User Manual (978-0-470-39656-8)Table of ContentsIntroduction1Introduction1About This Book1What You Don’t Need to Read2Foolish Assumptions2How This Book Is Organized3Part I: Driving People Crazy — Illustrator’s Bum Rap3Part II: Drawing and Coloring Your Artwork3Part III: Taking Your Paths to Obedience School3Part IV: Practically Speaking: Type, Print, and Files3Part V: The Part of Tens3But that’s not all!: Bonus chapters4About All Those Little Icons4Road Signs along the Way4Where to Go from Here5Part I: Driving People Crazy — Illustrator’s Bum Rap7Part I: Driving People Crazy — Illustrator’s Bum Rap7Chapter 1: Introducing the World of Illustrator9From Humble Origins to Master of the Graphics Universe9A brief history of Illustrator10Illustrator’s place in the cosmos11Starting Up Illustrator and Revving It a Little12What’s in a Name (field)?14Artboard options14Page size, units, and orientation14CMYK or RGB?15Exploring the Illustrator Workspace19Illustrator tool time19Panels to suit any artist20Menus with the finest cuisine22Mac and Windows issues spring eternal23Defining the Document Area25Opening Existing Documents26Viewing Illustrator Documents27Zooming in and out of artwork28Scrolling around your document30Looking at the guts of your artwork30Using Templates31Saving Illustrator Documents33Changing Your Mind34Printing Illustrator Documents34Closing Documents and Quitting Illustrator35Chapter 2: Following the Righteous Path37Whether Paths or Pixels Are Better38Paths: The ultimate flexibility in graphics39Pixels: Detail and realism to spare40How Paths and Pixels Compare41A comparison of path and pixel documents42When to use paths and when to use pixels44Paths and Printing44Which is faster — a square or a square?45Printing paths: The evolution of Bézier curves45What’s my vector, Victor?46Gray’s Anatomy of a Path46In Illustrator, it’s polite to point47You can handle the truth47Chapter 3: Doing Everyday Things with Illustrator51Picking Up Stuff and Moving It Around51Comparing the selection tools52Moving and transforming objects53Distorting paths55Organizing objects57Using the “Hard” Stuff59Transparency59Blends60Clipping masks60Compound paths and shapes62Flares64Entering the Wide World of the Web66Saving the World67Save68Save As68Save a Copy69Save for Web69Export69Using Illustrator for What It Does Best71Part II: Drawing and Coloring Your Artwork73Part II: Drawing and Coloring Your Artwork73Chapter 4: Shaping Up, Basically75Creating Basic Shapes76Drawing rectangles and squares76Drawing ellipses and circles78Creating polygons and stars78Creating grids82Putting Together Shapes84Shape Modes85Compound Shapes86Pathfinders87Creating Objects by Using the Pathfinder Panel89Crescent moon89Sunrise90Legal Graffiti91Using the Symbol Sprayer91Creating a custom symbol93Editing your symbols94Setting the Symbolism options95Chapter 5: Getting Your Fill of Fills and Strokes97Understanding Fill and Stroke97Filling and stroking paths with color100Making a bold stroke100Adding multiple strokes to a single path102Filling crossed and open paths102The Swatches Panel103All the colors in the rainbow and then some103Swatch options for super colors105Swatch libraries106The Color Panel106Dissecting the Color panel107Modes and models108Filling with Patterns and Textures112Applying patterns to paths112Making patterns113Using the Gradient Fill114The Gradient tool114Modifying gradients115Gradient-mania: Color-tweaking made simple116Radial: The secret gradient117Chapter 6: Selecting and Editing Paths119Selecting with the Illustrator Tools120Natural selection121Direct Selection tool122Group Selection tool123Selecting more or less of what you have124Freeform selections: Lasso tool125Magic Wand tool125Selecting without Tools: The Select Menu126Select menu options126Specialized selection functions for important occasions128Editing and Adjusting Points128A relocation bonus for points129Fine-tuning curves with direction points129Converting anchor points130Adding and subtracting points (path math)131Chapter 7: Wielding the Mighty Pen Tool133Performing with the Pen, the Path, and the Anchor Points134Smooth