Adobe Illustrator Tools Summary

Selection Tools

• Selection Tool

  • Shortcut: V
  • Purpose: Select entire objects, groups, clipping masks; move, scale, rotate, and round corners.

• Direct Selection Tool

  • Shortcut: A
  • Purpose: Select and move individual paths, anchor points, and handles; select objects inside groups or clipping masks.

• Group Selection Tool

  • No default shortcut
  • Purpose: Select objects inside a group without ungrouping.

• Magic Wand Tool

  • Shortcut: Y
  • Purpose: Select objects with similar properties (e.g., color, stroke).

• Lasso Tool

  • Shortcut: Q
  • Purpose: Select anchor points inside a drawn path.

Drawing Tools

• Pen Tool

  • Shortcut: P
  • Purpose: Draw paths, add anchor points, create curves.

• Add Anchor Point Tool

  • Shortcut: +
  • Purpose: Add anchor points to paths.

• Delete Anchor Point Tool

  • Shortcut: -
  • Purpose: Remove anchor points from paths.

• Anchor Point Tool

  • Shortcut: Shift + C
  • Purpose: Edit handles on anchor points.

• Curvature Tool

  • Shortcut: Shift + ~
  • Purpose: Automatically create curved paths.

Text Tools

• Type Tool

  • Shortcut: T
  • Purpose: Add and edit text.

• Area Type Tool

  • No default shortcut
  • Purpose: Create text inside a path.

• Type on a Path Tool

  • No default shortcut
  • Purpose: Create text that follows a path.

• Vertical Type Tool

  • No default shortcut
  • Purpose: Create vertical text.

• Touch Type Tool

  • Shortcut: Shift + T
  • Purpose: Edit individual characters in a text.

Shape Tools

• Line Segment Tool

  • Shortcut: **
  • Purpose: Create a line.

• Rectangle Tool

  • Shortcut: M
  • Purpose: Create rectangles (hold shift for squares).

• Ellipse Tool

  • Shortcut: L
  • Purpose: Create ellipses (hold shift for circles).

• Polygon Tool

  • No default shortcut
  • Purpose: Create polygons.

• Star Tool

  • No default shortcut
  • Purpose: Create stars.

Brush and Art Tools

• Paintbrush Tool

  • Shortcut: B
  • Purpose: Create smooth paths, hand-drawn style.

• Blob Brush Tool

  • Shortcut: Shift + B
  • Purpose: Create filled paths.

• Shaper Tool

  • Shortcut: Shift + N
  • Purpose: Create geometric shapes from rough approximations.

• Pencil Tool

  • Shortcut: N
  • Purpose: Create smooth paths.

Transform Tools

• Rotate Tool

  • Shortcut: R
  • Purpose: Rotate objects (hold shift for 45-degree increments).

• Scale Tool

  • Shortcut: S
  • Purpose: Scale objects (hold shift to constrain proportions).

• Reflect Tool

  • Shortcut: O
  • Purpose: Reflect objects.

• Shear Tool

  • No default shortcut
  • Purpose: Skew objects.

Transform Controls

• Free Transform Tool

  • Shortcut: E
  • Purpose: Scale, rotate, shear, and add perspective.

• Puppet Warp Tool

  • No default shortcut
  • Purpose: Distort objects using a mesh.

Miscellaneous Tools

• Gradient Tool

  • Shortcut: G
  • Purpose: Adjust gradients on objects.

• Eyedropper Tool

  • Shortcut: I
  • Purpose: Copy colors and attributes from one object to another.

• Blend Tool

  • Shortcut: W
  • Purpose: Blend shapes and colors between objects.

• Graph Tools

  • Shortcut: J
  • Purpose: Create various graph types.

Navigation Tools

• Zoom Tool

  • Shortcut: Z
  • Purpose: Zoom in and out of the artboard.

• Hand Tool

  • Shortcut: H
  • Purpose: Move around the artboard.

• Rotate View Tool

  • Shortcut: Shift + H
  • Purpose: Rotate the view of the artboard.

Conclusion

• 87 tools covered, each with unique functionalities and shortcuts.
• Encourage experimentation with shift, alt, and ctrl/cmd for more features.
• Many tools have additional customization options.