: How to hide pasteboard in Illustrator CS5? Is there a way to hide the pasteboard in Illustrator CS5 so I only see whats in the Artboard area?

@Carla748

You can get a very quick, non destructive view of just the artboard area using the Navigator:

Go to Window -> Navigator and turn it on.


It's not as handy as InDesign's Preview or Presentation modes, but is is pretty handy.



EDIT: In response to @Scott 's comment, here are sample screen shots of how my custom [F9] key shortcut looks in practice.

Before: Lots of stuff outside the artboard:



After: I press [F9] and artboard flotsam be gone!



Hacking the Navigator in this way is not perfect, but it does the trick and is virtually instant.

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@Turnbaugh909

No.

By default there is no way to hide anything outside the artboard.

However Carlos Canto has written a script and posted it int eh Adobe Forums.
Check this thread at Adobe

In case of link-rot here's Carlos' script:

#target Illustrator

// script.name = preview_CS4_CS5.V1.0.jsx;
// script.description = previews the active artboard;
// script.required = an open document;
// script.parent = carlos canto // 8/30/11;
// script.elegant = false;
// script.credits = inspired by one of Mark Larsen's scripts where he used a snap shot of a selected object in the ScriptUI.
// Script made possible by the use of Marc Autret's prototype function to resize an image to fit its container.

// notes: not the fastest script in town, it takes a couple of seconds to capture the screen. The bigger the artboard, the longer it takes.

// Mac users: ************************** Press Esc key to dismiss *************************************** , windows too in fact.

if (app.documents.length > 0)
{
// thanks to Marc for writing this amazing function prototype
Image.prototype.onDraw = function()
{ // written by Marc Autret
// "this" is the container; "this.image" is the graphic
if( !this.image ) return;
var WH = this.size,
wh = this.image.size,
k = Math.min(WH[0]/wh[0], WH[1]/wh[1]),
xy;
// Resize proportionally:
wh = [k*wh[0],k*wh[1]];
// Center:
xy = [ (WH[0]-wh[0])/2, (WH[1]-wh[1])/2 ];
this.graphics.drawImage(this.image,xy[0],xy[1],wh[0],wh[1]);
WH = wh = xy = null;
}

var idoc = app.activeDocument;
var img = File('~/Desktop/tempCapture.png'); // image place holder

var captureOpts = new ImageCaptureOptions; // declare capture options, needed to trun on anti-alias
captureOpts.matte = true; // to give transparent areas some color. default is white.
captureOpts.antiAliasing = true; // anti-alias the image
idoc.imageCapture (img, idoc.artboards[idoc.artboards.getActiveArtboardIndex()].artboardRect,captureOpts); // capture the active artboard

var w = new Window('dialog','Preview active Artboard - Press Esc key to close'); // create a dialog

var scr = $.screens[0]; // array of screens, my laptop = screen[0]
var width = scr.right-scr.left; // get max width
var height = scr.bottom - scr.top; // get max height

w.size = [width, height]; // size the window

//var img = File.openDialog ('select file'); // debug test different images
var imgFrame = w.add('image',undefined,img); // add image container
imgFrame.helpTip = 'Coded by CarlosCanto';
imgFrame.title = 'Press Esc key to close';
imgFrame.titleLayout = { alignment: ['center', 'center'] };

imgFrame.size = [width-100,height-80]; // size container, a tad smaller than the window

w.show();
}
else
{
alert ("there are no open documents to preview");
}

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