Applying Transformations

Illustrator has five basic transformation functions: Move, Rotate, Scale, Reflect, and Shear. Illustrator also has a Free Transform tool and a feature called Transform Each that enables you to apply transformations to multiple objects with one click. You can also use the Transform palette, which makes for quick and precise transformations. I know it sounds confusing, but hang in there because this will all be second nature before you know it.

Before we talk about transformations, I want to point out one particular keyboard shortcut that is a real time saver. Holding down the Command (Ctrl) key at any time activates the most recent arrow selection tool you've used. For example, if you last used the Selection tool, pressing this keyboard shortcut while using any of Illustrator's other tools temporarily activates the Selection tool. If the Direct Select or Group Select tool is active, you get the Selection tool; if the Selection tool is active, you get the Direct Selection tool.

When it comes to transformations specifically, you are always selecting objects and making minor changes to the art. Having to switch back and forth between the transformation tools and the selection tools is a pain. With the Command (Ctrl) key, the selection tool is always just a keystroke away.

Moving Objects

Although not necessarily a transformation, in that the actual object is changed, moving an object is considered a transformation because the coordinates of the object are being changed (we talk more about coordinates shortly, when we discuss the Transform palette).

You already learned one way to move an object: by clicking and dragging a selection. Illustrator also lets you move things more precisely. If you click and drag a selection and then hold down the Shift key, you can drag your selection only along a constrained axis in increments of 45°.

Want to get even more precise? After you make a selection, you can use your keyboard's arrow keys (up, down, left, and right) to "nudge" your selection incrementally. You can control how much each nudge is in the General preferences panel by pressing Command+K (Ctrl+K) (see Figure 7.118).

Figure 7.118. Specifying the keyboard increment in the General preferences panel.

Still not precise enough for you? If you want to move objects numerically, make your selection and then double-click on the Selection tool in the toolbox (the black arrow). In the resulting dialog box, you can specify an exact amount to four decimal places (see Figure 7.119). Entering negative numbers moves the object down or to the left. In this dialog box, you can also choose to move a copy of your objectand there's a Preview button that enables you to view the results of the move before clicking OK.

Figure 7.119. The Move dialog box.

There's yet another way to move something: Illustrator's Transform palette, which we'll get to soon.

Rotate, Scale, Reflect, and Shear

The four transformation toolsRotate, Scale, Reflect, and Shearare very similar. As you should know by now, before making any transformations, you must first make a selection.

The Bounding Box

With Illustrator's default setting, when you make a selection, the object is highlighted with a rectangular shape that has hollow squares at the corners and the centers of each line (see Figure 7.120). This is called the bounding box, and it enables you to make certain transformations to the selection without having to select a different tool.

Figure 7.120. A selected object, with the bounding box shown.

Did you Know?

You can turn off the bounding box by choosing View, Hide Bounding Box, or you can use the keyboard shortcut Command+Shift+B (Ctrl+Shift+B).

Clicking and dragging on any of the hollow squares enables you to scale the selection in that direction. Pressing the Shift key while dragging one of the hollow squares constrains the proportions of your selection. Pressing the Option (Alt) key when dragging scales the selection from its center.

If you position your cursor just outside any of the corner hollow squares, you'll notice that your cursor changes from a straight arrow to a bent arrow. If you click and drag outside the object while the bent-arrow cursor is showing, you can rotate your selection around its center (see Figure 7.121). Pressing the Shift key while dragging constrains your rotations to increments of 45°.

Figure 7.121. Rotating an object using the bounding box.

Using the Transformation Tools

I'm not a big fan of the bounding box myself. For one, it was added to Illustrator a few versions back to appeal to users who had used other illustration tools, such as CorelDRAW, that featured this kind of functionality. Second, as you're about to find out, there are specific scale and rotate tools in Illustrator that offer more powerful options. Finallyand most important, in my opinionyou can't perform certain transformations when the bounding box is turned on. For example, say you want to drag an object by its corner to move it (I'll explain in a moment why you would want to do that). With the bounding box turned on, if you drag from a corner, the object will scale rather than move. Illustrator has a snap-to-point feature that enables you to easily align objects as you position them. So you might want to grab a rectangle by its corner and move it to the edge of the page where the corner would snap to the edge of the page, making it easy to move objects with precision.

