What Are Artboards in Adobe Illustrator And How To Use Them

An artboard means a surface or area where you place your artwork to be published in Adobe Illustrator, a vector graphics software.

You can work anywhere you want within the Illustrator’s canvas, but to keep your designs in place and publish them to a specific dimension, you will have to publish your designs on the artboard eventually.

An artboard is essentially a white rectangle that sits on a larger gray canvas in Adobe Illustrator. This white area is where you’ll place all of your design elements.

You will only see rectangle-shaped artboards, and as of now, there’s no way to make a round artboard in Illustrator.

Artboards function as individual pages within a single document that can be used to create different parts of a design project.

They allow creators and designers to work on multiple pieces of a project within the same file, making it easier to maintain consistency across designs and to organize related components together.

How To Add A New Artboard

First, open a new file by going to the top menu bar and selecting File > New.

When you open a new document in Adobe Illustrator, you’re greeted with your first artboard by default.

To select the artboard, change its size, colors, and more, look for the Artboard tool on the left toolbar and select it. Your cursor will change to this artboard icon.

Hover your cursor over anywhere on your Illustrator canvas or document, click and drag, you will see your artboard. Release your cursor after “drawing” out the artboard size you want.

You can also refer to the Artboards panel on the right, which helps you manage the number of artboards you have.

If you don’t see the Artboard panel, click on Windows in the top menu and select Artboards in the dropdown menu for it to appear.

Go to the bottom of the panel and click on the “+” icon to add a new artboard.

Then, click and drag the cursor on the workspace to create a custom-sized artboard manually.

You can add artboards to one Illustrator file, as many as you want until the size limit that the Illustrator canvas can support.

The maximum artboard limit in Illustrator you can have in a single Illustrator file, irrespective of whether it’s Adobe Illustrator CC or CS, is 1,000.

The largest artboard size in Adobe Illustrator is 227.54 inches x 227.54 inches (or 577.95 cm x 577.95 cm).

Note that the Illustrator canvas is not the same as the Illustrator artboard. They are two different parts of the document file.

Related: Change Canvas Size In Illustrator For Large-Scale Designs

Navigating the Control and Properties Panels

Once your artboard is set up, you’ll need to head to the Control panel or Properties panel to tweak your settings further.

You’ll find options for changing the size of your artboard, color mode, and even background color in these panels.

Artboards In Layers

While each artboard can contain different elements, all artboards share the same layers, accessible through the Layers panel.

You can use new layers to better manage the different elements on your different artboards.

How to Duplicate An Artboard

The best and quickest way to duplicate an Illustrator artboard is to use the keyboard shortcut. But there are multiple ways to do this.

1. Using The Artboard Tool And Keyboard Shortcut

You can duplicate an artboard via the Artboard Tool. Here’s how:

Select the Artboard Tool: It’s located in the tools panel or simply press Shift + O.

Click on the Selected Artboard: The one you want to duplicate. Press Option/Alt +

Drag: Hold down the Option key on a Mac or Alt key on a Windows PC and drag to create a copy of the artboard and its artboard contents.

2. Using the Artboard Panel

The Artboards Panel offers another easy way to duplicate:

Open Artboards Panel: Navigate to Window > Artboard.

Artboard: Artboards are listed in the Artboards Panel under the name of the artboard. Select the artboard you want to duplicate by clicking on it once.

Duplicate: Click on the Options button in the top right-hand corner of the Artboards Panel and select Duplicate in the drop-down menu.

3. Copy And Paste

The other way to duplicate an Illustrator artboard is by selecting the Artboard Tool first. Then do the following:

Select Artboard: Click on the artboard you want to duplicate.

Copy Artboard: Press Command + C

Or Ctrl + C on Windows.

Paste Artboard: Press Command + V on a Mac

Or Ctrl + V on Windows.

Each individual artboard has a unique artboard name for easier management.

How to Check Artboard Size in Illustrator?

The easiest way to check artboard size in Illustrator is to select the Artboard Tool in the Toolbar. It’s represented with a rectangle shape icon and a set of crop marks on one corner. You can do this after you’ve added an artboard.

With the Artboard Tool cursor, click on the selected artboard. Then go to the control panel above the document, and refer to the width and height to know the artboard size.

Artboards in Adobe Illustrator serve as the canvas size where your creative magic takes place. Here, you can create new artboards and even manage different sizes for your design projects.

Method 1: the Panel Menu

Step 1:Open Adobe Illustrator and load your Illustrator project.

Step 2: Locate the Menu Bar at the top of the window and go to Window from the drop-down menu.

