CreativePro Tip of the Week: Locking Objects in Illustrator

This CreativePro Tip of the Week on locking objects in Illustrator was sent to CreativeProse email subscribers on February 15, 2017. 

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When you have a complex Illustrator document with lots of overlapping objects, it can be tricky to select the exact subset of objects you want to manipulate (even if you’re diligent about organizing content with layers). Sometimes the fastest solution is to simply lock the objects you don’t want to select. You can lock selected objects by pressing the keyboard shortcut Command+2 on the Mac or Ctrl+2 on Windows.

The Lock Selection command is found in the Object menu, where you can also find commands for locking all artwork above a selection, and all artwork on other layers.

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To then unlock all objects in the document, press Command+Option+2 on the Mac or Ctrl+ALT+2 on Windows.

Editor in Chief of CreativePro. Instructor at LinkedIn Learning with courses on InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, GIMP, Inkscape, and Affinity Publisher. Co-author of The Photoshop Visual Quickstart Guide with Nigel French.
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