Transforming Shapes

Transforming Shapes

The Transform Tools give us a lot of control of the shapes we create in in Illustrator. 

When to use

Use the Transform Tools to move, rotate, reflect, scale, shear, and skew shapes. 

Instructions

Ways to Transform shapes

Go to Object Menu > Transform >

• Move to move the shape around your screen.
• Rotate and enter a numerical value to rotate your shape. Press 'Ok' to rotate or 'Copy' to create a copy of your original shape and rotate it too. 
• Reflect to reflect your original shape. Press 'Ok' to reflect or 'Copy' to create a copy. 
• Scale and enter your desired value. You can uniformly or non-uniformly scale the shape. 
• Shear select 'horizontal' or 'vertical' and values to skew your shapes. 

Create a burst-type shape

• Use the Rectangle Tool (M), to create a new shape. 
• Scale up the shape and round the edges. 
• Using the Direct Selection Tool (A), select the bottom points and hold the Shift key, then tap the up arrow to make it shorter. Swap the Fill and Stroke (Shift + X). 
• Toggle the rulers on (Command/Ctrl + R), then click on the rulers and drag the guide to the center of the shape.  
• Select the shape with your Regular Selection Tool (V), and then use the Rotate Tool (R), hold then move the anchor point down (Hold + Alt/Opt + Drag).
• Enter 15 degrees as the angle and press 'Copy.'
• Fit your shape to the screen (Command/Ctrl + 0), turn off your rulers (Command/Ctrl + R), and hide your guides (Command/Ctrl + ;). 
• Use Transform Again (Command/Ctrl + D), to paste in copies of your shape around the center point and close your burst. 

Hints & tips

• You can also access the transform menu by pressing Ctrl and clicking on the shape. In the dropdown menu select 'Transform.'
• The shortcut for Transform Again is Command/Ctrl + D. 
• The shortcut for the Rotate Tool is 'R' on the keyboard. 
• To move an anchor point down, select the point, hold it down and press Alt/Opt and drag the crosshair down. 
• To show or hide rulers, use the shortcut Command/Ctrl + R. 
• To scale shapes from the center, select your shape, and hold Shift + Alt/Opt + Drag.