CSC/FAR 020, Computer Graphics, October 29, 2014

Dr. Dale E. Parsonhttp://faculty.kutztown.edu/parson

Outline for week 10Introduction to Illustrator

Illustrator – Vector Graphics

• Capabilities related to Paths in PhotoShop.• Tool works with vectors, not image pixels.• Tools Palette is similar to PhotoShop.• Click and hold to see sets of related tools.

• Arrow in lower right shows presence of tool groups.

• Slide into right margin to tear off a tool group.• Control panel is similar to PhotoShop Options

palette.

Other palettes and panels

• Layers are similar to PhotoShop.• Layering commands are in a pull-down menu

accessed from the Layers Panel.• Align Panel supports object alignment.• Appearance tweaks object/layer appearance.• File -> New supports various document types.

• Use RGB Color for now. CMYK is the alternative.

• Optional templates supply format and building blocks.

Color Settings

• In the Bridge, Edit -> Creative Suite Color Settings.• File -> Document Color Mode -> RGB (or CMYK).• Edit -> Color Settings (general defaults for now).• Edit -> Assign Profile sets color output device profile.

• sRBG for default.

• View -> Proof Setup simulates output device.• Uncheck View -> Proof Colors when not proofing.

• Customize uses specific color profiles.• Perceptual is based on human vision, Saturation is vivid but non-

continuous, Absolute stays with device gamut, Relative makes reasonable gamut / color compromises. Do not check “Preserve RGP/CMYK Numbers” for on-screen simulation.

Geometric Objects

• Create a new, blank 8.5 x 11 inch print doc.• Tear off Rectangle, etc. tool menu.• Add rectangles, squares (hold shift key while

sweeping), rounded rectangles, ellipses, circles (shift).

• Set stroke color and enable / disable fill color at bottom of Tools Palette.

Record a new “Cleanup” Action

• Windows -> Actions.• Place some shapes on the page.• Create New Action named Cleanup.• Record “Select All” then “Edit Cut”.• Stop the recording on the Actions panel.• Now you can replay “Cleanup” as you

experiment with geometric shape tools.

Polygons

• Point click without drawing to set number of sides and default radius.

• Sweep polygon out from center, rotate.• Vary the parameters in the Control Panel.• Stars are similar to polygons with two radii.• Selection Tool (arrow) supports selection and

basic geometric transforms.• Flare Tools has rings, rays, etc.

Line Segment and Related Tools

• Close Rectangle, etc., tear off Line Segment.• Control-click for Transform and other actions.• Single click for line dialog box.• Shift-draw to snap line to 45⁰ alignment.• ~-draw to fan out a series of line segments.• Shift-~-draw to keep them at 45⁰ alignment.• Alt-option draws out from original click.• Fill sets color for later use in closed figures.

Arcs

• Arcs have several keyboard shortcuts.• “C” toggles between closed and open arcs.• “F” flips an arc.• Up and Down arrows change curvature.• Alt-option draws out from original click.• Shift, ~ and Shift-~ draw are similar to line.• Single click to enter parameters.

Damage some Lines and Arcs

• Draw and select one line segment per effect.• Double-click any of these tools to set parameters.• Warp warps line and arc segments.• Twirl forms a spiral.• Pucker is an attractor for edges.• Bloat makes edges bloated.• Scallop scallops line / arc segments.• Crystallize stands line hairs on their ends.• Wrinkle generates random waves.

Spirals

• Single click to see parameters.• Many segments pack tightly.• High decay expands spiral (> 110% is too big).

• You may wind up hanging Illustrator with this one.• Control-click force quit AI in Mac Dock if you do.

• Sweep to scale, Cmd-sweep for tightness.• Up / down arrow to add / delete segments.• Rotate, shift for 45⁰, space bar to move.

Grids

• Rectangular grids have dividers, skew, number of dividers in Cartesian space.

• Rectangular grids have dividers, skew, number of dividers in Polar space.

• Options for fill.• Framing makes outer rectangle a path.• Compound ellipses treated as one object in

some contexts, e.g., Direct Select.

Selection

• Select Tool selects an entire path.• Direct Select is similar to Photoshop.• Shift-select adds or subtracts selections.• Select-menu or control-click selections.• Select all-on-layer on the right side of a layer.• Object -> Group creates a composite object,

Ungroup releases it.• Magic Wand selects on basis of color.

Miscellaneous Tools

• Object -> Transform has geometric transforms.• Object -> Arrange raises or lowers objects.• Rotate and Reflect Tools on Tools Panel.• Scale and Shear Tools on Tools Panel.• Reshape tool modifies predefined shapes, e.g.,

Reshape a spiral.• It is possible to Copy & Paste Paths between

PhotoShop and Illustrator.• We will examine file-based data exchange later.

Selection

• Download and unzip IllusEdit.zip.• Create a small set of shapes.• Selection Tool sweep, Object -> Group them.• Create a few more shapes.• Selection Tool sweep, Object -> Group these +

former group into a second-order Group.• Selection Tool selects the entire group.• Direct Select selects vertices / edges.• Group Select, multiple clicks selects group hierarchy.

More Selection

• Lasso Tools selects vertices and edges.• Magic Wand selects based on Fill color, Stroke

color, Stroke Weight. Double click the wand.• Selection Tool shift-click adds or subtracts.• Direct Select highlights a vertex beneath its

cursor.• Select -> Same based on properties.• Select all on a layer via the Layers Panel.

Isolate Selected Groups

• Select a group of objects.• Click Isolate Selected Group in Control Panel.• Group appears in Layers Panel.• Editing is limited to active group.• Clicking top gray bar ends isolation.• Object -> Ungroup removes levels of grouping.• Select -> Save Selection under a name.

Grids and Guides

• Check View -> Smart Guides to get coordinate and related information.

• View -> Grid shows a snap grid.• View -> Snap To Grid forces grid alignment.

• Test, then disable this.

• Illustrator -> Preferences -> Guides and Grid to set grid resolution.

• Illustrator -> Preferences -> Smart Guides.• Enable the top set of options.

Moving / Copying Objects

• Selection Tools moves whole objects / groups.• Apple-C / Apple-V for copy / paste.• Make and Select a Star• Object -> Path -> Offset Path with a .1 in

offset, try Miter, Round and Bevel.• Window -> Align or alignment icons on

Control Panel. • Align to Key Object uses reference object.

Automating a Composition

• Put a single simple object (e.g., star) on the page. Select it.

• Record the following actions:• Copy, paste (or Offset Path 0), align, scale, rotate

(and / or other transforms), align centers, group, end record.

• Click this action sequence repeatedly (slowly) to get spiraling-in shapes similar to the first assignment. You may run out of memory!

Transformations

• Window -> Transform and Align Panels.• Rulers help with number-based

transformations on complicated, many-sided geometric shapes.

• Object -> Transform has addition transforms.• Select -> right click also shows transform

menu.• If you run low on memory, Save, Quit, restart.

PhotoShop Paths to Illustrator Shapes

• DSC_0007.jpg into PhotoShop.• Non-contiguous magic wand, tolerance 100.• Create and name a new Path from selection.

• Use Path menu with 1 pixel tolerance.

• Rename testpath, Edit -> Copy the path.• Create a new Illustrator document.• Set fill to gradient.

• Edit gradient options later. Stroke to black. Paste the shape (compound path).