Using Adobe Illustrator, there are several methods to scale your digital artwork, but the stroke width doesn’t always adjust with the rest of the object. Even when holding down Shift for proportional constraints, you must enable a specific setting to scale the stroke widths along with your illustration.
If you’ve ever been frustrated by lines appearing too wide when scaling down or too narrow when scaling up in Illustrator, here’s how to fix it.
How to Proportionally Scale Objects in Illustrator
There are various ways to scale objects in Illustrator, such as using anchor points or the Scale tool. Both techniques have distinct benefits and outcomes, yet both can proportionally scale objects.
Scale From the Bounding Box
If you create something in Adobe Illustrator, you can easily resize your object. By selecting your object (V) and then dragging any anchor point, you can adjust the size of your object. However, this alone doesn’t ensure proportional scaling and might lead to unattractive distortion.
To scale an object proportionally, hold down Shift while dragging an anchor point. The selected object will maintain its proportions as you resize it. This technique applies to any item you create in Illustrator, including paths, words, shapes, and complete illustrations.
To scale an object from its center, hold down Alt as well as Shift, then click and drag an anchor point. This way, your design alignment remains consistent, especially if you’ve already centered your object.
Scale With the Scale Tool
The Scale tool (S) is among the many helpful hidden tools in Illustrator. It allows you to scale any object in different ways. You can determine a reference point by clicking anywhere on the object while the Scale tool is active, or you can scale from the object’s center point by not setting a reference point first.
First, select your object, then, with the Scale tool chosen, drag your cursor anywhere on the screen—it doesn’t have to be on the object—to scale in several directions. Dragging at a 45-degree angle will scale it proportionally; otherwise, the object will stretch in the direction you drag.
Using Shift or the Scale tool only scales the object proportionally as a whole, not the stroke paths. To keep stroke paths in proportion to the rest of the object, you need to adjust some additional settings.
How to Scale Stroke Paths Proportionally
When you scale objects in Illustrator, the entire object resizes, but the width of the stroke path does not. This leads to paths appearing too thick when scaled down and too thin when scaled up. A 2px path remains 2px regardless of object size. While this might suit some designs, often you’ll want everything to scale.
Scaling strokes proportionally ensures the stroke width aligns with the rest of the object, looking balanced. Adjusting settings to achieve this is straightforward in Illustrator.
Use the Transform Panel
You can globally apply scaled transforming with the Transform panel. Navigate to Window > Transform to open the Transform panel. You can use the Transform icon to toggle the panel.
Select the object(s) you intend to scale. The effect applies to any objects scaled after changing the setting and does not affect previously scaled objects.
Open the Transform panel and check the Scale Strokes & Effects box at the bottom. This ensures that scaling any object up or down will proportionally adjust the stroke width, keeping paths from appearing too bold or delicate.
To disable this setting, simply uncheck the box. Until then, all current and future scalings will proportionally adjust stroke paths. Disabling it afterward does not alter previously scaled objects.
Change Illustrator’s Preferences
This setting globally affects all scaling until deactivated again.
On a Mac, go to Illustrator > Preferences > General and check the Scale Strokes & Effects box. Here, you can also adjust other settings, like rotating the artboard or double-clicking to isolate an object. Click OK to confirm.
On Windows, go to Edit > Preferences > General to find the Scale Strokes & Effects checkbox. You can reverse your preference at any time without impacting older projects.
Once preferences are set or the Transform panel box is checked, you needn’t do anything else to scale strokes proportionally. Your strokes will shrink or grow in line with your object, using either the bounding box or the Scale tool.
How to Change the Stroke Width
Besides scaling, you can alter stroke width using the Width tool. This tool allows you to modify stroke width, which will then scale proportionately with the rest of the object.
Illustrator provides various styles and sizes for strokes, including variable widths and tapered ends. The Width tool lets you add or reduce thickness at any path point, offering full creative control.
Select the Width tool (Shift + W) from the vertical toolbar and hover over a path to customize it. Click and drag the cursor left or right to change the width without needing to pre-select the path.
You can adjust width at any path segment. However, changes only apply to areas between anchor points, so remove any extra anchor points from your drawing.
After modifying the path width, stroke paths will stay proportional during scaling if Scale Strokes & Effects is enabled.
Adjusting stroke width adds personal style to illustrations. You can also use Illustrator’s Generative Recolor tool for unique color schemes.
Scale Your Illustrator Artwork With Proportional Strokes
Without proportional stroke widths, illustrations may look messy when scaled down or too delicate when enlarged. Checking the Scale Strokes & Effects box keeps paths consistent and well-proportioned.
Paths will no longer seem misplaced, and you can resize artwork effortlessly without additional adjustments.