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Illustrator

Illustrator

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  1. Illustrator User Guide
  2. Get to know Illustrator
    1. Introduction to Illustrator
      1. What's new in Illustrator
      2. Latest performance enhancements
      3. Illustrator release notes
      4. Common questions
      5. Illustrator system requirements
      6. Illustrator for Apple silicon
      7. GPU performance
    2. Workspace
      1. Workspace basics
      2. Create documents
      3. Learn faster with the Illustrator Discover panel
      4. Accelerate workflows using the Contextual Task Bar
      5. Toolbar
      6. Default keyboard shortcuts
      7. Customize keyboard shortcuts
      8. Introduction to artboards
      9. Manage artboards
      10. Customize the workspace
      11. Properties panel
      12. Set preferences
      13. Touch Workspace
      14. Microsoft Surface Dial support in Illustrator
      15. Undo edits and manage design history
      16. Rotate view
      17. Rulers, grids, and guides
      18. Accessibility in Illustrator
      19. View artwork
      20. Use the Touch Bar with Illustrator
      21. Files and templates
    3. Tools in Illustrator
      1. Tools at a glance
      2. Select tools
        1. Selection
        2. Direct Selection
        3. Group Selection
        4. Magic Wand
        5. Lasso
        6. Artboard
      3. Navigate tools
        1. Hand
        2. Rotate View
        3. Zoom
      4. Paint tools
        1. Gradient
        2. Mesh
        3. Shape Builder
      5. Text tools
        1. Type
        2. Type on a Path
        3. Vertical Type
      6. Draw tools
        1. Pen
        2. Add Anchor Point
        3. Delete Anchor Point
        4. Anchor Point
        5. Curvature
        6. Line Segment
        7. Rectangle
        8. Rounded Rectangle
        9. Ellipse
        10. Polygon
        11. Star
        12. Paintbrush
        13. Blob Brush
        14. Pencil
        15. Shaper
        16. Slice
      7. Modify tools
        1. Rotate
        2. Reflect
        3. Scale
        4. Shear
        5. Width
        6. Free Transform
        7. Eyedropper
        8. Blend
        9. Eraser
        10. Scissors
        11. Dimension
    4. Generative AI (not available in mainland China)
      1. Illustrator generative AI FAQs
      2. Generate scenes, subjects, and icons using text prompts
      3. Generate vector patterns using text prompts
      4. Generate vector shape fills using text prompts
      5. Recolor your artwork using text prompts
    5. Quick actions
      1. Retro text
      2. Neon glow text
      3. Old school text
      4. Recolor
      5. Convert sketch to vector
  3. Illustrator on the iPad
    1. Introduction to Illustrator on the iPad
      1. Illustrator on the iPad overview
      2. Illustrator on the iPad FAQs
      3. System requirements | Illustrator on the iPad
      4. What you can or cannot do on Illustrator on the iPad
    2. Workspace
      1. Illustrator on the iPad workspace
      2. Touch shortcuts and gestures
      3. Keyboard shortcuts for Illustrator on the iPad
      4. Manage your app settings
    3. Documents
      1. Work with documents in Illustrator on the iPad
      2. Import Photoshop and Fresco documents
    4. Select and arrange objects
      1. Create repeat objects
      2. Blend objects
    5. Drawing
      1. Draw and edit paths
      2. Draw and edit shapes
    6. Type
      1. Work with type and fonts
      2. Create text designs along a path
      3. Add your own fonts
    7. Work with images
      1. Vectorize raster images
    8. Color
      1. Apply colors and gradients
  4. Cloud documents
    1. Basics
      1. Work with Illustrator cloud documents
      2. Share and collaborate on Illustrator cloud documents
      3. Share documents for review
      4. Upgrade cloud storage for Adobe Illustrator
      5. Illustrator cloud documents | Common questions
    2. Troubleshooting
      1. Troubleshoot create or save issues for Illustrator cloud documents
      2. Troubleshoot Illustrator cloud documents issues
  5. Add and edit content
    1. Drawing
      1. Drawing basics
      2. Edit paths
      3. Draw pixel-perfect art
      4. Draw with the Pen, Curvature, or Pencil tool
      5. Draw simple lines and shapes
      6. Draw rectangular and polar grids
      7. Draw and edit flares
      8. Trace images
      9. Simplify a path
      10. Symbolism tools and symbol sets
      11. Adjust path segments
      12. Design a flower in 5 easy steps
      13. Create and edit a perspective grid
      14. Draw and modify objects on a perspective grid
      15. Use objects as symbols for repeat use
      16. Draw pixel-aligned paths for web workflows
    2. Measurement
      1. Measure distance and area
      2. Measure and plot dimensions
    3. 3D objects and materials
      1. About 3D effects in Illustrator
