Selection Tool

There are two selection options in Vectornator available: The first one selects the shape as a whole. The second option allows you to select individual points (Nodes) of your shape.

How to Select Elements

The Selection Tool is your go-to tool in Vectornator. It allows you to select objects but also enables you to rotate, duplicate, and perform additional transformations with the selected object.

1 – The Selection Tool allows you to select the shape itself.

2 – The Direct Selection or Node Tool allows you to select individual points (Nodes) of your shape.

How to Activate the Selection Tool

The Selection Tool (1) is the first tool at the top of the Vectornator Toolbar. Click on the Tool icon to activate it. Once the Selection Tool is activated, you can click on any object on the canvas to select it. As soon as the object is selected, it will be contained within a bounding box.

The controls of the bounding box will enable you to move, rotate or scale the object.

How to Multi Select Objects

You can select a group of objects by clicking outside of the shapes and dragging a box around them or you can use the Multi Select Mode. To enter the Multi Select Mode, hold ~key~ ⇧ ~key~ or ~key~ ⌘ ~key~ key while selecting the objects.

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How to Select Nested Elements

You can select nested elements by activating the Click-Through Mode ~ic-click-through~~ic-click-through~. When you have many nested groups, it can be difficult to select a single element of a group. The Click-Through Mode circumvents the layer hierarchy while selecting an element.

Once activated, this button allows you to select directly what you see or tap onto, any parent element of your selected object will be bypassed. The Click-Through Mode ~ic-click-through~~ic-click-through~ comes in handy while working with masks.

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How to Duplicate Shapes

You can duplicate objects in Vectornator by copy-pasting them (~key~ ⌘C + ⌘V ~key~), or you can use the Duplicate Mode. To enter the Duplicate Mode, hold ~key~ ⌥ ~key~ while dragging your selected object.

After having duplicated a shape or group, you can press ~key~ ⌘D ~key~ to create another duplicate, that has the identical offset value as your first duplicate.

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You can also combine those modes to speed up your workflow and create Rotational or Scalable Copies.

In a Rotational Copy, you copy the shape while simultaneously rotating it. To activate it, simply click on the Rotate Mode button while holding the ~key~ ⌥ ~key~ key simultaneously.

In a Scalable Copy, you copy the shape while simultaneously scaling it. To activate it, simply click on the Scale Mode button while holding the ~key~ ⌥ ~key~ key simultaneously.

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How to Nudge Elements on the Canvas

In this section, we’ll focus on the last device Vectornator is available on - your iPhone. Vectornator functions similarly, but here’s how you can make the best of our app using a smaller screen.

To move objects in Vectornator Mac after selecting them, hold ~key~⇧~key~ and then use the arrows ←⇅→. This combination will allow you to nudge an object in any direction by 1 px.