Adobe illustrator getting started

Explore the Illustrator Workspace

Artboard

Tools panel

Control panel

Workspace switcher

Panels dock

Essentials Workspace Menu bar

View and Modify Artboard Elements

• In Normal mode, objects are displayed with fills, strokes, and effects.

• In Outline mode, objects are displayed as hollow shapes, with no fills, strokes, or effects.

• Working in Outline mode can be helpful for careful selection.

View and Modify Artboard Elements

• You can work with multiple open documents. • You can set them as tabs in your workspace.

View and Modify Artboard Elements

• Shortcut keys allow quick access to commands essential for performing basic and complex operations.

• When available, shortcut keys are listed beside commands on the menu.

Work with Objects and Smart Guides

• Objects in Illustrator are any individual pieces of artwork you create, such as: – Shapes – Lines – Text

Work with Objects and Smart Guides

• You can use the bounding box of an object to resize it.

• Select the Show Bounding Box option on the View menu.

• Click and drag any of the eight handles that appear to change the object’s shape and size.

Work with Objects and Smart Guides

• Selected circle with the bounding box showing.

Work with Objects and Smart Guides

• When you select multiple objects, a single bounding box appears around all of them.

Work with Objects and Smart Guides

• The Paste in Front command pastes the copy directly in front of the original.

• The Paste in Back command pastes the copy directly behind the original.

• The Paste in Place command also pastes a copy directly in front of the original.

Work with Objects and Smart Guides

• Other useful Object menu commands include: • Hide • Lock • Group • Ungroup

Work with Objects and Smart Guides

• Smart guides give you visual information for positioning objects precisely in relation to the artboard or other objects.

• When activated, smart guides appear automatically when you move objects.

Work with Objects and Smart Guides

Smart guides aligning the top edges of two objects.

Create Basic Shapes

• Bitmap Images are created using a square or rectangle grid of colored squares called pixels.

• All digital images are composed of pixels.

Create Basic Shapes

• The number of pixels in a given inch is referred to as resolution.

• Bitmap images are resolution-dependent.

Create Basic Shapes

Bitmap image

Pixels

Enlarging bitmap images negatively impacts image quality.

Create Basic Shapes

• Graphics created in Illustrator are vector graphics.

• They are created with lines and curves. • They are defined by mathematical objects

called vectors.

Create Basic Shapes

• Vector graphics consist of anchor points and line segments, together referred to as paths.

• They can be scaled to any size. • They are resolution-independent.

Create Basic Shapes

Vector graphic

Select, Move, and Align Objects

• Grouping objects allows them to be selected with one click of Selection tool – To group:

• Select objects • Click Object on Application bar • Click Group

Select, Move, and Align Objects

• A marquee selection is a dotted rectangle created when you drag the Selection tool around an object or objects.

• Any object a marquee touches before the mouse button is released will be selected.

Select, Move, and Align Objects

Marquee selection around two objects

Transform Objects

• Fundamental transformation tools: – Scale tool: resize objects – Rotate tool: rotate objects – Reflect tool: flip objects over an imaginary axis

Transform Objects

• Transform an object using the desired tool or enter precise numbers in its dialog box.

Transform Objects

• You can repeat transformations using the Transform Again command found on the Object menu.

• Copying and repeating transformations allows you to create complex geometric shapes from basic objects.

Transform Objects

Reflected text examples

Make Direct Selections

• Use the Direct Selection tool to select individual anchor points or single paths of an object.

• Drag a marquee or press and hold [Shift] while using the Direct Selection tool to select multiple anchor points or multiple paths.

Make Direct Selections

• Clicking the center of an object with the Direct Selection tool selects the entire object.

• Click the edge to select the path only.

Make Direct Selections

• The Add Anchor Points command creates new anchor points without distorting the object.

