How To Distribute Objects Evenly In Illustrator

When arranging objects in Illustrator, you may want to ensure that there is an equal amount of space between them. This can technically be accomplished with a variety of tools, such as snapping and grids. However, in this tutorial we’ll be going over how to distribute objects evenly by using the Alignment menu, which is the best tool for the job because, unlike the other options, it only requires a click of a button.

In short, to distribute objects evenly in Illustrator, all you have to do is select them and click the Horizontal Distribute or the Vertical Distribute button in the Align menu. Let’s have a closer look.

Distribute Objects Evenly In Illustrator

To distribute objects evenly in Illustrator, select all of them and navigate to the Distribute section of the Align menu. Clicking the button labeled “Vertical Distribute Center” will distribute the objects on the vertical axis, whereas the “Horizontal Distribute Center” button will distribute them horizontally.

The following video tutorial will walk you through the entire process in less than a minute:

Continue on for written instructions.

Step 1: Select the objects
Step 2: Open the Align menu
Step 3: Use the Align menu to distribute your objects evenly

Step 1: Select the objects

In order to distribute your objects in Illustrator you must first ensure that they are selected. You can select multiple objects in one of two ways:

Clicking each of them while holding the Shift key, or
Clicking and dragging a selection over them

Step 2: Open the Align menu

Now let’s access the Align menu, which should be located on the right-hand side of your screen as a dockable menu:

You may have to click on the menu tab to make it visible. If you do not see it anywhere on your screen then you can access it by navigating to:

Window > Align

Step 3: Use the Align menu to distribute your objects evenly

With your objects selected and the Align menu opened, all you have to do to evenly distribute your objects is click one of two buttons under the Distribute section:

1. Vertical Distribute Center

Clicking this button will space your objects out evenly according to the vertical, or the “Y” axis:

2. Horizontal Distribute Center

Clicking this button will space your objects based on the horizontal, or “X” axis:

Hover your cursor over the buttons to populate the name label.

In Conclusion

As mentioned earlier on, this is not the only way to distribute objects evenly in Illustrator. You could also do so using snapping and grids. However, the Align menu is the most efficient tool for this particular task.

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