The Logical Blog by IconLogic

Adobe Illustrator: Working with Artboards

by Sally Cox  

I create all my graphics for my eLearning courses in Adobe Illustrator. I try to draw everything myself but also refine stock vector art when I am in a rush. My Illustrator files have a lot of artboards and they can get out of order easily. Let me show you how to rearrange your Artboards to help keep you sane and organized.

 

When you create a New Document in Illustrator, there is an option to add more than one Artboard. Two or more Artboards gives you more options.

 

Next to the number of Artboards are four icons and an arrow. The four icons give you options to arrange your Artboards. I usually leave it on the first option, which will arrange them from left to right and add rows going down. I also recommend adding to the Spacing (area between Artboards).

 

 

Artboard Tool

 

When you want to edit or add new Artboards, use the Artboard Tool (Shift O).

 

Here's an example of what one of my files looks like. Okay, I admit I haphazardly add Artboards and they do get out of order.

When you choose the Artboard Tool, the current Artboard gets a bold dashed line around it.

 

 

The Artboard I currently have selected with the Artboard Tool is highlighted with a bold dashed border.

Drag the handles to resize the Artboard, select the Trash Can on the options (at the top of your screen) to delete an Artboard. There are icons to add new or rename Artboards, change x and y positioning, and adjust width and height, among others. Hover over the icon to learn its function.

 

 

One final step with Artboards is the Artboard Panel (which provides an easy way to reorder and rename Artboards). You will find the Artboards Panel in the Windows menu.

 

  

 

In the image above I am renaming my Artboards to make it easier to navigate through them.

Adobe Illustrator CS6: Rounding One (or Two) Corners

by Barb Binder

So you want to round just one or two corners of a rectangle? Illustrator CS6 makes it easy to round all of them. Select a rectangle and choose Effect > Stylize > Round Corners. Set the Radius, click the OK button and you are good to go.

But what if you just want to round one or two corners? It can be done, though it is definitely more fussy. Here's one way to do it:

1. Select a rectangle.
2. Select the Scissors tool and click two opposing corners to separate the single rectangle into two independent right angles.
   
3. Select one of the right angles, and choose Effect > Stylize > Round Corners to round one corner.
   
   
   
   As a visual learner, I like to see a process to fully comprehend it, so in the image above, I moved one right angle off of the other. This is only so that the visual learners amongst you can see that the Scissors tool cuts the single shape into two right angles. It is not a necessary step.
4. Repeat for the other right angle. (Note: Because I moved my right angles apart to illustrate the two independent shapes, I needed to re-align their top and left edges before continuing.)
   
5. Finally, select both angles and combine them back into a single shape by choosing Object > Path > Join.

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Looking to learn Adobe Illustrator? We offer both a two-day Introduction to Adobe Illustrator class and a two-day advanced class.