
If you want to change the options for multiple artboards at once, select them and click the Artboard Options button in the Control panel or Properties panel. This opens the Artboard Options dialog box where you can change any setting for that artboard. To access more options for modifying an existing artboard, double-click on it with the Artboard tool. Press the Escape key to exit the artboard editing mode and switch to the Selection tool. Use Illustrator’s Smart Guides to align to the grid layout, if needed. You can duplicate an artboard by Option/Alt-dragging it. You can also change the size of an artboard by selecting it and choosing a size from the Preset menu in the Properties panel or Control panel.Ĭreate a brand-new artboard on the canvas by clicking and dragging with the Artboard tool.

Note that artboards will resize around the Reference Point chosen in those panels. Resize any artboard by selecting it then dragging any of its handles, or using the Width and Height fields in the Control panel or Properties panel. Note that deleting an artboard only deletes the artboard, leaving any artwork exactly where it was.

You can delete an artboard by clicking it and pressing Delete/Backspace. Shift-click to select multiple artboards. Select the Artboard tool from the Toolbox (Shift+O) to enter the artboard editing mode.Įach artboard’s name and number (assigned based on creation order) appears in a box at the upper left of the artboard. Once your document is set up, you can add, delete, re-arrange, and resize artboards. In the New Document dialog box, click More Settings to get all the options for setting up your artboards. You can have a maximum of 1000 artboards in a document! In addition, you can indicate how those artboards are laid out by creating a grid, row, or column how many columns the grid is arranged into and the initial spacing between the artboards. When setting up a new document, set the number of artboards to start with-you can always add more later-and indicate a size, bleed, and orientation. Set Artboard Options When Creating a New Document Here are some essential tips for using artboards in Illustrator.
#Illustrator artboard tool how to#
Understanding how to work with artboards is a fundamental skill that all Illustrator users should master.

Having multiple artboards in one document allows you to maintain and edit multiple projects and different page sizes together for consistency and ease. Although they all sit on the same canvas, they act individually and they can be printed and exported as distinct items. Illustrator uses artboards, which are similar to pages in InDesign, for layout.
