A
Addoobbee C
CSS22 –– IIlllluussttrraattoorr:: T
Thhee B
Baassiiccss
SETTING UP A NEW DOCUMENT:
Size: Illustrator defaults to a portrait 8 ½” x 11” page. Dimensions can be changed when setting up a new document. To
set up a new document go to: File, new, new document window, and set the dimensions. Note: if the document will be
printed at UNMC, there are limitations to the size. UNMC’s large printer is 42” by XX”. To accommodate for this paper,
the dimensions should be 41” by XX”. This extra inch allows for trimming.
Document Color Management: How a document is used determines the color management. CMYK (cyan, magenta,
yellow, black) is used for print material. RGB (red, green, blue) is computer printing (monitors, Web pages). Documents
should be started in RGB (RGB has a larger gamut of colors) and later converted to CMYK. Go to File, Document Color
Mode.
Work Area: Area inside the edge of the artboard. The dimensions are set up when a new document is started. The
dimensions can be changed later by going to File, Document Set Up.
Scratch Area: Area outside the edge of the artboard. Artwork in this area will not print. This is a “holding” area.
BASIC TOOLS:
Palettes: AI has many tools to draw, manipulate,
add effects, etc. These tools are held in Palettes
(floating windows-Figure 1). Many Palettes have
additional tools, found on tabs in the palette, or in
the show options feature (arrow in upper right corner
of a palette).
Figure 1. Window Menu and Palettes
Palettes
s
Palettes are under the Window Menu (Figure 1).
Clicking on the upper left “x” closes palettes.
Features of the palettes can also be accessed on the
“Control Palette, which when activated through the
Windows Menu appears as a tool bar at the top.
Tools Palette: The basic drawing and writing tools are held in the Tools Palette (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Tools Palette
Direct Selection
Selection
Text
Pen
Rectangle
Hidden Tools
Line Segment
Zoom
Fill and Stroke
None
Adobe CS2 – Illustrator: The Basics
1
Robin Taylor (559-3549)
Selection Tool:
enables you to select object(s) on the artboard and
manipulate objects including moving them to other locations by dragging;
scaling objects; rotating, adjusting text box width, grouping. Selected objects
show a blue bounding box with eight handles.
Figure 3. Anchor Points
B
A
Direct Selection Tool
allows an object to be selected and modified (i.e.,
change direction of a curve) by selecting anchor points. Figure 3. Anchor Points:
(A) anchor points; (B) modifying anchor point (filled point).
Hidden Tools: A black triangle
in the bottom right corner of a tool icon indicates addition tools for that selection.
Click and hold the mouse on the icon. A fly-out menu appears. Select a new feature. If this icon and its feature are going
to be used frequently, it can be “torn off” and made a floating palette. To tear off, select the icon and scroll over to the
right edge arrow. The icon now becomes floating window showing all the features of that tool. To close a tear-off icon,
click the X in the upper left corner.
Pen Tool:
is used to draw and modify paths
Draw a Line: To draw a straight line, select the Pen tool from the
Figure 4. Draw a Straight Line
Toolbox (Figure 4A). Click anywhere on the artboard; an anchor point (B)
is placed on the artboard. Release the mouse; move the mouse to the
location where you want the line to end; click and release the mouse
again, another anchor point (C) is placed on the artboard. A line is
automatically drawn between the two anchor points.
TIPS:
- To draw a straight horizontal or vertical line, hold the
shift key down when using the Pen or Line Tool.
- To increase/decrease the weight (width) of the line, go
to: Window, Stroke, Weight.
Draw a Curve: To draw a curved line, select the Pen tool
from the Toolbox (Figure 5A). Click on the artboard. An
anchor point (B) is placed on the artboard; hold the shift
key down; and click on the artboard to create another
anchor point (C). Continue holding the mouse down and
drag the mouse in the direction you want your curve to
shape. Direction lines and control points are visible (B-CD).
Figure 5. Draw and Modify a Curve.
D
To modify the curve, use the Direct Selection Tool, click
and drag the control point (D).
Add Arrowheads: To add arrowheads, select the line segment or curve with the Selection Tool. From the Menu Bar,
click on the Effects dropdown menu, select Stylize, Add Arrowhead. The Add Arrowhead window appears. There are two
options where the arrowhead can be placed at the start or the end of the line segment or curve. Make your selection, click
OK.
Adobe CS2 – Illustrator: The Basics
2
Robin Taylor (559-3549)
Text Tool: Type is considered an object. There are many considerations when using text (font, color, size, copying text,
aligning, etc). To insert text, select
from the Tool Palette. To select font, size, open the Type Palette from the Window
Menu. This palette has tabs with additional features and options. Once the text options are selected, click on the artboard
and type. To change text, select the text tool, drag the mouse across the text, open the Type Palette and make selections.
Adobe CS2 Illustrator added an underline and strikethrough feature for text. These can be found in the additional options
on the Type, Character Palette.
