Scale, shear, and distort objects

Select one or more objects.

Select the Scale tool  .

Do any of the following:

• To scale relative to the object’s center point, drag anywhere in the document window until the object is the desired size.

• To scale relative to a different reference point , click where you want the reference point to be in the document window, move the pointer away from the reference point, and then drag until the object is the desired size.

• To maintain the object’s proportions as it scales, hold down Shift as you drag diagonally.

  Tip: While using the Scale tool with the Shift key, start dragging at an angle of 45° horizontally or vertically but in an angle.

• To scale the object along a single axis, hold down Shift as you drag vertically or horizontally.

Select one or more objects.

Select the Selection tool or the Free Transform tool  .

Drag a bounding box handle until the object is the desired size.

Objects scale relative to the opposite handle of the bounding box.

Do any of the following to control the scaling behavior:

• To maintain the object’s proportions, hold down Shift as you drag.

• To scale relative to the object’s center point, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you drag.

Select one or more objects.

In the Transform panel, enter a new value in the Width (W) or Height (H) box, or both.

You can do any of the following before you enter a value to control the scaling behavior:

• To maintain the objects’ proportions, click the lock proportions button .

• To change the reference point for scaling, click a white square on the reference point locator .

• To scale stroked paths and any size-related effects along with the object, select Scale Strokes & Effects from the panel menu.

Select one or more objects.

Do one of the following:

• To scale from the center, choose Object > Transform > Scale or double-click the Scale tool .

• To scale relative to a different reference point, select the Scale tool and Alt‑click (Windows) or Option‑click (Mac OS) where you want the reference point to be in the document window.

In the Scale dialog box, do one of the following:

• To maintain the object’s proportions as it scales, select Uniform, and enter a percentage in the Scale text box.

• To scale the height and width separately, select Non-Uniform, and enter a percentage in the Horizontal and Vertical text boxes.

  The scale factors are relative to the reference point and can be negative or positive.

To scale stroked paths and any size-related effects along with the object, select Scale Strokes & Effects.

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

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

Select the objects.

Choose Object > Transform > Transform Each.

Set percentages for horizontal and vertical scaling in the Scale section of the dialog box.

To change the reference point, click a white square on the reference point locator  .

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

Select one or more objects.

Select the Shear tool  .

Do one of the following:

• To shear relative to the object’s center, drag anywhere in the document window.

• To shear relative to a different reference point , click anywhere in the document window to move the reference point, move the pointer away from the reference point, and then drag until the object is at the desired slant.

• To shear along the object’s vertical axis, drag anywhere in the document window in an up or down direction. To constrain the object to its original width, hold down Shift.

• To shear along the object’s horizontal axis, drag anywhere in the document window in a left or right direction. To constrain the object to its original height, hold down Shift.

Select one or more objects.

Do one of the following:

• To shear from the center, choose Object > Transform > Shear or double-click the Shear tool .

• To shear from a different reference point, select the Shear tool and Alt‑click (Windows) or Option‑click (Mac OS) where you want the reference point to be in the document window.

In the Shear dialog box, enter a shear angle from ‑359 to 359. The shear angle is the amount of slant applied to the object in a clockwise direction and is relative to a line that’s perpendicular to the shear axis.

Select the axis along which to shear the object.

If you chose an angled axis, enter a value between –359 and 359, relative to the horizontal axis.

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.

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

Select one or more objects.

Select the Free Transform tool  .

Do one of the following:

• To shear along the object’s vertical axis, start dragging the middle-left or middle-right bounding-box handle, and then hold down Ctrl+Alt (Windows) or Option+Command (Mac OS) as you drag up or down. You can also hold down Shift to constrain the object to its original width.

• To shear along the object’s horizontal axis, start dragging the top-middle or bottom-middle bounding-box handle and then hold down Ctrl+Alt (Windows) or Option+Command (Mac OS) as you drag right or left. You can also hold down Shift to constrain the object to its original height.

Select one or more objects.

In the Transform panel, enter a value in the Shear text box.

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

Select one or more objects.

Select the Free Transform tool  .

Start dragging a corner handle on the bounding box (not a side handle), and then do one of the following:

• Hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) until the selection is at the desired level of distortion.

• Hold down Shift+Alt+Ctrl (Windows) or Shift+Option+Command (Mac OS) to distort in perspective.

   

Select a liquify tool, and click or drag over the objects you want to distort.

(Optional) To isolate the distortion to specific objects, select the objects before using the tool.

(Optional) To change the size of the tool cursor and set other tool options, double-click the liquify tool and specify any of the following:

Controls the size of the tool cursor.

Controls the orientation of the tool cursor.

Specifies the rate of change for the distortion. Higher values equal faster changes.

Uses the input from a tablet or pen instead of the Intensity value. If you don’t have a pressure-sensitive tablet attached, this option is dimmed.

Specifies how closely the results of the particular brush are spaced on the object’s outline. This is closely tied with the Detail value.

Specifies the spacing between points introduced into the object’s outline (higher values space points closer together).

Specifies how much you want to reduce the superfluous points that do not measurably affect the overall appearance of the shape.

Specifies the rate at which the twirl is applied. Enter a value between –180° and 180°. Negative values twirl the object clockwise and positive values twirl counterclockwise. The object twirls faster with values that are closer to either –180° or 180°. To twirl slowly, specify a rate close to 0°.

Specifies how far apart the control points are placed.

Enables the tool brush to make changes to these properties.