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How do I resize everything in Illustrator?

Published in Illustrator Resizing 3 mins read

To resize everything in Illustrator, meaning both your artboards and their content, you have several options depending on what you want to accomplish. Here's a breakdown of the most common methods:

1. Resizing Artboards and their Contents Proportionally

This method ensures that everything scales uniformly, maintaining its original proportions.

  • Step 1: Select All Artwork and Artboards: Use Ctrl + A (Windows) or Cmd + A (Mac) to select everything on all artboards, including the artboards themselves. You can also use the Selection Tool (V) and drag a box around everything you want to include.
  • Step 2: Use the Scale Tool: Double-click on the Scale Tool (S) in the toolbar to open the Scale dialog box.
  • Step 3: Set Scaling Options:
    • Uniform: Enter a percentage value to scale everything proportionally. For example, enter 50 to reduce the size to half, or 200 to double it.
    • Options: Make sure "Transform Objects" and "Transform Patterns" are checked to scale the artwork. Ensure that "Scale Strokes & Effects" is checked to ensure stroke weights and effects also scale accordingly.
  • Step 4: Click OK or Copy: Click "OK" to apply the scaling to the existing artwork, or click "Copy" to create a scaled duplicate while keeping the original intact.

2. Resizing Artboards Independently

If you only want to resize the artboards without affecting the artwork on them, follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Select the Artboard Tool: Click the Artboard Tool (Shift + O) in the toolbar.
  • Step 2: Select Artboards: Click on each artboard you want to resize. Hold Shift while clicking to select multiple artboards.
  • Step 3: Transform the Artboards: Go to Object > Transform > Scale.
  • Step 4: Set Scaling Options:
    • Enter a percentage value for uniform or non-uniform scaling.
    • Important: Ensure that "Transform Objects" is unchecked to prevent the artwork within the artboards from being resized.
  • Step 5: Click OK: Apply the scaling to the artboards.

3. Resizing Artboards to Fit Artwork (Crop Artwork)

If you want your artboards to resize automatically to fit the boundaries of your artwork:

  • Step 1: Select Artwork: Select the artwork that you want to encompass.
  • Step 2: Go to Object > Artboards > Fit to Selected Art. Illustrator will then resize the artboard(s) to perfectly fit the dimensions of the selected artwork.

4. Using the Free Transform Tool

While less precise, the Free Transform Tool allows for more intuitive resizing.

  • Step 1: Select All Artwork and Artboards: Use Ctrl + A (Windows) or Cmd + A (Mac) to select everything, or select the specific items you want to resize together.
  • Step 2: Activate Free Transform Tool: Select the Free Transform Tool (E) from the toolbar.
  • Step 3: Resize: Click and drag one of the corner handles to resize. Hold Shift to maintain proportions while dragging.

Important Considerations:

  • Resolution: Be aware that significantly increasing the size of raster images within your Illustrator file may result in pixelation.
  • Stroke Weights: Remember to check "Scale Strokes & Effects" when scaling to avoid strokes becoming disproportionately thin or thick.
  • Testing: Always test the resized artwork, especially text, to ensure readability and visual appeal are maintained.

By using these methods, you can resize everything in your Illustrator projects effectively and maintain control over your designs.

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