To convert the panel layout from single column to double column or vice versa, either click the double arrowhead at the top or double-click the top bar.Ĭlick once on a visible tool to select it, or click and hold on a tool that has a tiny arrowhead to choose a related tool from a fly-out menu.

If the panel is hidden, choose Window > Tools to display it.

In addition to the tools on the Tools panel, which are used for creating and editing objects, you will also find color controls, a menu or icons for choosing a drawing mode, and a menu for choosing a screen mode. Hide or show all the currently open panels but not the Tools panel or tearoff toolbars Hide or show all the currently open panels, including the Tools panel and tearoff toolbars This is the context menu for a selected object. Note: To open a panel that isn’t already in a dock, choose the panel name from the Window menu. Following that, you’ll find instructions for using the Tools panel, a brief description of each tool, an introduction to the Control panel, then a description and illustration of all the other Illustrator panels that are used in this book (in alphabetical order). *You can read through this chapter with or without glancing at or fiddling with the panels onscreen, and also use it as a reference guide as you work.

The Illustrator panels that are used in this book Note: In-depth instructions for using specific panels are amply provided throughout this book. Here you will see what the individual panels look like and be briefly introduced to their specific functions - from choosing color swatches (Swatches panel) to switching among artboards (Artboards panel) to editing layers (Layers panel). In the preceding chapter, you learned how to arrange them onscreen.

The Illustrator panels that are used in this book.

Adobe illustrator tool icons