Can You Move Artboards Around In Illustrator?
Wondering Can You Move Artboards Around In Illustrator?
Yes — You can move artboards around in Illustrator.
You’ve come to the right place! In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about moving artboards around in Adobe Illustrator. How do you know this is the best, most complete guide?
I’ve been a graphic designer since 2005 and have a deep experience with Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, and more.
The artboard is a basic item in Illustrator. You can’t start creating anything without an artboard. If you don’t see it in your document, check if it’s hidden, transparent, or if your artboard color has been changed to something that’s the same as the document’s background.
Other than that, Illustrator artboards have various characteristics you can use to apply to your designs. Ready to learn more about moving artboards around in Illustrator and become an artboard master? Let’s dive in!
Can You Move Artboards Around In Illustrator?
What Is Adobe Illustrator?
Before we start, let’s get acquainted with what Adobe Illustrator is. Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphic design software part of the Adobe Creative Cloud. Unlike Adobe Photoshop, which is more suited for photo editing, Illustrator is geared towards vector design.
What Is an Illustrator Artboard?
An artboard in Adobe Illustrator CC is your design playground. It’s the area where your vector artwork comes to life. Like in Adobe InDesign or Photoshop CC, the artboard helps you compartmentalize different parts of your work.
Can You Move Artboards Around In Illustrator?
Yes — You can move artboards around in Illustrator to anywhere you like within the boundaries given. If you aren’t able to move your artboards around, one possibility is that you have not selected the Artboard Tool, or you’ve not selected the correct artboard.
Why Would You Move Artboards In Illustrator?
The need to rearrange artboards often arises in graphic design, especially when working with multiple artboards. Moving these around helps in better project management and provides creative flexibility.
Can You Move Artboards Around In Illustrator?
Tools for Moving Artboards
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 artboard size and dimensions.
Artboards Panel
The Artboards Panel allows you to select individual artboards, renumber artboards, and even create a new artboard using the ‘new artboard icon.’
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.
Can You Move Artboards Around In Illustrator?
How To Move Artboards In Illustrator?
Through the Artboard Tool, the Artboards Panel, and additional options in the Control Panel, you can efficiently rearrange, align, and even resize your artboards to suit your project needs.
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.
Step 4: Drag the active artboard to the new location.
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.
The Artboard Options Dialog Box
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.
Can You Move Artboards Around In Illustrator?
Special Techniques and Other Software
Advanced Book Search and Scripts
For those looking to automate the process or search for specific solutions, an advanced book search on the subject or even using Adobe Illustrator scripts can be handy.
Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo
These are alternatives to Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite. While the steps to move artboards might differ, the general concepts remain the same.
Can You Move Artboards Around In Illustrator?
Things to Keep in Mind
Layers Panel and Guides
When moving artboards, remember that the Layers Panel will show you which layer each artboard is on. Also, make use of guides to align your artboards correctly.
The Illustrator vs. Photoshop Debate
While Photoshop CC has its own version of artboards, Adobe Illustrator CC is more versatile for vector-based artwork. This makes it the go-to for many graphic designers.
Final Thoughts: Can You Move artboards Around In Illustrator?
Yes — You can move artboards around in Adobe Illustrator. Whether you are working with a new document or an existing one, being able to move your artboards around will significantly streamline your graphic design workflow.
Now you know how to make the most of the artboard tool, smart guides, and the Artboards panel. Whether you are working in Illustrator or considering a switch to Affinity Designer, mastering artboards will elevate your design game.
Can You Move Artboards Around In Illustrator?
Move Artboards Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Change The Artboard Placement In Illustrator?
First off, changing the placement of an artboard is a straightforward task in Adobe Illustrator. The placement refers to the location of the artboard within the Illustrator workspace. Knowing how to alter this is crucial for better workflow and organization. Here’s how to change the artboard placement in Illustrator:
Steps to Change Artboard Placement
Step 1: Open your Illustrator document and navigate to the Toolbar.
Step 2: Locate the Artboard Tool, usually represented by an icon that looks like a crop symbol.
Step 3: Click on the artboard you want to move to make it the active artboard.
Step 4: Simply drag and drop the active artboard to your desired location.
Can You Move Artboards Around In Illustrator?
Can We Rearrange all the Artboards in Illustrator?
Absolutely, rearranging all the artboards in a project is possible and often necessary. This is especially useful when you’re working on complex projects that involve multiple artboards.
How Do I rearrange Artboards In Adobe?
Since Adobe has multiple software options, it’s crucial to specify that we’re discussing Adobe Illustrator. This platform offers the most versatile options for working with artboards compared to other Adobe Creative Cloud tools like Adobe Photoshop or Adobe InDesign. Here’s how you rearrange artboards in Adobe:
Steps to Rearrange in Adobe Illustrator
Step 1: Locate the Artboard Tool in the Toolbar or press Shift + O.
Step 2: Click on the artboard you wish to move.
Step 3: Drag it to the desired location.
Artboards Panel for Adobe Illustrator
You can also use the Artboards Panel, to rearrange individual or multiple artboards in Adobe Illustrator. The Panel allows you to drag and reorder your artboards easily.
