Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator

Any images that aren’t originally created in Adobe Illustrator are considered embedded images (files). When you place a file in Illustrator, you’ll see it has two cross lines on the bounding box. If you see this box with a cross, you won’t be able to use the Eraser Tool.

People ask also, how do you activate the eraser in Illustrator?

Quick Answer, why is my eraser tool not working? The problems that may cause the eraser tool to not work in Photoshop are: Part of your image is selected. You have a duplicate image. You are working on a layer mask.

You asked, how do you reset the eraser tool in Illustrator? Then Control-Click (Windows users: Right-Click) on the Tool Preset button in the Tool Options bar. When you click on this button you will see a small menu appear and you can select Reset Tool to reset the current tool to its default setting or Reset All Tools to reset all the tools to its default setting.

Additionally, why is my eraser tool painting in Illustrator? This happens when the layer that you are attempting to apply the eraser is not converted to smart object. – Erase to your heart’s content.The Adobe Illustrator Eraser tool has no effect whatsoever on Illustrator’s Symbols. If you try to edit what looks like a regular Illustrator object but can’t use the Eraser tool to alter it, open the Symbols panel and make sure your object isn’t a Symbol.

How do you use the eraser tool in Illustrator 2021?

How do I fix my eraser?

Why did my eraser tool stop working in Photoshop?

You might also try resetting your brush and eraser tools before restoring all preferences. Right-click the Eraser tool in the options bar (not Tools panel) and Reset tool. Repeat for the Brush tool.

How do I reset my eraser tool?

Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator

The eraser and brush tool is not working properly. Try resetting each problem tool by right-clicking where indicated by the red arrow and picking “Reset Tool” (or “Reset All Tools” for every Photoshop tool).

How do you use the eraser tool in Illustrator IPAD?

Why is my eraser tool Black?

1 Correct answer. Photoshop is using your Background color, which is currently Black. Use the keyboard shortcut of “D” to reset to the default colors.

Why is my eraser blue?

The blue end is meant for erasing pencil marks on heavy grades of paper or dark marks. The soft end (pink/orange) is useful for light grades of paper which the hard gritted side would tear apart, and also for precision erasing, such as removing a light stray mark from among dark marks.

How do you use the fill tool in Illustrator?

  1. Click the “Selection Tool” or “Direct Selection Tool” icons, which are the black or white arrows in the Tools panel, and then click the object you want to fill.
  2. Click the “Fill” icon in the Tools panel or press “X” to activate the Fill tool.

See also  Frequent question: Where does an illustrator work ?

How do I use the path eraser tool?

How do you erase part of an object in Illustrator?

Click and hold the Knife tool in the Tools panel and select the Scissors tool. Click in two places on the inner circle as shown. Select the cut segment with the Selection tool and press Delete to remove it. Repeat this step to cut and delete a small segment from the outer circle.

Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator

In the following tutorial, you'll learn how to erase in Illustrator. You will get familiarized with everything you need to know about the Eraser Tool (B).

We'll use this illustration as you learn to erase in Adobe Illustrator. Make sure to check out Envato Elements, where you can find many illustrations like this one and a bunch of different design resources.

Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator
Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator
Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator

What You'll Learn in This Eraser Tool Illustrator Tutorial

  • How to use the Eraser Tool in Illustrator
  • How to change the eraser size in Illustrator
  • How to make the eraser smaller in Illustrator
  • How to erase in Adobe Illustrator

What Is the Eraser Tool?

Adobe Illustrator's Eraser Tool (Shift-E) is the main tool that can be used to erase vector shapes. To activate this tool, you can either select it from the toolbar or press the Shift-E keyboard shortcut.

Select the shape that you want to erase before you activate the Erase Tool (Shift-E), or hold down the Control key while the Eraser Tool (Shift-E) is active to select new shapes.

Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator
Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator
Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator

How to Make the Eraser Smaller in Illustrator

Simply press the left or right square bracket keys ([ or ]) to quickly change the eraser size in Illustrator.

Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator
Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator
Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator

Select the shape that you want to erase, make sure that the Eraser Tool (Shift-E) is active, and simply click and drag your mouse across the area that you wish to erase. Once you release the mouse button, that area will be erased.

Keep in mind that you can also erase several shapes at once. Just make sure that you have them all selected.

Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator
Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator
Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator

Eraser Tool Options

Double-click on the Eraser Tool (Shift-E) in the toolbar to bring up the Eraser Tool Options window. Below is a breakdown of the brush options in Illustrator.

Step 1

The Angle value determines the angle of the Eraser Tool in Illustrator.

Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator
Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator
Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator

Step 2

The Roundness value determines the shape of the Eraser Tool in Illustrator. Set it to 100% to get a perfectly round eraser. Entering a number lower than 100% will produce a flatter eraser.

Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator
Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator
Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator

Step 3

The Size value determines the size of the Eraser Tool in Illustrator. This is the second method that you can use to change the eraser size in Illustrator.

Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator
Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator
Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator

Step 4

Using the drop-down menus, you can choose from a variety of variables for Angle, Roundness, or Size. This feature can be particularly useful if you own a graphics tablet.

  • Fixed: Sets a fixed angle, roundness, or size.
  • Random: Sets a variable angle, roundness, or size. For example, when the Size value is 10 and the Variation value is 5, the diameter of your eraser will randomly range between 5 pt and 15 pt.
Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator
Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator
Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator
  • Pressure: Set a variable angle, roundness, or size based on the pressure of the drawing stylus. This feature is available only for graphics tablet users. For example, when the Size value is set to 10 pt and the Variation is set to 10 pt, the thickness of your eraser will range between 0 pt and 20 pt, depending on the pressure that you apply with the pen tablet.
Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator
Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator
Why wont the eraser tool work in illustrator
  • Stylus Wheel: Set a variable angle, roundness, or size based on manipulation of the stylus wheel. This feature is intended to be used with an airbrush pen that has a stylus wheel on its barrel and with a graphics tablet that can detect that pen.
  • Tilt: Set a variable angle, roundness, or size based on the tilt of a drawing stylus. This feature is available only if you have a graphics tablet that can detect how close to vertical the pen is.
  • Bearing: Set a variable angle, roundness, or size based on the bearing of the pen. This feature is available only if you have a graphics tablet that can detect the direction in which the pen is tilted.
  • Rotation: Set a variable angle, roundness, or size based on how the drawing stylus pen tip is rotated. This feature is available only if you have a graphics tablet that can detect this type of rotation.

Congratulations! You're Done!

Now that you know to erase in Illustrator I hope you can apply these techniques in your future projects.

You can find some great sources of inspiration at Envato Elements, with interesting solutions to improve your design portfolio.

Want to Learn More?

We have loads of tutorials on Envato Tuts+, from beginner to intermediate level. Take a look!