Adobe Illustrator: Edit the Shapes You Draw with Handy Tools

Adobe Illustrator features several tools that allow you to edit the shapes you draw. Here's how to get started.

Using the selection tool (black arrow in the top row left column of the tool box) will invoke what is known as the bounding box. The bounding box outlines the sides of the shape and shows the points used to draw the shape. Generally wherever there is a corner you will find a point. When dealing with an elliptical shape there will be four points, one at each of the extreme edges. If for some reason you do not see the bounding box when using the selection tool you can choose view from the menu bar at the top of the screen and then show bounding box. The bounding box allows you to transform items "on the fly"; this means you can change it without choosing a palette and inserting specific values.

When an item is selected, it is eligible for modification. The corners of the bounding box will show as white squares. Running the cursor over these points will change it to a double-sided arrow indicating it is now a transformation tool. Hold the left mouse button to maintain this tool. By holding and dragging you can change the size and/or dimension of the shape. Holding the shift key while doing this will keep the dimension the same but still change the size.

As with everything Adobe there is more than one way to perform the same task. In this case there is a scale tool in the sixth row of the left column of the toolbox. You must use the selection tool to choose the shape you would like to edit before the tool can be activated. Choose the selection tool then click your object, the bounding box should appear, now choose the scale tool. You can still use the click and drag method of editing or you can double click on the scale tool and a dialogue box will appear on the screen allowing you to input values for a specific scale.