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Overview: Getting to Know the Work Area Illustrator CS3Design and Print Module 1 of 17

Lesson overview:This module covers basic elements of the Illus-trator work area. Learn how to open and close plaettes, choose tools, and learn the funtions of each tool. Learn how to reset your work-space and how to customize the work area.

Interface Overview

Control Palette

Toolbox Palettes

Document WindowStatus Bar

Menu Bar

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Overview: Getting to Know the Work Area Illustrator CS3Design and Print Module 1 of 17

The Selection tool lets you select entire objects.

The Direct Selection tool lets you select points on a path or contents within a frame.

Selection

Toolbar: Tool Groupings and Flyout

A. Selection ToolsB. Drawing ToolsC. Type Tools

D. Painting ToolsE. Reshaping ToolsF. Symbol Tools

G. Graph ToolsH. Slicing amd Cut ToolsI. Moving and Zoom Tools

The Group Selection tool selects objects and groups within groups.

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Overview: Getting to Know the Work Area Illustrator CS3Design and Print Module 1 of 17

The Pen tool lets you draw straight and curved paths.

Add Anchor Point tool lets you add anchor points to a path.

The Delete Anchor Point tool lets you remove an-chor points from a path.

Drawing Tools

The Convert Direction Point tool lets you con-vert corner points and smooth points.

The Line tool lets you draw a line segment.

The Arc tool draws indi-vidual concave or convex curve segments.

The Magic Wand tool se-lects objects with similar attributes.

The Lasso tool selects points or path segments within objects.

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Overview: Getting to Know the Work Area Illustrator CS3Design and Print Module 1 of 17

The Rectangle tool lets you create a square or rectangle.

The Ellipse tool lets you create a circle or oval.

The Polygon tool lets you create multi-sided shape.

The Rounded Rectangle tool draws squares and rectangles with rounded corners.

The Star tool draws stars.

The Flare tool creates lens-fl are or solar-fl are effects.

The Spiral tool draws clockwise and counter-clockwise spirals.

The Rectangular Grid tool draws rectangular grids.

The Polar Grid draws circular chart grids.

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Overview: Getting to Know the Work Area Illustrator CS3Design and Print Module 1 of 17

Type Tools

The Type tool lets you create text frames and select text.

The Pencil tool tool lets you draw a freeform path.

The Type on a Path tool lets you create and edit type on paths.

The Smooth tool lets you remove excess angles from a path.

The Erase tool lets you deleted points on a path.

The Area Type tool changes closed paths to type containers and lets you enter and edit type within them.

The Vertical Area Type tool changes closed paths to vertical type containers and lets you enter and edit type within them.

The Vertical Path Type tool changes paths to vertical type paths and lets you enter and edit type on them.

The Vertical Type tool creates vertical type containers and lets you enter and edit type within them.

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Overview: Getting to Know the Work Area Illustrator CS3Design and Print Module 1 of 17

Painting Tools

The Eyedropper tool lets you sample color or type attributes from objects and apply them to other objects.

The Gradient tool lets you adjust the beginning and ending points and angle of gradients within objects.

The Measure tool measures the distance between two points.

The Paintbrush tool draws freehand and cal-ligraphic lines, as well as art and patterns on paths.

The Mesh tool creates and edits meshes and mesh envelopes.

The Live Paint Bucket tool paints faces and edges of Live Paint groups with the current paint attributes.

The Live Paint Selection tool selects faces and edges within Live Paint groups.

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Overview: Getting to Know the Work Area Illustrator CS3Design and Print Module 1 of 17

Reshaping Tools

The Free Transform tool lets you rotate, scale, or shear an object.

The Shear tool lets you skew objects around a fi xed point.

The Rotate tool lets you rotate objects around a fi xed point.

The Scale tool lets you resize objects around a fi xed point.

The Refl ect tool fl ips ob-jects over a fi xed axis.

The Reshape tool adjusts selected anchor points while keeping of the overall detail of the path intact.

The Blend tool creates a series of objects blended between the color and shape of multiple ob-jects.

The Warp tool molds ob-jects with the movement of the cursor like molding clay.

The Twirl tool creates swirling distortions within an object.

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Overview: Getting to Know the Work Area Illustrator CS3Design and Print Module 1 of 17

Symbol Tools

The Pucker tool defl ates an object by moving control points towards the cursor.

The Bloat tool infl ates an object by moving control points away from the cursor.

The Scallop tool adds random curved details to the outline of an object.

The Crystallize tool adds random spiked details to the outline of an object.

The Wrinkle tool adds wrinkle-like details to the outline of an object.

The Symbol Sprayer tool places multiple symbol instances as a set on the artboard.

The Symbol Shifter tool moves symbol instances.

The Symbol Scruncher tool moves symbol in-stances closer together.

