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Illustrator

Illustrator

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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
        11. Dimension
    4. Generative AI (not available in mainland China)
      1. Generate scenes, subjects, and icons using text prompts
      2. Generate vector patterns using text prompts
      3. Generate vector shape fills using text prompts
      4. Recolor your artwork using text prompts
    5. Quick actions
      1. Retro text
      2. Neon glow text
      3. Old school text
      4. Recolor
      5. Convert sketch to vector
  3. Illustrator on the web (beta)
    1. Illustrator on the web (beta) overview
    2. Illustrator on the web (beta) FAQ
    3. Troubleshooting issues FAQ
    4. Keyboard shortcuts for Illustrator on the web (beta)
    5. Create and combine shapes on the web
    6. Add and edit text on the web
    7. Apply colors and gradients on the web
    8. Draw and edit paths on the web
    9. Work with cloud documents on the web
    10. Invite collaborators to edit on the web
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. Add and edit content
    1. Drawing and dimensioning
      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. Draw rectangular and polar grids
      7. Draw and edit flares
      8. Image Trace
      9. Simplify a path
      10. Symbolism tools and symbol sets
      11. Adjust path segments
      12. Design a flower in 5 easy steps
      13. Create and edit a perspective grid
      14. Draw and modify objects on a perspective grid
      15. Use objects as symbols for repeat use
      16. Draw pixel-aligned paths for web workflows
      17. Measure and plot dimensions
    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. Snap objects to glyph
      6. Snap objects to Japanese glyph
      7. Stack objects    
      8. Lock, hide, and delete objects
      9. Copy and duplicate objects
      10. Rotate and reflect objects
      11. Intertwine objects
      12. Create realistic art mockups
    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. Convert text within images into editable text
      6. Add basic formatting to text
      7. Add advanced formatting to text
      8. Import and export text
      9. Format paragraphs
      10. Special characters
      11. Create type on a path
      12. Character and paragraph styles
      13. Tabs
      14. Find missing fonts (Typekit workflow)
      15. Arabic and Hebrew type
      16. Fonts | FAQ and troubleshooting tips
      17. Create 3D text effect
      18. Creative typography designs
      19. Scale and rotate type
      20. Line and character spacing
      21. Hyphenation and line breaks
      22. Spelling and language dictionaries
      23. Format Asian characters
      24. Composers for Asian scripts
      25. Create text designs with blend objects
      26. 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
  7. 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 and export
      1. Save artwork
      2. Export artwork
      3. Create Adobe PDF files
      4. Adobe PDF options
      5. Use Illustrator artwork in Photoshop
      6. Collect assets and export in batches
      7. Package files
      8. Extract CSS | Illustrator CC
      9. Document info panel
  8. 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
  9. Automate tasks
    1. Data merge using the Variables panel
    2. Automation with scripts
    3. Automation with actions
  10. Troubleshooting 
    1. Fixed issues
    2. Known issues
    3. Crash issues
    4. Recover files after crash
    5. File issues
    6. Supported file formats
    7. GPU device driver issues
    8. Wacom device issues
    9. DLL file issues
    10. Memory issues
    11. Preferences file issues
    12. Font issues
    13. Printer issues
    14. Share crash report with Adobe
    15. Improve Illustrator performance

Learn how to copy, move, reorder, rearrange artboards, and set artboard view in Illustrator.

Adobe Illustrator deeplink

Try it in the app
Use the Artboard tool to manage artboards in a few simple steps.

Open Illustrator

Once you create artboards and modify them to match your design requirement, you'd want to manage your artboards. If your artboards contain numerous designs and layers, organizing your artboards help you put your ideas and designs in order.

You can cut, copy, and paste or move your artboards conveniently within your document or across documents. Illustrator provides multiple ways to rearrange or reorder your artboards. Also, you can learn more about the additional artboard options and modify the view of your artboard.

Read on to learn how you can manage your artboards.

Cut, copy, and move artboards

rearrange

Rearrange and reorder artboards

Artboard with video rulers

Set display settings

Resize artboard

Set the artboard view

Before you proceed

  • Before you learn how to manage artboards, be familiar with how to create and edit artboards in Illustrator.
  • Keep your Illustrator panels handy before managing your artboards. To activate the Artboards, Properties, or Control panel, choose any options.

Windows > Artboards

Artboards panel
Artboards panel

Windows > Properties

Properties panel
Properties panel

Windows > Controls

Control panel
Control panel

Cut, copy, and move artboards

You can cut, copy, and paste artboards within the document or across Illustrator documents to easily replicate your designs. Similarly, you can also move your artboards to place them anywhere within the same or another document.

Cut, copy, and paste artboards

Cut, copy, and paste artboards

  1. Click the Artboard tool   .

  2. Select one or multiple artboards.

  3. Press Ctrl + X to cut or Ctrl + C to copy and Ctrl + V to paste the artboard into the same document or another document.

Move artboards

add an artboard
Move artboards

To move the selected artboards, do any of the following:

  • Drag the artboard and place them in the same document or another document.
  • To move the selected artboards within the same document with precision, specify the X and Y values in the Properties panel or the Control panel.
  • To move or copy the artboard without the content, deselect Move artwork with Artboard in the Properties panel.

