Conquering Your Fear of
Adobe
Illustrator
Instructor:
Stephen Williams
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Intro to Adobe Illustrator
Page 2
What is this “Illustrator” thing, anyway?
• The polar opposite of Adobe Photoshop. Raster-based vs. Vector-based.
• Vector-based Adobe Illustrator uses mathematical calculations to create images
• Allows you to re-size vector art infinitely without loss of quality or increase in file
size
• Most often used for simple logos and complex illustrations
Raster
Image
Enlarged shows pixels
Vector
Image
Enlarged shows smooth lines
Vector
Wireframe
Wireframe shows anchor points
What purpose can Illustrator serve in yearbook?
• More powerful illustration and manipulation tools than InDesign
• Create custom theme graphics or illustrations
• Vector graphics can be re-sized infinitely without loss of quality
• Easily and quickly manipulate headline type and theme graphics
• Manipulate vector clip-art found online or given to you by your friendly, neighborhood cover artist
Is there anything that Illustrator CAN’T do?
• Illustrator CS3 does not do multiple-page documents.
• Illustrator CS4 DOES do multi-page documents, but you’d still hate yourself if you
tried to produce a yearbook spread in it, so don’t even try.
• Body copy is cumbersome in Illustrator
• Cropping (or masking) photos in Illustrator is tricky
• Illustrator can’t do all that groovy stuff you like to do in Photoshop
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Intro to Adobe Illustrator
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The Intimidating Toolbar
SELECTION TOOLS
Selection Tool (V) Selects whole objects or objects that are grouped
Direct Selection Tool (A) Selects individual objects within groups or individual
anchor points and handles
Magic Wand Tool (Y) Selects same fill and stroke
Lasso Tool (Q) Selects individual anchor points with freehand lasso shape
CREATION TOOLS
Pen Tool (V) Creates anchor points and
handles necessary for drawing
Type Tool (T) Allows insertion of type
Line Segment Tool (\) Draws single
occurrences of straight lines
Rectangle (Shape) Tools (M) Draws basic
shapes (see inset)
Brush (B) and Pencil (N) Tools Draw freehand lines and shapes
Blob Brush Tool (Shift+B) Draws brush effects as shapes
Eraser Tool (Shift+E) Erases selective pieces of art using freehand brush effects
TRANSFORMATION TOOLS
Rotate Tool (R) Rotates selected artwork
Scale Tool (S) Scales selected artwork
Warp Tool (Shift+R) Reshapes selected artwork like finger paints
Free Transform Tool (E) Combines Rotate, Scale, Reflect and Shear Tools
APPEARANCE TOOLS
Gradient Tool (G) Controls the direction and duration of a gradient
Eyedropper Tool (I) Applies attributes of one object to selected object
ORGANIZATION TOOLS
Artboard Tool (Shift+O) Modifies existing artboard or adds new artboard
Slice Tool (Shift+K) Applies attributes of one object to selected object
Hand Tool (H) Allows you to move artboard within window (Spacebar!)
Zoom Tool (Z) Zooms in to specific part of artboard
Swaps Fill And Stroke Attributes (Shift+X)
Indicates Fill Color
Indicates Stroke Color
Default Fill & Stroke (D)
Click to set fill & stroke to default colors (white fill, black stroke)
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Intro to Adobe Illustrator
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Key Concept 1: Paths & Shapes
Clicking with the pen tool creates an anchor point.
Clicking and dragging with the pen tool creates anchor points with direction handles.
The line between two anchor points is called a segment.
A continuous line with multiple anchor points is called a path.
Every anchor point represents the possibility for a path to change direction.
Direction Handles
nt
Segme
Anchor Point
The Pen Tool (V) creates paths
by creating anchor points
The Pencil Tool (N) creates
freehand paths
The Brush Tool (B) creates paths
with brush effects applied
The Line Segment Tool (\)
draws unconnected occurrences
of straight lines.