Step 3: Select Artboards to display the Artboards panel on the side.

Here you can see basic info like the number of artboards and each artboard’s dimensions.

Method 2: the Control Panel

Step 1: Select the Artboard Tool from the tools panel or press Shift+O as a keyboard shortcut. If you’re unsure, look for this tool on the toolbar panel.

Step 2: Once the selected artboard is active, you’ll notice the control panel at the top of the document window updates in real-time.

Step 3: Here, check the Width (W) and Height (H) dimensions displayed on the control panel.

The numerical value for these height fields and size values gives you the exact size of the artboard in your preferred unit, like pixels or inches.

Method 3: Using the Artboard Options Dialog Box

Step 1: Click on the Artboard Tool or use Shift+O as a quick keyboard shortcut.

Step 2: Double-click on the artboard whose size you want to check.

Step 3: An Artboard Options Dialog Box will appear, showing you the existing artboard dimensions.

If you’re dealing with multiple artboards of different page sizes in a single document, click on each to view their individual sizes in the Artboards panel.

How To Move Artboards In Illustrator?

Through the Artboard Tool, the Artboards Panel, and additional options in the Control Panel, you can efficiently add new artboards, align, and even change the size of your artboards to suit your project needs.

The Artboard Tool and Control Panel

In Illustrator CC, you use the Artboard Tool found in the Toolbar (Tools Panel) to select and move artboards. The Control Panel at the top gives you various artboard options, like checking artboard size and dimensions.

Smart Guides

Smart Guides are incredibly useful in aligning your artboards accurately. They appear automatically and help you in positioning objects and artboards.

To enable Smart Guides, go to the top menu bar and click on View > Smart Guides.

Once enabled, you won’t see anything visibly yet. But when you take actions such as expanding your object to the edge of your artboard, you will see guidelines and the word “intersect” appearing.

These are signs from the Smart Guides telling you that your object is aligned accurately with the artboard.

Here are the steps to move artboards in Illustrator:

1. Using the Artboard Tool

Step 1: Open your Illustrator document and go to the Toolbar.

Step 2: Select the Artboard Tool.

Step 3: Click on the selected artboard in the document window to make it the active artboard.

In the Control panel above your document, make sure to select the Move/Copy Artwork with Artboard button if you wish to move your artwork together with the artboard.

Step 4: Drag the active artboard to the new location.

If you’ve selected the Move/Copy Artwork with Artboard button, you will see your artwork stuck to the artboard and moving together with it.

Otherwise, only your artboard will move and your artwork will stay where it is.

2. Using the Artboards Panel

Step 1: Open the Artboards Panel.

Step 2: Select the individual artboard you want to move.

Step 3: Use the move/copy artwork options to shift it.

3. Changing The Reference Point

Step 1: Select the artboard with the Artboard tool.

Step 2: Go to the Control panel above the document and change the numerical values in the Reference Point boxes labeled with “X:” and “Y:“.

X represents the horizontal position from the center of the canvas. The higher the number, the more your artboard will be positioned on the right side of the canvas.

Y represents the vertical position of the artboard from the center of the canvas. The higher the number, the more the artboard will be positioned on the bottom of the canvas.

For more advanced options like changing the artboard size or preset, you can access the Artboard Options Dialog Box by clicking on the menu button on the top right-hand corner of the Artboards panel. Then, select Artboard Options.

How To Rotate Artboard In Illustrator?

The best way to rotate an artboard in Illustrator is to select the Artboard Tool, then hold down the Shift key and spacebar together. Next, drag the Artboard Tool cursor left or right to rotate your artboard at an angle.

Here are a few ways you can rotate an artboard in Illustrator:

1. Using the Artboard Tool and Keyboard Shortcut

The Artboard Tool is unique to Illustrator and doesn’t directly allow you to rotate the artboard. However, you can rotate the artboard with the Artboard Tool together with keyboard shortcuts.

Related: What Is The Artboard Tool In Illustrator?

Select the Artboard Tool from the Toolbar.

You will see dashed lines surrounding your artboard.

Then, hold down the Shift key and spacebar on your keyboard. Your cursor will change to a hand icon with a curved arrow and angled artboard. This is the Rotate View tool.

Still holding down the Shift key and Spacebar (Shift + Spacebar), bring your cursor over the artboard and drag it left and right. You will see your artboard rotating in the direction you drag your cursor to.

Without holding down the Shift andSpacebar keys, the default Artboard Tool can be used to move your artboards and change the artboard size.

2. The Rotate View Tool

Here, the Rotate View tool comes in handy. It’s symbolized by a hand icon in the tools panel or Toolbar.

