Adobe Illustrator is a powerful tool almost every designer uses. Within the array of design platforms Adobe offers, there is a lot to learn… and a lot of places one can get lost. Many say that the best way to learn tricks on this software is simply through trial and error. However, some of these tools and actions are easier to complete with keyboard commands. Below we will share our most useful ones for Illustrator!

 

  1. Pasting to Front or Back – CTRL + F / CTRL + B
  • These two commands are a quick and efficient way to paste items into different layers. It does so without having to physically drag/drop the items or layers to the appropriate position in the side menu bar. 

 

  1. Check Spelling – CTRL + I
  • This command is self-explanatory. Using CTRL + I, users can efficiently check for spelling errors without navigating the toolbar located on top of the screen. 

 

  1. Save and Save as – CTRL + S, CTRL + SHIFT + S
  •  This keyboard command is a personal favorite. Almost every designer has experienced forgetting to save a file or having their computer shut off before saving. This causes creative’s to lose major progress or projects entirely. These two commands are a simple solution for users. With a couple clicks of the keyboard, the AI file can be saved without accessing the toolbar. 

 

For a full list of keyboard commands and shortcuts for Adobe illustrator, visit this guide provided by makeawebsitehub. It includes updated commands for both Mac and PC.