Use the Scale, Shear and Reshape Tools in Adobe Illustrator CS6

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Video: Use the Scale, Shear and Reshape Tools in Adobe Illustrator CS6

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You're watching VisiHow. In this tutorial, we are going to show you how to use "Scale Tool", "Shear Tool", and "Reshape Tool" in Adobe Illustrator CS6 in Windows 7.

1. 1
   To begin, you should open Illustrator either from your desktop or by coming down to the bottom-left corner and clicking the Windows icon. This will reveal a list of recently used programs. You may find Illustrator there. It has a brown-and-orange icon with the letters "Ai".

   

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2. 2
   If you can't see Illustrator in the start menu, use the search bar along the bottom and start typing "Adobe Illustrator".

   

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3. 3
   Click "Adobe Illustrator CS6". It will immediately start loading and take you directly to the workspace.

   

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4. 4
   Click "File" in the horizontal menu in the top-left corner.

   

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5. 5
   Click "New..." to open up a new document. Alternatively, press "Ctrl" + "N" on the keyboard. You can also open an existing document. For more information, refer to our tutorials on how to create a new document and how to open documents.

   

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6. 6
   For this tutorial, let's click "OK".

   

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7. 7
   You can alter the "Fill" color. For more information, refer to our tutorial on how to use "Stroke" and "Fill" colors.

   

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8. 8
   Click the "Type Tool" to create text. Let's click the canvas and type "VisiHow". You can increase the font size and change the font. There are other VisiHow tutorials on how to do these.

   

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9. 9
   Next, click the "Selection Tool" black arrow icon in the vertical toolbar. It is on the left side of the screen. If you have a more complicated object, you can use other selection tools.

   

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10. 10
    Click your object to select it. A blue outline with anchor points will appear, which means that the object is now ready for editing. This is useful for multiple objects. Selection specifies the one that you want to edit.

    

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11. 11
    After that, click "Scale Tool" in the vertical toolbar. The "Scale Tool" icon looks two overlapping rectangles with an arrow.

    

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12. 12
    You can then click and drag your object. This action will scale the object until you release the mouse. Hold the "Shift" key to keep your selected object in proportion. If you move the mouse to opposite sides, the text may invert.

    

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13. 13
    In the vertical toolbar, click and drag "Scale Tool" to select the "Shear Tool". The icon looks like a diagonal square. "Shear Tool" slants the shape.

    

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14. 14
    To use this tool, click and drag your object. The blue line will show you what the shear will look like when you release the mouse. Releasing the mouse will apply the shear effect.

    

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15. 15
    Let's press "Delete". This will delete the selected object.

    

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16. 16
    For the next example, let's create a line using the "Line Segment Tool". There is another tutorial on using this tool.

    

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17. 17
    You can choose a "Fill" color as well by clicking the "Fill" color box.

    

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18. 18
    You can change the thickness of the line.

    

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19. 19
    Select "Reshape Tool" in the same expanded menu on the vertical toolbar. The "Reshape Tool" is a much different tool from the other two of the same group. "Reshape Tool" creates anchor points. Using this tool, you can manipulate your shape to create curves. It allows for more freedom within Illustrator.

    

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20. 20
    Simply click different areas along the path to create anchor points. These will appear as blue dots along the line. Pressing the "Shift" key as you click and drag points along the path may help you keep the shape in proportion. This tool adds an organic way to manipulate shapes in Illustrator. There is a lot of freedom of movement, though somewhat restricted. You can use other tools to overcome the restriction. You can create something flexible like a drawing. You can polish another shape. This tool that can save you a lot of time is quite useful.

    

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This concludes our tutorial showing you how to use use "Scale Tool", "Shear Tool", and "Reshape Tool" in Adobe Illustrator CS6 in Windows 7. If you have any questions or comments regarding this video or the program used, then just add them to the comment section below. Thank you for choosing VisiHow!

If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.

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