To Open the Tools Palette
To open the Tools Palette, click the Tools icon on the toolbar, or choose Window > Tools from the main menu.
Drawing Tools
Selection Tools
Select, zoom, pan and navigate with the Selection tools.
Graphics Tools
Use the robust graphics tools to draw unlimited shapes, lines and smooth Bezier curves. Cut, or split, paths with the Cut Path tool using a cutting gesture. Insert text boxes or add curved text along paths. Fine-tune your drawing objects by adding or deleting points on paths. Use the Clip Art Stamp tool to place clip art from the Styles & Clip Art palette. Use the Style Dropper to pick up and place styles among objects.
Preview
The Preview displays the style or clip art that is active for use with the graphics tools.
Note that drawing tools work with both fill and line styles. For example, the Irregular Polygon can create filled areas when applying fill styles and linear objects when applying line styles.
To Draw Rectangles, Ovals, Circles and Squares
Choose the Rectangle [r] or Oval [o] tool and click onto the drawing canvas to begin drawing the shape. Hold the cursor and drag to continue, releasing the cursor to end the shape.
*Reposition move objects by selecting and dragging with the Select [s] tool, or use the Geometry panel to adjust the location x.y position.
*Resize (scale) shapes by dragging any of the object handles with the Select [s] tool, or use the Geometry panel to adjust size.
*Rotate objects by moving their purple rotation handle with the Select [s] key.
*Draw from center by holding the Alt/Option-key when drawing.
*Maintain the aspect ratio to make perfect circles and squares by holding the SHIFT-key when drawing.
*Reposition the object center point move the center blue crosshair target with the Select [s] tool to move the point of object rotation.
To Draw Irregular Polygons and Shapes
Choose the Irregular Polygon tool to draw any irregularly shaped object. Choose a line or fill style as desired. Click onto the drawing canvas to add the first point; continue clicking to add additional points connected by straight line segments. Double-click to end the path or press the ESC key to end the path. Alternatively, click onto the first drawn point to end drawing and automatically close the path.
To open a closed path, choose Edit > Paths (+Option-key) > Open from the main menu, or Option Key-Command-.(period) keyboard shortcut. The Command-.(period) keyboard shortcut will close an open path.
HINT: If you prefer not to have paths automatically close, you can disable this behavior in the Artboard > Preferences.
To Directly Adjust Arcs, Wedges, Stars, Regular Polygons, and Round Rectangles
Choose the Regular or Irregular Polygon tool and click onto the drawing canvas to begin drawing the shape. Hold the cursor and drag to continue, releasing the cursor to end the shape. Arcs, wedges, stars and round rectangles are directly adjustable with special object handles. Drag object handles to make adjustments on these special objects.
Handles on arcs directly control the object’s rotation, radius, and arc angle.
Handles on wedges directly control the object’s rotation, radius, and arc angle.
Handles on stars directly control the object’s rotation, radius, radial ratio, tip, and valley settings. Right-click a star to change the number of sides (from 3 to 16) in the contextual menu. Additionally, to instantly create perfect triangles, hexagons, octagons and more, right-click and uncheck the "Star" setting in the object’s contextual menu and adjust the number of sides.
Handles on round rectangles directly control the object’s rotation and corner radius.
Any of these special objects can be converted to a regular shape or path for further editing.
*Reposition objects by selecting and dragging with the Select [s] tool.
*Resize (scale) shapes by dragging any of the object handles with the Select [s] tool, or use the Geometry panel to adjust size.
*Draw from center by holding the Alt/Option-key when drawing.
To Use the Geometry Panel to Precisely Adjust an Object’s Size and Position
In addition to being resized and repositioned directly in the drawing canvas, objects can be precisely adjusted using numeric input in the Geometry panel. The lower left panel under the Layers list is reserved for the Geometry panel.
To edit numeric input, highlight or double-click the existing number and type in the new number. Click the lock icon to lock or unlock the object’s aspect ratio when changing object width and height. Units of measurement reflect the settings in File > Drawing Size & Units.
The numeric input menu is context sensitive to the current selected object and the object type is displayed. Additional special object settings, such as star tips and valleys will be editable when available.
When you are finished using it, click back onto your drawing canvas to remove the focus from the Geometry panel.
To hide the Geometry panel, click the Geometry panel icon in the bottom of the window.
To Quickly Switch Between Shape and Edit Mode
Artboard drawing objects can be quickly converted between shape mode, in which the object has a bounding box, and edit mode, in which the shape is comprised of a path and its points. Double-click a shape or path object to quickly convert between modes. Alternatively, choose Graphic > Convert To in the main menu or right-click contextual menu for expanded convert-to options. Additionally, text objects can be converted to shape and shape groups from this menu.
Please note, arcs, wedges, stars and round rectangles are converted to regular shape objects in this process.
To Draw Bezier Curves
Bezier curves offer some of the greatest control and flexibility when drawing. However, it may be the least familiar tool to some users. A hands-on exercise is available in File > New From Template > Exercises & Demos to help you quickly master Bezier curves.
Bezier curves and freehand lines contain curve handles at points along the path. When Bezier curves are placed, their curve handles are symmetrical in length and direction. Using the Bezier Curve tool, click-hold and drag the cursor to place the starting point and begin spreading the curve handles. release the cursor to place the curve handles. Click again and repeat to continue. Clicking to place a point (without hold-and-drag) while drawing a Bezier curve will place a point with curve handles retracted, allowing corners and curves within the same path. If you can’t see the curve handles where a point was placed, CMND-click on the point and drag the handles away from the center point. Press the Delete key while drawing a Bezier curve to remove the last placed point.
To end, double-click to end the path or press the ESC key to end the path. Alternatively, click onto the first drawn point to end drawing and automatically close the path.