This tool is the same tool used in the first method where you can temporarily change your canvas view without affecting the object on the artboard.

3. Manually Edit Rotate View

Besides using keyboard shortcuts, the Artboard tool, and theRotate View tool, you can also rotate your artboard with more precision.

Go to the bottom of your Illustrator file. You will see a field with a zoom-in percentage on the left. Next to that field is the Rotate View field. The default angle is 0°.

Click your cursor in the Rotate View field and manually type in the angle you wish to rotate your artboard. Then, press the Enter or Return key. You will see your artboard rotated to the angle you’ve given.

How To Rotate Content Without Rotating Artboard?

Now that you’ve learned the various methods on how to rotate an artboard in Illustrator, you may be wondering if you could rotate only the content without rotating all the artboards.

To rotate the content inside the artboard, utilize the selection tool (Shortcut V):

1. Confirm: Release to apply the rotation to your selected artwork.
2. Select the Content: Using the selection tool or Ctrl+A, select all objects.
3. Locate the Rotate Tool: In the tools panel, find the rotate tool or press R.
4. Set the Anchor Point: This is your reference point for the rotation.
5. Perform the Rotation: Drag to alter the rotation angle of the selected object or multiple objects.

How To Make Artboard Transparent

The best way to make an artboard transparent in Illustrator is to go to View > Show Transparency Grid and your Illustrator artboard will become transparent.

Here are the different ways and steps to make your Illustrator artboard transparent:

Method 1: View Menu

Step 1: New File

From the top menu, select File. In the drop-down menu, select New.

In the New Document panel, key in the settings you want and click the Create button. Your new file will appear.

Step 2: Show Transparent Grid

Next, navigate to the View Menu and click View > Show Transparency Grid.

Or use the keyboard shortcut Shift + Command + D on Mac.

Or Shift + Ctrl + D on Windows to activate the Show Transparent Grid feature.

This will replace the white artboard with a gray grid, signifying a transparent background.

Method 2: Ruler & Grid Via Properties Panel

Step 1: Open Properties Panel

Go to the top menu bar and click on Window. Then, scroll down the drop-down menu and select Properties.

Step 2: Transparency Grid

In the Properties Panel, go to the Ruler & Grids section and click on “Click to show Transparency Grid”.

Method 3: Layer Transparency

If you’ve already added elements using the pen tool or rectangle tool, and you want them to be transparent, select them using the Selection Tool.

Then, head over to the Properties Panel and adjust the opacity settings. The layers panel will also show these adjustments.

How To Change Artboard Color

The easiest way to change the artboard color in Illustrator is to select File > Document Setup. Under the section Transparency And Overprint Option, click the color tile and change the color. Then, tick the Simulate Colored Paper option.

Here are the various ways:

Method 1: Via Background Color Using the Rectangle Tool

First, select the Rectangle Tool from the left toolbar or use the M keyboard shortcut. Then, draw a rectangle to cover the entire artboard.

Choose a color using the color picker or the color palette. Finally, lock the background layer in the layers panel to avoid accidental changes, such as duplicated layers.

Method 2: Quick Ways Via Layers

Open the Layers panel by going to the top menu bar and selecting Windows > Layers.

Create a new layer in the Layers panel

Then move this new layer to the bottom. Next, follow the steps you took with the Rectangle Tool, choosing a fill color this time.

Method 3: Via Document Setup Menu

Go to the File menu and click on Document Setup.

Navigate to the transparency and overprint options, and tick the Simulate Colored Paper option. Then, hit the OK button.

You can show the transparency grid to view a transparent background. A gradient background can be made using the color wheel in the color palette.

How to Save An Artboard

There are various formats to save an artboard to, depending on what you are using it for. It can be a .ai format, PDF, and more. You can also save multiple artboards in one or just one artboard out of many artboards in your file.

Method 1: Export Option

Step 1: Note The Artboard Number

You can see a list of all artboards in your project in the artboards panel.

Use the artboard tool to select the specific artboard that you wish to save. This is an efficient process if you know the numerical order of your artboards.

Step 2: Open the Export Panel From the Main Menu

First, go to File on the main menu, hover over the Export option in the drop-down menu, then select Export As. A new window, or dialogue box, will appear.

Step 3: Set Export Settings for File Format

Choose your desired file format, like PNG file, or JPG, and check the Use Artboard option.

If you want a transparent background, you don’t have to make your artboard transparent to export an image with a transparent background.

You just have to save your file in PNG. In the Format Settings dialog box, select PNG and under the Options settings, Background Color, select Transparent. Then click on the Save Settings button.