The Shape Tools draw basic
geometric shapes
The Blob Brush Tool (Shift+B)
draws brush effects as shapes
The Eraser Tool (Shift+E)
destroys your creations. It’s fun.
Add or Subtract anchor points to a path using the Add Anchor Point Tool (+) or
Delete Anchor Point Tool (-). These tools are nested under the Pen Tool in the Toolbar.
The Convert Anchor Point Tool (Shift+C) allows you to control the nature of the
anchor point as well as the individual direction handles.
Open Paths do not complete a full circuit and should not be filled with a color, as
they can produce unpredictable printing results.
Closed Paths complete a circuit, and are generally referred to as shapes.
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Intro to Adobe Illustrator
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Key Concept 2: The Selection Tools
A big part of working with Illustrator artwork is selecting and working with paths, and the tools and processes are very different from
what you might be used to in Photoshop.
The Selection Tool (V) Commonly referred to as “the black
arrow,” and probably best if thought of as a “move tool.” It
selects individual whole objects or groups of objects.
The Direct Selection Tool (A) Also called “the white arrow” or
“the open arrow,” it selects individual points and segments of
a path.
The Magic Wand Tool (Y) Automatically selects objects of the
same or similar fill color and stroke color, and includes settings
for a tolerance
The Lasso Tool (Q) Use The Lasso Tool when you want to
select shapes that are very close to shapes you don’t want to
select by drawing a free-form shape around only the objects
you want.
THE SHIFT KEY toggles your selections with the arrow tools, and adds to
your selection with the Magic Wand tool and the Lasso Tool
THE ALT (MAC = OPTION) KEY subtracts from your selection with the
Magic Wand tool and Lasso Tool.
SELECT MULTIPLE OBJECTS by dragging a marquee around them with
either the Selection Tool or Direct Selection Tool
HOLD THE CTRL (MAC = COMMAND) KEY to instantly access the Selection Tool from any of the “Creation Tools” (shapes, brushes, pencil, eraser,
type tool).
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Intro to Adobe Illustrator
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Key Concept 3: Fill & Stroke
A Fill is a color (or gradient, or pattern) enclosed by a path.
A Stroke is a line of color that precisely follows a path.
Change a stroke’s weight, caps, corners and alignment in the Stroke Panel.
Click the Fill or Stroke color box in either the Tools Panel or the Color Panel
to choose the color’s destination.
Gradients are colors that smoothly blend from one to another.
• Filling a path with a gradient involves three steps:
- Creating the gradient
- Applying the gradient fill to the selected object
- Changing the direction and duration of the gradient using the Gradient Tool (G)
• Several gradients are available from Illustrator’s Swatches panel or by selecting
Window > Swatch Libraries > Gradients
• For smoother gradients, the darker colors should contain the CMYK mix of the
lighter colors.
• Gradients cannot be applied to strokes
You can examine existing artwork and click with the Direct Selection Tool (A) to see
the attributes applied to a shape.
You can sample an objects fill and stroke attributes using the Eyedropper Tool (I).
Computer monitors display colors using light, (the RGB color mode) while
the printed page’s colors are produced using CMYK inks. Do not ever expect
the color you see on screen to match the color you see in print. All fills, strokes,
gradients, and patterns should be built using the CMYK color model to avoid
disappointing results after your book is printed.
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Intro to Adobe Illustrator
Page 7
Pens, Pencils & Brushes
The Pen Tool (P)
The basic principle is easy, but takes practice to use well.
Each click adds a cornered Anchor Point
Click and drag to add a smooth Anchor Point
CTRL+Click (Mac = Command+Click) to deselet the path
Hold Shift when clicking or dragging to constrain paths or
angles to 45-degree increments.
The Pencil Tool (N)
Used for drawing freehand paths and shapes, most likely
with a digital drawing tablet instead of a traditional mouse.
Smooth out or slightly modify existing paths without the
use of the Pen Tool, Direct Selection Tool, Convert Anchor
Point Tool, or other modification methods.