To open a closed path, choose Edit > Paths (+Option-key) > Open from the main menu, or Option Key-Command-.(period) keyboard shortcut. The Command-.(period) keyboard shortcut will close an open path.
HINT: If you prefer not to have paths automatically close, you can disable this behavior in the Artboard > Preferences.
Curves are easily adjusted after placement by dragging the curve handles, shown in blue. When adjusting curve handles, the length of the left and right ends of the handle are adjusted independently. Modifier keys provide control over curve handle adjustments.
*Hold the SHIFT key to constrain the angle of the handles to 15-degree increments.
*Hold the ALT/OPTION key to keep the length of the curve handles symmetrical to each other when making adjustments.
*Hold the CMND (Apple) key while moving the curve handles to adjust them independently of each other, including length and direction.
*Hold the CTRL key after clicking on the handle to temporarily turn off snapping to grid or guides while adjusting curve handles.
*"Nudge" one or more points or curve handles by selecting with the Select [s] tool and moving with the keyboard arrow-keys.
To Draw a Freehand Line
Drawing with the Freehand Line tool is much like drawing with a pen. Choose the tool, place the first point and move the cursor begin drawing, picking up the cursor to release the path and end the path. Points and curve handles are added automatically as the line is drawn, enabling later adjustment as desired. Freehand line curve handles may be asymmetrical in length as the line is drawn.
To make the smoothest paths with the Freehand Path, make sure the Graphic > Snap To… settings are all disabled (unchecked). If a path drawn with the Freehand Line tool appears choppy or ‘stair stepped’, it is likely that snapping to Graph Paper, Guides, or Other Objects is on. Uncheck Graphic > Snap To settings in the main menu to disable snapping and continue drawing.
Ending the path at your first drawn point automatically closes the path. To open a closed path, choose Edit > Paths (+Option-key) > Open from the main menu, or Option Key-Command-.(period) keyboard shortcut. The Command-.(period) keyboard shortcut will close an open path.
HINT: If you prefer not to have paths automatically close, you can disable this behavior in the Artboard > Preferences.
To Add and Remove Points
Add or remove points on a path using the Add Point To Path [+] or Remove Point From Path [-] tools. As needed, double-click a shape to convert it to edit mode to show points. With a path selected so existing points are shown, choose the Add Point To Path tool and click onto a path where the point is to be added. With a path selected so existing points are shown, choose the Remove Point From Path tool and click onto a point to remove it.
To Copy a Style From One Object to Another with the Style Dropper
Use the Style Dropper to quickly pick up a style from an existing object and apply it to other objects, as well as pick up a style from an existing object and continue drawing. Click onto a first object to pick up the style; clicking onto subsequent objects applies the style. The style dropper cursor shows whether dropper is “full" (will drop) or “empty" (will pick up).
To pick up a different style while the Style Dropper tool is active, press the OPTION/Alt key while clicking an object with the Style Dropper. The dropper can pick up styles from inside a group of objects.
HINT: To quickly "pick-up another object’s style while using a graphic drawing tool, hold the CMND-key to activate the Style Dropper without switching tools.
To Rotate Objects
No more digging through menus to find the rotate command. Artboard lets you keep your attention where it should be – on your drawing canvas.
To rotate directly, use the Select [s] tool to grab the rotate handle (purple dot) on any shape or shape group and spin. To rotate a shape around a specific point, drag the center target where you want it – the object will rotate around that point.
To rotate several objects around a common point, group them then set the center target for the group and rotate. Ungroup afterwards as desired.
To Cut and Join Paths
Use the Cut Path tool to cut a single path into two sections. Click onto a path at the location of the cut or use a cutting motion with the tool.
To join two paths into one path, move the endpoints together then choose the Edit > Paths > Join (CMND-J keyboard shortcut) from the main menu.
To Close a Path and Open a Closed Path
A closed path closes on itself with no opening. By default, Irregular Polygons, Bezier Paths and Freehand Paths automatically form closed paths when you end your path at its starting point. To close an existing path, move the endpoints together then choose the Edit > Paths > Close from the main menu. Note, automatically closing paths is a user preference that can be turned on and off in Artboard > Preferences in the main menu.
To open a closed path, use the Cut Path tool. The segment that was used to close a path will e cut to form a separate path that can be deleted as desired.
To Snap To Grid, Guides, and Other Objects
Artboard provides three "snap" settings to control object location and enable perfect alignment. Go to Graphic > Snap To > Graph Paper, Guides, or Other Objects to enable these snap settings. Snap to graph paper creates an invisible set of evenly spaced invisible hot spots which make the objects subtly move in even increments. Snap to guides creates hot spots along layout guide lines, which the object handles will snap to when active.
Note, to avoid the Freehand Path tool producing choppy or "stair stepped" lines, make sure Snap To settings are turned off.
To Constrain an Object’s Location, Angle, and Aspect Ratio
When drawing any object, it may be desirable to constrain it in various ways to keep lines perpendicular or at set angles to the page. Holding the SHIFT key while drawing constrains the line angle to 15-degree increments while drawing, constrains rectangles to squares, and ovals to circles. When resizing an object or object group, holding the SHIFT key constrains its aspect ratio.
Holding the OPTION key while resizing a shape or group of shapes holds the center point in place.
What are Sticky Tools?
By default, Artboard tools are "sticky" – the tool will remain active until you choose a different tool. Depending on the task at hand, having the tools revert immediately to the Select [s] tool after each use may be preferred.
All tools will be in the "sticky state" (orange) until you double-click on any tool to release them (blue or graphite depending on your system ‘appearance’ setting). In the non-sticky state, click a tool once to "turn it on" and use it once. Afterward, you’ll revert back to the direct Select [s] tool. To make tools sticky again, double-click on any tool.
