How to Rotate Canvas in Illustrator
Rotating the canvas in Adobe Illustrator is helpful in creating a design from a different angle. Here is how to rotate the canvas in Illustrator.
How to Rotate Canvas in Illustrator
You can use the Rotate View tool to rotate the canvas. Click and drag the Hand tool and select Rotate View from the menu. Drag the Rotate View tool anywhere on your canvas, and it will change the orientation. You can also hold Shift+H to bring up this tool. Additionally, you can hold Space to bring up the hand tool, then hold Shift whole clicking and dragging. When you click and drag with it, you will see what angle the canvas is at.
If you’re using an Apple trackpad, you can place the cursor anywhere on the canvas as a reference point. Then use the two-finger gesture to rotate the canvas view around that reference point.
To choose from some preselected angles, click on View, then Rotate View, then select one of the angles from the menu.
Rotate Canvas to Match Rotated Object
To rotate the Illustrator canvas to match an object’s rotation, click on View, then Rotate View to Selection. This can make it very easy to create an element that is off-center but still be able to edit it with ease.
What Happens When You Rotate Canvas in Illustrator?
When the Illustrator canvas is rotated, grids will also rotate. However, artboard dimensions will remain the same. Guides and rulers can still be viewed and used.
After using Illustrator to create something special, try making it into a real, physical canvas print for your walls at home! It brings me so much joy seeing my work printed out in real life, and I highly recommend printing some of your work if you haven’t already!
How to Reset Illustrator Rotation
To set the Illustrator canvas rotation back to zero, there are several things you can do:
- Click on View, then Rotate View, then 0.
- Click on View, then Reset Rotate View
- Press Shift+Cmd+1 on Mac or Shift+Ctrl+1 on Windows
- Press Esc (if you are using another tool, you will need to first press Esc to deselect that tool, then Esc again to reset rotation)
