You can rearrange objects and artboards within Adobe Illustrator using a few different methods.
Rearranging Artboards
The Artboard panel is the place to manage the order of your artboards.
- Selecting an Artboard: Click on the artboard you wish to move in the Artboard panel.
- Moving with Arrows: Once selected, you can use the up and down arrow buttons located at the bottom of the Artboard panel to change the position of the artboard in the order.
- Drag and Drop: You can also drag and drop artboards to a new position within the Artboard panel, similar to how you would move layers in the Layers panel.
Rearranging Objects
While the provided reference focuses on artboard arrangement, here are the common methods for moving and rearranging objects within your Illustrator document:
Using the Selection Tool
- Basic Movement: Select an object using the Selection Tool (V) and drag it to a new location on your artboard.
- Precise Movement: Use the arrow keys to nudge selected objects by small increments. Hold Shift with the arrow keys to move in larger increments.
- Copy and Paste: You can use Ctrl+C (or Cmd+C on Mac) to copy and Ctrl+V (or Cmd+V on Mac) to paste an object. This is helpful for quickly duplicating elements.
- Copy to a New Location - Use Ctrl+C (or Cmd+C) to copy, Ctrl+F (or Cmd+F) to paste directly in front, or Ctrl+B (or Cmd+B) to paste directly behind.
Using the Arrange Menu
- Forward or Backward: Access Object > Arrange to send objects forward or backward in the stacking order of your artwork. You can also bring an object to the front or send it to the back of the entire layer.
- Layer Management: Using the Layers panel is often the best way to reorder a complex set of objects. Within a layer, you can drag and drop objects to change their stacking order.
Considerations When Rearranging Objects
- Grouping: Use Object > Group to group objects together and make them easier to move and manipulate.
- Layers: Keeping your elements organized within named layers makes it easier to locate and rearrange elements later.
- Stacking Order: Remember that objects placed later in the sequence will often appear on top of objects placed earlier, unless you specify otherwise using the Arrange commands.
By using the techniques described above, you can efficiently manage the structure and order of both artboards and objects in your Illustrator projects.