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Overview: Getting to Know the Work Area Illustrator CS3Design and Print Module 1 of 17

Graph Tools

The Column Graph tool creates graphs that com-pare values using vertical columns.

The Staked Column graph tool creates graphs that are similar to col-umn graphs, but stacks the columns on top of one another, instead of side by side. This graph type is useful for showing the relationship of parts to the total.

The Bar Graph tool cre-ates graphs that are similar to column graphs but positions the bars horizontally instead of vertically.

Symbol Spinner rotates symbols.

The Symbol Styler tool applies the selected style to symbol instances.

The Symbol Stainer tool colorizes symbol in-stances.

The Symbol Screener tool applies opacity to symbol instances.

The Symbol Sizer allows you to resize symbols randomly.

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Overview: Getting to Know the Work Area Illustrator CS3Design and Print Module 1 of 17

The Stacked Bar Graph tool creates graphs that are similar to stacked column graphs, but stacks the bars horizontally instead of vertically.

The Area Graph tool creates graphs that are similar to line graphs, but emphasizes totals as well as changes in values.

Slicing and CuttingTools

The Scatter Graph tool creates graphs that plot data points as paired sets of coordinates along the x and y axis. Scatter graphs are useful for identifying patterns or trends in data. They also can indicate whether variables affect one another.

The Pie Graph tool cre-ates circular graphs whose wedges represent the relative percentages of the values compared.

The Radar Graph tool creates graphs that compare sets of values at given points in time or in particular categories, and is displayed in a circular format. This type of graph is also called a web graph.

The Slice Selection tool selects web slices.

The Scissors tool cuts paths at specifi ed points.

The Slice Tool slices images into web tables and table cells.

The line graph tool creates graphs that use points to repre-sent one or more sets of values, with a different line joining the points in each set. This type of graph is often used to show the trend of one or more subjects over a period of time.

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Overview: Getting to Know the Work Area Illustrator CS3Design and Print Module 1 of 17

The Knife tool cuts ob-jects and paths.

The Hand tool moves the page view within the document window.

Navigation tools

The Page tool adjusts the page grid to control where artwork appears on the printed page.

The Zoom tool increases and decreases the view magnifi cation in the document window.

Moving and Zooming Tools

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Overview: Getting to Know the Work Area Illustrator CS3Design and Print Module 1 of 17

Icon Tool Hot Key

Selection V

Direct Selection A

Magic Wand Y

Lasso Q

Pen P

Line Segment \

Pencil N

Type T

Type On a Path Shift+T

Rectangle M

Paintbrush B

Mesh U

Grandient G

Icon Tool Hot Key

Eyedropper I

Live Paint Bucket K

Rotate R

Refl ect O

Scale S

Warp Shift+R

Free Transform E

Blend W

Symbol Sprayer Shift+S

Slice Shift+k

Scissors C

Hand H

Zoom Z

Tools Keyboard Shortcuts

Illustrator comes with preset shortcuts, but it is possible to set your own to be compatible with shortcuts you already know. This is how it is done.

Edit>Keyboard ShortcutsEdit>Keyboard Shortcuts• •

In the Set drop down menu choose the Default set.•

In the Tools drop down menu choose • Tools or Menu Commands.

SelectSelect• • the Command.

HighlightHighlight• • the Current Shortcut and Remove.

EnterEnter• • New Shortcut.

ClickClick• • Save.

When you are done, • Click OK.

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Overview: Getting to Know the Work Area Illustrator CS3Design and Print Module 1 of 17

Palettes

Control palettes are placed at the top of your screen when you click on a tool from the Toolbox.

Drawing & Orientation Control Palette

Text Control Palette

Docking Control Palettes

On the upper right corner of the control palette is a small arrow, Click on the arrow and you can select Dock at Top or Dock at Bottom.

Side Palettes

On the right side of the screen are grouped and collapsed palettes. Illustrator has many palettes to work with. These palettes can placed in the workspace by opening the Window menu and Clicking on a palette.

Arrow

Collapsing & Grouping Palettes

If a palette is fl oating in the workspace you can collapse it into three different states. To collapse a palette into its different states, Double Click on the tab.To collapse a grouped palette Click on the tab.To group palettes, Click and Drag the palette into a palette group.Grouped palettes can be repositioned by Clicking and Dragging on the groups out-line with the Selection tool. You can expand the palette group by using the Selection tool and placing your curs-er over the outline for the group. The curser will change into a double headed arrow, Click and Drag to on the outline to expand the group. Doing this action will make the palette tabs easier to see.

Resetting & Saving Your Workspace

Window>Workspace>Save Workspace.Window>Workspace>Save Workspace.• •

Name new workspace.•

ClickClick• • OK.

Resetting workspace•

Window>Workspace>DefaultWindow>Workspace>Default• •