Adobe Illustrator - Copying arrays across a specific distance

Author

Copying arrays across a specific distance

Gary

2007-07-28, 6:16 pm

I was thinking about another way we spread multiple copies of something
across an image.

First, create the object you want to duplicate.

Copy it.

Past it from the keyboard as many times as you need copies -- don't worry
about the fact that they're stacking on top of each other.

Next, drag the last one you pasted down (it'll be on top of the stack) and
either put it exactly where it should be on the page using the Attributes
panel, or

Drag it where you want it visually.

Then shift-click or marquee-select all of them at once and use the Align
panel to distribute them (the bottom of the Align panel, actually).

The first one you made and the last one you pasted and dragged stay where
they were; the multiples distribute between the two.

This is a little more click-intensive then using the arrow key trick -- but
it's a lot more visually rewarding and sometimes more helpful than any other
way of making copies of something.

Hope this helps!

Gary still in tampa

inez

2007-07-29, 3:14 am

Gary wrote:
> I was thinking about another way we spread multiple copies of something
> across an image.
>
> First, create the object you want to duplicate.
>
> Copy it.
>
> Past it from the keyboard as many times as you need copies -- don't worry
> about the fact that they're stacking on top of each other.
>
> Next, drag the last one you pasted down (it'll be on top of the stack) and
> either put it exactly where it should be on the page using the Attributes
> panel, or
>
> Drag it where you want it visually.
>
> Then shift-click or marquee-select all of them at once and use the Align
> panel to distribute them (the bottom of the Align panel, actually).
>
> The first one you made and the last one you pasted and dragged stay where
> they were; the multiples distribute between the two.
>
>
> This is a little more click-intensive then using the arrow key trick -- but
> it's a lot more visually rewarding and sometimes more helpful than any other
> way of making copies of something.
>
> Hope this helps!
>
>
>
> Gary still in tampa
>
>

I haven't done that in Illy, but it's common for me to do this in Quark
for layouts.