Help needed with the free transform tool - Widget is missing!

[Guest]

Hi Community, 

I am turning desparate warrior now.. I am trying to make a shadow using the free transform tool on a mac (CS6). I can see the tool in my toolbox but for somehow the widget does not pop up in which I can select that I want to move and transform the object of my desire differently. It seems to behave like the select tool... I have the object that I wanted to transform selected and then selected the transform tool but no widget pops up. How can I get back this widget (never was there)??

This is how it should look like:

This is how it looks with me (missing widget): 

Any ideas appreciated 🙂 

Thank you, 

Canel

[michelew83603738]

If the object is selected and you are clicking on the freeform tool and the widget isn't popping up - try double clicking on the tool. If that doesn't work, you might have to reset your preferences. (Or try restarting AI first if you have updated lately - maybe even restart your computer first).

[Guest]

Hi Michele, Thanks for your reply. I also tried doubleclick on the tool (and restarting AI) but nothing works. Also tried resetting my preferences but also that does not work :(. 

Do you have any other ideas that I could do (using CS6)? 

Thank you!

[Monika Gause]

It's not in your version.

The free transform tool has modifier keys that help you with perspective transform.

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/scaling-shearing-distorting-objects.html#distort_objects

[Guest]

Hi Monika, 

Thanks for your reply... So you mean it is not part of CS6? If so, what does the Free Transform Tool of CS6 do, because I really do not see the benefit of this tool without the modifier keys (widget)...? 

Do you know an alternative route to achieve the same effect? (Shadow)

Thanks again in advance for your help. 

[Monika Gause]

As I said: you can achieve the same things the widget does by using modifier keys. Please read the documentation I posted.