The Warp Tool distorts a selected object or objects according to the shape selected in the panel and the direction and distance that you drag. Dragging in the direction of the arrow shown on the cursor icon produces the selected shape. Shift-dragging maintains the object's symmetry. Alt-dragging rotates the angle of drag 90 degrees. This will be indicated by a rotation of the cursor's icon and its arrow.
The cursor's position in relation to the center of the object, and any angle at which the cursor is dragged, will affect the final shape. The Warp Tool will add points to the selected object's path as necessary to produce the final shape. When more than one object is selected on the Artboard, they will be warped as a single object, whether grouped or not.
Note: To use the Warp Tool with text, the type must first be converted to outlines.
Perspective
The Perspective option adds visual depth to the final warped object. The greater the angle of drag from the icon's cursor, the greater the perspective effect. Dragging at an angle near-perpendicular to the arrow on the cursor icon can shift the original object's position to produce perspective.Margin
The margin value, which can range from 0% to 4000%, restricts the warping effect at the outer edges of the selected object. With a lower value, the select object's path will be proportionally more distorted the farther it is from the center. In effect, higher values lessen the impact of the Warp Tool and reduce the number of anchor points added to the selected object(s) path(s).Trace
When checked, Trace allows the Warp Tool to duplicate the selected object(s). When unchecked, the Warp Tool will only warp the selected object(s). When Drag Along is selected, duplicate objects will be created at a specified distance, in the unit of measure specified in the Preferences, and spread uniformly along the Warp Tool's path. Uniform will space the specified number of duplicate objects evenly. Accelerate spaces the duplicate objects farther apart at the end of the drag, while Decelerate spaces them closer together at the end of the drag. The One Way option for Uniform, Accelerate, and Decelerate allows the Warp Tool to produce duplicate objects from the original object(s) to the point where the mouse button is released. When the Round Trip option is selected, another set of copies will extend from the point where the mouse button is released back to the original object(s). This, in effect, produces two sets of copies: one from the original to the farthest point, and another from the farthest point back to the original.Note: If the Trace option is selected, be careful when applying the Warp Tool multiple times. Remember that a second drag with the tool will create the specified number of copies for all objects selected. If, for example, Trace has been set to Uniform (Round Trip) and three steps have been specified, the first drag will result in seven objects (the original, plus three copies outward from the original and three copies back.) A second drag with the Warp Tool without deselecting would produce 49 total objects (seven times seven). If Trace is set to 24 and Uniform (One Way), the first drag results in 25 objects (the original and 24 copies); the second drag results in 625 objects (25 times 25). A third drag would produce a total of 15,625 objects. In addition to a very slow screen re-draw, that number of objects in a single document could produce output problems.
Tip: The Warp Tool's Trace option, which produces duplicates of the selected object(s), can be used in conjunction with Illustrator's transparency capability to produce motion blur effects.