Reorder and rearrange artboards

When you export or print an Illustrator document, you can change the artboard order without moving them around in the workspace. However, to organize artboards in the workspace, you'd want to rearrange artboards. You can rearrange your artboards to any number of columns or rows based on your layout. Rearranging artboards let you organize your idea and export your artboard sequentially.

 

Reorder artboards

To reorder artboards, do the following:

  1. Click the Artboard tool  .

  2. In the Artboards panel, click the up and down arrows.

Artboards panel

A. Rearrange artboards B. Move artboard one level up C. Move artboard one level down 

Rearrange artboards

rearrange-all-artboards
Rearrange all artboards

To rearrange artboards, do the following:

  1. Click the Artboard tool   .

  2. In the Artboards panel, click    to open the Rearrange All Artboards dialog box.

  3. Select any of the layout options shown in the Rearrange All Artboards table.

  4. Choose the number of Columns or Rows based on the layout.

  5. Specify horizontal or vertical Spacing between artboards.

Refer the table to rearrange all artboards:

Option

Description

Grid by Row  

Arranges multiple artboards in the specified number of columns. 

Grid by Column  

Arranges multiple artboards in the specified number of rows. 

Arrange by Row  

Arranges all the artboards in a single row.

Arrange by Column  

Arranges all the artboards in a single column.

Layout order    

Arranges the artboards from left to right or right to left.

Align and distribute artboards

rearrange-all-artboards
Align panel

Follow these steps to align and distribute artboards along the selected axis:

  1. Click the Artboard tool   or press Shift + O. 

  2. Select one or more artboards that you want to align or distribute.

  3. Choose Window > Align to open the Align panel.

  4. In the Align panel, select any of the options to align your artboards. 

Display settings in the Artboard Options

You know how to use the Artboard Options dialog to set the preset, dimension, position, orientation, and name of the artboard. Within Artboard options, you can also modify the display and global settings of the artboard.

Follow the steps below to change the display settings of your artboard:

  1. Click the Artboard tool   and double-click your artboard.

  2. In the Artboard Options dialog, select or deselect the checkbox to modify the Display settings of your artboard.

Artboard Options dialog
Artboard Options dialog

Option

Description

Show Center Mark

Displays a point at the center of the artboard to help you position objects.

Show Cross Hairs

Displays cross lines from each side of the artboard that pass through the center.

Show Video Safe Areas

Displays guides to identify the viewable area in a video. 

Video Ruler Pixel Aspect Ratio

Specifies the pixel aspect ratio used for video rulers.

Fade region outside Artboard

Displays the area outside the artboard in a darker shade when the Artboard tool is active.

Update while dragging

Keeps the drag area inside the artboard lighter as you drag the artboard to increase its size or move it.

Video display options

Most artboard presets that Illustrator provides have square pixels, that is, the Video Ruler Pixel Aspect Ratio (VPAR) is 1.0. If you specify a VPAR that is not 1.0 (nonsquare pixels) in the Artboards Options dialog, the video rulers auto-adjust the pixels.

Video rulers, center mark, cross hairs, and video safe areas properties help you in creating videos. 

To view video rulers on an artboard, do the following:

  1. Click the artboard using any tool.

  2. Choose View > Rulers > Show Video Rulers.

     The numbers on the rulers represent the dimension of the artboard in pixels.

Artboard with video rulers
Artboard with video rulers

Set the artboard view

When working on multiple artboards, you can activate the artboard where you'd want to create your artwork. You can hide the boundaries of your artboard, fit the artboard on the canvas to work on your artwork precisely. Before printing your artwork, you also can check the printable and non-printable areas of your artboard. 

Activate an artboard using any tool

Select artboards

  • Click an artboard using tools from the tool panel to activate an artboard.

Hide artboard boundaries

Duplicate artboards

  • Choose View > Hide Artboards. 

Zoom and fit artboard

Select artboards
Zoom-in artboards

To fit and center an artboard on the canvas, do the following:

  1. Click the drop-down list in the status bar at the bottom of the app window. 
  2.  Select the artboard number.

View print page boundary

Print tiling
Print tiling

To view the printable and nonprintable areas of the selected artboard, do the following: 

  1. Select the artboard and choose View > Show Print Tiling.

Tips and tricks

  • To reuse the same artboard-layer organization when copying artboards, click More options in the Layers panel and select Paste Remember Layer.
  • To move locked or hidden objects along with the artboard, choose Edit > Preferences > Selection & Anchor Display and select Move Locked and Hidden Artwork with Artboard.
  • When you copy artboards, the artboard's name remains the same in the copied version. You can differentiate the artboards based on their order numbers.
  • An artboard within an artboard is treated as a crop area and is moved along with the containing artboard when rearranged.
  • To see keyboard shortcuts for zoom, cut, copy, and paste, see keyboard shortcuts for Illustrator desktop.

What's next?

We've got you started on how to copy, move, reorder, rearrange artboards, and set artboard view in Illustrator.
Take a step forward and learn how to save artwork, export artwork, and set up documents for printing.

Have a question or an idea?

Ask the Community

If you have a question to ask or an idea to share, come and participate in Adobe Illustrator Community. We would love to hear from you and see your creations.

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