How to edit vectors and resources downloaded from Freepik and Flaticon?

As you know, you can use the free vectors that you download from Freepik and Flaticon in your graphic design projects. Not only that, but they are fully customizable to suit your color palette or a desired printing size.

But how do you actually edit and modify the vectors that you download from the site? It is easier than what you think, and that is because the files you download from Freepik and Flaticon are tidy and ready for you to work with!

Firstly, you will need a vector graphics editor software, such as Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape. When you open the files with these programs, in any Freepik or Flaticon resource generally you will find two layers: a background layer and an objects layer.

The background layer comes locked by default, but you can unlock it by clicking on the lock symbol and edit the colors as you need.

In the main layer, which is the objects layer, you can find the main elements of the illustration all grouped together; but you can edit single parts by ungrouping the elements (by using Object > Degroup or using the Direct Selection tool). In order to change shapes or edit elements, you need to select its anchor points with the Direct Selection tool and then apply the changes as you need: you can rotate, move, scale or even distort the objects as you please. To see these steps in action, you might want to take a look at the following video!

There’s a last thing that you need to know about the fonts used in these vectors and resources: if you don’t have a particular font in your computer’s font library, it will not show up when you open the graphics editor. In that case, you have to download it by following the instructions found in the .txt document that comes with your .zip download package.

 Use these tips to make the most out of the free vectors that you can find on Freepik and Flaticon! And of course enjoy them 🙂