You can navigate the work area of Adobe Creative Suite (Adobe CS5) Illustrator efficiently by using the Hand tool and the various zoom controls. You can change the magnification of the artboard in several ways, including using menu items, the Zoom tool, and keyboard commands. Choose the method you feel most comfortable with:
Hand tool: Scroll around the Document window by using the scrollbars or the Hand tool. The Hand tool lets you scroll by dragging. You can imagine that you’re pushing a piece of paper around on your desk when you use the Hand tool.
Hold down the spacebar to temporarily access the Hand tool while any tool (except the Type tool) is selected. Holding down the spacebar while the Type tool is selected gives you only spaces!
View menu: Using the View menu, you can easily select the magnification you want by using Zoom In, Zoom Out, Fit in Window (especially useful when you’re lost in the scratch area), and Actual Size (provides a 100 percent view of your artwork).
Zoom tool: Using the Zoom tool, you can click the Document window to zoom in; to zoom out, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac). Double-click with the Zoom tool to quickly resize the Document window to 100 percent. Control which elements are visible when using the Zoom tool by clicking and dragging over the area you want zoomed into.
Keyboard shortcuts: If you aren’t the type of person who likes to use keyboard shortcuts, you may change your mind about using them for magnification. They make sense and are easy to use and remember. The keyboard shortcuts require a little coordination to use, but they give you more control in your zoom.
While holding down the keys, drag from the upper left corner to the lower right corner of the area you want to zoom to. A marquee appears while you’re dragging; when you release the mouse button, the selected area zooms to the size of your window. The Zoom Out command doesn’t give you much control; it simply zooms back out.
某些 Creative Cloud 应用程序、服务和功能在中国不可用。
Illustrator provides many shortcuts to help you get work done faster. Many keyboard shortcuts appear when you hover over icons in the command menu.
- The following list includes the most helpful shortcuts. You may find additional shortcuts in menu commands and tool tips.
- You can customize the keyboard shortcuts in Illustrator. See Customize keyboard shortcuts.
Keyboard shortcuts cheat sheet
Download and print a handy one page reference of some helpful keyboard shortcuts for Illustrator.
Popular shortcuts
Work with documents
Select tools
Direct Selection tool
Magic Wand tool
Blob Brush tool
Add Anchor Point tool
Delete Anchor Point tool
Switch to Anchor Point tool
Line Segment tool
Free Transform tool
Shape Builder Tool
Perspective Grid Tool
Perspective Selection Tool
Symbol Sprayer tool
Column Graph tool
Live Paint Bucket tool
Live Paint Selection tool
Switch to Smooth tool while using Blob Brush tool
View artwork
Toggle between screen modes: Normal Screen Mode, Full Screen Mode with Menu Bar, Full Screen Mode
Fit imageable area in window
Double-click Hand tool
Double-click Hand tool
Double-click Zoom tool or press Ctrl + 1
Double-click Zoom tool or press Command + 1
Switch to Hand tool (when not in text-edit mode)
Switch to Zoom tool in magnify mode
Switch to Zoom tool in reduce mode
Ctrl + Alt + Spacebar
Spacebar + Command + Option
Move Zoom marquee while dragging with the Zoom tool
Hide unselected artwork
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + 3
Command + Option + Shift + 3
Convert between horizontal and vertical guide
Ctrl + Shift-double-click guide
Command + Shift-double-click guide
Command + Shift + H
Show/Hide artboard rulers
Command + Option + R
View all artboards in window
Ctrl + Alt + 0 (zero)
Command + Option + 0 (zero)
Paste in place on the active artboard
Command + Shift + V
Exit Artboard tool mode
Create artboard inside another artboard
Select multiple artboards in the Artboards panel
Navigate to next document
Navigate to previous document
Ctrl + Shift + F6
Command + Shift + F6
Navigate to next document group
Command + Option + F6
Navigate to previous document group
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + F6
Command + Option + Shift + F6
Work with selections
Switch to last-used selection tool (Selection tool, Direct Selection tool, or Group Selection tool)
Switch between Direct Selection tool and Group Selection tool
Add to a selection with Selection tool, Direct Selection tool, Group Selection tool, Live Paint Selection tool, or Magic Wand tool
Subtract a selection with Selection tool, Direct Selection tool, Group Selection tool, or LIve Paint Selection tool
Subtract from selection with Magic Wand tool
Add to selection with Lasso tool
Subtract from selection with Lasso tool
Change pointer to cross hair for Lasso tool
Select artwork in active artboard
Command + Option + A
Create crop marks around selected object
Select behind an object
Press Ctrl+click twice
Press Command+click twice
Select behind in isolation mode
Set keyboard increments in General Preferences ( Ctrl/ Cmd + K ).
