. In addition, the same color displays in the document window in the bounding box, path, anchor points, and center point of the selected object. You can use this color to quickly locate an object’s corresponding layer in the Layers palette and you can change this layer color to suit your needs.

When an item in the Layers palette contains other items, a triangle appears to the left of the item’s name. Click the triangle to show or hide the contents. If no triangle appears, the item contains no additional items.

A B C D

Layers palette

A.

Visibility column

B.

Edit column

C.

Target column

D.

Selection column

The Layers palette provides columns to the left and right of the listings. Click in a column to control the following characteristics:

Visibility column

Controls whether items are visible or hidden. The eye icon indicates that the item is visible; a blank space indicates that the item is hidden.

Edit column

Controls whether items are locked or unlocked. The lock icon indicates that the item is locked and cannot be edited; a blank space indicates that the item is unlocked and can be edited.

Target column

Target items in order to apply effects and edit attributes in the Appearance palette. The double ring icon (either or ) indicates that the item is targeted; a single ring icon indicates that the item is not targeted.

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Selection column

Selects items in order to edit them. A selection color box indicates that the item is selected. If an item, such as a layer or group, contains some objects that are selected and other objects that are unselected, a smaller selection color box appears next to the parent item. If all of the objects within the parent item are selected, the selection color box is the same size as the marks that appear next to selected objects.

You can use the Layers palette to display some items as outlines and other items as they will appear in the final artwork. You also can dim linked images and bitmap objects to make it easier to edit artwork on top of the image.

This is especially useful when tracing a bitmap image.

A B C

Display options for layered artwork

A.

Object displayed in Outline view

B.

Bitmap object dimmed to 50%

C.

Selected object displayed in Preview view

See also

“Layer options” on page 280

“To work with palettes” on page 31

“To view artwork as outlines” on page 40

To change the display of the Layers palette

1

Choose Palette Options from the Layers palette menu.

2

Select Show Layers Only to hide paths, groups, and collective elements in the Layers palette.

3

For Row Size, select an option to specify the height of rows. (To specify a custom size, enter a value between 12 and 100.)

4

For Thumbnails, select a combination of layers, groups, and objects for which to display thumbnail previews.

Note:

Displaying thumbnails in the Layers palette may result in slow performance when you are working with complex files. Turn off layer thumbnails to improve performance.

See also

“About the Layers palette” on page 278

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To create a new layer

1

In the Layers palette, click the name of the layer above which (or in which) you want to add the new layer.

The layer listing is highlighted and the current-listing indicator appears at the far right in the Layers palette.

2

Do one of the following:

•

To add a new layer above the selected layer, click the Create New Layer button in the Layers palette.

•

To create a new sublayer inside the selected layer, click the Create New Sublayer button in the Layers palette.

To set options when you create a new layer, choose New Layer or New Sublayer from the Layers palette menu.

See also

“About the Layers palette” on page 278

“Layer options” on page 280

Layer options

You can set options for any item in the Layers palette by double-clicking the item name or clicking the item name and choosing Options For “<item name>” from the Layers palette menu. You can also set options when you create a new layer by choosing New Layer or New Sublayer from the Layers palette menu.

Name

Specifies the name of the item as it appears in the Layers palette.

Color

(Layers only) Specifies the layer’s color setting. You can either choose a color from the menu or double-click the color swatch to select a color.

Template

(Layers only) Makes the layer a template layer.

Lock

Prevents changes to the item.

Show

Displays all artwork contained in the layer on the artboard.

Print

(Layers only) Makes the artwork contained in the layer printable.

Preview

(Layers only) Displays the artwork contained in the layer in color instead of as outlines.

Dim Images

(Layers only) Reduces the intensity of linked images and bitmap images contained in the layer to the specified percentage.

See also

“About the Layers palette” on page 278

To move an object to a different layer

1

Select the object.

2

Do one of the following:

•

Click the name of the desired layer in the Layers palette. Then choose Object > Arrange > Send To Current Layer.

•

Drag the selected-art indicator located at the right of the layer in the Layers palette to the layer you want.

You can move objects or layers into a new layer by selecting them and choosing Collect In New Layer from the Layers palette menu. Hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) to select nonadjacent items; hold down Shift to select adjacent items.

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See also

“About the Layers palette” on page 278

To release items to separate layers

The Release To Layers command redistributes all of the items in a layer into individual layers and can build new objects in each layer based on the object’s stacking order. You can use this feature to prepare files for web animation work.

1

In the Layers palette, click the name of a layer or group.

2

Do one of the following:

•

To release each item to a new layer, choose Release To Layers (Sequence) from the Layers palette menu.

•

To release items into layers and duplicate objects to create a cumulative sequence, choose Release To Layers (Build) from the Layers palette menu. The bottommost object appears in each of the new layers, and the topmost object only appears in the topmost layer. For example, assume Layer 1 contains a circle (bottommost object), a square, and a triangle (topmost object). This command creates three layers—one with a circle, square, and triangle; one with a circle and square; and one with just a circle. This is useful for creating cumulative animation sequences.

Release To Layers (Build) command creates new layers.

See also

“About the Layers palette” on page 278

To consolidate layers and groups

Merging and flattening layers are similar in that they both let you consolidate objects, groups, and sublayers into a single layer or group. With merging, you can select which items you want to consolidate; with flattening, all visible items in the artwork are consolidated in a single layer. With either option, the stacking order of the artwork remains the same, but other layer-level attributes, such as clipping masks, aren’t preserved.

•

To merge items into a single layer or group, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) and click the names of the layers or groups that you want to merge. Alternatively, hold down Shift to select all listings in between the layer or group names you click. Then select Merge Selected from the Layers palette menu. Note that items will be merged into the layer or group that you selected last.

Layers can only merge with other layers that are on the same hierarchical level in the Layers palette. Likewise, sublayers can only merge with other sublayers that are within the same layer and at the same hierarchical level.

Objects can’t be merged with other objects.