The Paintbrush Tool (B)
Adds Photoshop-like brush effects by working in
conjunction with the Brushes panel.
Used for drawing freehand brush strokes, most likely with a
digital drawing tablet.
When used with pressure-sensitive tablet, gives realistic
drawing effects while maintaining fully editable vector
paths and small file sizes.
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Intro to Adobe Illustrator
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Shape Tools
Basic geometric drawing tools are located in the toolbar
in the Rectangle Tool’s expansion menu.
The Rectangle Tool (M) Draws squares and rectangles. Go figure...
The Rounded Rectangle Tool Draws rectangles with rounded corners.
The Ellipse Tool (L) Draws circles and ellipses.
The Polygon Tool Draws triangles and shapes containing more than four sides.
The Star Tool Draws stars and starbursts with any number of points.
The Flare Tool Is completely worthless, and I’m not even kidding.
HOLD THE SHIFT KEY to draw perfect circles and squares
HOLD THE ALT (MAC = OPTION) KEY To draw shapes from their center point
COMBINE THE ALT (MAC = OPTION) AND SHIFT KEYS to draw perfect circles
and squares from their center point.
SINGLE CLICK WITH TOOL SELECTED To numerically enter the dimensions of
your shape (and other attributes specific to the tool)
USE THE UP/DOWN ARROW KEYS while dragging to add or subtract points
from stars or sides from polygons
USE THE PATHFINDER PANEL to combine, exclude, align and distribute objects
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Intro to Adobe Illustrator
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The Pathfinder Panel
The Pathfinder Panel combines or separates two or more shapes
in a variety of ways.
To access the Pathfinder Panel, choose Window > Pathfinder.
Select two or more overlapping objects, and click the button in the Pathfinder panel
that does the operation you desire.
The results of the Pathfinder panel depend heavily on which object is in front and which object is behind. To change the stacking order
of objects, select a single object with the selection tool and choose Object > Arrange, and in the Arrange submenu, you can send the
object backwards or forwards.
Minus Front
Intersect
Expand
Unite
Exclude
TWO OVERLAPPING
PATHS
UNITE
Unite Combines multiple objects into a
single object.
Minus Front Cuts away object in front
of the background object
Intersect Cuts away all parts of the
object that don’t overlap.
Exclude Removes all parts of the
objects that overlap
MINUS FRONT
INTERSECT
EXCLUDE
In Version CS3
In Version CS4
Holding ALT (Mac = OPTION) Key when
clicking the Pathfinder operation button
will make the Pathfinder operation
permanent, bypassing CS3’s default to
make the Pathfinder operation a Live
Effect. Without clicking the ALT/OPTION
key, the operation will be editable until
the Expand button is clicked.
Holding ALT (Mac = OPTION) Key when
clicking the Pathfinder operation button
will result in a Live Effect - meaning that
the operation will still be editable - and
you must click the Expand button to
make the results permanent. Without
clicking the ALT/OPTION key, the results
are automatically permanent.
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Intro to Adobe Illustrator
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Manipulation Tools
Rotate, reflect, scale, shear and distort objects like a champ.
The Rotate Tool (R) spins objects
on an axis
The Reflect Tool (O) makes a
mirror image of an object
The Shear Tool creates a slanted
image of an object
The Scale Tool (S) reduces or
enlarges the size of an object
The Free Transform Tool (E)
combines all manipulation tools
The Warp Tools (Shift+R) distort
objects in specialized ways
(Twirl, Pucker, Bloat, Scallop ect.)
There are two ways to use these tools:
Measured - Double-click on the tool to enter numeric data specific for each tool.
By Hand - Select tool and single-click on artboard to set Origin Point. Move cursor
“by hand” outside the artwork to apply transformation.
The Free Transform Tool (E) allows you to rotate, scale, reflect or shear an object.
