Adobe Illustrator Tools

90 vocabulary flashcards covering Illustrator tools, shortcuts, and key concepts.

Selection Tool

Used to select entire objects, groups and clipping masks; can move, scale, rotate; shortcut V.

Direct Selection Tool

Selects and moves individual paths, anchor points and handles; can select objects inside groups and clipping masks; rounding corners possible; shortcut A.

Group Selection Tool

Selects objects inside a group without ungrouping; no default shortcut.

Magic Wand Tool

Selects objects with similar properties (color, stroke); options adjustable in the Magic Wand panel; shortcut Y.

Lasso Tool

Selects any anchor points inside the drawn path (including in groups and clipping masks); shortcut Q.

Pen Tool

Draws paths; adds anchor points with each click; dragging creates handles for curvature; close path by clicking the first anchor; shortcut P.

Add Anchor Point Tool

Adds a new anchor point to a path; shortcut +.

Delete Anchor Point Tool

Removes an anchor point; shortcut -; Shift while deleting recalculates the path to stay the same.

Anchor Point Tool

Adds, removes or edits handles on an anchor point; shortcut Shift C; curved anchor handles can be removed or added by clicking or dragging.

Independent Handles

Dragging a handle can move it independently of the other handle when editing a curved anchor point.

Curvature Tool

Similar to the Pen Tool but automatically creates curved paths; shortcut Shift tilde (~).

Type Tool

Adds text; shortcut T; click to add text, drag to create a text box; click existing text to edit.

Area Type Tool

Adds text within a defined area; no default shortcut.

Type on a Path Tool

Creates text that follows a path; no default shortcut.

Vertical Type Tool

Creates vertical text; no default shortcut.

Vertical Area Type Tool

Creates vertical text within an area; no default shortcut.

Vertical Type on a Path Tool

Creates vertical text that follows a path; no default shortcut.

Touch Type Tool

Works like the selection tool but applies to individual characters; shortcut Shift T.

Line Segment Tool

Draws a straight line by clicking and dragging; shortcut backslash.

Arc Tool

Creates an arc by clicking and dragging; no default shortcut.

Spiral Tool

Creates a spiral by clicking and dragging; up/down arrows change the number of cycles; no default shortcut.

Rectangular Grid Tool

Creates a rectangular grid by clicking and dragging; arrow keys adjust columns and lines; no default shortcut.

Polar Grid Tool

Creates a polar grid by clicking and dragging; arrow keys adjust subdivisions; no default shortcut.

Rectangle Tool

Creates a rectangle; shortcut M; Shift creates a perfect square.

Rounded Rectangle Tool

Creates a rounded rectangle; no default shortcut; Shift creates a perfect square; Up/Down adjusts roundness.

Ellipse Tool

Creates an ellipse; shortcut L; Shift creates a perfect circle.

Polygon Tool

Creates a polygon with equal sides; no default shortcut; Up/Down changes the number of sides.

Star Tool

Creates a star; no default shortcut; Up/Down changes points; Cmd/Ctrl while dragging scales arm length.

Flare Tool

Creates light rays and halo; click in a direction to add light rings; blending mode ready-made for layering.

Paintbrush Tool

Draws a smooth, hand-drawn path; Alt after start closes path; square brackets change brush size; shortcut B.

Blob Brush Tool

Draws a filled compound path; new paths merge with existing ones if they touch; square brackets adjust brush size; shortcut Shift B.

Shaper Tool

Draws a rough shape that Illustrator converts into a crisp geometric form; works for straight lines, rectangles, ellipses and polygons; shortcut Shift N.

Pencil Tool

Draws freehand paths; similar to Paintbrush; path closes when close to start; shortcut N.

Smooth Tool

No shortcut; smooths a selected path and reduces anchor points when dragged.

Path Eraser Tool

Erases parts of a path when dragged; not highly recommended.

Join Tool

Joins two open paths by dragging from one to the other; no shortcut.

Eraser Tool

Erases parts of a selected object; shortcut Shift E; bracket keys adjust eraser size.

Scissors Tool

Splits a path at a point; shortcut C.

Knife Tool

Cuts through an object by dragging; no shortcut.

Rotate Tool

Rotates the selected object; shortcut R; change the rotation reference point; Shift locks rotation to 45° increments.

Reflect Tool

Reflects the selected object by dragging; shortcut O; hold Shift for clean reflections.

Scale Tool

Scales the selected object; shortcut S; Shift locks scaling axes or proportions; click to change reference point.

Shear Tool

Skews a selected object; no shortcut; change reference point; Shift locks horizontal/vertical distortions.

Reshape Tool

Reshapes a path by dragging; can create many anchor points; not the preferred method.