Next, for all formats, check the Range option and select the artboards you wish to export.

Then, hit the Export button.

Your artboard will be saved into separate images in the specified export format. This will appear in your exported files under the file name you’ve chosen.

Method 2: Save As SVG or EPS Option

Step 1: Save As Panel

Navigate to File > Save As from the Illustrator options menu.

Step 2: Choose File Type for Individual Files

Choose your desired file type, like an SVG (svg) or Illustrator EPS (eps) in the Format section.

Then select the Use Artboards option.

Step 3: Select Range in the Pop-up Menu

In the dialogue box that appears, find the option labeled Range. Check to make sure Range is selected. Then enter the artboard number of the artboard you wish to save.

Then, hit the Save button. Your individual artboard will be saved in one file under the selected file type.

Method 3: Save As AI Option

Step 1: Save As Panel

Navigate to File > Save As from the Illustrator options menu.

Step 2: Select AI Format

Go to the Format section and select Adobe Illustrator (ai).

Then, click the Save button.

Step 3: Save One Artboard

The Illustrator Options dialog box opens up. Go to the Options section and select the option Save each artboard to a separate file.

Then, select the Range section, and type in the artboard numbers you want to save.

If you want to save one artboard, just add one specific page number in the field. For example, if you want to save Artboard 2 only, type the number 2 inside the Range field box.

If you have 5 artboards and you only wish to save artboards 1 and 2, you will type 1-2, or 1,2.

Then, click the OK button.

Go to the location on your computer where you saved the files. If you save one artboard, you will see one Illustrator file with one artboard inside. You will see multiple files with one artboard in each file if you saved multiple artboards in separate files.

Method 4: Save As PDF

Step 1: Open the Save As PDF Panel

Go to File > Save As and choose Adobe PDF as the file format.

Step 2: Choose Pages

Select Use Artboards.

Then, select the Range section and type in the artboard number you’d like to save. Click the Save button.

In the Save Adobe PDF dialog box, select the necessary PDF options that you need for this file. Then click the Save PDF button to save your artboard.

The result PDF file will contain only the selected artwork from the existing artboard.

How to Hide Artboards

The easiest way to hide artboards is to press the keyboard shortcuts Shift + Command + H on a Mac, or Shift + Ctrl + H on Windows.

Here are other various ways you can do to hide artboards:

1. Using View Options

Go to the menu bar and select View.

In the drop-down dialog box, you’ll see an option called Hide Artboards. Click on it.

Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut by pressing Shift + Command + H on a Mac.

Or Shift + Ctrl + H on Windows.

2. Utilizing the Layers Panel

Open the Layers Panel.

Locate the layer containing the artboard you wish to hide.

Click on the eye icon next to it, which will serve as a clipping mask for that specific artboard, hiding it effectively.

3. The Navigator Panel

First, open the Navigator panel by going to the top menu bar. Then, select Window and click on Navigator.

The Navigator Panel, allows you to focus on a specific part of your artwork while ignoring the rest, similar to the trim view preview option and zooming in and out of your artboards.

How To Delete Artboards

Before you can successfully delete any artboard, bear in mind, there’s always a minimum of one artboard that must be on your canvas.

So first, make sure you have more than one artboard. Then, use keyboard shortcut Shift + O and use the Artboard Tool cursor to click on the artboard to delete one board, or hold Shift as you click on multiple artboards to delete many artboards at one time. Press the Delete key.

Besides that, here are 4 different ways you can use:

Method 1: Artboard Tool

1. Activate the Artboard Tool in the Tools Panel.
2. Click on the specific artboard or selected artboard you want to delete.
3. Use the Delete Key or Delete Button on your keyboard.

Method 2: Artboard Panel

1. Open the Artboard Panel from the menu options.
2. Locate the artboard’s name at the bottom of the Artboards Panel.
3. Click the Trashcan Icon to remove unwanted artboards.

Method 3: Keyboard Shortcuts

1. Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + O to activate Artboard Mode.
2. Select the Artboard Tool.
3. Press the Delete Key to remove the artboard.

Method 4: Control Panel

The Control Panel also gives you a drop-down menu to manage artboards, which includes a delete option.

1. Open the Control Panel by selecting Window > Control.

2. Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + O to activate Artboard Mode.

3. On the right side of the new artboard button, click on the trashcan in the Control Panel to delete artboard.

Final Thoughts

And there you have it, your crash course on artboards in Adobe Illustrator!

Now, it’s your turn! Open Illustrator, play around with artboards, and see how they transform your design process. You got this!