      2. Create 3D graphics
      3. Map artwork over 3D objects
      4. Create 3D Text
      5. Create 3D objects
    4. Color
      1. About color
      2. Select colors
      3. Use and create swatches
      4. Adjust colors
      5. Use the Adobe Color Themes panel
      6. Color groups (harmonies)
      7. Color Themes panel
      8. Recolor your artwork
    5. Painting
      1. About painting
      2. Paint with fills and strokes
      3. Live Paint groups
      4. Gradients
      5. Brushes
      6. Transparency and blending modes
      7. Apply stroke on an object
      8. Create and edit patterns
      9. Meshes
      10. Patterns
    6. Select and arrange objects
      1. Select objects
      2. Layers
      3. Expand, group, and ungroup objects
      4. Move, align, and distribute objects
      5. Align, arrange, and move objects on a path
      6. Snap objects to glyph
      7. Snap objects to Japanese glyph
      8. Stack objects    
      9. Lock, hide, and delete objects
      10. Copy and duplicate objects
      11. Rotate and reflect objects
      12. Intertwine objects
      13. Create realistic mockups
    7. Reshape objects
      1. Crop images
      2. Transform objects
      3. Combine objects
      4. Cut, divide, and trim objects
      5. Puppet Warp
      6. Scale, shear, and distort objects
      7. Blend objects
      8. Reshape using envelopes
      9. Reshape objects with effects
      10. Build new shapes with Shaper and Shape Builder tools
      11. Work with Live Corners
      12. Enhanced reshape workflows with touch support
      13. Edit clipping masks
      14. Live shapes
      15. Create shapes using the Shape Builder tool
      16. Global editing
    8. Type
      1. Add text and work with type objects
      2. Add basic formatting to text
      3. FAQs on fonts in Illustrator
      4. Fonts and typography
      5. Create type on a path
      6. Create bulleted and numbered lists
      7. Manage text area
      8. Add advanced formatting to text
      9. Format paragraphs
      10. Character and paragraph styles
      11. Special characters
      12. Tabs
      13. Scale and rotate type
      14. Line and character spacing
      15. Hyphenation and line breaks
      16. Spelling and language dictionaries
      17. Format Asian characters
      18. Arabic and Hebrew type
      19. Composers for Asian scripts
      20. Reflow Viewer
      21. Preview, add, or replace missing fonts
      22. Import and export text
      23. Identify the fonts used in images and outlined text
      24. Creative typography designs
      25. Create text designs with blend objects
      26. Create a text poster using Image Trace
    9. Create special effects
      1. Work with effects
      2. Graphic styles
      3. Appearance attributes
      4. Create sketches and mosaics
      5. Drop shadows, glows, and feathering
      6. Summary of effects
    10. Web graphics
      1. Best practices for creating web graphics
      2. Graphs
      3. SVG
      4. Slices and image maps
  6. Import, export, and save
    1. Import
      1. Place multiple files
      2. Manage linked and embedded files
      3. Links information
      4. Unembed images
      5. Import artwork from Photoshop
      6. Import bitmap images
      7. Import Adobe PDF files
      8. Import EPS, DCS, and AutoCAD files
    2. Creative Cloud Libraries in Illustrator 
      1. Creative Cloud Libraries in Illustrator
    3. Save and export
      1. Save artwork
      2. Export artwork
      3. Create Adobe PDF files
      4. Adobe PDF options
      5. Use Illustrator artwork in Photoshop
      6. Collect assets and export in batches
      7. Package files
      8. Extract CSS | Illustrator CC
      9. Document info panel
  7. Printing
    1. Prepare for printing
      1. Set up documents for printing
      2. Change the page size and orientation
      3. Specify crop marks for trimming or aligning
      4. Get started with large canvas
    2. Printing
      1. Overprint
      2. Print with color management
      3. PostScript printing
      4. Print presets
      5. Printer's marks and bleeds
      6. Print and save transparent artwork
      7. Trapping
      8. Print color separations
      9. Print gradients, meshes, and color blends
      10. White Overprint
  8. Automate tasks
    1. Data merge using the Variables panel
    2. Automation with scripts
    3. Automation with actions
  9. Troubleshooting 
    1. Fixed issues
    2. Known issues
    3. Crash issues
    4. Recover files after crash
    5. Repair damaged documents
    6. Safe mode
    7. File issues
    8. Supported file formats
    9. GPU device driver issues
    10. Wacom device issues
    11. DLL file issues
    12. Memory issues
    13. Preferences file issues
    14. Font issues
    15. Printer issues
    16. Media issues
    17. Missing plugin issues
    18. Share crash report with Adobe
    19. Improve Illustrator performance