Width Tool

Adjusts stroke width at a point; shortcut Shift W; width handles can be moved to redefine stroke shape.

Warp Tool

Deforms a path in the direction you drag; shortcut Shift R.

Twirl Tool

Twists the object around the brush center; no shortcut.

Pucker Tool

Deforms path toward the center of the brush; no shortcut.

Blow Tool

Deforms path away from the center (opposite of Pucker); no shortcut.

Scallop Tool

Scallops the path toward the center; no shortcut.

Crystallize Tool

Deforms outward to create spikes; opposite of Scallop; no shortcut.

Wrinkle Tool

Warps the path in a random manner to create wrinkles; no shortcut.

Free Transform Tool

Provides scale, rotate, shear and perspective; shortcut E; menu includes free transform, perspective distort and free distort.

Puppet Warp Tool

Applies a mesh to distort an object; control points can be dragged, rotated or deleted; no new anchor points are added.

Shape Builder Tool

Unites multiple paths into a single shape by dragging; Alt deletes paths; behaves similarly to Pathfinder; shortcut Shift N.

Live Paint Bucket Tool

Paints inside enclosed areas of a Live Paint group; shortcut M; use the swatches palette to switch colors.

Live Paint Selection Tool

Selects fills and strokes inside a Live Paint group; shortcut Shift L; click to select a fill or stroke; Shift selects multiple.

Perspective Grid Tool

Displays a perspective grid on the artboard; grid angles adjustable; sides set to 1-4; X closes the grid; shortcut Shift P.

Perspective Selection Tool

Moves objects within perspective; shortcut Shift V; use 1, 2, or 3 to switch the perspective side.

Mesh Tool

Creates a color mesh on a selected object; each click adds a new mesh point that can be colored.

Gradient Tool

Adjusts the angle, position and color distribution of a gradient on an object; shortcut G.

Eyedropper Tool

Copies colors from another object; shortcut I; Shift applies only to fill or stroke; also copies transparency and text properties.

Measure Tool

Measures distance on the artboard; shows a panel with start point, width/height, straight distance and angle.

Blend Tool

Blends shapes and colors between objects; resulting blend is grouped but still selectable.

Symbol Sprayer Tool

Sprays instances of a symbol across the artboard; shortcut Shift S; create a new symbol by dragging into the Symbols panel.

Symbol Shifter Tool

Shifts symbols within a symbol set by dragging; no default shortcut.

Symbol Scruncher Tool

Brings symbols closer together in a symbol set; holding Alt before clicking pushes them apart.

Symbol Sizer Tool

Scales symbols inside a symbol set; proximity to center increases scale; Alt scales down.

Symbol Spinner Tool

Spins a symbol near the center of a symbol set; click-and-drag to rotate.

Symbol Stainer Tool

Paints symbols with a selected color; proximity and hold time affect color intensity.

Symbol Screener Tool

Makes symbols transparent by clicking; proximity and hold affect transparency.

Symbol Styler Tool

Applies a graphic style to symbols; proximity and hold affect strength.

Graph Tool (Column Graph Tool)

First graph tool; shortcut J; click to create graph and input data in a spreadsheet; data can be imported.

Artboard Tool

Shift O; create, move, copy and edit artboards in the document.

Slice Tool

Shift K; create a rectangular slice; artboard is split for export; use Save for Web to export slices.

Slice Selection Tool

Selects, moves and resizes slices; no default shortcut.

Hand Tool

Pans across the artboard; shortcut H; hold Space or scroll wheel to temporarily switch tools; returns to previous tool when released.

Rotate View Tool

Shortcut Shift H; rotates the view; Shift locks rotation in 15-degree increments.

Print Tilings Tool

Toggles visibility of printing tiles; tile options in the Print menu; tile full pages or tile imageable areas.

Zoom Tool

Shortcut Z; click to zoom in; Alt-click to zoom out; drag to zoom smoothly.

Clipping Mask

Mask that hides parts of artwork using a boundary shape; restores when released.

Fill

Interior color or pattern applied to a shape or path.

Stroke

Outline color and width of a path.

Bounding Box

The transform box that appears around a selected object for scaling and rotating.

Live Paint Group

A group created by Live Paint Bucket that enables painting inside enclosed paths.

Swatches Panel

Panel to pick and switch colors; in Live Paint, arrows switch between colors.

Symbol Set

A collection of symbol instances grouped together.

Bezier Handles

Control handles on anchor points that shape curves.

Anchor Point

A vertex on a path that can have handles to control curvature.

Perspective Side

One of the four sides (1–4) of the perspective grid, changeable with 1–4 or on-screen controls.