Anyway, I digress. The bottom line is that you're now going to learn the most powerful way to perform scale, rotate, reflect, and shear transformations in Illustrator. The bounding box was really created for anyone who doesn't plan to read this book. Although you can certainly keep the bounding box option turned on when using the other transformation tools, I'm going to suggest that you turn it off for now because it will be easier to learn the new tools that way. You can toggle the bounding box by pressing Command+Shift+B (Ctrl+Shift+B).

Rotate

To apply a rotation, make a selection and press the R key on your keyboard. Right away, you'll notice a new icon in the center of your selection, which is called your origin point (see Figure 7.122). The origin point is the place from where your transformation begins. As you'll soon see, all the transformation tools use an origin point, but specifically with the Rotation tool, your origin point dictates the center of your rotation.

Figure 7.122. The origin point of a transformation.

If you want to rotate your selection around a point other than its center, you can redefine the origin point simply by dragging it to a new location. In fact, you can set the origin point to just about any arbitrary point on your artboard. You'll see why this is so useful as we progress with the transformation tools.

To rotate a selection, position your cursor a fair distance away from the origin point and click and drag with the mouse (see Figure 7.123). You don't necessarily grab the object itself (although you can), but if you click too close to the origin point, it will be difficult to accurately apply your rotation.

Figure 7.123. Rotating an object using the Rotate tool.

Pressing the Shift key while you drag constrains the rotation to increments of 45°. Pressing the Option (Alt) key while dragging rotates a copy of your selection.

Scale

Probably the most frequently used transformation tool, the Scale tool, enables you to change the size of your selected objects. You apply a scale transformation in much the same way as you do for rotate. Make a selection and press the S key on your keyboard. If you want, you can move the origin point to a location other than the center of the selected objects.

To scale a selection, position your cursor a fair distance away from the origin point, and click and drag with the mouse. As you drag away from the origin point, your objects will scale larger. As you drag toward the origin point, your objects will scale smaller.

Pressing the Shift key while you drag constrains your objects to scale proportionally. Pressing the Option (Alt) key while dragging scales a copy of your selection.

Scale Stroke & Effects

Specifically with the Scale tool, Illustrator gives you the option to specify whether you want to scale any strokes or effects that are applied to your selection in addition to the object itself.

In a simple example, say you have a rectangle with a 1-point stroke applied to it. By default, when you scale that rectangle, the stroke will remain at 1 point even though the rectangle is now a different size. If you double-click on the Scale tool in the toolbox, you're presented with the Scale dialog box, where you can check the Scale Strokes & Effects box to have the stroke setting change size as well (see Figure 7.124). In a more complex example, if you have an effect such as a drop shadow applied to your selection, that effect's settings will change size only if this option is turned on.

Figure 7.124. The Scale Strokes & Effects option in the Scale dialog box.

Reflect

The Reflect tool enables you to flip or mirror your selected objects. This tool is most useful for creating symmetrical artwork. When you create one side of your art, simply flip a copy of it to complete the design (see Figure 7.125). Make a selection and press the O key on your keyboard (you can remember O for "opposite"). If you want, you can move the origin point to a location other than the center of the selected objectswhich is common with the Reflect function because rarely will you reflect an object from its center.

Figure 7.125. Creating a reflection of a design.

To reflect a selection, position your cursor a fair distance away from the origin point, and click and drag with the mouse. As you drag, you will reflect your artwork.

Pressing the Shift key while you drag constrains your objects to reflect in increments of 45°. Pressing the Option (Alt) key while dragging reflects a copy of your selection.

Shear

The Shear tool enables you to skew your selected objects. You apply a shear transformation in much the same way as you do for the other transform functions. Make a selection and switch to the Shear tool (it's found behind the Scale tool in the toolbox, as shown in Figure 7.126). There's no keyboard shortcut assigned to this tool (although if you find yourself using this tool often, you can assign one to it). If you want, you can move the origin point to a location other than the center of the selected objects.

Figure 7.126. Choosing the Shear tool.

To shear a selection, position your cursor a fair distance away from the origin point and click and drag with the mouse. As you drag away from the origin point, your selection skews (see Figure 7.127).

