illustrator help _ scaling, shearing, and distorting objects

7/23/2019 Illustrator Help _ Scaling, Shearing, And Distorting Objects

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10/6/2015 Illustrator Help | Scaling, shearing, and distorting objects

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Illustrator Help/ Scaling, shearing, and distorting objects

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Scale objects

Shear objects

Distort objects

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Scale objects

Scaling an object enlarges or reduces it horizontally (along the x axis), vertically (along the y axis), or

both. Objects scale relative to a reference point which varies depending on the scaling method you

choose. You can change the default reference point for most scaling methods, and you can also lock the

proportions of an object.

After you scale an object, Illustrator does not retain the original size of the object in memory. Therefore,

ou cannot resume the original size of the object. However, you can see the resolution of the object in the

Document Info panel and decide on the scale at which you want to resize the object, while retaining the

objects resolution.

By default, strokes and effects are not scaled along with objects. To scale strokes and effects, choose

Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or Illustrator > Preferences > General (Mac OS), and select Scale

Strokes & Effects. If you want to choose whether to scale strokes and effects on a case-by-case basis, use

the Transform panel or the Scale command to scale objects.

The Scale Strokes & Effects option scales the object, the drop shadow effect, and the stroke (left); only the

object scales when this option is off (right).

Scale objects with the Scale tool

1. Select one or more objects.

2. Select the Scale tool .

3. Do any of the following:

To scale relative to the objects 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 objects 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.
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For ner contro over sca ng, start ragg ng art er rom t e re erence po nt.

Scale objects with the bounding box


2. Select the Selection tool or the Free Transform tool .

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

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

4. Do any of the following to control the scaling behavior:

To maintain the objects proportions, hold down Shift as you drag.

To scale relative to the objects center point, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as

you drag.

Scale objects to a specific width and height


2. 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.

You can also maintain proportions by entering a value in the W or H box, and then pressing Ctrl

(Windows) or Command (Mac OS) while you press Enter.

Scale objects by a specific percentage


2. 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 Altclick (Windows) or

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

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

To maintain the objects 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.

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

Effects.


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5. 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.

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

Scale multiple objects

1. Select the objects.

2. Choose Object > Transform > Transform Each.

You cannot enter a specific width for scaling multiple objects. In Illustrator, you can only scale

objects in percentage measurements.

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

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

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

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Shear objects

Shearing an object slants, or skews, the object along the horizontal or vertical axis, or a specified angle

thats relative to a specified axis. Objects shear relative to a reference point which varies depending on

the shearing method you choose and can be changed for most shearing methods. You can lock onedimension of an object as you shear it, and you can shear one object or multiple objects simultaneously.

Shearing is useful for creating cast shadows.

Shearing relative to the center (left) compared to shearing relative to a user-defined reference point (right)

Shear objects with the Shear tool


2. Select the Shear tool .


To shear relative to the objects 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 untilthe object is at the desired slant.

To shear along the objects 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.


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o s ear a ong e o ec s or zon a ax s, rag anyw ere n e ocumen w n ow n a e or

right direction. To constrain the object to its original height, hold down Shift.

Shear objects with the Shear command



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 Altclick (Windows) or

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

3. 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 thats perpendicular to

the shear axis.

4. 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.

5. 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.

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

Shear objects with the Free Transform tool


2. Select the Free Transform tool .


To shear along the objects 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 objects 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 originalheight.

Shear objects with the Transform panel


2. 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.

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

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Width and Height

Angle

Intensity

Use Pressure Pen

stort o ects

You can distort objects by using the Free Transform tool or a liquify tool. Use the Free Transform tool

when you want to distort freely; use a liquify tool if you want to take advantage of specific preset

distortions such as twirls, puckers, or wrinkles.

Distort objects with the Free Transform tool


2. Select the Free Transform tool .

3. 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.

Distorting in perspective

Distorting in perspective

Distort objects using a liquify tool

You cannot use liquify tools on linked files or objects that contain text, graphs, or symbols.

To find liquify tools in the Tools panel, seeTools panel overviewand Reshaping tool gallery.

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

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

3. (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 dont

have a ressure-sensitive tablet attached this o tion is dimmed.
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Complexity (Scallop, Crystallize, and Wrinkle tools)

Detail

Simplify (Warp, Twirl, Pucker, and Bloat tools)

Twirl Rate (Twirl tool only)

Horizontal and Vertical (Wrinkle tool only)

Brush Affects Anchor Points, Brush Affects In Tangent Handles, or Brush Affects Out Tangent

Handles (Scallop, Crystallize, Wrinkle tools)

.

Specifies how closely the results of theparticular brush are spaced on the objects outline. This is closely tied with the Detail value.

Specifies the spacing between points introduced into the objects outline (higher values

space points closer together).

Specifies how much you want to reduce thesuperfluous 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.

Adobe also recommendsTransform panel overview

Move objects

Rotate objects

Reflect or flip objects

Reshaping tool gallery

Transform using the bounding box

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illustrator help _ scaling, shearing, and distorting objects

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