- Introduction
- Selecting a Drawing Mode
- Creating Pixel Aligned Objects
- Creating Rectangles and Ellipses
- Creating Polygons and Stars
- Creating Line Segments
- Creating Arcs and Spirals
- Creating Grids
- Using the Shape Builder Tool
- Creating Perspective Objects
- Working with Perspective Objects
- Customizing a Perspective Grid
- Using the Selection Tool
- Using the Direct Selection Tool
- Using the Lasso Tool
- Using the Magic Wand Tool
- Selecting and Grouping Objects
- Selecting Similar Objects
- Saving and Editing Selections
- Moving Objects
- Duplicating Objects
- Aligning and Distributing Objects
- Transforming Objects
- Using the Free Transform Tool
- Rotating and Scaling Objects
- Reflecting and Shearing Objects
- Applying Multiple Transformations
- Reshaping Objects with Envelopes
Transforming Objects
The easiest way to transform an object is to use the bounding box. With the bounding box, you can quickly scale (resize), reflect (mirror), and rotate an object. However, you cannot copy an object or move the reference point. As you drag to transform an object, you can use keyboard keys to alter the results of a transformation. Experiment with the different options to create some new results.
Transform an Object with the Bounding Box
Click the View menu, and then click Show Bounding Box to display it.
Select the Selection tool on the Tools panel.
Select one or more objects to transform.
Use any of the following methods:
- Scale. Drag a corner handle to scale along two axes; drag a side handle to scale along one axis; Shift-drag to scale proportionally; hold down Alt (Win) or Option (Mac), and then drag to scale from the center. Also hold down Shift to scale from the center proportionally.
- Reflect. Drag a side handle all the way across the object to the other side.
- Rotate. Point slightly outside a corner handle (pointer changes to a double arrow), and then drag in a circular motion.
To rotate an object 180 degrees, drag a corner handle diagonally all the way across the object.
To transform an object using exact values or percentages, select the Transform panel.