Hide the tools panel, Tear off hidden tools into a separate panel, Close a separate tool panel – Adobe Illustrator CS4 User Manual

Page 29: Select a tool, Change tool pointers

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USING ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR CS4

Workspace

Hide the Tools panel

Choose Window

> Tools.

Tear off hidden tools into a separate panel

Drag the pointer over the arrow at the end of the hidden tools panel and release the mouse button.

Close a separate tool panel

Click the close button on the panel’s title bar. The tools return to the Tools panel.

Select a tool

Do one of the following:

Click a tool in the Tools panel. If there is a small triangle at a tool’s lower-right corner, hold down the mouse button
to view the hidden tools, and then click the tool you want to select.

Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac

OS), and then click a tool to cycle through and select hidden tools.

Press the tool’s keyboard shortcut. The keyboard shortcut is displayed in its tool tip. For example, you can select
the Move tool by pressing the V key.

To hide tool tips, choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or Illustrator > Preferences > General (Mac OS),
and deselect Show Tool Tips.

Selecting a hidden tool

A. Tools panel B. Active tool C. Tear off panel with hidden tools D. Hidden tool triangle E. Tool name and shortcut

Change tool pointers

The mouse pointer for most tools matches the tool’s icon. Each pointer has a different hotspot, where an effect or
action begins. With most tools, you can switch to precise cursors, which appear as cross hairs centered around the
hotspot, and provide for greater accuracy when working with detailed artwork.

Choose Edit > Preferences

> General (Windows) or Illustrator > Preferences

> General (Mac

OS), and select Use

Precise Cursors. Alternatively, press Caps Lock on the keyboard.

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