Figure 7.127. Shearing a selected object.

Pressing the Shift key while you drag constrains your selection, and pressing the Option (Alt) key while dragging shears a copy of your selection.

Going by the Numbers

Sometimes you need to make a precise transformation, such as rotating something 38°, or scaling something 221%. In those cases, you can apply transformations numerically by making your selection and then double-clicking on the transformation tool you need to use. A dialog box appears where you can enter specific values and choose to apply the transformation to your selection or to a copy of your selection.

When you double-click on a tool to apply a transformation numerically, the origin point for that transformation always is the center of the selection. If you want to apply a transformation numerically and you also want to specify an origin point, make your selection, choose the appropriate transformation tool, and click where you want the origin point to be while holding down the Option (Alt) key.

Do You See a Pattern Here?

If your selection has a pattern fill applied to it, you can choose to transform both the object and the pattern, just the object, or just the pattern (see Figure 7.128). By default, Illustrator scales just the object, not the fill pattern. When you're applying transformations via any of the transform dialog boxes (see the preceding subsection, "Going by the Numbers"), there's a check box where you can specify whether pattern fills are transformed. Alternatively, you can press and hold the tilde (~) key (usually near the Escape key) as you're dragging with any of the transform tools. This works even when you're dragging with the Selection tool to move something.

Figure 7.128. An object that was rotated with the Pattern option turned on (left) and off (right).

The Free Transform Tool

Admittedly, I was a bit unkind to the bounding box feature in Illustrator earlier in this chapter. The truth is, there's a tool that offers similar functionality to the bounding box in Illustratoryet is far more powerfulcalled the Free Transform tool.

By the Way

The Free Transform tool originally appeared in Photoshop. At that time, a simple transformation such as a rotate or a scale could take several minutes to calculate and apply, and if you had to apply both a scale and a rotate, it meant applying one transformation, waiting, and then applying the second one. The Free Transform tool enabled you to specify several kinds of transformations all in one step. The tool was added to Illustrator shortly thereafter, although the benefits aren't as revolutionary in Illustrator.

To use the Free Transform tool, make a selection and press the E key on your keyboard, or choose the Free Transform tool from the toolbox. Unlike with the other transformation tools, you can't change the origin point when using the Free Transform tool.

The Free Transform tool enables you to perform a plethora of functions, which I've conveniently listed for you here:

• Click inside the bounding box and drag to move the selection.

• Click outside the bounding box and drag to rotate the selection.

• Click and drag on any of the four corner handles to scale the selection. Press the Shift key to constrain proportion. Press the Option (Alt) key to simultaneously scale the opposite side of the selection.

• Click and drag on any of the middle four handles to scale horizontally or vertically. Press the Shift key to constrain proportion. Press the Option (Alt) key to simultaneously scale the opposite side of the selection.

• Click and drag on any of the four corner handles and press the Command (Ctrl) key to distort your selection (see Figure 7.129). Press the Option (Alt) key to simultaneously distort the opposite side of the selection. Make sure you click on the handle first and then press the Command (Ctrl) key.

  Figure 7.129. Using the Free Transform tool to distort a selection.

  

  
  

• Click and drag on any of the four middle handles, and press the Command (Ctrl) key to skew your selection. Press the Option (Alt) key to simultaneously skew the opposite side of the selection. Make sure you click on the handle first and then press the Command (Ctrl) key.

Unlike with Photoshop, you don't have to press Enter to apply a transformation with the Free Transform tool. Simply deselect your objects, and you're done.

Transform Each

The Transform Each function offers two excellent benefits: the capability to perform scale, move, rotate, and reflect transformations simultaneously, and the capability to transform each object in a selection independently of the others. Let's take a closer look.

First, making multiple transformations is a snap when you use Transform Each. Make a selection and choose Object, Transform, Transform Each to bring up the Transform Each dialog box (see Figure 7.130). Here, you can specify measurements for scaling, moving, rotating, and reflecting your selection. A Preview box enables you to view your transformation in real time. You'll see in a minute how the Transform Each feature is more powerful than you might think.

Figure 7.130. The Transform Each dialog box.

