How to edit

elements in
Illustrator
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instructions and develop your skills.

ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR REQUIRED

 Contents

1 Elements overview 3 Transform elements • Using the Color Picker

• About Adobe Illustrator • How to select elements • Using the Color panel

• About an .ai file format • How to move elements • Using the Recolor Ar twork panel

• Elements preview • How to rotate elements • Using the Global Color swatches

2 Open an .ai file format • How to transform elements • More ways to adjust the color

• Unzip product files • How to edit paths 5 Alternative software

• Open an .ai file in Illustrator 4 How to adjust the color 6 Customer suppor t
1 Elements overview

About Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator is an industry-standard vector design application that suppor ts a wide variety of file formats. Vector
patterns created in Adobe Illustrator are resolution-independent — they maintain crisp edges when resized. You can
edit a pattern’s outline (called a path) and attributes, such as stroke, fill color, opacity, and style. You can easily
change the shape of a path by editing its anchor points. Vector file formats suppor ted for opening are .ai, .eps, .svg

What is an .ai file?

.ai file extension represents Adobe Illustrator file. This graphics file format is vector-based, meaning graphics
content never loses its quality if enlarged. Ai file format also preserves individual elements, layers, and paths, so it
is easy to edit and recolor. Apar t from Adobe Illustrator .ai files are also suppor ted in many other vector editing
software like Affinity Designer, CorelDraw, Vectornator Pro, Inkscape, and other vector-based graphics applications.
Shapes preview AI
2 How to open an .ai file

ZIP

How to unzip product files

PC: To extract a single file or folder, double-click the compressed folder to open it. Then, drag the file or
folder from the compressed folder to a new location. To extract the entire contents of the
compressed folder, right-click the folder, click Extract All, and then follow the instructions.

Mac: Double-click the .zip file, then search for the product folder.
The file will automatically be decompressed into the same folder the compressed file is in.

iPad: After downloading files on your iPad, you will be able to locate the product archive in your Files app
(its icon is white with a blue folder) in the Downloads location. To unpack the archive – tap on the
.zip file. Once the files have unzipped, you will be able to access them from your iPad's Files app.
How to open an .ai file with Adobe Illustrator
To open an .ai file you will need Adobe Illustrator version CS5 or later. You can impor t .ai files into
Adobe Illustrator using the Open command, the Place command, and the drag-and-drop feature.

To open the file from the File menu (at the top left of Adobe Illustrator window), click Open… or use
the shor tcut (Cmd/Ctrl + O). Choose the location where the •AI product folder is saved. Locate and
double-click a file to open it.

To place the file on the canvas, use File > Place… command. Navigate to the •AI folder and select
the file you want to place inside the existing document. The Place option is the best way to open
raster PNG or JPG images in Illustrator, although it is not limited by a bitmap and allows you to
place AI and EPS vector files as well.

To open the file via Finder (MacOS) or Explorer (Windows) open the •AI product folder and drag the
file to an off-page area of your Adobe Illustrator workspace.

You can also right-click the file in the •AI product folder and choose Open With > Adobe Illustrator.
3 How to transform elements
Transforming encompasses moving, rotating, reflecting, scaling, and shearing objects. You can
transform objects using the Transform panel, Object > Transform commands, and specialized tools.
You can also perform many types of transformations by dragging the bounding box for a selection.

How to select elements

To organize and lay out your ar twork, you use tools for selecting and positioning objects precisely.

Before you can modify an object, you need to distinguish it from the objects around it. You do that
by selecting the object. Once you’ve selected an object, or a par t of an object, you can edit it.

Adobe Illustrator provides a variety of selection methods and tools. Here are few of them:

Selection tool – lets you select objects and groups by clicking or dragging over them. You can also
select groups within groups and objects within groups.

Direct Selection tool – lets you select individual anchor points or path segments by clicking on
them, or select an entire path or group by selecting any other spot on the item. You can also select
one or more objects in a group of objects.

