How to Make a Trapezoid in Illustrator

In the following tutorial, you will learn how to make a trapezoid in Illustrator.

First, you will learn how to draw a trapezoid, and then how to make a trapezoid using effects. Finally, you will learn how to make a trapezoid in Illustrator with the Shape Builder Tool.

Once you've learned how to make a trapezoid in Adobe Illustrator, you can head over to Envato Elements, where you can get unlimited downloads of stock videos, music, graphics, photos, fonts, and much more.

What You'll Learn in This Illustrator Tutorial

How to make a trapezoid in Illustrator using tools
How to make a trapezoid in Illustrator using effects
How to make a trapezoid in Illustrator with the Shape Builder Tool

1. How Do You Draw a Trapezoid?

So how do you draw a trapezoid in Illustrator? Well, you could do it point by point using the Pen Tool (P), but in the next examples I'll show you some other techniques that might save you some time.

2. How to Make a Trapezoid Using Tools

Step 1

Start by creating a rectangle using the Rectangle Tool (M). Focus on the top side of this shape and pick the Direct Selection Tool (A). Select each anchor point one by one and drag them closer to each other.

Step 2

If you're looking to create an isosceles trapezoid, using the previous technique might be a bit tricky. You can try this second method instead.

Start again with a rectangle and use the Direct Selection Tool (A) to select the top anchor points. Switch to the Scale Tool (S) and just click and drag to simultaneously move your selected points closer to each other.

3. How to Make a Trapezoid in Illustrator With the Shape Builder Tool

To create a trapezoid using the Shape Builder Tool, you will need a triangle and a rectangle. Check out this tutorial if you're wondering how you can create a triangle in Illustrator: How to Make a Triangle in Illustrator. Place the rectangle on top of your triangle roughly as shown below.

Select both shapes and pick the Shape Builder Tool (Shift-M). Hold down the Alt key and just click and drag across your rectangle to remove it along with the top of the triangle.

4. How to Make a Trapezoid in Illustrator Using Effects

Step 1

You can also use effects to create a trapezoid in Illustrator. Create a rectangle, select it, and go to Effect > Warp > Arc. Check the Horizontal box, set the Bend to 0%, keep the Horizontal Distortion set to 0%, and increase the Vertical Distortion to about 30%.

Click OK to apply the effect, and keep in mind that you can always go to the Appearance panel (Window > Appearance) to open this Warp effect and adjust the settings as you wish.

Step 2

Although you might not often choose this method, it's worth mentioning that you can also use the Free Distort effect to create a trapezoid in Illustrator.

Create a rectangle and select it, and then go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Free Distort. Drag the top points closer to each other and then click OK.

Congratulations! You're Done!

Now that you know how to make a trapezoid in Adobe Illustrator, feel free to use 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.

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