Constrain a shape’s proportions or orientation to:
equal height and width for rectangles, rounded rectangles, ellipses, and grids
Increments of 45° for line and arc segments
Original orientation for polygons, stars, and flares
Move a shape while drawing it
Draw from the center of a shape (except for polygons, stars, and flares)
Increase or decrease polygon sides, star points, arc angle, spiral winds, or flare rays
Start dragging, then press the Up Arrow or Down Arrow
Start dragging, then press the Up Arrow or Down Arrow
Keep the inner radius of a star constant
Start dragging, then hold down Ctrl
Start dragging, then hold down Command
Keep the sides of a star straight
Switch between an open and closed arc
Start dragging, then hold down C
Start dragging, then hold down C
Flip an arc, keeping the reference point constant
Start dragging, then hold down F
Start dragging, then hold down SF
Add or subtract winds from a spiral while increasing the length of the spiral
Start dragging, then Alt-drag
Start dragging then Option-drag
Change the decay rate of a spiral
Start dragging then Ctrl-drag
Start dragging then Command-drag
Add or remove horizontal lines from a rectangular grid or concentric lines from a polar grid
Start dragging, then press the Up Arrow or Down Arrow
Start dragging, then press the Up Arrow or Down Arrow
Add or remove vertical lines from a rectangular grid or radial lines from a polar grid
Start dragging, then press the Right Arrow or Left Arrow
Start dragging, then press the Right Arrow or Left Arrow
Decrease the skew value for horizontal dividers in a rectangular grid or radial dividers in a polar grid by 10%
Start dragging, then press F
Start dragging, then press F
Increase the skew value for horizontal dividers in a rectangular grid or radial dividers in a polar grid by 10%
Start dragging, then press V
Start dragging, then press V
Decrease the skew value for vertical dividers in a rectangular grid or concentric dividers in a polar grid by 10%
Start dragging, then press X
Start dragging, then press X
Increase the skew value for vertical dividers in a rectangular grid or concentric dividers in a polar grid by 10%
Start dragging, then press C
Start dragging, then press C
Increase size of Blob Brush
] (right square bracket)
] (right square bracket)
Decrease size of Blob Brush
[ (left square bracket)
[ (left square bracket)
Constrain Blob Brush path horizontally or vertically
Switch through drawing modes
Join two or more paths
Select the paths, then press Ctrl + J
Select the paths, then press Command + J
Create corner or smooth join
Select the paths, then press Shift + Ctrl + Alt + J
Select the anchor point, then press Shift + Command + Option + J
Adobe Illustrator is one of the most commonly used programs for creating and managing vector graphics. If you’re new to using it, you could be having a hard time when you want to crop an image.
Unlike other similar software, the Adobe Illustrator focuses on the area you don’t need when cropping, rather than the part you want to keep. You can crop images of any shape and size, but you have to know how to do it. Stick around and find out how to crop images in Adobe Illustrator.
Cropping Tool
The cropping tool is only available for Adobe Illustrator versions from 2017 and newer. Here is how you can use it to crop images:
- Open the program and select “New” or “Open.” The second option allows you to add a picture of your choice.
- Click “File” and select “Place” to add the image you want to crop.
- Click on the “Selection Tool” and click on the image to select it. The cropping tool will appear in the control bar.
- Select “Crop Image,” and drag the crop marks until you’re happy with the cropped image.
- Hit “Apply” at the top of the screen to crop the image.
Clipping Masks
You can create a clipping mask in no time, but it offers fewer options than the opacity masks we are going to go over in a minute. Here is what you have to do to crop an image using clipping masks:
- Click on the “View” tab and select “Find Edges.”
- The feature will create blue lines around the image. Click on the “Selection tool” and then click on the image to activate “Mask.”
- The “Mask” option will appear in the control bar. Click on it to create a clipping mask.
- Next, select “Edit Clipping Path” from the control bar, and reposition the blue lines where you want them. The direct selection tool can help you move each line where you want. You can use the arrow keys to reposition the lines inward. You will then have an image that looks cropped.
- If you wish to revert the “Clipping Mask,” click on “Edit Contents,” and choose “Object,” then “Clipping Mask,” and finally “Release.” The cropped image will then return to the original shape and size.
Opacity Masks
Opacity Masks are very similar to clipping masks, but they have more control options. Here is how you can crop images with opacity masks:
- Insert the image and draw the crop shape over it. You can draw a rectangle or a circle, but you can also draw custom shapes.
- Select the cropped shape and press “Shift,” while clicking on the image.
- Click on the “Window” tab.
- Select “Transparency” to get to the right panel.
- Select “Make Mask” to keep only the cropped part of the original image.
- Click on the chain link button found in the “Transparency” panel to move each element separately.
- Change the color or add new colors to the stroke to create a border around the cropped image.
- Select “Release” from the Transparency menu to revert the changes.
Artboard
The artboard feature in Adobe Illustrator is similar to the canvas feature found in other photo-editing programs. You can use it to see the printable area of an image. The artboard tool looks like a box with lines that extend beyond the edges. Here is how you can use this feature to crop your images:
- Select the image you want to crop and drag the box to select the area you need.
- Hit “Enter” to activate the artboard.
- Save the image by going to the “File” menu. Select “Export” to save the image to your HDD, or “Save for Web” to save it to a website of your choice. The box saying “Use Artboards” needs to be checked for this to work. You will only be able to see the cropped image after exporting it.
Adobe Illustrator Gets Things Done
Adobe Illustrator offers a wide range of tools you can use to create almost any type of image. The cropping tool, clipping masks, and opacity masks are basic features, but graphic designers rely on them extensively.
If you want to master Adobe Illustrator, you will have to spend some time until you figure out how to combine effects and create art that fits your vision. Precise cropping is a good starting point.
What methods do you use to crop images in Adobe Illustrator? Which version of the program is your favorite? Tell us what you think about cropping images in Adobe Illustrator in the comment section below.