Arbitrary transformation method

Because this transformation method is arbitrary, you’re eyeballing the transformation of an object — in other words, you don’t have an exact percentage or angle in mind, and you want to freely transform the object until it looks right. Just follow these steps:

1. Select an object and then choose a Transform tool (Rotate, Reflect, Scale, or Shear).

2. Click the artboard once.

   Be careful where you click because the click determines the point of reference, or axis point, for the transformation. In Figure 9-3, the click put the axis point above the right ear. The image is rotated on the axis created at that point.

3. Drag in one smooth movement.

   Just drag until you create the transformation you want.

Hold down the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) key when dragging to clone a newly transformed item while keeping the original object intact. This trick is especially helpful when you’re using the Reflect tool.

Exact transformation methods

In the methods in this section, you discover how to perform transformations using specific numeric information:

Exact transformation method 1 — using the tool’s dialog box:

1. Select an object and then choose the Rotate, Reflect, Scale, or Shear tool.

2. Double-click the Transform tool that you selected in the Tools panel.

   A dialog box specific to your chosen tool appears, as shown in Figure 9-4. In this example, the Rotate tool was selected to open the Rotate dialog box.

3. Type an angle, a scaled amount, or a percentage in the appropriate text field.

   In Figure 9-4, 45 degrees is entered.

4. Select the Preview checkbox to see the effect of the transformation before you click OK; click the Copy button instead of OK to keep the original object intact and transform a copy.

Exact transformation method 2 — using the reference point:

1. Select an object and then choose the Rotate, Reflect, Scale, or Shear tool.
2. Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) wherever you want to place the reference point.

3. In the Transform tool dialog box that appears, enter values and click OK or click the Copy button to apply the transformation.

   This method is the best one to use if you need to rotate an object an exact amount on a defined axis.

Exact transformation method 3 — using the Transform menu:

1. Select an object and then choose a transform option from the Object  ⇒  Transform menu.

   The appropriate transform dialog box appears.

2. Enter some values and click OK or the Copy button.

Exact transformation method 4 — using the Transform panel:

1. Select an object and choose Window  ⇒  Transform to access the Transform panel, shown in Figure 9-5.
2. Set your options.

Though using the Transform panel is probably the easiest way to change values, it doesn’t offer you the capability to specify an exact reference point or other options that apply to the individual Transform tools. Keep in mind that by using the square grid on the left side of the transform panel you can select a point of reference for your object. By using this grid, you can measure from the corners or center point of an object.

The Reflect tool

Nothing in life is perfectly symmetrical, right? Maybe not, but objects not created symmetrically in Illustrator can look off-kilter. Using the Reflect tool, you can reflect an object to create an exact mirrored shape of it; just follow these steps:

1. Open a new document in Illustrator and type some text or create an object.

   If you want to reflect text, make sure that you use at least 60-point type so that you can easily see it.

2. Select the Reflect tool (hidden under the Rotate tool) and click the object; if you’re using text, click in the middle of the text baseline.

   This step sets the reference point for the reflection.

3. Alt+Shift+drag (Windows) or Option+Shift+drag (Mac) and release when the object or text is reflecting itself, as shown in Figure 9-6.

   This step not only clones the reflected object or text, but also snaps it to 45-degree angles.

The Scale tool

Using the Scale tool, you can scale an object proportionally or non-uniformly. Most people like to be scaled non-uniformly — maybe a little taller, a little thinner — but on with the topic. Follow these steps to see the Scale tool in action:

1. Create a shape and give it no fill and a 5-point black stroke.

   For this example, we created a circle. See Chapter 3 of this minibook if you need a reminder on how to do it.

2. Select the shape and double-click the Scale tool.

   The Scale dialog box appears.

3. Type a number in the Scale text field (in the Uniform section) and click the Copy button.

   We entered 125 in the Scale text field to increase the size of the object by 125 percent.

