Selecting and Arranging Object

Options for selecting objects

Before you can modify an object, you need to distinguish it from the objects around it. You do that by selecting the object. Once you’ve selected an object or a part of an object, you can edit it.

Isolation mode

Lets you quickly isolate a layer, sublayer, path, or group of objects, from all other art in your document. When in isolation mode, all non-isolated objects in the document appear dimmed and are not selectable or editable.

Layers panel

Lets you quickly and precisely select individual or multiple objects. You can select a single object (even if it’s in a group), all objects within a layer, and entire groups.

Selection tool

Lets you select objects and groups by clicking or dragging over them. You can also select groups within groups and objects within groups.

Direct Selection tool

Lets you select individual anchor points or path segments by clicking on them, or select an entire path or group by selecting any other spot on the item. You can also select one or more objects in a group of objects.

When in outline mode, the Direct Selection tool may select imported graphics that are near the tool’s pointer. To avoid selecting unwanted graphics, lock or hide the graphics before making the selection.

Group Selection tool

Lets you select an object within a group, a single group within multiple groups, or a set of groups within the artwork.

Perspective Selection tool

Lets you bring objects and text in perspective, switch active planes, move objects in perspective, and move objects in perpendicular direction.

Lasso tool

Lets you select objects, anchor points, or path segments by dragging around all or part of the object.

Magic Wand tool

Lets you select objects of the same color, stroke weight, stroke color, opacity, or blending mode by clicking the object.

Live Paint Selection tool

Lets you select faces (areas enclosed by paths) and edges (portions of paths between intersections) of Live Paint groups.

Select objects by characteristic

You can select objects based on various groupings, including by formatting attribute, by layer, or by kinds, such as brush strokes or clipping masks.

• To select all objects in a file, choose Select > All. (To deselect all objects, choose Select > Deselect.)
• To select all objects with the same attributes, select one with the attribute you want, choose Select > Same, and then choose an attribute from the list: Blending Mode, Fill & Stroke, Fill Color, Opacity, Stroke Color, Stroke Weight, Style, Symbol Instance, or Link Block Series.
• You can also use the Magic Wand tool to select all objects with the same color, stroke weight, stroke color, opacity, or blending mode.
• To select all objects of a certain kind, deselect all artwork, choose Select > Object, and then choose an object type (Brush Strokes, Clipping Masks, Stray Points, or Text Objects).
• Choose Select > Save Selection.
• In the Save Selection dialog box, type a name in the Name text box, and click OK.
• You can reload a saved selection by choosing the selection name from the bottom of the Select menu. You can also delete or rename a selection by choosing Select > Edit Selection.

Expand objects

Expanding objects enables you to divide a single object into multiple objects that make up its appearance. For example, if you expand a simple object, such as a circle with a solid-color fill and a stroke, the fill and the stroke each become a discrete object. If you expand more complex artwork, such as an object with a pattern fill, the pattern is divided into all of the distinct paths that created it.

• Select the object.
• Choose Object > Expand.
• If the object has appearance attributes applied to it, The Object > Expand command is dimmed. In this case,
• Choose Object > Expand Appearance
• Choose Object > Expand.

Align and distribute objects

You use the Align panel (Window > Align) and the align options in the Control panel to align or distribute selected objects. You can use either the object edges or anchor points as the reference point, and you can align to a selection, an artboard, or a key object. A key object is one specific object in a selection of multiple objects.

Offset duplicate objects

You can create a replica of an object, set off from the selected object by a specified distance, by using the Offset Path command or Offset Path effect. Offsetting objects is useful when you want to create concentric shapes or make many replications of an object with regular distances between each replication.

• Select one or more objects.
• Choose Object > Path > Offset Path.
• Specify the offset distance.
• Click OK and repeat same process