How do you use the Align and Distribute panel to arrange vector groups?

1 What is the Align and Distribute panel?

The Align and Distribute panel is a feature in Adobe Illustrator that allows you to adjust the position and spacing of multiple objects or groups. Access it by going to Window > Align or by clicking on the Align icon in the Control panel. The panel has two sections: Align and Distribute. The Align section lets you align objects or groups to a key object, the artboard, or the selection. The Distribute section allows you distribute objects or groups evenly along a horizontal or vertical axis, or by a specified value.

2 How to select and group objects

Before you can use the Align and Distribute panel, select the objects or groups that you want to arrange. Use the Selection tool or the Direct Selection tool to click and drag over the objects or groups, or hold down the Shift key to add or remove individual items from the selection. Also use the Layers panel to select objects or groups by clicking on their names or visibility icons. To group objects together, use the Object > Group command or press Ctrl+G (Windows) or Command+G (Mac). To ungroup objects, use the Object > Ungroup command or press Ctrl+Shift+G (Windows) or Command+Shift+G (Mac).

3 How to align objects or groups

Aligning objects or groups requires you to choose a reference point. Use the Align To options at the bottom of the panel to select from one of three options. If you choose Align to Key Object, select the objects or groups, then click on the one that you want to use as the key object and a thick outline will appear around it. After that, click one of the Align buttons to align the objects or groups to the key object's top, bottom, left, right, horizontal center, or vertical center. Alternatively, if you choose Align to Artboard, select the objects or groups and click on one of the Align buttons to align them to the artboard's top, bottom, left, right, horizontal center, or vertical center. Finally, if you choose Align to Selection, select the objects or groups and click on one of the Align buttons to align them to the selection's top, bottom, left, right, horizontal center, or vertical center. Reporting and documenting this process will help you inform and reassure stakeholders while providing valuable insights for improving your cloud security posture.

4 How to distribute objects or groups

To distribute objects or groups, choose an axis and a spacing method. Use the Distribute Spacing options at the bottom of the panel, such as Horizontal Distribute Space and Vertical Distribute Space. For Horizontal Distribute Space, select the objects or groups, then click on the button and enter a specific value in the box next to it to set a fixed distance between them. For Vertical Distribute Space, do the same. Additionally, use the Distribute Objects buttons to distribute objects or groups by their centers or edges along a horizontal or vertical axis. Select the objects or groups, then click on one of the buttons to distribute them by their horizontal centers, vertical centers, left edges, right edges, top edges, or bottom edges.

5 How to apply transformations to objects or groups

In addition to aligning and distributing objects or groups, also use the Align and Distribute panel to apply transformations such as moving, scaling, rotating, and reflecting. To do this, use the Transform Each command, which applies individual transformations to each object or group in the selection. To access this command, go to Object > Transform > Transform Each or press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+D (Windows) or Command+Option+Shift+D (Mac). A dialog box will appear where you can enter the values for the transformations. You can also preview the results by checking the Preview box. When you are satisfied with the settings, click OK to apply the transformations.

6 How to save and load alignment and distribution settings

If you want to reuse the same alignment and distribution settings for different objects or groups, save and load them using the Align and Distribute panel. To save settings, click on the Show Options button at the top right corner of the panel, then click on the Save Settings button at the bottom left corner. A dialog box will appear where you can name and save your settings as an XML file. To load settings, click on the Show Options button again, then click on the Load Settings button at the bottom left corner. A dialog box will appear where you can browse and select your saved XML file.

7 Here’s what else to consider

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