Learn how to find, preview, apply, and edit fonts.

Illustrator automatically imports and loads all the fonts installed on your computer. In addition, you can also add fonts from Adobe Fonts to Illustrator.

Adobe Illustrator deeplink

Try it in the app

Find, preview, and apply fonts in a few simple steps.

Open Illustrator

Find, preview, and apply fonts

  1. Select the text on the canvas.

    If you don't select the text, the new font will apply only to any text you select afterward.

  2. Navigate to Window > Type > Character. The Character panel opens up.

  3. In the Set the font family dropdown, hover over a font name to preview it. If you know the font name, type it in the Set the font family field. 

    You can also access Set the font family from the Contextual Task Bar, Character section of the Properties panel, or Control panel. To view the fonts in categories, navigate to Type > Font.

  4. To preview the font on a sample text, in the Set the font family dropdown, choose a sample text from the Select from the sample text options dropdown. To change the size of the sample text, select Show smaller sample text size or Show larger sample text size.

  5. When you find the font that meets your design requirements, select it to apply to the text.

  6. In the Set the font style dropdown of the Character panel, select a font style.

To turn off font preview, deselect Illustrator > Settings > Type > Enable In-menu font previews (macOS) or Edit > Preferences > Type > Enable In-menu font previews (Windows).

Mark a font as favorite

  1. Navigate to Window > Type > Character. The Character panel opens up.

  2. In the Set the font family dropdown, hover over a font name and select Add to Favorites   .

Find more fonts in Adobe Fonts

Adobe Fonts offers high-quality fonts from a variety of foundries. You can browse and add these fonts from Illustrator or the Adobe Fonts website. The fonts you add from Adobe Fonts are available across all Creative Cloud apps.

  1. Navigate to Window > Type > Character. The Character panel opens up.

  2. In the Set the font family dropdown, switch to the Find More tab.

  3. Select Add   next to the font you want to add. A checkmark appears in Add   when the font is added and ready to use.

Preview Japanese fonts

In the Find More tab, you can find and preview all the Japanese fonts available in Adobe Fonts. Ensure you turn on the settings to preview Japanese fonts:

  1. Navigate to Illustrator > Settings > Type (macOS) or Edit > Preferences > Type (Windows).

  2. Select Enable Japanese Font Preview in 'Find More'.

  3. Close and reopen Illustrator for the settings to take effect.

Edit fonts

The default font in Illustrator is Myriad Pro. Learn how to change the default font.

Change the font size

  1. Select the text on the canvas.

  2. Navigate to Window > Type > Character. The Character panel opens up.

  3. In the Set the font size field, type the required size. You can also select a standard size from the dropdown next to it.

By default, the unit of measurement is a point (pt), which equals 1/72 of an inch. To change the unit, navigate to Illustrator > Settings > Units  (macOS) or Edit > Preferences > Units (Windows) and select a unit in the Type dropdown.

