Illustrators and graphic designers use Adobe Illustrator to create scalable vector graphics for logos, animations, web, print, and mobile applications. Features include the ability to work with different types of text and symbols, various drawing tools that create natural lines, myriad colour management options, special effects such as blending brush strokes and adding perspective changes to images.
Here, we have provided a list of panels and function keys keyboard shorts for Adobe Illustrator so you can work faster with this application on your computer.
Panels Keyboard Shortcuts
- Set options (except for Actions, Brushes, Swatches, and Symbols panels) Alt-click New button
- Switch units of measurement Alt + Shift + Ctrl + U
- Delete without confirmation (except for Layers panel) Alt-click Delete button
- Apply value and keep text box active Shift + Enter
- Select range of actions, brushes, layers, links, styles, or swatches Shift-click
- Select noncontiguous actions, brushes, layers (same level only), links, styles, or swatches Ctrl-click
- Show/Hide all panels Tab
- Show/Hide all panels except the Tools panel and Control panel Shift + Tab
- Increase/ decrease values in logical fractions of the measurement unit Ctrl + Up or Down Arrow
- Increase/ decrease measurement unit by 10x Shift + Up or Down Arrow
Actions Panel Keyboard Shortcuts
- Expand/Collapse entire hierarchy for action set Alt-click expansion triangle
- Set options for action set Double-click folder icon
- Play a single command Ctrl-click Play Current Selection button
- Begin recording actions without confirmation Alt-click New Action button
Brushes Panel Keyboard Shortcuts
- Open Brush Options dialog box Double-click brush
- Duplicate brush Drag brush to New Brush button
Character and Paragraph Panels Keyboard Shortcuts
- Open the Character panel Ctrl + T
- Open the Paragraph panel Alt + Ctrl + T
- Increase/decrease the selected value by a small increment Up Arrow or Down Arrow
- Increase/decreases the selected value by a large increment Shift + Up Arrow or Down Arrow
- Increase/decrease the selected value by a fraction Ctrl + Up or Down Arrow
- Highlight the font name field in the Character panel Ctrl + Alt + Shift + F
Color Panel Keyboard Shortcuts
- Select the complement for the current color fill/stroke Ctrl-click color bar
- Change the nonactive fill/stroke Alt-click color bar
- Select the complement for the nonactive fill/stroke Ctrl + Alt-click color bar
- Select the inverse for the current fill/stroke Ctrl + Shift-click color bar
- Select the inverse for the nonactive fill/stroke Ctrl + Shift + Alt-click color bar
- Open Color Guide Shift + F3
- Change the color mode Shift-click color bar
- Move color sliders in tandem Shift-drag color slider
- Switch between percentage and 0-255 values for RGB Double-click to right of a numerical field
Gradient Panel Keyboard Shortcuts
- Duplicate color stops Alt-drag
- Swap color stops Alt-drag color stop onto another stop
- Apply swatch color to active (or selected) color stop Alt-click swatch in the Swatches panel
- Reset the gradient fill to default black and white linear gradient Ctrl-click Gradient Fill box in the Gradient panel
- Show/Hide gradient arrow Ctrl + Alt + G
- Modify angle and end-point together Alt-drag end point of gradient annotator
- Constrain Gradient tool or Gradient annotator while dragging Shift-drag
- View Gradient annotator in selected gradient filled object G
Layers Panel Keyboard Shortcuts
- Add a layer Ctrl + L
- Add a layer while opening the New Layer dialog box Alt + Ctrl + L
- Select all objects on the layer Alt-click layer name
- Show/hide all layers but the selected one Alt-click eye icon
- Select Outline/Preview view for the selected layer Ctrl-click eye icon
- Selects Outline/Preview view for all other layers Ctrl + Alt-click eye icon
- Lock/unlock all other layers Alt-click lock icon
- Expand all sublayers to display entire hierarchy Alt-click expansion triangle
- Set options as you create new layer Alt-click New Layer button
- Set options as you create new sublayer Alt-click New Sublayer button
- Place new sublayer at bottom of layer list Ctrl + Alt-click New Sublayer button
- Place layer at top of layer list Ctrl-click New Layer button
- Place layer below selected layer Ctrl + Alt-click New Layer button
- Copy the selection to a layer, sublayer, or group Alt-drag selection
Swatches Panel Keyboard Shortcuts
- Create new spot color Ctrl-click New Swatch button
- Create new global process color Ctrl + Shift-click New Swatch button
- Replace swatch with another Alt-drag a swatch over another
Transform Panel Keyboard Shortcuts
- Apply a value and keep focus in edit field Shift + Enter
- Apply a value and copy object Alt + Enter
- Apply a value and scale option proportionately for width or height Ctrl + Enter
Transparency Panel Keyboard Shortcuts
- Apply last effect to the selected object Shift + Ctrl + E
- Apply last effect to the selected object by adjusting the values in the effects dialog box Alt + Shift + Ctrl +E
- Change mask to grayscale image for editing Alt-click on mask thumbnail
- Disable opacity mask Shift-click on mask thumbnail
- Re-enable opacity mask Shift-click on disabled mask thumbnail
- Increase/decrease opacity in 1% increments Click opacity field + Up Arrow or Down Arrow
- Increase/decrease opacity in 10% increments Shift-click opacity field + Up Arrow or Down Arrow
Function Keys Keyboard Shortcuts
- Invoke Help F1
- Cut F2
- Copy F3
- Paste F4
- Show/hide Brushes panel F5
- Show/hide Color panel F6
- Show/hide Layers panel F7
- Create new symbol F8
- Show/hide Info panel Ctrl + F8
- Show/hide Gradient panel Ctrl + F9
- Show/hide Stroke panel Ctrl + F10
- Show/hide Attributes panel Ctrl + F11
- Revert F12
- Show/hide Graphic Styles panel Shift + F5
- Show/hide Appearance panel Shift + F6
- Show/hide Align panel Shift + F7
- Show/hide Transform panel Shift + F8
- Show/hide Pathfinder panel Shift + Ctrl + F9
- Show/hide Transparency panel Shift + Ctrl + F10
- Show/hide Symbols panel Shift + Ctrl + F11
