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Overview Illustrator rev -02/14/2014
We use it to create vector graphics
o Can resize without losing qualityo Place dots (anchor points)o Connect the dots with paths o Creates shapes, with or without fill and stroke
Creating Shapes
We use various tools to create the shapes, and then may fill inside the shapes and maybe add a stroke (border)
Can use predefined shapes or create your own: anchor points and paths
Illustrator overview Page 1
Once we have the anchor points, can fill the resulting areas, push, pull the points and paths to change the shapes.
Start Illustrator and choose a new print document; set units to inches, portrait, 8 ½ x 11 “, save the document as practice.ai inside InClass/Illustrator
What you will see is called the artboard (drawing area)
The document (page) also has a scratch area, aka. canvas area. Store stuff there so you can access it later
Change workspace to Essentials, or reset Essentials
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Don’t see my Artboard
What if I can’t find the artboard?
Maybe you held down the space bar, clicked and held the left button and moved artboard so can’t see it anymore. Solutions:
View>Fit Artboard in Window
Or left mouse and spacebar at same time
Change toolbox to two columns, rather than one…personal preference: click tiny double-arrow top left:
Basic Shapes Draw a red ellipse (circle). Black stroke
Find, choose the Ellipse Tool
Hold down shift key to draw a perfect circle/square
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Or, click once on the artboard and enter the desired size:
Choose Red as fill, black as stroke
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Or, select Swatches panel:
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Use black arrow (selection tool) and select the circle…look for anchor points.
Add a 4 pt black stroke
Bring stroke tool to top
Choose color (black)
Set size using Window>Stroke or
Use control area at top:
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Paths connect the anchor points
Select>Deselect
Choose white arrow (Direct select ) and double-click an anchor point, drag it:
Ctrl-Z
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Draw a small blue rectangle and drop on top of circle…
Assumes square ends up in layer above circle (Window>Layers)
Drag the circle layer above the square…what happened?
Ctrl-Z
Adding Anchor points Click and hold on the Pen tool, choose Add anchor point
Tool
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Go ahead and add a few additional anchor points to the blue square along a path…
Use the Direct Selection tool (white arrow) and pull and push the anchor points…look for the word anchor:
Scaling and rotating
And
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Example: Scaling Select the objects by dragging over them using Selection
tool (Black arrow)
Method # 1
o Double click the Scale Tool and resize by 200%
This opens
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And:
Objects have a box around them: Rotation is relative to that box; called a bounding box. You can rotate using it
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Add two perfect yellow circles:
Rotation Method # 2: Undo rotation
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Use the Transform panel to rotate:
Select the entire object (drag over all of it)
Open the Transform panel (Window>Transform)
Use Rotation tool:
Select the red circle
Use the Transform panel to resize W, H to 3”:
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Set width and height to 3” see above…look for link symbol:
Rotation Method 3: Make sure the Bounding Box is visible (Window> Show>
Hide Bounding Box)
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The Swatches panel shows colors, gradients, and patterns. You can add additional ones from built-in libraries, or “mix your own” colors.
Panel Menus and Color Management The Swatches panel,
like most Illustrator panels, has a panel menu…find the small arrow in upper right
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Panel Menu Example
Adding a new swatch library member ( Library: A group of related items)
Click upper right corner, just below the “x”
Choose Open Swatch Library… then Celebration
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Drag Celebration panel onto to Swatches panel:
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Choose colors that are indicative of the purpose; i.e. use Foliage colors for a wildlife project,
Process Colors versus Spot Colors Swatch colors can be process or spot. Spot adds in
additional colors other than CMYK
In general, stay with process colors-made with CMYK inks…cheapest …
Review: Gamut=number of colors a given color model can reproduce…Red Green Blue gamut on monitor larger than CMYK (paper) and Spot colors have larger gamut than process
Use spot only when:
Publication needs a color that cannot be accurately reproduced with CMYK inks, such as precise color matching of a corporate or logo color.
Need more vibrant colors than what CMYK inks produce. Project requires special effects such as metallic or
fluorescent spot inks.
Basically, spot colors are more expensive, try to not use them
Close, don’t save Start new document, practice2
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Practice using anchor points, Fills, strokes and tracing objects
Drawing using Pencil tool
It draws using the current stroke color, and size
Turn Fill off
Draw a 4-point black line:
Look for anchor points
Click the white arrow (Direct Select) Click the line
Find an anchor (Direct Select) and drag
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Drawing using Pen tool
Click once, move cursor, click again to draw a straight line
Make a triangle
or
Click once, Click again at another location but drag cursor to create a curve with handles
Practice: Use the pen tool to create a shape like this:
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Viewing Smart Guides
if Smart Guides turned on , and you pause over a corner of a selected object, you will see the word anchor.