Group Selection tool – lets you select an object within a group, a single group within multiple
groups, or a set of groups within the ar twork. Each additional click adds all objects from the next
group in the hierarchy.

Magic Wand tool – lets you select objects of the same color, stroke weight, stroke color, opacity, or
blending mode by clicking the object.

Layers panel – lets you quickly and precisely select individual or multiple objects. You can select a
single object (even if it’s in a group), all objects within a layer, and entire groups.

Isolation mode – lets you quickly isolate a layer, sublayer, path, or group of objects, from all other
ar t in your document. When in isolation mode, all nonisolated objects in the document appear
dimmed and are not selectable or editable.
 How to move elements
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 panel or dialog box.

Move or duplicate an object 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 – pastes the object into the center of the active window.
• Edit > Paste In Front – pastes the object directly in front of the selected object.
• Edit > Paste In Back – pastes the object directly in back of the selected object.
• Edit > Paste in Place – pastes ar twork on the active ar tboard at the same position as the ar tboard
from where the ar twork is copied.

Move or duplicate an object by dragging:

1 Select one or more objects.

2 Drag the object to a new location.

• Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you drag to create a duplicate of an object.
• You can also use the Shift key to constrain the movement of one or more objects so that they move
in a precise horizontal, ver tical, or diagonal direction.

Move an object using the arrow keys:

• Select one or more objects.

• 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.

Move an object using X and Y coordinates:

• Select one or more objects.

• In the Transform panel or Control panel, enter new values in either the X or Y text box, or both.
 How to rotate elements
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.

Rotate an object 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 Rotate arrow icon, and then drag.
• You can also use the Shift key to rotate objects in multiples of 45°.

Rotate an object 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 Rotate arrow
icon, and then drag.

Rotate an object 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.
• 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 star t to drag.

Rotate an object by a specific angle:

1 Select one or more objects.

2 Do one of the following:
• 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.
• To rotate around the center point, choose Object > Transform > Rotate, or double-click the Rotate
tool.
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 Transform Patterns to rotate the pattern. Deselect
Transform Objects if you want to rotate the pattern but not the objects.
5 Click OK, or click Copy to rotate a copy of the objects.

Original object Object rotated 90°

 How to transform elements
Transform objects using the Transform panel:

The Transform panel (Window > Transform) displays information about the location, size, and
orientation of one or more selected objects. By typing new values, you can modify the selected
objects, their pattern fills, or both. You can also change the transformation reference point and lock
the object’s propor tions.

Transform objects using the bounding box:

When you select one or more objects with the Selection tool, a bounding box displays around them.
Use the bounding box to easily move, rotate, duplicate, and scale objects by dragging the object or a
handle (one of the hollow squares along the bounding box).
• To hide the bounding box, choose View > Hide Bounding Box.
• To show the bounding box, choose View > Show Bounding Box.
• To reorient the bounding box after you rotate it, choose Object > Transform > Reset Bounding Box.

1 Select one or more objects.

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 object’s propor tions, 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.

Scale objects with the Scale tool:

Scaling an object enlarges or reduces it horizontally (along the x axis), ver tically (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 propor tions of an object.

1 Select one or more objects.

2 Select the Scale tool.
3 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 propor tions as it scales, hold down Shift as you drag diagonally.
• To scale the object along a single axis, hold down Shift as you drag ver tically or horizontally.

Scale objects to a specific width and height:

1 Select one or more objects.

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’ propor tions, click the lock propor tions 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.

Scale objects by a specific percentage:

1 Select one or more objects.

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 Alt-click (Windows) or
Option-click (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 object’s propor tions 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 Ver tical 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.
5 If the objects contain a pattern fill, select Transform Patterns to scale the pattern. Deselect
Transform 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.

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.

Original object Object scale 50%

 How to edit paths segments and anchor points
Before you can reshape or edit a path, you need to select the path’s anchor points, segments, or a
combination of both.