Can You Move Artboards Around In Illustrator?
Can You Move An Artboard?
Yes — you absolutely can move an artboard in Adobe Illustrator. Artboards are essentially your workspace within the software where your design comes to life. Moving them around can help you manage complex projects or simply make your workflow more convenient.
How Do I Manually Arrange Artboards In Illustrator?
Sometimes, you may want to manually arrange artboards to suit specific design needs or to keep things organized in a way that makes sense. Here’s how you manually arrange artboards in Illustrator:
Steps To Manually Arrange Artboards In Illustrator
Step 1: Open your Illustrator document.
Step 2: Go to the Toolbar and select the Artboard Tool.
Step 3: Click on the artboard you wish to move.
Step 4: Manually drag the selected artboard to your preferred position.
Step 5: Repeat for other artboards as needed.
How To Rearrange Artboards In Illustrator CS6?
If you’re using an older version like Illustrator CS6, the process is quite similar but with a slightly different interface.
Steps for Rearranging Artboards in CS6
Step 1: Open your Illustrator CS6 document.
Step 2: Locate the Artboard Tool in the Toolbar or use the shortcut Shift + O.
Step 3: Select the artboard you’d like to move.
Step 4: Drag and drop it to the new location.
Can You Move Artboards Around In Illustrator?
How Do I Change My Artboard Settings?
At some point in your design journey, you may need to adjust your artboard settings to better match your project’s requirements. Here’s how you change your artboard settings:
Steps to Change Artboard Settings
Step 1: Open your Adobe Illustrator project.
Step 2: Navigate to the Toolbar and select the Artboard Tool.
Step 3: Click on the artboard you wish to modify to make it your active artboard.
Step 4: Open the Artboard Options Dialog Box, usually available at the top in the Control Panel.
Step 5: In this dialog box, you can change various settings like artboard size (for logos or social media) , orientation, and more.
How Do You Align Artboard In Illustrator?
Artboard alignment in Illustrator is a valuable feature, particularly when you’re dealing with multiple elements or when you need to align your artboard with a specific object. Here’s who you align artboard in Illustrator:
Steps for Artboard Alignment
Step 1: Make the artboard active by clicking on it using the Artboard Tool.
Step 2: Select the object you want to align the artboard with.
Step 3: Go to ‘Object’ > ‘Artboards’ > ‘Fit to Selected Art’ to align the artboard around the selected object.
Utilizing Smart Guides
Smart guides can be a useful feature for this process. They help you align artboards with more precision. Go to the top menu bar, select View > Smart Guides. Then, allow the rulers to show on your document by selecting View > Rulers > Show Rulers.
Drag a guide from either the top or left side ruler and drop it anywhere you want on your document space. Then, use the Artboard tool to click and drag your artboard to the guide. You can feel your artboard snapping to the guide.
Can You Move Artboards Around In Illustrator?
How Do I Align Multiple Artboards In Illustrator?
Here’s how you align multiple artboards in Illustrator:
Steps to Align Multiple Artboards
Step 1: Open the Artboards Panel via ‘Window’ > ‘Artboards.’
Step 2: Hold down the ‘Shift’ key and select the artboards you want to align.
Step 3: Right-click and choose ‘Arrange’ > ‘Align Artboards’ from the context menu.
Additional Options for Multiple Alignment
You can also utilize the ‘Rearrange All’ feature in the Artboards Panel to align multiple artboards based on specific criteria such as by rows or columns.
How Do You Arrange Artboards In Photoshop?
Artboards in Photoshop CC are a relatively new addition when compared to Illustrator but are just as useful. Whether you’re working on website layouts or multi-screen experiences, artboards are a helpful organizational tool.
Steps to Arrange Artboards in Photoshop
Step 1: Open your Photoshop CC document.
Step 2: Navigate to the Layers Panel, where each artboard is listed as a separate layer.
Step 3: Select the artboard layer you want to move.
Step 4: Using the Selection Tool, drag the artboard to your desired location within the Photoshop workspace.
Alternative Methods
Another approach to arrange your artboards is by selecting ‘Layer’ > ‘Arrange’ from the menu bar. You can also rearrange artboards directly in the Layers Panel by clicking and dragging them into your desired order.
Can You Move Artboards Around In Illustrator?
Why Is My Illustrator Artboard Crooked?
There could be various reasons for a crooked artboard, such as a rotated view or misalignment with the Illustrator document grid.
Solutions for a Crooked Artboard
Solution 1: Reset the View
Navigate to ‘View’ > ‘Reset View.’ This will reset the rotation and position of your artboard to its default settings.
Solution 2: Check Smart Guides
Smart guides could be inadvertently aligning your artboard in a way that appears crooked. Turn them off by going to ‘View’ > ‘Smart Guides.’
Solution 3: Align to Grid
If your artboard seems slightly off, it might not be aligned to the grid. You can align it by selecting the artboard and then choosing ‘Object’ > ‘Align’ > ‘To Grid.’
Further Troubleshooting
If the above solutions don’t solve the issue, double-check your Control Panel to ensure no weird rotation or transformation options are selected for your active artboard.