The second benefit I mentioned was the capability to transform multiple objects individually. To demonstrate, I've created a grid of squares (see Figure 7.131). If you select all the squares and use the Rotate tool to rotate the selection 45°, the entire selection rotates as onesharing a single origin point (see Figure 7.132). However, if you apply the Transform Each function to the same selection and specify a 45° rotation, each square rotates individuallyeach with its own origin point (see Figure 7.133).

Figure 7.131. A grid of squares.

Figure 7.132. The grid of squares, rotated 45° with the Rotate tool.

Figure 7.133. The grid of squares, rotated 45° with the Transform Each command.

By the Way

Although you can't set an exact origin point with the Transform Each function, you can use the proxy inside the dialog box to choose from one of nine origin-point locations (the default is set to center).

The Random button in the Transform Each dialog box transforms each object a little differently, making for an irregular, almost hand-drawn look. If you have the Preview box checked, you can see how the objects will be affected. Unchecking and then checking the Random option gives different results each time (it truly is random!).

The Transform Palette

Simply because there aren't already enough palettes in Illustrator, you can also apply transformations via the Transform palette (see Figure 7.134). In truth, this palette is quite valuable because it enables you to precisely position artwork on your page, using X and Y coordinates. No other transform function in Illustrator offers that capability. On the left side of the palette is a proxy you can use to specify an origin point, and to the left is a lock icon that enables you to automatically scale objects proportionally. The Transform palette is also accessible via the Control palette (click on the X or Y next to the coordinate fields).

Figure 7.134. The Transform palette.

Transform Again

Arguably the most powerful transform feature in Illustrator, the Transform Again command enables you to repeat the last-applied transformation. You can how this feature works by creating the tick marks for a clock:

1.	Begin by drawing a single tick mark.
2.	Press the R key to choose the Rotate tool, and Option+click (Alt+click) below the mark to specify a numeric rotation while setting a custom origin point (see Figure 7.135). Figure 7.135. Positioning the cursor to Option+click (Alt+click) to define a custom origin point and bring up the Rotate dialog box, all in one step.
3.	Enter a value of 30 degrees for the rotation and click the Copy button.
4.	Press Command+D (Ctrl+D) repeatedly until all 12 tick marks have been created (see Figure 7.136). Figure 7.136. The completed illustration.

Take what you've learned until now about transformations, and you'll quickly see how powerful this feature can be. You can use Transform Again after you've applied a transformation using the Transform Each command so you can even use this command to repeat multiple transformations at once.

Aligning Objects

While we're talking about moving artwork around, I should mention that there are plenty of times when you need to align objectseither to each other or to the artboard itself. The Align palette (see Figure 7.137) is perfect for this task and for distributing objects as well. You can find the Align palette in the Window menu (by default, it's clustered with the Pathfinder and Transform palettes).

Figure 7.137. The Align palette.

The icons in the top row in the palette are alignment functions. Simply select multiple objects and click on the icons to align them as specified. If you're trying to align an object to the artboard (for example, centering an item on the page), you can choose the Align to Artboard option in the Align palette flyout menu. This function is actually a toggle, so your objects will align to the artboard until you go back to the palette flyout menu and disable the feature.

By the Way

The Align palette recognizes groups, which makes it easier to align art made up of several objects. When you align a grouped item, the Align palette treats that group as a single object.

The icons in the bottom row in the palette are distribution functions. After you select a range of objects, clicking on these buttons evenly distributes them, using the objects on the extreme ends as anchors. The objects that fall in the middle magically spread evenly between the two anchors (see Figure 7.138). By choosing Show Options from the Align palette flyout menu, you can also specify to distribute objects a set distance from one another.

Figure 7.138. Several objects, before and after the distribute commands have been applied.

Defining a Key Object

You'll notice that when you're aligning several objects, they all shift when they are aligned. However, sometimes you might want to align several objects to a specific object. In other words, you want to have one object remain stationary and all other objects align to that one object.

You can accomplish this task in Illustrator by defining a key object. When you've selected all the objects you want to align, click on the object you want all the other objects to align to. Then align your objects as you would normally with the buttons on the Align palette. After you've defined a key object, you can choose a different one simply by clicking on a different object. You can also choose Clear Key Object from the Align palette flyout menu.