To select object’s anchor points do any of the following:

• If you can see the points, you can click them with the Direct Selection tool to select them.
Shift-click to select multiple points.

• Select the Direct Selection tool and drag a boundary around the anchor points. Shift-drag around
additional anchor points to select them.

• You can select anchor points from selected or unselected paths. Move the Direct Selection tool over
the anchor point until the pointer displays a hollow square for unselected and filled square for
selected paths in a magnified state, and then click the anchor point. Shift-click additional anchor
points to select them.

• Select the Lasso tool, and drag around the anchor points. Shift-drag around additional anchor points
to select them.

To select path segments do any of the following:

• Select the Direct Selection tool and click within 2 pixels of the segment, or drag a marquee over par t
of the segment. Shift-click or Shift-drag around additional path segments to select them.

• Select the Lasso tool, and drag around par t of the path segment. Shift-drag around additional path
segments to select them.

Add or delete an anchor point:

1 Select the path you want to modify.

2 To add an anchor point, select the Pen tool or the Add Anchor Point tool, position the pointer over
the path segment, and click.
3 To delete an anchor point, do either of the following:
• Select the point with the Direct Selection tool and click Remove Selected Anchor Points in the
Control panel.
• Select the Pen tool or the Delete Anchor Point tool, position the pointer over the anchor point, and
click.

To move path segments do the following:

1 With the Direct Selection tool, select the segment you want to adjust.
2 Drag the segment to its new position.

Conver t strokes to compound paths:

1 Select the object.

2 Choose Object > Path > Outline Stroke.

Conver ting a stroke to a compound path lets you modify the outline of the stroke. The resulting
compound path is grouped with the filled object. To modify the compound path, first ungroup it from
the fill or select it using the Group Selection tool.

How to change line width:

1 Select the object.

2 Select a stroke weight in the Strokes panel (Window > Stroke), Control panel or the Appearance
panel (Window > Appearance).
• In the Stroke panel, you can also select a cap option and a join option.
If the options aren’t showing, choose Show Options from the panel menu.

Stroke weight 3px Stroke weight 8px

4 How to adjust the color

Adobe Illustrator includes a wide range of tools that let you adjust colors in a variety of different ways.

You can apply one color, pattern, or gradient to an entire object, or you can use Live Paint bucket and
apply different colors to different faces within the object.

How to apply a fill color:

1 Select the object using the Selection tool or the Direct Selection tool.
2 Click the Fill box in the Tools panel, the Proper ties panel, or the Color panel to indicate that you want to
apply a fill rather than a stroke.
3 Select a fill color by doing one of the following:
• Click a color in the Control panel, Color panel, Swatches panel, Gradient panel, or a swatch library.
• Double-click the Fill box and select a color from the Color Picker.
• Select the Eyedropper tool and Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) an object to apply the
current attributes, including the current fill and stroke.
• Click the None button to remove the object’s current fill.

How to apply a stroke color:

1 Select the object. (To select an edge in a Live Paint group, use the Live Paint Selection tool)
2 Click the Stroke box in the Tools panel, the Proper ties panel, the Color panel, or the Control panel.
Doing so indicates that you want to apply a stroke rather than a fill.
3 Select a color from the Color panel, or a swatch from the Swatches panel, the Proper ties panel, or the
Control panel. Alternatively, double-click the Stroke box to select a color using the Color Picker.
How to use the Color Picker

You can select colors for your ar twork from a variety of tools, panels, and dialog boxes in Adobe
Illustrator.

Use the Magic Wand Tool (Y) if you want to select a specific color.

Use the Group Selection Tool if you want to select a specific par t of the ar twork.

Double-click the Fill Color in the Tools panel and pick a color in the Color Picker pop-up window.
Color Picker provides a color spectrum from which you can visually select colors, or use color value
text boxes for manually defining colors.

