How To Change Units In Illustrator

Video How to Change Units in illustratorAdobe Illustrator is equipped with a variety of measurement options to fit your project needs and comfort. Whether it’s pixels, metric or British measurement, Adobe Illustrator has you.

Working in Pixel Measurements

Contents

A pixel is the smallest unit of a digital image or graphic that can be displayed and represented on a digital device. The pixels are combined to form a complete image, video, text, or anything visible on a digital screen such as a mobile phone, tablet or computer. Usually circular or square, they are usually arranged in a 2-dimensional grid. Pixel is the basic unit of measurement in digital graphics. Read: how to change units in illustrator Setting your units in pixels is ideal for:

User interface digital design project such as Web site design, theme design (WordPress, Shopify, etc.), game skins, app & icon design.
Publishing Content Online in image form (.jpeg .png) like Social Posts, Infographics, Banner Ads & Product Images
Graphics for movies & videos like Thumbnails, Motion Graphics, Gifs, Title Strings & Text.

This will help you set your artboard to the right size for the digital project you’re working on. For example, in creating UI graphics for iphone X, your artboard will be set to 1125 x 2436 px, allowing you to work with and export files at the appropriate image resolution. Setting the unit to pixels will help the document more accurately reflect what your end user’s target device will display.

Work in metric or imperial measurements

The metric system (cm, millimeter, meter) was developed in France in the 1790s – used by almost all countries in the world. Interestingly, three countries in the world do not use the metric system, although it is simple and widely used. These are Myanmar, the United States and Liberia, according to the Imperial system (inches, feet, yards). So the choice between either is up to you and the comfort of your group. Both systems are mainly used for Print design. Placing your units in the Metric or Imperial system is ideal for:

Art and illustration such as t-shirt design, textile graphic templates, book covers, technical illustrations, concept art & graphic novels
Visual Identity Design such as Logos, Business Cards & Letterheads
Packaging design
Publication design such as Books, Newspapers, Newsletters, Directory, Annual Reports, Magazines, Catalogs
Print marketing design such as Postcards, Flyers, Magazine and Newspaper Advertising, Posters, Banners and Billboards, Brochures, Media Wraps, Trade Show Signs and Displays, Menus
Environmental graphic design such as Signage, Murals, Museum Exhibits, Office Branding, Public Transport Navigation, Retail Store Furniture, Event and Conference Spaces. You can choose to work in meters or rulers for larger print projects.

Working in Pica . measurements

One “the point” is a unit for measuring the size of letterforms and line spacing. The point system developed by typists was then adapted and reinterpreted by type casting companies. French typewriter Fournier is often credited with creating a functional point system in the mid-18th century. 1 point = 1/72 of an inch (Postscript points to true inch). One “Pica” is a unit of measure for aspects of page layout, text width, column width, white space, etc. 12 points = 1 pica & 6 picas = 1 inch. Setting your units in picas is ideal for:

Custom Typing Work like designing a new typeface or customizing an existing typeface
Publication design such as newspapers, magazines, newsletters, books and catalogs

Easily change the unit of measure for your document by following the steps below.

I created a logo design in pixels for digital use, but now my client also wants to create some print marketing materials for his brand. Change the measurement units from pixels to centimeters in a few quick steps. Read more: How to make your adderall last longer Note: This measurement option affects rulers, measuring distances between points, moving and transforming objects, and setting grid and path spacing , and shape.

Step 1:

Make sure your ruler is visible by pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL-R for PC or Command-R for Mac. You can also go to the menu: View > Rulers > Show Rulers.

Step 2

Right click on the ruler and select the unit of measure you want to work with. measure

Step 3

Now the ruler has changed to cm. I want to resize the artboard to 20 x 30 cm for a Poster design. Go to the artboard tool in the left toolbox and double click.

Step 4

The Artboard preferences window will pop up and as you can see, I can change the Width & Height in cm.

Change measurement units for Stroke and Type

Read more: how to remove corrupted files from computer Adobe illustrator also has the option to change stroke measurements to picas, points, pixels, centimeters, millimeters, inches – and Enter measurements to points, millimeters, inches and pixels. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1:

In the top menu, go to Edit > Preferences > Units

Step 2:

As you can see, there are options to set the General, Stroke and Type Units of Measure. Select the option you want from the drop-down menu and click OK.Adobe Illustrator Classroom in a Book – Adobe’s official training series, developed with the support of Adobe product experts. This book will help you build a solid foundation in creating stunning logos, illustrations, and posters.

Adobe Illustrator Course

Our Adobe Illustrator course is 2 weeks long and includes 3 lessons. This course will take you through all the basics of Adobe Illustrator software, get you the perfect default settings and options for you, through working with advanced effects more and learn all those important keyboard shortcuts. With the skills to make the most of all the features of Adobe Illustrator, knowing how to work professionally with gradients, fonts, shapes, and images, you’re ready to build an impressive portfolio. Contact us for more information or click here for the full details of the Adobe Illustrator course. Read more: how to draw a kitten step by step