: How can I resize this object without distorting it in Illustrator? How can I resize such items without changing the curvature at edges? You know, I don't want the half-circles at the extremes

@Pierce403

Hit Ctrl K New window open check scale stroke and effects, now you can scale without effecting the shape properties

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@Reiling762

Select object.

Go to menu/object/shape

Select 'expand shape'

Object will scale with corners as simple paths.

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@Shelley591

The is the simplest algorithm to do that in CC:


Select object you want to scale
Double click on Scale Tool (S)
Check "Scale rectangle corners" in options bar


Now you are able to scale corner radius proportianally

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@Tiffany317

I don't know which version of Illustrator you're using, and I also don't recall which version of Illustrator this first arrived in (CS3, maybe?), but the exact answer to your question is: turn on 9-slice scaling for your object.

The instructions for turning this on in CS5 are here in the Illustrator help, but maybe it will help to explain what the heck 9-slice scaling is and why somebody invented it in the first place.

"Why" is easy: it was to solve the exact problem you are running into, where the designer needs to scale an object without affecting the corner radius. 9-Slice Scaling divides the object into three, horizontally and vertically, then protects he four corners while allowing the center and edges to scale up and down. I can't improve on the Fireworks help page that shows all this very clearly.

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@Si6392903

Holding Shift while resizing will constrain proportions and keep the ends as semicircles. If your resized shape is too wide, use Direct Select (A) to select anchors on one side and then move them to where they need to be.

If you need the edges aligned with other objects, the easiest way is to duplicate your resized object and combine the 2 shapes using overlapping areas.

Step 1: The Initial Resize (to get the correct height without distorting your ends)



Step 2 (Option A): Adjust Width Using Direct Selection (move some anchors)



Step 2 (Option B): Adjust Width Using Compount Shapes (good for aligning with other objects)

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@LarsenBagley460

Hold down the shift key while dragging a corner handle.

Or, the more accurate and flexible method is directly selecting all the vector point anchors for one side (2 corners) and dragging that over, then selecting the other half to drag another side in another direction to achieve the desired dimensions.

diagram to show how to resize by directly selecting anchor points

You can only do that with the "Direct Selection Tool" which is the second, white, "pointer" button in the Illustrator tools palette. It selects points of a shape instead of the whole shape.

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@Voss6371140

How did you create this shape?

If you started drawing it as a rectangle, then Effects->Convert to Shape->Rounded Rectangle and defined a corner radius value there, then it shouldn't change the curvature as you resize the rectangle later.

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