Adobe Illustrator CC Tutorials
A collection of tutorial videos that cover the fundamental tools you’ll need
to get started with creating vector art.
Shortcut List
| Function | Windows | Mac | Problem |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transform>Scale Corners | Transform>Scale Corners | Rounded corner size changes when object is scaled | |
| Transform>Tick "Scale Strokes & Effects" | Transform>Tick "Scale Strokes & Effects" | Stroke size didnt change when object is scaled. | |
| Drag the 'top left corner' intersection of the Ruler | Drag the 'top left corner' intersection of the Ruler | Zero value on my ruler is not at the side of my artboard. | |
| Add more sides on Polygon & Star Tool | Up/Down arrow key while using the tool | Up/Down arrow key while using the tool | |
| Add or change the value of bleed to your document. | File > Document Setup | Modify or add bleed to your document. | |
| Adjust the amount of distance/pixel you move with your keyboard. | Preferences>Keyboard Increment | Preferences>Keyboard Increment | |
| Align to artboard | Align>Align to: | Align > Align to: | Can't align object to artboard |
| Align with Key Object instead of Centre Point | Align>More Options > Align to Key Object | Align>More Options > Align to Key Object | Can't align/distribute multiple objects with same distance due to different sizes |
| Blend Tool (Make Blend) | Ctrl+Alt+B | Cmd+Opt+B | |
| Bring up alternate Colour UI |  | The default UI is called Swatches | |
| Change between Artboard or Global Ruler | Right click on ruler > Change to Artboard/Global Rulers | Right click on ruler > Change to Artboard/Global Rulers | Ruler measurement starts with 0 only for Artboard 1 |
| Change Colour Mode | File > Document Colour Mode | ||
| Change colour of multiple objects of the same colour. (For example: All blue to green) | Select>Same>Fill & Stroke Alternative: Magic Wand Tool | Select>Same>Fill & Stroke Alternative: Magic Wand Tool | |
| Change grid size | Preferences > Guides & Grid | Preferences > Guides & Grid | |
| Change measurement unit of ruler | Right click on Ruler. | Right click on Ruler. | |
| Change number of sides or points of Polygon or Star Tool | Press Up/Down Key while holding down left mouse button when creating the shape. | ||
| Change outer canvas colour (Overprint Preview) | Ctrl+Alt+Shift+White | Cmd+Opt+Shift+Y | Outer canvas turn white |
| Change rotation pivot point | Rotate Tool (R) | Rotate Tool (R) | |
| Change ruler measurement (Pixel, cm, mm & etc.) | Right click on ruler | Right click on ruler | |
| Combine/subtract multiple shapes. (Alternative to Pathfinder Tool) | Shape Builder Tool (Shift+M) | Shape Builder Tool (Shift+M) | |
| Configuring Eyedropper Tool | Double click Eyedropper Tool to bring up advance menu. Set what you want the tool to Pick. | Double click Eyedropper Tool to bring up advance menu. Set what you want the tool to Pick. | Eyedropper Tool picking up stroke and outlines. |
| Convert a stroke object to become a fill object | Object>Expand | Object>Expand | |
| Create rounded corner square/rectangle | Up/Down arrow key while using Rounded Rectangle Tool | Up/Down arrow key while using Rounded Rectangle Tool | |
| Create/Save view | View>Create View | View>Create View | |
| Easily move all selected objects to a new layer without having to expand the layer. | Select objects > Left Click drag the square colour icon on the right side of the layer to another new layer. | ||
| Embed or Link image into the document. | Windows Menu > Link > Embed Image(s) | Windows Menu > Link > Embed Image(s) | |
| Export Swatch File | Swatches>More Options>Save Swatch Library as ASE | Can be used in Photoshop & InDesign | |
| Extract and seperate the Appearance Effects to layer. | Object>Expand Appearance | Object>Expand Appearance | |
| Free Transform Tool Menu | Select an object > Press E | Select an object > Press E | |
| Hide/Show Bounding Box | Shift+Ctrl+B | Shift+Cmd+B | Can't resize object when left click drag. Object only move around. |
| Hide/Show Corner Widget | View>Hide/Show Corner Widget | View>Hide/Show Corner Widget | The dot on selection path corner is missing. |
| Hide/Show Perspective Grid Tool | Ctrl+Shift+I | Cmd+Shift+I | Can't turn off a Blue, orange, green perspective grid lines on screen |
| Hide/Show selection bounding box | Ctrl+Shift+B | Cmd+Shift+B | |