If you hover near the center of an object, look for center to appear
Same for paths
Try it
Fill with a Gradient
A gradual change from color to color
Draw a couple yellow circles
Use the black arrow (Selection tool) to select any object …select the fill, NOT the stroke
Now click the Gradient> Fill tool
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Result: A default gradient is applied
Now click the Gradient tool and manipulate the bar:
Just drag across the circle:
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Try another gradient in the Swatches panel:
Try the orange, green gradient
Choose Fade to Black gradient again
Roll your own
Double-click the Gradient tool (Not the gradient fill) or Window>Gradient
Result:
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Drag a start and end stop color
Move the middle diamond left and right to see the effect on the gradient fill
You can drag the cursor to apply the gradient from any angle (Drag from right to left so darkest is on the right)
The icons on the bottom of the horizontal bar are called stops There are two at the present time
Can drag a color from the swatch panel to any stop, can add, delete stops
Drag a red swatch to the leftmost stop:
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Add a new stop in the middle of the line (choose a new color)
Pull down to delete a stop
OK, so those are the most often used fill options (There is a fill with Pattern, which we skipped
Using the Transform Panel…Precise Placement Can verify size (and location) of an object via Transform
panel, which we opened at the beginning of this module.
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Select the rectangle and look at Transform panel values: Note the 9 references...center one is selected below…can also use the control panel reference object
Draw a rectangle and fill it with blue with black stroke
Open the Transform panel:
Select the rectangle and use the Transform panel to position its center at X=4, Y=4. Click the middle proxy :
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Selecting Objects Use the Black Arrow (Selection Tool)
Drag or shift-click to select more than one object
Selecting part of an object-
Deselect everything first (Can “click away” with Selection tool or Select>De-select)
Use white arrow…called Direct Select tool
Click a corner of any rectangle using Direct Select
Pull a corner anchor point to deform the rectangle
Note:
Look at corner anchor points…only the one you selected should be filled in…if not, click away (deselects), then click a corner anchor again click each anchor point and turn the fill color be hollow:
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Save your document (practice2.ai)
Symbol Spray Tool
Choose Window>Symbols
Click on a symbol ( I chose grime)
Find Symbol Sprayer tool on left side
Spray away!
Add more symbols:panel menu>
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Symbol LibrariesThere are many collections of symbols. To see then, Choose Window>Symbol Libraries and choose a category
Here is the flowers library:
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Drag one to the document and resize
Cropping esp for WebMaybe want a piece of your artboard for a web site you’re doing. Of course, the object then becomes a bitmap
The cropping tool is actually called the artboard tool
It puts sizing handles around the artboard: try itHere is mine after I resized the box:
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Crop and then save for Web
The Blend tool Use pencil tool and draw two lines with zero fill, 4 point
stroke, two different colors
Select both lines
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Object>Blend>Make
Another gradient!
As long as we’re on blend, let’s blend a rectangle to a star (a morph)
Draw an orange rectangle and a star
o Star tool is under Rectangle tool, just select and say OK, color it green
o Draw an orange square
Select both: (Drag over both, or select one, then shift-click on the second object)
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Object>Blend>Blend Options:
Says to Blend in 8 steps
Then, Object>Blend>Make:
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Back to basics…
Anchors and Paths Start a new document named AnchorsAndPaths.ai
Recall there are two selection tools: Selection (black arrow) and Direct Select (White arrow). The Selection tool selects entire objects. Direct Select: a part of an object
Goal: Create this:
Set Fill to none, stroke to 1 point black
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Create a new rectangle 5” wide by 2”, (no fill), black stroke, 1 point
Show rulers
Click away
Use the Selection arrow and select, then move, the rectangle:
The small circles are the anchor points
Can resize/reshape the object using the anchor points
Click on a path (Turn SmartGuides on to see the word “path”, indicating you did, in fact, select a path)
a path connects two adjacent anchor points
Moving an Object Select the rectangle using Selection tool
Move it
Shift-Drag constrains to 45 degree angles.
Alt-Drag makes a copy of the object being moved
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Summary: We use the direct selection tool to select part of an object; the Selection tool to select the entire object
Adding Anchor pointsWant to add two additional anchor points along the top path of the rectangle
Ctrl-Z to return the rectangle to its original 5” x 2” shape
Show rulers (if not already showing)
Drag out two vertical guides from the rulers
To precisely position where we want the new anchor points
Initially will be locked
To unlock:
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View>Guides
Check the Lock Guides box
Rearranging stacking order
o Open the Layers panel
Expand Layer 1…
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o The guides are on top, but we want the paths to be on top so we can add anchor points along a path…
Bring the rectangle to the top
Method # 1: drag the <Path> Layer to the top:
Method # 2: select the rectangle (black arrow)
Select Object>Arrange>Bring to front:
Select the rectangle using the Direct select (White arrow) tool
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Now, select the Add Anchor Point tool
Click where your guides meet the path: look for “intersect” via smart guides
Deselect all
Select both by dragging over both with Direct Select tool (or select one, then Shift-click the second
Make sure both anchors are filled-in (i.e. Direct selected)
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Anchor points are solid when selected, open when not selected.
Pull down the path between the two new points
Hiding the guides View>Guides>Hide Guides
Now : Pathfinder Draw a black ellipse and two smaller ones (Black also)…
unite takes on the color of whatever is on top
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Now find Pathfinder panel
Select all three objects, then “Unite”
To subtract the top:Minus Front
Result:
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Divide:
Draw a rectagle and a circle:
Select both
Choose pathfinder Divide
Use direct select to pull the objects apart:
Save
Close the document
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