Aligning Objects in Illustrator

1. Open a document with multiple shapes to be aligned

2. Open the Align window by going to Window > Align or using the shortcut icons on the top bar of Illustrator

3. The Align tool aligns objects in relation to each other, while the Distribute tool aligns objects in relation to the canvas

4. To align two objects vertically (one on top of the other) select both and click the "Horizontal Align Center" button

5. The "Horizontal Align Left" and "Horizontal Align Right" buttons do the same thing, but align the objects to the left-most or right-most object, not a middle point

6. To align objects horizontally (in a straight line), select all of them and click the "Vertical Align Center" button

7. The "Vertical Align Top" and "Vertical Align Bottom" buttons do the same thing, but align the objects to the top-most or bottom-most object, not a middle point

8. To distribute a straight line of objects to have equal spacing between them, select them all and click the "Horizontal Distribute Center" button

9. The "Vertical Distribute Center" button does the same thing, except for a vertical line of objects

10. To align an object's center with another object's center (for example, a flower center with its petals), select both objects, then click on the bottom object again. Then, click the "Horizontal Align Center" and "Vertical Align Center" buttons. The top object will move on top of the bottom object, perfectly aligned to the center.