Copying Text from a Word Processing Program: Select text from word processing program. In AI, select the text
tool, draw a box on the artboard, and copy the text into the box. The text box can be manipulated using the selection tool
and dragging the handles.
Columns and Rows: Large amounts of text can be put into columns and rows. Select the text box with the selection tool,
go to Type on the Menu Bar, choose Area Type Options, specify the number of columns, rows, span, etc.
Hidden Text: All of the copied text may not appear in the text box. Hidden text is
Figure 6. Hidden Text Indicator
caused when the text box is too small. A small red box in the lower right corner of
the text box indicates hidden text (Figure 6). To view all the text, select the Selection
Tool and drag on one of the handles until the red box disappears and all text is in
view.
Rectangle Tool: The Rectangle Tool in the Toolbox is used to draw several
types of objects: rectangles, rounded corner rectangles, ellipses, polygons, stars
and flares. To select one of the shapes, click on the rectangle tool, a fly-out
menu appears (Figure 7). Drag and point the cursor to the shape to select. The
selected shape icon appears. Click on the artboard and drag the mouse to the
desired height and width.
Figure 7. Rectangle Tear-Off Menu.
To make a square or circle, hold the shift key down while dragging the mouse.
Line Segment: The line segment
tool draws lines. This icon also has a tear-off menu to draw arcs, grids.
Zoom Tool: The zoom
tool will focus in a specific area on the artboard. Select the zoom tool, click on an area. The
area will be brought to the middle of the screen. To zoom out, hold the “alt” (Windows) “option” (Mac) key, the
magnifying glass will show a “-“ or decrease. Zoom in/zoom out can also be selected from the View on the Menu bar.
COLOR
All objects created in AI have a Fill and Stroke. Fill is the area within an open or closed path (a path is the space between
two anchor points). Stroke is the color or pattern applied to a path or edge of an object.
Figure 8 shows the tool bar fill (A) and stroke (B) icon. To switch between fill and
stroke, click on the double arrows (C). There are times where no fill or stroke is
needed. Select none (D) and the fill or stroke will have no color associated with it.
TIP:
The artboard default is white. There are times when an object
appears to be covered up. This happens when the “fill” of an object
is white, against the white artboard. Click on “none” (figure 8D).
There is no fill and the object can be seen.
Adobe CS2 – Illustrator: The Basics
3
Figure 8. Color Fill and Stroke
A
C
B
D
Robin Taylor (559-3549)
Colors: Colors are held on the Swatches Palette (Figure 9). Select an object, click on
Figure 9. Swatches Palette
the fill or stroke, open the Swatches Palette (Window, Swatches), click on the color.
Organizing Objects
Multiple objects on the artboard can overlap and be hidden
behind each other. Using the Arrange options can change the
order in which objects lay in relationship to each other on
the artboard. Figure 10 shows the four Arrange options.
Figure 10. Object Arrange Features
Select Multiple Objects: A project contains multiple objects on the artboard that may need to be worked on
simultaneously (i.e., aligning, moving sections, grouping objects). To select more than one object at a time, choose the
Selection Tool from the Toolbox, click on the first object, hold the shift key down, and click on the next object. Continue
holding the shift key and selecting the objects until all objects are selected. To deselect the objects, click on another part
of the artboard; to deselect only one object, click on that object again while holding the shift key.
Align Objects: To align several objects, select all the objects (see Select Multiple Objects), open the “Align” Palette
(Window, Align) or use the align options on the Control Palette. Select the alignment.
Group Objects: Grouping multiple objects together makes working with numerous objects on the artboard easier. To
group multiple objects, select all objects using the steps outlined in Select Multiple Objects. From the Menu Bar, select
Object, Group (keystroke Cmd [Ctrl] + g). To ungroup multiple objects, select the object, from the Menu Bar, select
Object, ungroup (keystroke shift + Cmd [Ctrl] + g).
Save and format
To save a document, select File from the Menu Bar. The first time a file is saved, the options available are save as, save a
copy, save for web. The save command is available after a document is named and a format selected.
Illustrator has a number of formatting options. AI (xxxxx.ai) is the native format option. Documents saved in ai format can
only be opened and modified in Adobe programs.
Portable Document Format (xxxxx.pdf) allows files to be shared with many word-processing and graphic applications.
The pdf format condenses the information and preserves the Illustrator information. Files saved in pdf format can be
viewed by many word-processing and graphic applications using Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free downloaded program
from Adobe. To modify a pdf file, users need the Adobe Acrobat Professional.
Encapsulated Postscript (xxxxx.eps) is a cross platform formatting option (i.e., Macintosh to Windows). Eps files can be
shared with almost every word-processing and graphic application along with preserving Illustrator editing capabilities.
Eps is best used for remote printing as it retains font and graphic information.
Tip:
Save often and save a backup in ai format.
Adobe CS2 – Illustrator: The Basics
4
Robin Taylor (559-3549)