• To add anchor points: – Click Object on the Application bar – Point to Path – Click Add Anchor Points

Make Direct Selections

Direct Selection tool selects single objects within groups

Direct Selection tool selects anchor points and paths

Make Direct Selections

• Any object you create can be turned into a guide. – Select object – Click View on the Application bar – Point to Guides – Click Make Guides

Make Direct Selections

• When an object becomes a guide, it loses its attributes, such as fill, stroke, and stroke weight.

• Illustrator remembers its original attributes. • To transform a guide back into an object, click View on

the Application bar, point to Guides, then click Release Guides.

Make Direct Selections

• The Draw Behind Drawing Mode and the Stacking Order refer to the order of how objects are arranged in front of and behind other objects on the artboard.

• This is not the same concept as layers in a document.

Make Direct Selections

• You can manipulate the stacking order of objects with the Arrange commands on the Object menu or these shortcut keys.

Work with Multiple Artboards

• The artboard is your workspace in an Illustrator document.

• Sometimes the size of it is important; sometimes it is not.

Work with Multiple Artboards

• You can set up multiple artboards of different sizes.

• You can choose the number of artboards in the New Document dialog box.

Set number of artboards

Work with Multiple Artboards

Multiple artboards in a document

Manage multiple artboards using the Artboards panel

Work with Multiple Artboards

Clicking the Artboard tool changes the screen to Edit Artboards mode

• Click the New Artboard button on the Control panel, then move cursor over other artboards.

• You will see a transparent board.

• Click to place it.

Work with Multiple Artboards

Select individual artboard to reposition or resize

Work with Multiple Artboards

Paste artwork in the same location on another artboard using the Paste in Place command on the Edit menu

Work with Multiple Artboards

Paste artwork in the same location on multiple artboards using the Paste on all Artboards command on the Edit menu.

Work with Multiple Artboards

Chapter 2

Creating Text and Gradients

• Create and format text • Flow text into an object • Position text on a path • Create colors and gradients • Apply colors and gradients to text • Adjust a gradient and create a drop shadow • Apply gradients to strokes

Objectives

• To create type: • Select the Type tool • Click the artboard and start typing or click and

drag the Type tool to create a text box.

Create and Format Text

• Use the Vertical Type tool to create vertical type.

• Type is positioned on a path called the baseline.

Create and Format Text

• The Character and Paragraph panels contain all classic commands for formatting.

• The Character panel modifies text attributes such as font and type size, tracking, and kerning.

Create and Format Text

Font family

Character Rotation

Tracking

Vertical Scale

Baseline shift

Leading Font style

Font size

Kerning

Horizontal Scale

Underline Strikethrough

Create and Format Text

• Tracking inserts uniform spaces between characters.

• Kerning affects the spaces between any two characters.

Create and Format Text

Examples of kerning and tracking

Create and Format Text

• Leading inserts vertical space between baselines.

• • Applying a horizontal or vertical scale

compresses or expands selected type.

Create and Format Text

© 2011 Delmar Cengage Learning

Leading

Baseline

50% horizontal scale

50 % vertical scale

Examples of text formatting

Create and Format Text

Align buttons

Left indent text box

First-line left indent text box

Right indent text box

Space before paragraph

Space after paragraph

Paragraph panel modifies text alignment, paragraph indents, and vertical spaces

Create and Format Text

• Hide objects while working with text to avoid accidental deletions and modifications.

• The Hide/Show All Selection commands are on the Object menu.

Create and Format Text

• Fill an object with text: • Use the Area Type tool and Vertical Area Type

tool to flow text into any shape you create. • Format text in object as usual. • Manipulate object just like any other.

Create and Format Text

© 2011 Delmar Cengage Learning

Flow Text into an Object

• Using the Path Type Tools: • Type along a straight or curved path using the

Type on a Path tool or Vertical Type on a Path tool.

• Move text along path.

Flow Text into an Object

• ‘Flip’ text to make it run in the opposite direction – on opposite side of path.

• Change the baseline shift to modify distance the text’s baseline is above or below path.

Flow Text into an Object

Text on a path Text flipped across a path

Position Text on a Path

• A gradient is a graduated blend between colors.

• Create and adjust gradients in the Gradient panel.

