{"id":17773,"date":"2014-10-01T06:00:58","date_gmt":"2014-10-01T13:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/creativemarket.com\/blog\/?p=17773"},"modified":"2024-03-28T23:50:02","modified_gmt":"2024-03-29T06:50:02","slug":"scaling-patterns-strokes-and-effects-in-illustrator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/creativemarket.com\/blog\/scaling-patterns-strokes-and-effects-in-illustrator","title":{"rendered":"Scaling Patterns, Strokes, and Effects in Illustrator"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When using Illustrator, resizing objects with certain Appearance attributes can be tricky. For example, when you resize an object with a Stroke applied, the default behaviour is that the Stroke Weight will remain the same rather than scaling in proportion to the object.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2014\/09\/default.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17795\" src=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2014\/10\/28234519\/default.png.webp\" alt=\"default\" width=\"880\" height=\"440\"><\/a><br \/>\nThe same applies to Patterns and Effects.<br \/>\nPerhaps the most obvious solution to this problem is to expand the Appearance of your object (<strong>Edit &gt; Expand Appearance<\/strong>) first. The only problem is that once you do this, you&#8217;ll no longer be able to edit any of the Strokes, Patterns, or Effects that you had previously applied to your object.<br \/>\nFortunately, Illustrator has a few options tucked away that give you complete control over scaling without sacrificing the ability to edit the Appearance of your object.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Where_To_Find_These_Options\"><\/span>Where To Find These Options<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>\nYou can find these options by selecting <strong>Object &gt; Transform &gt; Scale<\/strong>. In the dialogue box you&#8217;ll see three options: Scale Strokes &amp; Effects, Objects, and Patterns.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2014\/09\/scale-options.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2014\/10\/28234527\/scale-options.png.webp\" alt=\"scale-options\" width=\"880\" height=\"440\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17817\"><\/a><br \/>\nAlternatively, you can access these options via the Transform panel (<strong>Window &gt; Transform<\/strong>) menu.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2014\/09\/transform-panel.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2014\/10\/28234535\/transform-panel.png.webp\" alt=\"transform-panel\" width=\"880\" height=\"440\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17815\"><\/a><br \/>\nLet&#8217;s look at how each of these options work.\n<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Scaling_Strokes_Effects\"><\/span>Scaling Strokes &amp; Effects<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>\nSelecting the Strokes &amp; Effects option allows you to scale an object whilst keeping applied Strokes &amp; Effects in proportion.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2014\/09\/strokes.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17790\" src=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2014\/10\/28234542\/strokes.png.webp\" alt=\"strokes\" width=\"880\" height=\"880\"><\/a><br \/>\nHere&#8217;s an example of the same object with a Roughen effect applied:<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2014\/09\/strokes-and-effects.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17791\" src=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2014\/10\/28234551\/strokes-and-effects.png.webp\" alt=\"strokes-and-effects\" width=\"880\" height=\"880\"><\/a>\n<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Scaling_Patterns\"><\/span>Scaling Patterns<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>\nWhen working with Patterns, this option is a godsend. Not only does it allow you to scale Objects and Patterns simultaneously&#8230;<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2014\/09\/patterns-2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17793\" src=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2014\/10\/28234559\/patterns-2.png.webp\" alt=\"patterns-2\" width=\"880\" height=\"880\"><\/a><br \/>\nbut you can also scale Patterns independently of the object they&#8217;re applied to.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2014\/09\/patterns-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17792\" src=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2014\/10\/28234607\/patterns-1.png.webp\" alt=\"patterns-1\" width=\"880\" height=\"880\"><\/a>\n<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bonus_Tip\"><\/span>Bonus Tip<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>\nAs well as being able to scale Patterns, you can also rotate them by selecting <strong>Object &gt; Transform &gt; Rotate<\/strong>.<br \/>\nMuch like the above, you have the option to either rotate the Object and Pattern simultaneously, or rotate the Pattern independently.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2014\/09\/rotate-pattern.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2014\/10\/28234616\/rotate-pattern.png.webp\" alt=\"rotate-pattern\" width=\"880\" height=\"744\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17840\"><\/a>\n<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Scaling_Patterns_Strokes_and_Effects\"><\/span>Scaling Patterns, Strokes, and Effects<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>\nChecking all three of these options allows you to scale your object whilst keeping all Patterns, Strokes, and Effects in proportion. This is perfect for scaling entire pieces of artwork in which you want to maintain editability.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2014\/09\/strokes-effects-objects-patterns.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17794\" src=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2014\/10\/28234623\/strokes-effects-objects-patterns.png.webp\" alt=\"strokes-effects-objects-patterns\" width=\"880\" height=\"880\"><\/a>\n<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Try_It_For_Yourself\"><\/span>Try It For Yourself<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>\nThis may be a relatively small tip but being aware of these options can have a large impact on the way you work. Using a non-destructive technique such as this will allow you to maintain full control over certain elements of your artwork, which could save you huge amounts of time when it comes to making amendments. Give it a try next time you&#8217;re working on a project in Illustrator and see how it benefits your process.\n<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><em>Sam Jones is the owner of <a href=\"\/\/creativemarket.com\/sivioco\">Sivioco<\/a>, home of some of the bestselling design resources on the web. He also runs <a href=\"http:\/\/sivioco.com\">a blog<\/a> where he shares free resources, training, and advice to help designers work better, faster, and smarter.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When using Illustrator, resizing objects with certain Appearance attributes can be tricky. For example, when you resize an object with a Stroke applied, the default behaviour is that the Stroke Weight will remain the same rather than scaling in proportion to the object. The same applies to Patterns and Effects. Perhaps the most obvious solution [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[74],"tags":[79,95,101,697,854],"topics":[],"class_list":["post-17773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tutorials","tag-graphics","tag-how-to-2","tag-tutorial","tag-illustrator","tag-add-ons"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.4 (Yoast SEO v28.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Scaling Patterns, Strokes, and Effects in Illustrator - Creative Market Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/creativemarket.com\/blog\/scaling-patterns-strokes-and-effects-in-illustrator\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Scaling Patterns, Strokes, and Effects in Illustrator\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When using Illustrator, resizing objects with certain Appearance attributes can be tricky. 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