Adobe Creative Cloud Design Tools All-in-One For Dummies

Chapter 4: Creating Basic Shapes

In This Chapter

• Creating rectangles, ellipses, stars, and polygons
• Resizing shapes
• Using the Pathfinder panel
• Using the Shape Builder tool

Basic shapes, such as squares, circles, polygons, and stars, are used in all types of illustrations. With the right know-how and use of the right tools, you can easily create any shape that you want for your artwork. In this chapter, you find out how to use the shape tools to create shapes based on precise measurements, and combine shapes to create custom shapes. You also learn how to edit and resize your shapes.

The Basic Shape Tools

As a default, the only visible shape tool in the Tools panel is the Rectangle tool. If you click and hold down that tool, you can access hidden tools such as the Rounded Rectangle, Ellipse, Polygon, and Star tools, shown in Figure 4-1. (Although you see the Flare tool, it isn't a basic shape.)

Figure 4-1: Basic shape tools.

You can tear off this tool set so that you don't have to find the hidden shapes later. Click and hold the Rectangle tool and drag to the arrow on the far-right side, and then release the mouse button. These tools are now on a free-floating toolbar that you can drag to another location.

Creating rectangles and ellipses

Rectangles and ellipses are the most fundamental ...