Apply recent fonts

  1. Select the text on the canvas.

  2. Navigate to Type > Recent Fonts, and select a font.

To change the number of fonts in Recent Fonts, select Illustrator > Settings > Type (macOS) or Edit > Preferences > Type (Windows), and set the Number of Recent Fonts.

Change the font style within a font family using shortcuts

  1. Double-click the text on the canvas to activate the Type   tool.

  2. In the text box, press and drag the mouse to select the portion of the text to which you want to apply the style. 

    If you don't select the text, the new font style will apply only to any text you select afterward.

  3. Use one of the following shortcuts based on the required style:

    Shortcuts

    macOS

    Windows

    Bold

    Shift + Cmd + B

    Shift + Ctrl + B

    Italic

    Shift + Cmd + I

    Shift + Ctrl + I

    Underline

    Shift + Cmd + U

    Shift + Ctrl + U

    The keyboard shortcuts for bold and italic styles won't work if the font family doesn't have them or if they aren't installed on your computer. If you try to switch from bold or italic to the regular style but the font family lacks the regular style, Illustrator applies a style in that font family that is closest to Myriad Pro Regular.

You can also customize these keyboard shortcuts.

Find and replace fonts

  1. Navigate to Type > Find/Replace Font.

  2. In the Fonts in Document list, select the font that you want to replace. Illustrator highlights only one continuous instance of the font in the document at a time. Cycle through the list to find all the instances of the font.

  3. In the Replace With Font From dropdown, select a replacement list:

    • Document: Lists all the fonts used in the document.
    • Recent: Lists all the recent fonts.
    • System: Lists all the fonts installed on your computer.

  4. Select a font from the replacement list.

  5. Select Change to replace only the highlighted instance or select Change All to replace all the instances of the font.

    A font name is removed from the Fonts in Document list only when you replace all its instances in the document.

Filter fonts

  1. Navigate to Window > Type > Character. The Character panel opens up.

  2. In the Set the font family dropdown, select Fonts to filter the fonts already available in Illustrator. Alternatively, select Find More to filter the fonts available in Adobe Fonts.

  3. Select one or more of these Filters:

    • Filter fonts by classification: In the Filter fonts by classification menu, select a category from the Classification section. You get only Roman fonts using this filter. Select a property from the Properties section to filter the fonts further.
    • Show Favorite Fonts: Select this filter to see all the fonts you marked as favorites.
    • Show recently added: Select this filter to see all the fonts you added in the last 30 days.
    • Show Added Fonts: Select this filter to see all the fonts you added from Adobe Fonts.
    Note:

    Favorite fonts and recently added fonts are available across Illustrator sessions.

  4. Select the filter again to clear it.

Find similar fonts

  1. Navigate to Window > Type > Character. The Character panel opens up.

  2. In the Set the font family dropdown, select Fonts or Find More.

  3. Hover over a font and select Show Similar Fonts   .

Types of fonts supported in Illustrator

Font types

Icons

OpenType

  

Variable fonts

  

SVG fonts

  

COLR fonts

  

Adobe Fonts

  

TrueType 

  

Multiple Master

  

Composite

  

Variable fonts

A variable font is an OpenType font for which you can customize the attributes, such as weight, width, and slant, to create responsive web lettering and typography. 

Vary width

Vary width

Vary slant

Note:

Illustrator 29.3 introduces Momochidori font—Japanese variable font for precise, adaptable styling in your artwork.

Apply and customize variable fonts

  1. Select the text on the canvas.

  2. Navigate to Window > Type > Character. The Character panel opens up.

  3. In the Set the font family dropdown, select a variable font   to apply it to the text.

  4. Select the Variable Font icon in the Character panel, and adjust Weight, Width, and Slant.

SVG fonts

SVG fonts provide multiple colors and gradients in a single glyph.

COLR fonts

COLR fonts let you add emojis to your text and create rich, gradient-filled text styles with smooth color transitions. These fonts offer customizable color effects directly within your text, adding depth and dimension to your designs without compromising scalability.

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