(You cannot copy an object or move it’s origin point when using this tool.)
• T o Scale: Drag a corner handle to scale along two axes; drag a side handle to scale along
one axis. Shift+Drag to scale proportionally, hold down ALT (Mac = OPTION) and drag to
scale from the center; add the Shift key to scale from the center proportionally; add the
CTRL (Mac = COMMAND) key to distort in perspective.
• To Reflect: Drag a side handle all the way across the object to the other side.
• To Rotate: Point slightly outside a corner handle (pointer changes to a double arrow) and
then drag in a circular motion. To constrain rotation to 45-degree increments, Shift+drag
• To Shear: Drag a side handle and hold down CTRL (Mac = COMMAND) as you continue to
drag. To constrain, add Shift. To shear from the center, press ALT (Mac = OPTION).
HOLD THE SHIFT KEY to constrain movements to 45-degree increments
HOLD THE ALT (MAC = OPTION) KEY to copy objects as you move them
COMBINE THE ALT (MAC = OPTION) AND SHIFT KEYS to constrain movements while copying
USE OBJECT > TRANSFORM AGAIN (COMMAND (MAC = CONTROL) +D) to make multiple occurrences of the previous transformation
If changing the origin point when using a measured method, hold the ALT (Mac = OPTION)
Key and click to change the referent point while bringing up the neumeric entry dialouge box.
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Intro to Adobe Illustrator
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Type Tools
Illustrator utilizes Point Type. Point type is a single line of type that does not require
a text box.
A text box can be created by clicking and dragging with the Type Tool, or by clicking
an existing shape with the Area Type Tool.
Type on a path can be created by clicking on an existing path with the Type on a
Path Tool.
Type Tool (T) Creates Point Type
Area Type Tool Confines text to inside a closed path
Type on a Path Tool Type follows an open or closed path
The Vertical Type Tool is worthless and clunky
A Tool for Japanese Body Copy?
For when you want really ugly type.
Creating Type on a Path
• Draw a path for your type to follow
• Select the Type on a Path tool from the Tools
Panel. (It may be hidden under the standard
Type Tool.)
• With the Type on a Path Tool, click on the
edge of your path. A flashing insertion point
appears in the type object, and any fill or stroke
on the object is removed.
• Type something! The type appears along the
edge of the object and conforms to its shape.
• Do not press the Enter or Return key.
• If the overflow symbol (red box) appears,
deselect the type object, select the Direct
Selection tool on the Tools panel, and drag an
anchor point to reshape the type object.
• To move the type along the path, use the
Selection tool or Direct Selection tool to
select the type. Center, left, and right brackets
appear around the type.
• Drag the bracket to adjust the position of the
type along the path.
• To swap sides, drag the center bracket to the
other side of the path.
• Drag the left and right brackets to adjust the
starting and ending boundaries of the type on
the path
• Drag the center bracket to adjust the position
of type along the path if the type is center
justified.
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Intro to Adobe Illustrator
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Type as Outlines
To unleash the infinite possibilities of type design in Illustrator, you need to do
only one thing: Convert Type to Paths. Note: Edit carefully and spell-check the text before you convert
it. After you convert text to paths, you can’t edit it as type or change the font.
Outlined text becomes Illustrator paths, at which point you can manipulate it just
like you would any other object in Illustrator. Including scale, rotate, reflect, shear, and
those wonderful Pathfinder effects.
Converting text to paths eliminates the need for font files associated with the type.
If, for example, you’re creating a yearbook in StudioWorks but want to use a cool font that you have only on your
computer, you can create your headlines in Illustrator and export them as PNG files for upload to StudioWorks. This can be
much more manageable than creating headlines in Photoshop due to Illustrator’s smaller file sizes and the ability to resize and re-edit vectors without loss of quality. The PNG files that you export will be in raster format, however.
• Use the Selection Tool (V) to select the type that you want to convert to a path.
Using the type tool to highlight and select the type will get you nowhere. Nobody
really knows why.
