Create a symbol by selecting your shape and pressing F8.Ģ. Using symbols will make this process much efficient by saving the artwork. Once you have changed the artwork you have to make sure to have the original shape by duplicating it. Note that this method is easier and useful but does not save the artwork in the symbols library. In the case of the shape of a rectangle or a square, it is better to hold Shift to maintain the angle and extend/ expand the shape. Select the sides you want to extend without distorting and drag to the direction you want to extend the shape. One method to achieve the result is by using the direct selection tool. But using the 9 slice scaling method the corners can be maintained. With the shift button, it scales every aspect proportionally.

9-slice scaling is useful only when you’re creating SWF files from Illustrator or when you’re moving art from Illustrator into Flash.ĭistorting or scaling an object with the regular selection tool does not maintain the rounded corners when dragging without pressing the shift button(rectangle above). It is often used when resizing images for creating icons, symbols and buttons, and designing bitmaps or sprites. In this way for example a rounded corner is preserved and are not stretched. 9 slice scaling in Adobe Illustrator is an image resizing technique that proportionally scales an image by splitting it into nine sections.

Adobe illustrator how to resize image