Adobe Illustrator keyboard shortcuts for faster Illustrator operation.

For those new to Illustrator, after downloading and installing it, the next step is, of course, to open Illustrator and explore it. Initially, you'll spend the most time learning its functions, sometimes even deleting it and never wanting to reinstall it again because you don't understand the software's logic . But if you learn about Illustrator keyboard shortcuts, things will be different; you'll have discovered countless useful functions.

In a previous article, Taimienphi introduced a list of Corel shortcuts to help you use CorelDraw software faster and more professionally. With Corel shortcuts , you won't have to access each function module individually as before. In this article, let's explore the following basic shortcuts to learn more about using Illustrator shortcuts.

Illustrator keyboard shortcuts, using hotkeys in Illustrator

Basic keyboard shortcuts

Ctrl + C: Copy command
Ctrl + B (Edit / Paste in Back): Paste below the copied object
Ctrl + F (Edit / Paste in Front): Paste above the copied object
Ctrl + D (Object / Transform / Transform Again): Repeat the transform operation Ctrl
+ '+': Zoom in
Ctrl + '-': Zoom out
Ctrl + '0': Fit to screen

Basic Illustrator keyboard shortcuts

Tab key: Hides toolbars
F key: Expands document
Y key: Opens Magic Wand tool
? key: Opens Lasso tool
P key: Opens pen tool
T key: Type
key: Creates lines
M key: Creates rectangles
L key: Creates ellipses
B key: Opens Paintbrush
N key: Opens Pencil tool
R key: Rotates objects
J key: Column chart
G key: Opens Gradient
key W key: Opens Blend
key C key: Opens Drag tool
H key: Opens Hand tool
Z key: Zooms in

Some menu-related keys

Keyboard Shortcuts / Functions Keys
Show / Hide Brushes F5
Show / Hide Color F6
Show / Hide Layer F7
Show / Hide Information F8
Show / Hide Gradient Ctrl-F9
Show / Hide Stroke Ctrl-F10 Show
/ Hide Properties Ctrl-F11
Undo File F12
Show / Hide Graphic Styles Shift-F5
Show / Hide Appearance Shift-F6 Show
/ Hide Alignment Shift F7
Show / Hide Transform Shift-F8
Show / Hide Pathfinder Shift Ctrl F9
Show / Hide White Shift Ctrl F10
Show / Hide Icon Shift Ctrl F11

Other notes regarding keyboard shortcuts

- To open the ruler tool in Illustrator, press Ctrl + R , then right-click on the ruler to see a list of measurement units you can choose from.
- Instead of double-clicking to open the blend tool, simply click the icon on the toolbar once and press Enter to open the blend tool dialog box.
- Hold Ctrl and move the middle mouse button upwards to move to the left, and move the wheel downwards to move to the right. - Hold Alt
and rotate the middle mouse button to zoom out and zoom in. The zoom center will be the position where you place the mouse.
- Quickly change color systems. - Hold Shift and move the mouse button on the Color bar to quickly change color systems (C, M, Y, K).
- Press Ctrl + L to create a new layer.
- Ctrl + Alt + L to create a new layer with options.
- Hold Alt and release the mouse button -> Close Pencil or Brush Path.
- Copy a series of objects: Ctrl + D. Draw an object. Select an object while holding Alt, then drag to another location to copy another object (release the mouse, but do not deselect the object). Then press Ctrl + D to copy more objects with the same spacing.
- Lock object: select the object and press Ctrl + 2
- Select default color (while fill & black stroke): D
- Swap fill & stroke colors: Shift + X
- Change priority between fill and stroke: X
- Switch to selecting and changing art broad: Shift + O. Esc to exit

The above is an overview of Illustrator keyboard shortcuts for beginners, and of course, you need to practice regularly to remember and master these shortcuts. Besides mastering Illustrator shortcuts, Photoshop shortcuts are also very important, especially since Photoshop provides excellent support for Illustrator, so knowing Photoshop shortcuts is essential.