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.


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


• 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


• 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.


• Selected circle with the bounding box showing.


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


• 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.


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


• 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.


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


• 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.


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.


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

• Click the edge to select the path only.


• 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


Direct Selection tool selects single objects within groups

Direct Selection tool selects anchor points and paths


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


• 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.


• 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.


• 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.


• 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


Multiple artboards in a document

Manage multiple artboards using the Artboards panel


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.


Select individual artboard to reposition or resize


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


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


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.


• 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.


Font family

Character Rotation

Tracking

Vertical Scale

Baseline shift

Leading Font style

Font size

Kerning

Horizontal Scale

Underline Strikethrough


• Tracking inserts uniform spaces between characters.

• Kerning affects the spaces between any two characters.


Examples of kerning and tracking


• Leading inserts vertical space between baselines.

• • Applying a horizontal or vertical scale

compresses or expands selected type.


© 2011 Delmar Cengage Learning

Leading

Baseline

50% horizontal scale

50 % vertical scale

Examples of text formatting


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


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

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


• 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.


© 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.


• ‘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.


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


• 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.


• 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.


• 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.


You can create and apply linear or radial gradients

Radial gradient Linear gradient


• 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.


• 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


• 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).


• 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.


• 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.


• 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.


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.


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


• 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.


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


• 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.


Drop shadow created using the Paste in Back command


• 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


• Along Stroke Option Applied


• Across Stroke Option Applied


adobe illustrator getting started

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