10 Sets of Common Adobe Illustrator Keyboard Shortcuts

Do you ever feel like your right hand is stuck on the mouse when you're working in Adobe Illustrator? Undoing an action takes three clicks, and changing the stroke width means you have to dig through endless panels. For designers, slow work is never a good thing.

In the world of design, the shortcuts at your fingertips are the real key to working faster. This article shares Adobe Illustrator keyboard shortcut secrets that help you finish your designs quicker.

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In this article, you will learn:

1. 10 Sets of Common Adobe Illustrator Shortcuts
2. What Are the Benefits of Using Illustrator Shortcuts?
3. Do You Really Need Shortcuts in Illustrator?

10 Sets of Common Adobe Illustrator Keyboard Shortcuts

In this section, we would like to share 10 sets of common Illustrator shortcuts organized by use case. The shortcut info comes from Adobe's official website, but we've arranged it to make it easier for you to use.

1. Basic Shortcuts

Here are some basic shortcuts for Adobe Illustrator.

2. File Shortcuts

Next, here are the shortcuts for file operations. Shortcuts like saving or opening a document are used a lot, so remember them.

3. Editing Shortcuts

Below are the editing shortcuts for Illustrator that you'll use very often during your design work.

4. Zooming In and Out (View) Shortcuts

These shortcuts help you control the screen view. For example, shortcuts like "100% view" and "Fit Artboard in Window" are very handy in real design projects.

5. Text and Fonts Shortcuts

Here are some shortcuts for handling text and fonts. They come in useful when you need to convert text to outlines, so keep them in mind.

6. Object Operations Shortcuts

These shortcuts deal with moving and grouping objects in Illustrator. Shortcuts like "Group," "Move Objects Forward/Backward," and "Repeat Transforming Objects" can really speed up your work.

7. Drawing Shortcuts

These are the shortcuts for drawing graphics. Commands like "Create/Release Clipping Mask" and "Swap Fill and Stroke" are often used.

8. Tool Switching Shortcuts

Here are shortcuts for some common Illustrator tools. You often need to change tools when working on designs. It's very helpful to remember these shortcuts.

9. Panel Show/Hide Shortcuts

These shortcuts let you quickly show or hide panels. Panels like "Layers," "Pathfinder," "Swatches," and "Transparency" are used a lot.

10. Selection Shortcuts

Finally, here are the shortcuts for selection. The shortcut for "Select All Objects on the Artboard" is especially handy.

What Are the Benefits of Using Illustrator Shortcuts?

Using shortcuts comes with several advantages. Let's break them down:

• Boosts Productivity: Shortcuts let you work faster by reducing mouse use and cutting down the steps needed to finish tasks.
• Improves Accuracy: Shortcuts help you be more precise. When you use a mouse, you have to move the pointer and fine-tune your clicks. With shortcuts, you use the keyboard directly, which can lead to more accurate actions.
• Keeps You Focused: Shortcuts reduce the strain on your wrist and arm from constant mouse movements. This means you're less likely to get tired and can stay focused longer.

Do You Really Need Shortcuts in Illustrator?

Late at night, your index finger tap dances between Ctrl, Shift, and Alt while your ring finger shivers on the space bar. Sound familiar?

Have you ever naively thought that memorizing every shortcut was the secret to being efficient, only to one day see your hand twisted like a spider's and suddenly realize that while we admire efficiency, our blind chase after it traps us?

Then along came TourBox, like a sudden rainstorm in a keyboard desert. It doesn't make you memorize spell-like key combos. Instead, it puts 400 possibilities right in your palm. Twist, press, slide — each move feels as natural as muscle memory.

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When you need to change your brush size, you no longer have to hit the [ or ] keys over and over. A gentle twist of the TourBox knob with your thumb does the trick. And when you switch layer styles, a quick tap of a TourBox button feels much more intuitive than clicking the mouse ten times.

All that complicated tech melts away into pure flow. When your left-hand dances on the TourBox, your right hand can finally grip the pressure pen comfortably, letting your focus return to the real art of lines and colors.

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With TourBox, maybe one late night while you're racing against a deadline, you'll suddenly laugh at your screen, realizing that design can be as fun as playing a video game.