| Increase/Decrease selection tolerance | Preferences>Selection & Anchor Display | Preferences>Selection & Anchor Display | |
| Increase/Decrease Stroke Size by 10 pt increment | Shift+Up/Down Arrow Key -- While editing Stroke value | Shift+Up/Down Arrow Key -- While editing Stroke value | |
| Joint/Merge specific anchor points from separate paths | Ctrl+J | Cmd+J | |
| Lock selection | Ctrl+2 | Cmd+2 | |
| Make changes to grouped objects | Double click object to enter Isolation Mode | Double click object to enter Isolation Mode | |
| Make Clipping Mask | Ctrl+7 | Cmd+7 | Make sure mask layer is above. |
| Make Clipping Mask using multiple objects. | Select the multiple objects you want to use as Clipping Mask > Object > Compound Path > Make Now you'll be able to make clipping mask. | Can't make clipping mask with multiple objects. | |
| Minimize panel | Double click panel | Double click panel | |
| Paste in Back | Ctrl+B | Cmd+B | |
| Paste in Place | Shift+Ctrl+V | Opt+Cmd+V | |
| Paste on All Artboards | Alt+Shift+Ctrl+V | Opt+Shirt+Cmd+V | |
| Paste on the same position | Paste in Front (Ctrl+F) | Paste in Front (Cmd+F) | Can't paste object on the exact same location. |
| Pixel preview | Ctrl+Alt+Y | Cmd+Opt+Y | |
| Preferences | Ctrl+K | Cmd+K | |
| Resize towards center point and keep proportions | Alt+Shift Drag | Opt+Shift Drag | Alt/Opt - Scale towards center point Shift - Keep Proportions |
| Rotate artboard | Ctrl+Shift+O | Cmd+Shift+O | |
| Save selection | Select>Save Selection | Select>Save Selection | |
| Scissors Tool | C | C | |
| Select an object behind | Ctrl+Click | Cmd+Click | |
| Select everything | Ctrl+A | Cmd+A | |
| Select everything in layer | Alt+Click Layer | Opt+Click Layer | |
| Select everything not selected | Select>Inverse | Select>Inverse | |
| Show all artboard | Ctrl+Alt+0 | Cmd+Opt+0 | |
| Show Artboard Name | Shift+O | ||
| Show selected artboard | Ctrl+0 | Cmd+0 | |
| Show/Hide Gradient Annotator | Alt+Ctrl+G | Cmd+Opt+G | If you still can't see it, make sure you are not selecting the group layer. Select the layer itself by clicking the Right Circle Icon. |
| Show/Hide Grid | Ctrl+" | Cmd+" | |
| Snap to Grid | Shift+Ctrl+" | Shift+Cmd+" | |
| Snap to Pixel | View Menu > Snap to Pixel | View Menu > Snap to Pixel | Pen Tool is not smooth, snapping on pixel blocks. |
| Swap Fill-Outline | Shift+X | Shift+X | |
| Switch between GPU/CPU preview | Ctrl+E | Cmd+E | |
| Text Wrap | Object > Text Wrap > Make | Place or fit an object on text. | |
| Tile multiple document | Window>Arrange>Tile | Window>Arrange>Tile | |
| Toggle outline view | Ctrl+Y | Cmd+Y | |
| Turn object into Guide | Ctrl+5 (View>Guides>Make Guides) | Cmd+5 (View>Guides>Make Guides) | |
| Unlock All | Alt+Ctrl+2 | Opt+Cmd+2 | |
| Width Tool | W | W |
Blog
Create Spacing & Alignment w/ Tabs Ruler
Use Tabs Ruler to create custom text spacing and alignment with the ‘Tab’ key in Adobe Illustrator CC
Introduction to Masking
Introduction to Clipping Mask & Opacity Mask in Adobe Illustrator CC
Draw A Leaf | Speed Art
Draw a leaf using Pen Tool, Mesh Tool with Feather & Gaussian Blur effect in Adobe Illustrator CC. A timelapse from a demo session using the Line Art drawn by students.
Rotate Tool
Use the Rotate Tool to change the rotation point of a shape, and duplicate shapes around a circle.
A Complete Walkthrough To ‘Blend Tool’
A complete walkthrough and introduction to Blend Tool and how to solve certain common problems that you’ll face with Blend Tool.
Create a Perfect Spiral Shape
The easiest and fastest way to create a perfect spiral with the exact number of rings you want in Adobe Illustrator.
Wrap Text Around Object
Wrap text around an object using Text Wrap.
Appearance Panel
The Appearance panel allows you to add additional fill or stroke layers and effects to the visual appearance of an object.
Warp Text Into Shapes
Learn how to warp text into custom shapes in Adobe Illustrator.
Design Stunning Presentations
Simple tips & tricks that will transform your boring presentation slides into one that will capture your audience’s attention.
Pathfinder
Learn about combining or merging vector objects to create shapes using Pathfinder in Adobe Illustrator.
Understanding Blending Mode
Basic understanding of Blending Mode and how they work.
Drawing Line Art in Adobe Illustrator
A step-by-step basic guide & technique on how to draw Line Art of any objects on Adobe Illustrator.
Colour Models & Modes
Understanding Color Modes & Colour Models