| Selecting & Moving |
| To access Selection or Direction Selection tool (whichever was used last) at any time |
Cmd (Command) |
| To switch between Selection and Direct Selection tools |
Cmd–Option–Tab |
| To cycle through tools behind column tool |
Option–click tool |
| To make copy while dragging |
Option |
| Add to a selection |
Shift |
| Move selection (in 1-point increments) |
Arrow keys |
| Move selection (in 10-point increments) |
Shift–any Arrow keys |
| Lock selected artwork |
Cmd–2 |
| Lock all deselected artwork |
Cmd–Option–Shift–2 |
| Unlock all artwork |
Cmd–Option–2 |
| Hide selected artwork |
Cmd–3 |
| Hide all deselected artwork |
Cmd–Option–Shift–3 |
| Show all artwork |
Cmd–Option–3 |
| Path Editing |
| Join and Average at same time |
Cmd–Option–Shift–J |
| To get Anchor Point tool while using Pen tool |
Option |
| Switch between Add Anchor Point and Delete Anchor Point tools |
Option |
| To get Add Anchor Point tool while using Scissors tool |
Option |
| Move anchor point while drawing with Pen tool |
Spacebar |
| Create closed path with Pencil or Paintbrush tool |
When finished drawing, hold Option and release mouse |
| Connect to an open (and selected) path with Pencil tool |
Cmd–drag |
| Painting & Transforming |
| To get Eyedropper tool while using Live Paint Bucket tool |
Option |
| Samples intermediate color from gradient, picture, etc. with Eyedropper |
Shift |
| Sets center point and shows dialog |
Option–click with tool |
| Duplicates while transforming selection |
Option–drag |
| Transform pattern without transforming object |
Tilde(~)–drag |
| Scale proportionally with Selection tool |
Shift–drag bounding box |
| Scale from center with Selection tool |
Option–drag bounding box |
| Move mesh point along path with Mesh tool |
Shift–drag |
| Add mesh point with Mesh tool without changing color |
Shift–click |
| Remove mesh point with Mesh tool |
Option–click |
| Shapes (While Drawing) |
| Draw from center |
Option |
| Draw from center with dialog |
Option–click |
| Constrain proportion |
Shift |
| Constrain orientation of polygons, stars, spirals |
Shift |
| Move object while drawing |
Hold Spacebar |
| Add/subtract sides, points, spiral segments |
Up or Down Arrow |
| Decrease/Increase inner radius |
Cmd |
| Create continuous duplicates along mouse movement |
Hold Tilde(~) while dragging |
| Viewing & Guides |
| To get Hand Tool (while NOT editing Type) |
Spacebar |
| To get Hand Tool (while editing Type) |
Hold Cmd, then Spacebar. (This will show the Zoom tool.) Let go of Cmd so you see the Hand tool and immediately start dragging the mouse so you don't end up typing spaces. Be sure to let go of the Spacebar while dragging so you again don't type more spaces. |
| Zoom In Tool |
Cmd–Spacebar |
| Zoom Out Tool |
Cmd–Option–Spacebar |
| Zoom In to exact size |
Cmd–Spacebar–drag |
| Switch between Outline and Preview modes |
Cmd–Y |
| Switch between GPU and CPU preview (if available) |
Cmd–E |
| Hide/Show all tools and panels |
Tab |
| Hide/Show all panels except Tools and Control |
Shift–Tab |
| Switch between horizontal/vertical guide |
Hold Option while dragging out a new guide |
| Release Guide (turns it into a regular path) |
Cmd–Shift–double–click |
| Type |
| Increase/Decrease size of selected text by 2pts |
Cmd–Shift–> or < |
| Increase/Decrease size of selected text by 10pts |
Cmd–Opt–Shift–> or < |
| Increase/Decrease Leading by 2pts |
Option–Down/Up Arrow |
| Increase/Decrease kerning/tracking |
Option–Right/Left Arrow |
| Kerning/tracking x 5 |
Cmd–Option–Right/Left Arrow |
| Increase/Decrease baseline shift |
Shift–Option–Up/Down Arrow |
| Baseline shift x 5 |
Cmd–Option–Shift–Up/Down Arrow |
| Align type left, right, center |
Cmd–Shift–L, R, C |
| Justify with last line left aligned |
Cmd–Shift–J |
| Justify last line |
Cmd–Shift–F |
| Reset horizontal/vertical scale to 100% |
Cmd–Shift–X |
| Reset kerning or tracking to 0 |
Cmd–Option–Q |
| Panels |
| Show/Hide Brushes panel |
F5 |
| Show/Hide Color panel |
F6 |
| Show/Hide Layers panel |
F7 |
| Show/Hide Info panel |
Cmd–F8 |
| Show/Hide Gradient panel |
Cmd–F9 |
| Show/Hide Stroke panel |
Cmd–F10 |
| Show/Hide Attributes panel |
Cmd–F11 |
| 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–Cmd–F9 |
| Show/Hide Transparency panel |
Shift–Cmd–F10 |
| Show/Hide Symbols panel |
Shift–Cmd–F11 |
| Layers Panel |
| To create new layer and edit properties |
Option–click New Layer button |
| Toggle layer between Preview/Outline mode |
Cmd–click on eye |
| Show layer while turning off all others |
Option–click on eye |
| Select all items on layer |
Option–click layer name |
| Copy selected item to different layer |
Option–drag selection square in Layers panel |
| To create the new layer at the top of list |
Cmd–click New Layer button |
| To create the new layer below selected layer |
Cmd–Option–click New Layer button |
| Color Panel |
| Saturate/Desaturate current color |
Shift–drag color slider |
| Change Color Mode |
Shift–click color bar |
| Select compliment of current color |
Cmd–click color bar |
| Swatches Panel |
| Create a swatch as a global color |
Cmd–Shift–click New Swatch button |
| Replace a swatch with another |
Option–drag new swatch over old |
| Miscellaneous Good Stuff |
| Create New Symbol |
F8 |
| Swap colors in a gradient |
Option–drag a color stop onto another |
| Revert file |
Cmd–Option–Z |