• Choose Type > Create Outlines
• The type becomes editable paths, and each section of type is contained as one
group of objects.
• Text is automatically grouped upon conversion to outlines. Choose Object >
Ungroup to edit each character individually.
Keyboard shortcut, PC: CTRL+SHIFT+G. On a Mac: COMMAND+SHIFT+G.
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Intro to Adobe Illustrator
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The Layers Panel
Layers give you the ability to separate individual elements of your design, and
control which of those elements are seen/hidden or locked/unlocked.
• Decide how you want to organize your
artwork. I typically start with 4 layers:
Background, Images, Art and Text
• Create the additional layers you need by
clicking the Create New Layer Button click once for each additional layer
• In the Layers panel, double click the layer
name to change the layer’s attributes
(Name, selection color, preferences)
• To move the art to another layer, in the
Layers panel click and drag the little
colored square next to the Target to the
layer you want.
• Repeat until all your artwork is on the
correct layer
• Change the stacking order of layers by
dragging them in the Layers panel to the
desired order
• With the selection tool, select the
graphic element(s) in your artwork that
you want to move to one of the layers
Layer Options
Show/Hide
Current Layer Triangle
Current Layer Highlight
Lock/Unlock
Sublayer
Expand/Collapse
Layer
Selection square
(Means you have objects
selected on this layer)
Target
(Click to select all unlocked
items on that layer)
Make/Release
New Layer
Clipping Mask
New Sublayer
Delete Selection
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Intro to Adobe Illustrator
Page 14
Live Effects
Illustrator’s Live Effects change the appearance
of an object, not its underlying path, and are
fully editable. The effects can be edited or
removed without permanently affecting the
object. Most effects are vector-based, some are
raster-based.
• Select an object or group of objects
• Click the Effect menu, point to a submenu
under Illustrator Effects, and select an effect.
• To preview the effect, select the Preview
check box if available.
• Select the options you want for the effect.
• Click OK.
The Appearance Panel
The Appearance Panel allows you to apply and
manage multiple attributes to an object, including
fills, strokes, opacity, blending mode, effects and
others.
After you apply a Live Effect (above) it appears in
the Appearance Panel. The Live Effect is always
editable (or removable) from the Appearance
Panel.
Access Illustrator’s huge bank of pre-made
appearances through Window > Graphic
Style Libraries. These are editable through the
Appearance Panel.
Add new fills or strokes with the icons at the
bottom-left of the Appearance Panel.
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Intro to Adobe Illustrator
Page 15
Saving Files for Placement InDesign
Anything you design in Illustrator can be placed into InDesign as a native Illustrator
(.ai) file. Illustrator files are perfectly compatible with InDesign, complete with
transparent backgrounds. Even after placing Illustrator files into InDesign they can be
re-sized infinitely without loss of quality.
Exporting files for StudioWorks
StudioWorks supports the PNG and JPG formats. For best results, choose File >
Export and select PNG from the Format pull-down menu in the Export dialogue
box. In the PNG Options dialogue box, be sure to choose High (300 DPI) in the
Resolution and set the Background color to Transparent. By default, even if you built
your Illustrator artwork in CMYK color mode, the PNG you export will be in RGB color
mode, which is preferred for StudioWorks.
Awesome Illustrator Education Resources
Veerle’s Blog
http://veerle.duoh.com/blog
YouTube
www.youtube.com
Real World Illustrator
http://rwillustrator.blogspot.com
Lynda (costs money)
www.lynda.com
Smashing Magazine
www.smashingmagazine.com
Kelby Training (costs money)
www.kelbytraining.com
Download Vector Clip-Art
http://www.vecteezy.com
iStock & Shutterstock cost money:
http://qvectors.com/
http://www.istockphoto.com/
http://www.smashingmagazine.
com/2009/01/16/
http://www.shutterstock.com/
http://www.bittbox.com/category/
freebies/