4. Press Ctrl+D (Windows) or ⌘  +D (Mac) to repeat the transformation as many times as you want.

   Every time you press Ctrl+D (Windows) or ⌘  +D (Mac), the shape is copied and sized by the percentage you entered in the Scale text field. This trick, especially handy with circles, creates an instant bull’s-eye!

To experiment with the Scale tool, create different shapes in Step 1 and enter different values in Step 3. Remember that if you type 50% in the Scale text field, the object is made smaller; surpass 100 percent — say, to 150 percent — to make the object larger. Leaving the Scale text field at 100 percent has no effect on the object.

The Shear tool

The Shear tool lets you shear an object by selecting an axis and dragging to set a shear angle, as shown in Figure 9-7.

The axis is always the center of the object unless you use method 1 or 2 from the earlier section “Exact transformation methods.” Use the Shear tool in combination with the Rotate tool to give an object perspective.

The Reshape tool

The Reshape tool lets you select anchor points and sections of paths and adjust them in one direction. You determine that direction by dragging an anchor point with the Reshape tool selected.

The Reshape tool works differently from the other Transform tools. To use it, follow these steps:

1. Select just the anchor points on the paths that you want to reshape. Deselect any points that you want to remain in place.

2. Select the Reshape tool (hidden under the Scale tool) and position the cursor over the anchor point you want to modify; click the anchor point.

   If you click a path segment, a highlighted anchor point with a square around it is added to the path.

3. Shift-click more anchor points or path segments to act as selection points.

   You can highlight an unlimited number of anchor points or path segments.

4. Drag the highlighted anchor points to adjust the path.

The Free Transform tool

You use the Free Transform tool in much the same way as you use the bounding box. (See the earlier section “Working with Transformations.”) This tool is necessary only if you choose View  ⇒  Hide Bounding Box but want free transform capabilities.

Using the preset warps

Experimenting with warp presets is a little more interesting if you have a word or an object selected before trying out the warp options. To warp an object or some text to a preset style, follow these steps:

1. Select the text or object that you want to distort and then choose Object  ⇒  Envelope Distort  ⇒  Make with Warp.

   The Warp Options dialog box appears.

2. Select a warp style from the Style drop-down list and then specify any other options you want.
3. Click OK to apply the distortion.

If you want to experiment with warping but also want to revert to the original at any time, choose Effect  ⇒  Warp. You later change or delete the warp effect by double-clicking it in the Appearance panel or by dragging the effect to the trash can in the Appearance panel. Find out more in Chapters 10 and 11 of this minibook about exciting effects you can apply to objects.

Reshaping with a mesh grid

You can assign a grid to an object so that you can drag different points and create your own, custom distortion, as shown in Figure 9-10.

Follow these steps to apply a mesh grid:

1. Using the Selection tool, select the text or object that you want to distort and then choose Object  ⇒  Envelope Distort  ⇒  Make with Mesh.

   The Envelope Mesh dialog box appears.

2. Specify the number of rows and columns you want the mesh to contain and then click OK.
3. Drag any anchor point on the mesh grid with the Direct Selection tool to reshape the object.

To delete anchor points on the mesh grid, select an anchor point by using the Direct Selection tool and press the Delete key.

You can also use the Mesh tool to edit and delete points when using a mesh grid on objects.

Reshaping an object with a different object

To form letters into the shape of an oval or to distort selected objects into another object, use this technique:

1. Create text that you want to distort.
2. Create the object you want to use as the envelope (the object to be used to define the distortion).
3. Choose Object  ⇒  Arrange to ensure that the envelope object is on top, as shown in Figure 9-11.
4. Select the text and Shift-click to select the envelope object.
5. Choose Object  ⇒  Envelope Distort  ⇒  Make with Top Object.

The underlying object is distorted to fit the shape of the top (envelope) object.

Choose Effect  ⇒  Distort and Transform  ⇒  Free Distort to take advantage of the Free Distort dialog box, shown in Figure 9-12. You can edit or undo effects at any time by clicking or deleting the Free Distort effect from the Appearance menu.