Once you are ready simply hit OK and any changes you’ve made should now be applied to your
design element.

1 3

2
 How to use the Color panel

Use the Magic Wand Tool (Y) if you want to select a specific color.

Use the Group Selection Tool if you want to select a specific par t of the ar twork.

Now you can apply color to an object’s fill or stroke using the Color panel
(go to Window > Color or press F6).

Color panel provides a color spectrum, individual color value sliders, and color value text boxes. You
can specify fill and stroke colors from the Color panel.

The Color panel can display color values using different color models, such as RGB, HSB, CMYK and
Grayscale.

1 Select the color mode you want to use from the panel menu. The mode you select affects only the
display of the Color panel; it does not change the color mode of the document.

2 Do one of the following:

• Drag or click in a slider.

• Shift-drag a color slider to move the other sliders in relation to it.
• Enter values in any of the text boxes.
• Click in the color spectrum bar at the bottom of the panel. To select no color, click the None box at
the left of the color bar; to select white, click the white swatch at the upper-right corner of the color
bar; to select black, click the black swatch at the lower-right corner of the color bar.

From the Color panel menu, you can create inverse and complementary colors for the current fill or
stroke color, and create a swatch from the selected color.

2 1
How to use the Recolor Artwork panel

Select an object with an applied pattern whose colors you want to adjust
(use the Selection Tool or Group Selection Tool).

Access Recolor Ar twork panel (Edit > Edit Colors > Recolor Ar twork)
or click Recolor Ar twork icon in the Control panel.

Use the Assign tab to view and control how colors from a color group replace original colors in your
ar twork.

You can specify which new colors replace which current colors, whether spots are preserved, and
how colors are replaced (for example, you can replace colors entirely or replace hue while retaining
brightness).

Editing colors in the Edit tab is a convenient way to globally adjust the colors in selected ar twork.
When editing colors, you use the smooth color wheel, the segmented color wheel, or the color bars.
In addition, you can adjust brightness, add and remove colors, and preview the colors on selected
ar twork.

1 1

3
3

4 4
How to use the Global Color swatches

Global colors are special swatches that allow you to change the
color like any regular swatch in Illustrator, however, any object
that has a global swatch applied will change to the new color
you specify.

Open your Swatches panel (Window > Swatches)

and double-click on a color swatch you want to change. You can 1
identify global color swatches by a triangle in the lower corner.

In a pop-up window you can select the color mode and use the
color sliders to adjust the new color.
2

Click OK and a global color will automatically update throughout

your ar twork.
 More ways to adjust the color
If you want to match your colors with colors in other ar twork, you can use the Eyedropper Tool.
Eyedropper Tool samples colors from your ar twork when you click.

Set the element opacity and blending mode from the Opacity slider in Control Panel, the Appearance
panel, or Transparency Panel.

You can use the Gradient panel (Window > Gradient) or the Gradient tool to apply a graduated blend
of colors to your ar twork. Creating a gradient fill is a good way to create a smooth color gradation
across one or more objects.

To change the color mode of a document choose File > Document Color Mode > CMYK Color or RGB
CMYK Color. Please note that some colors in the RGB color model (such as neon colors) cannot be printed,
because they have no equivalents in the CMYK model.
5 Alternative vector editing software

In order to preserve all the formatting, layers, groups, colors, effects, and other additional image
information, I recommend using Adobe Illustrator for editing vector files included in this product.
If you want to use a different vector image editor to adjust product files, consider using these apps:

Affinity Designer CorelDraw

Vectornator Gravit Designer

Inkscape Graphic

Adobe XD Sketch
6 Get in touch

Still have any questions?

I hope you found this user guide useful, and most impor tantly, managed to learn something along the way.
If you have any product related questions, concerns, or comments with getting setup, I'd love to hear from you!

All the best,

Email: ARSENY.SAMOLEVSKY@GMAIL.COM Arseny Samolevsky
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