How do you change visibility in Illustrator?

You can change the visibility of objects and layers in Adobe Illustrator using the Layers panel, keyboard shortcuts, and by isolating selections.

Here's a breakdown of the different methods:

Using the Layers Panel

The Layers panel is the primary way to control visibility:

1. Open the Layers Panel: Go to Window > Layers (or press F7).
2. Toggle Visibility: In the Layers panel, you'll see a column with an eye icon next to each layer and object. Clicking the eye icon toggles the visibility of that item on or off. A visible eye means the item is visible; an empty space means it's hidden.

Using Keyboard Shortcuts

Illustrator offers keyboard shortcuts for showing and hiding objects:

• Hide Selected Objects: Command/Ctrl + 3
• Show All Objects: Command/Ctrl + Option/Alt + 3

Isolating Selections

This method allows you to temporarily hide everything except the selected objects:

1. Select the objects you want to remain visible.
2. Hide Everything Else: Press Command/Ctrl + Option/Alt + Shift + 3. This hides everything that isn't selected.
3. Show Everything Again: Press Command/Ctrl + Option/Alt + 3. This reveals all hidden objects, restoring the original visibility state.

Additional Tips

• Layer Groups: You can control the visibility of entire groups of layers by toggling the eye icon for the group in the Layers panel.
• Locking Objects: While not technically changing visibility, locking an object (Command/Ctrl + 2) prevents it from being selected or edited, which can be useful for managing complex artwork. Locked objects are still visible.