Distorted perspectives, which were once considered bad news, are now what excites the audience more. Although normal, flat-out, or straight artwork seems perfect to the eye, yet isn’t appealing enough to instantly catch the eye.

Besides, experimenting with perspective in itself is an exciting process. And given how distorted perspectives have spread out like a wildfire, people often plan the framing aspect to create an appealing distorted composition.

However, mistakes can happen, and sometimes there’s not much that the camera angle can do. Fortunately, there are multiple editing tools like Illustrator out there to help you get the perfectly imperfect look in only a few clicks. With Adobe Illustrator, you can quickly tweak your artwork until they look just right (or not).

Read on to find out how!

Distort Perspective in Illustrator  

The free transform tool works like magic. It lets you alter your image’s perspective, rotate text or objects, or quickly straighten multiple objects in only a few clicks. This unique and versatile tool is very handy, especially when it comes to manipulating artwork, be it a simple photograph or character animations.

The advantage of using Adobe Illustrator to distort perspective is that it offers a dedicated tool, i.e., the free transform tool, making the whole process relatively simple. In contrast, other vector tools handle distortion differently. For instance, Inkscape requires the use of a path effect, while Affinity Designer doesn’t even support the feature of changing an object’s perspective.      

Using the perspective tool in Illustrator opens the door for creating more creative and exciting artwork. Now, let’s find out how to change perspective in Illustrator.

Getting started with Distort Perspective     

In this article, I will be explaining how to use the free transform tool so that we can transform a single object in a free form way. By the end of this tutorial, you will be able to distort the perspective of any object or text in any direction.  

So, let’s get started!    

Distort Perspective for Text

  • To distort the perspective of the text, you need to create outlines from the text. For this, first, select the text, then navigate to Type > Create Outlines. 

  • Next, select the object and choose the Free Transform Tool from your toolbar. The icon looks like this:
  • If you do not see the Free Transform Tool in your toolbar, navigate to Window > Toolbars > Advanced or use keyboard shortcut E.
  • When you select the tool, a small menu pops up on your screen. Select the “Perspective Distort” option as shown below:
  • When selected, four-round handles will appear in the corners of your selected object:

  • To distort the perspective of your object, click and drag these handles to move them.
  • Move the handles up and down to change the perspective relative to the vertical axis:
  • Move the handles left and right to change the perspective relative to the horizontal axis:
  • To distort the perspective of each corner, independent of an axis, select the Free Distort option from the menu:

  • With this option, you can change the perspective of your object on a corner-by-corner basis.

Distort Perspective for Shapes

  • We can apply the same effects to shapes as well.
  • Select your shape or object and grab the free transform tool.
  • Next, select the perspective distort from the drop-down menu of the free transform tool. 
  • Now, to change the object’s perspective, drag the handles of the anchor points in the corner of your object.
  • Pull the corner handles and press the Ctrl + Alt + Shift key combo. On Mac, use Cmd + Option + Shift while dragging.
  • In order to change distort, hold the Ctrl key or Cmd button and drag the corner handle. Check if the distortion is correct and end the process once you are happy with the results. Note that you have to be extra careful while using perspective and distort tools as it requires some extra care, or else your work might get affected.

Wrapping Up

There you go, folks! That was all about distort perspective in Illustrator. 

All the features that the free transform offers can be used creatively for photo editing, logo designing, animation videos, retouch, or graphics manipulation. Also, note that apprehending how to distort perspective in Illustrator is only a matter of learning how to get the hang of the Free Transform Tool.  

So what are you waiting for? Start experimenting with the perspective tool and add a touch of a new perspective to your text and shapes.

Have any questions for us? Feel free to ask. And if you are looking for video animation services, get personalized price quotes now!

Frequently Asked Questions

To distort a perspective in Adobe Illustrator, follow these steps:

  • Select the object or artwork you want to distort.
  • Go to “Object” > “Envelope Distort” > “Make with Warp.”
  • In the Warp Options dialog box, choose the desired warp style that suits your perspective distortion needs, such as “Arc,” “Bulge,” or “Flag.”
  • Adjust the settings like the bend, horizontal or vertical distortion, and the distortion’s intensity.
  • Click “OK” to apply the perspective distortion to your selected object or artwork.

To transform an object in perspective in Illustrator:

  • Select the object you want to transform.
  • Go to “Object” > “Envelope Distort” > “Make with Mesh.”
  • In the Make with Mesh dialog box, specify the number of rows and columns for the mesh. The more rows and columns you choose, the finer the control you’ll have over the perspective.
  • Click “OK” to create the mesh.
  • Use the Direct Selection Tool (white arrow) to select and manipulate individual mesh points to achieve the desired perspective transformation.

To distort and skew an object in Illustrator:

  • Select the object you want to skew.
  • Go to “Object” > “Transform” > “Shear.”
  • In the Shear dialog box, you can enter the shear angle to determine the amount of skew. Positive values shear the object to the right, while negative values shear it to the left.
  • Preview the skew effect and make adjustments as needed.
  • Click “OK” to apply the skew transformation to your selected object.

To skew an object in Illustrator:

  • Select the object you want to skew.
  • Go to “Object” > “Transform” > “Shear.”
  • In the Shear dialog box, enter the shear angle to specify the amount of skew. Positive values skew the object to the right, while negative values skew it to the left.
  • You can also choose to shear it horizontally or vertically, depending on your requirements.
  • Preview the skew effect and fine-tune the angle if necessary.
  • Click “OK” to apply the skew transformation to your selected object.

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