Create Colors and Gradients

Type list arrow

Location text box

Gradient slider

Opacity text box Stops

Two color gradient

Rotation text box

Create Colors and Gradients

• The Gradient panel • Gradient slider represents the gradient being

created. • Gradients contain at least two colors.

– Leftmost color is the starting color. – Rightmost color is the ending color.

Create Colors and Gradients

• House-shaped icons called stops represent the colors in the gradient.

• The point at which two colors meet in equal measure is called the midpoint.

• The midpoint is represented by the diamond above the slider, which is called the Gradient Slider.

Create Colors and Gradients

• The midpoint need not be positioned evenly between start and end.

• Change the look of the gradient by moving Gradient Slider.

• Swatches panel contains standard gradients that come with Illustrator.

Create Colors and Gradients

You can create and apply linear or radial gradients

Radial gradient Linear gradient

Create Colors and Gradients

• Linear gradients can be positioned: • Left to right and up or down • On any angle – change angle in Angle text box

on Gradient panel • Radial gradient start at center of gradient and

blend out to ending color.

Create Colors and Gradients

• The Color panel is where you move sliders to mix new colors for fills, strokes, and gradients.

Current fill and stroke colors

CMYK Spectrum

Slider

CMYK values

Create Colors and Gradients

• Color panel has five color modes: – CMYK – RGB – Grayscale – HSB (hue, saturation, brightness) – Web Safe RGB

• The default is CMYK or RGB (depending on the mode selected).

Create Colors and Gradients

• Add colors and gradients to the Swatches panel that you define by dragging them into the Swatches panel.

• To name a swatch, double-click it, then type a name in Swatch Options dialog box.

Create Colors and Gradients

Create Colors and Gradients

• By default text is generated with a black fill and no stroke.

• Use the Type tool to change the fill or stroke of individual characters in a text object.

• Use the Selection tool to select text as a single object and to change text globally.

Apply Colors and Gradients to Text

• To fill text with a gradient you must convert the text to outlines.

• Select text, then click the Create Outlines command on Type menu.

• Letterforms become standard Illustrator objects with anchor points and paths.

Apply Colors and Gradients to Text

Each outline is filled with the gradient

Adjust a Gradient and Create a Drop Shadow

• Creating outlines makes it possible to create documents with text without fonts.

• Once text is converted to outlines, you can no longer change the typeface.

Adjust a Gradient and Create a Drop Shadow

• Use the Gradient tool to manipulate gradient fills. – Select an object with a gradient fill. – Drag the Gradient tool over the object. – Where you begin dragging and where you end

determines length of blend from starting to ending color.

Adjust a Gradient and Create a Drop Shadow

Gradient control bar

• The gradient control bar appears in the object itself.

• You can change the direction, length, and angle of the gradient control bar by dragging it.

Adjust a Gradient and Create a Drop Shadow

• For linear gradients, the angle you drag determines the angle that the blend fills the object.

Adjust a Gradient and Create a Drop Shadow

• If you select multiple objects, each object is filled with entire length of the gradient from beginning color to end color.

• When you convert text to outlines and apply a fill, the gradient automatically fills each letter independently.

Adjust a Gradient and Create a Drop Shadow

Examples of different angles and lengths of a gradient fill created with the Gradient tool.

Adjust a Gradient and Create a Drop Shadow

• To apply a drop shadow to text: • Copy text. • Paste copy behind it. • Fill copy with darker color. • Use keyboard arrows to move it so it is offset

from original.

Adjust a Gradient and Create a Drop Shadow

Drop shadow created using the Paste in Back command

Adjust a Gradient and Create a Drop Shadow

• Use the Gradient panel to apply a gradient to the stroke of an object

• Three options: – Within – Along – Across

Apply Gradients to Strokes

• Within Stroke Option Applied

Adjust a Gradient and Create a Drop Shadow

• Along Stroke Option Applied

Adjust a Gradient and Create a Drop Shadow

• Across Stroke Option Applied

Adjust a Gradient and Create a Drop Shadow