Script for Adobe Illustrator

✦ Available exclusively on Patreon for Pro supporters.

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Description

Smart Artboard Aligner is an Adobe Illustrator script that provides powerful tools for aligning and distributing objects to artboards. Whether you need to center objects on their parent artboards, distribute items across empty artboards, or resize objects to fit artboard dimensions, this script streamlines your workflow with an intuitive interface.

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Features

• Multiple alignment modes for different workflow scenarios
• 9-point reference system for precise positioning (corners, edges, and center)
• Flexible resizing options (keep original size, fit proportionally, or stretch to fit)
• Geometric or visible bounds alignment
• Individual or group alignment for multi-object handling
• Interactive artboard selection with preview capability
• Progress tracking for batch operations

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Installation

1. Download the Smart Artboard Aligner.jsx script file.

2. Place the script in your Adobe Illustrator Scripts folder:

⮑ Mac: /Applications/Adobe Illustrator <Version>/Presets/<Language>/Scripts

⮑ Windows: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator <Version>\Presets\<Language>\Scripts

3. Restart Adobe Illustrator if it's already running.

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Using the Script

1. Open your Illustrator document with artboards and objects
2. Access the script via File > Scripts > Smart Artboard Aligner
3. The dialog window will appear with all available options

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➊ Choose Your Alignment Mode

The script offers six different alignment modes in the "What to Align" panel:

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🅰 Align all objects to their parent artboards

• What it does: Processes every artboard in the document and aligns all objects on each artboard to that artboard
• When to use: Batch-centering or aligning all content across multiple artboards
• Selection required: No

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🅱 Align all objects to selected artboards

• What it does: Only processes artboards you select from the list, aligning all objects on those artboards
• When to use: When you want to align content on specific artboards only
• Selection required: No (but you must select artboards from the list)
• How to select artboards: Click artboards in the list (Ctrl/Cmd+click for multiple)

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🅲 Align selected objects to their parent artboards

• What it does: Only aligns objects you've selected, placing each on its parent artboard
• When to use: Fine-tuning specific objects without affecting others
• Selection required: Yes

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🅳 Align selection to active artboard

• What it does: Moves all selected objects to the currently active artboard
• When to use: Consolidating objects from different artboards onto one artboard
• Selection required: Yes

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🅴 Distribute selection to empty artboards

• What it does: Places each selected object on a separate empty artboard
• When to use: Creating individual artboards for each object (e.g., exporting icons)
• Selection required: Yes
• Note: Number of selected objects cannot exceed number of empty artboards

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🅵 Distribute selection to selected artboards

• What it does: Places selected objects one-by-one onto artboards you choose from the list
• When to use: Precise control over which object goes to which artboard
• Selection required: Yes (both objects and artboards from the list)
• Note: Number of selected objects cannot exceed number of selected artboards

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➋ Select Artboards (if applicable)

For modes 🅱 and 🅵, you'll need to select artboards from the "Select Artboards" list:

• Single selection: Click an artboard
• Multiple selection: Ctrl/Cmd+click multiple artboards
• Preview artboard: Double-click any artboard in the list to zoom to it in your document
• The list shows artboard number and name in two columns

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➌ Choose Alignment Bounds

In the "Alignment Bounds" panel, select how objects should be measured:

• Geometric bounds (paths only): Uses only the object's path geometry, ignoring stroke width and effects
• Best for: Precise path alignment, technical drawings
• Visible bounds (stroke + effects): Includes stroke width, effects, and everything visible
• Best for: Visual alignment, what you see is what you get

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➍ Set Reference Point

In the "Ref. Point" panel, click one of the 9 positions to set where objects should align:

• Top-left (↖): Aligns to top-left corner of artboard
• Top (↑): Aligns to top-center of artboard
• Top-right (↗): Aligns to top-right corner of artboard
• Left (←): Aligns to middle-left of artboard
• Center (+): Aligns to center of artboard (default)
• Right (→): Aligns to middle-right of artboard
• Bottom-left (↙): Aligns to bottom-left corner of artboard
• Bottom (↓): Aligns to bottom-center of artboard
• Bottom-right (↘): Aligns to bottom-right corner of artboard

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➎ Choose Resize Mode

In the "Resize Mode" panel, select how objects should be sized:

• Keep original size: Objects maintain their current dimensions (default)
• Fit proportionally: Objects resize to fit the artboard while maintaining aspect ratio
• Stretch to fit: Objects stretch to exactly match artboard dimensions (may distort)

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➏ Set Multi-Object Handling

In the "Multi-Object Handling" panel, choose how multiple objects on the same artboard are processed:

• Treat as single group: All objects on an artboard are aligned together as one unit (default)
• The bounding box of all objects combined is used for alignment
• Align each object individually: Each object is aligned separately to the reference point
• Every object will align to the same position (may overlap)

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➐ Execute

Click OK to apply the alignment. A progress bar will show the operation status.

Other buttons:

• Cancel: Close the dialog without making changes
• ✚ (Fit All): Fit all artboards in the window for better overview

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General Tips

• Save your work first: Always save before running batch operations
• Test on a copy: Try the script on a duplicate document first to understand the results
• Use Undo: If results aren't what you expected, press Ctrl/Cmd+Z to undo
• Preview artboards: Double-click artboards in the list to zoom to them before processing

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Performance Tips

• Progress bar: For large operations, a progress window shows real-time status
• Guides are ignored: The script automatically ignores guide objects
• Text handling: Text frames are converted to outlines temporarily for accurate bounds calculation

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Practical Examples

Example 1: Center All Logos on Their Artboards

Scenario: You have 20 artboards, each with a logo that needs to be centered.

1. Run the script
2. Select: "Align all objects to their parent artboards"
3. Set reference point to: Center (+)
4. Choose: "Geometric bounds"
5. Keep: "Keep original size"
6. Select: "Treat as single group"
7. Click OK

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Example 2: Distribute Icons to Individual Artboards

Scenario: You have 15 icon objects selected and want each on its own empty artboard.

1. Select all 15 icons
2. Run the script
3. Select: "Distribute selection to empty artboards"
4. Set reference point to: Center (+)
5. Choose: "Visible bounds"
6. Select: +"Fit proportionally" (if you want icons to fill artboards)
7. Click OK

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Example 3: Align Specific Objects on Selected Artboards

Scenario: You want to align content only on artboards 3, 7, and 12.

1. Run the script
2. Select: "Align all objects to selected artboards"
3. In the artboard list, Ctrl/Cmd+click artboards 3, 7, and 12
4. Set your desired reference point
5. Choose bounds type and resize mode
6. Click OK

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Example 4: Create Uniform Product Shots

Scenario: You have product photos of different sizes that need to fit uniformly on artboards.

1. Select all product images
2. Run the script
3. Select: "Align selected objects to their parent artboards"
4. Set reference point to: Center (+)
5. Choose: "Visible bounds"
6. Select: +"Fit proportionally" (maintains aspect ratio)
7. Click OK

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☻ Conclusion

Smart Artboard Aligner streamlines your Adobe Illustrator workflow by automating complex alignment and distribution tasks that would otherwise require tedious manual positioning.

With its flexible modes, intuitive interface, and powerful batch processing capabilities, you can save hours on repetitive alignment work and focus on what matters most – your creative vision.

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