How To Add An Artboard In Illustrator: Simple Tutorial

Photo Retouching Services > Retouching Blog > Photo Editing Tips > How to Add an Artboard in Illustrator: Simple Tutorial How to Add an Artboard in Illustrator: Simple Tutorial By Tata Rossi, Tetiana Kostylieva 13 days ago, Photo Editing Tips When you purchase through affiliate links on our site, we may earn a commission. Here’s how it works.

If you don’t know how to add an Artboard in Illustrator in several clicks and start working on a project, we’ve prepared 3 easy ways on adding Artboards in Illustrator. With these instructions, you can create several Artboards per document based on their size.

Reading this review, you will learn how to create in Illustrator new Artboard, resize or remove it if necessary. In addition to info about the Artboard tool, I’ve also described some keyboard shortcuts that can make your work faster.

Method 1. Through New Artboard

Artboard is the main workspace for creating Illustrator logos, various shapes and elements. Therefore, by opening a new file, you will create a new Artboard with specific parameters.

STEP 1. Create a New File

Start Adobe Illustrator, and create a new file (File -> New). Select the desired number of Artboards – enter an exact digit in the Number of Artboards textbox.

STEP 2. Adjust the Settings

After you’ve chosen the necessary number of Artboards, you need to adjust the Artboards arrangement (e.g. grid, row). Besides, you can define how rows and columns should be set.

Another important value is the amount of space, which specifies how close Artboards are located to each other. The average value is approximately 20 points.

Method 2. Through Artboard Tool

When adding Artboards in Illustrator, you can use the automatic tools in the toolbox. The actual Artboard is selected and you can draw a rectangle of the desired size in a couple of clicks.

STEP 1. Create New Artboards in an Existing Project

If you have already opened the design to work on, I suggest choosing the Artboard Tool (Shift + O).

STEP 2. Outline a New Artboard

lick and drag the icon to create a new Artboard in the working area. Don't worry if the created Artboard is of incorrect size. You can adjust these parameters later.

STEP 3. Set Artboard Options

Double-click the Artboard Tool to open a dialog box. In the Artboard Options window that appears, enter the Artboard name and parameters. You can add not only dimensions that define the aspect ratios but also the position of the Artboard according to the rulers in the Illustrator workspace. You can find the rulers by clicking View > Show Rulers.

Typically, when you resize an Artboard, it keeps the outside area darker. If this option isn’t selected, the outside and inside areas will be displayed in the same color when adjusting the size.

Method 3. Through Duplication

You can simply copy the finished Artboard with the design and create a new one there. Thus, it is possible to compare colors and fonts while working on the same screen.

STEP 1. Duplicate an Existing Artboard

Select the Artboard Tool on the toolbar or press Shift + O on the keyboard.

This way, you can add a new Artboard of the correct size/aspect ratio. You can copy-paste designs or change background color in Illustrator to produce several design options.

STEP 2. Drag Existing Artboard

Those using Adobe Illustrator for Mac need to hold down the Option on the keyboard. Thus, you can easily copy any element in Adobe programs.

Click on the desired Artboard and drag to duplicate it. There will appear a semi-transparent version of the Artboard on the screen. Don't release the key until you completely drag the Artboard. Unclick to set the Artboard to the desired position.

If you use the third method, hold Shift along with the option/alt key. This way, you’ll lock the layer on the desired axis to properly align the area. Use the alt + click option before pressing Shift, otherwise, Illustrator won’t copy the Artboard (if you hold down the option/alt and shift keys before clicking).

STEP 3. Start Designing

By following Adobe Illustrator tutorials, you will get the duplicate Artboard of the desired size. All elements of the original Artboard will also be copied if they weren’t locked.

Bonus Tools

Free Download

Once you've learned how to add an Artboard in Illustrator, it's high time to start creating unique designs. These free brush sets will help you unleash your creativity and speed up the process of making layouts.

Tata Rossi

Tech Trends Journalist

Tata Rossi is a photographer-advisor, key contributor at FixThePhoto, sharing her expertise about photography and 55% of photos you see at our blog are taken by her. She is a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She is the main so-called teacher in our team, conducting courses on photography and editing for beginners and anyone interested.

Read Tata's full bio

Tetiana Kostylieva

Photo & Video Insights Blogger

Tetiana Kostylieva is the content creator, who takes photos and videos for almost all FixThePhoto blog articles. Her career started in 2013 as a caricature artist at events. Now, she leads our editorial team, testing new ideas and ensuring the content is helpful and engaging. She likes vintage cameras and, in all articles, she always compares them with modern ones showing that it isn’t obligatory to invest in brand-new equipment to produce amazing results.

Read Tetiana's full bio

Contents:

1. How to add an artboard
2. Method 1. Through new artboard
3. Method 2. Through Artboard Tool
4. Method 3. Through duplication
5. Bonus Tools

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