anchor points134Straight-corner anchor points135Curved-corner anchor points135Combination-corner anchor points136Creating Straight Lines with the Pen Tool139Open and Closed Paths140Creating Super-Precise Curves with the Pen Tool140Taming the draggin’140Following the one-third rule142Following rules for the other two-thirds143Drawing the tricky anchor points with the Pen tool145Drawing Shapes with the Pen Tool146Drawing a sad, lumpy circle with the Pen tool146Drawing a heart147Chapter 8: Creating Straight and Curved Lines without the Pen Tool149Using the Pencil Tool as a Pencil150Minimal effort and hefty stress reduction150A few unexpected exceptions to all this bliss151Cherishing the Multipurpose Pencil Tool152Making the Pencil tool work just for you152Changing the path not penciled157Working with the all-natural “Smoothie” tool157Using the Pen with the Pencil159Swapping one tool for another159Precision versus speed: You make the call159Lines Made Quick and Easy160Working with the Line Segment tool160Setting the tool options161Curvy with the Arc Tool162Getting the arc you want162Spiraling out of control163Chapter 9: Creating Magnificent Brushstrokes165Brushing Where No Stroke Has Gone Before165Embracing your inner artist167The Paintbrush tool options168Creating a New Brush168Working with the Different Brush Types170Art brushes for times when you’re a bit wacky170Scatter brushes for times when you’re a bit wacky172Pattern brushes — too cool and utterly wacko176Calligraphic brushes for formal occasions181Chapter 10: Extreme Fills and Strokes185Messing Around with Meshes185Adding a gradient mesh manually187Letting gradient mesh do the work for you188Creating soft bevels with Gradient Mesh189Making Objects Partially Transparent and Blending Colors191Fade away with opacity191Big fun with math! Blending graphics with blend modes192Discovering How Strokes Work193Caps, joins, and dashes194Clipping Masks197Chapter 11: Effectively Keeping Up Appearances, with Style(s)199The Effect Menu200Applying live effects to objects2013D Effects203Removing and changing effects204Rasterization effects205The Appearance Panel206Reading the Appearance panel207Adding fills and strokes209Changing the appearance of groups and layers211Applying effects to strokes and fills214Going back to adjust settings215Removing appearances215Killing live effects until they’re dead216Figuring Out Styles217Applying styles to objects217Creating and editing styles218Spotting the difference between graphic and text styles221Applying graphic styles to text221Part III: Taking Your Paths to Obedience School223Part III: Taking Your Paths to Obedience School223Chapter 12: Pushing, Pulling, Poking, and Prodding225Understanding the Five Transformation Sisters225Move226Scale227Rotate230Reflect230Shear232Additional Transformation Tidbits233The Transform panel233Copying while transforming234Transform Each234Transform Again235Partial transformations236Blending: The Magic Transformation237Chapter 13: Organizing Efficiently239Stacking Illustrator Artwork239Stacking order240Moving art up (front) or back (down) in the stacking order241Managing the Mess242Using the Layers panel242Lock and Unlock, View and Hide245Copying layers (quickly and completely)246Viewing objects and groups246Using your options on layers, groups, and objects246Imposing Slavish Conformity with Groups248Lining Up248Guides that are truly smarter than most of us249Let the rulers guide you . . .249I’m a path, I’m a guide252Alignment252Part IV: Practically Speaking: Type, Print, and Files255Part IV: Practically Speaking: Type, Print, and Files255Chapter 14: Introducing Letters and Such (Type 101)257Using the Word Processor from Outer Space258Controlling type in Illustrator258The Type tool(s)258The Character panel260The Paragraph panel261Introducing the Strange Land of Type262Fonts, typefaces, and font families262Serif and sans serif264The biggest Don’t Do It that I can think of264Exploring Size, Leading, and Other Mysterious Numbers265Measuring can be just plain odd265Measuring can be just plain annoying267Spacing out while staring at type268Putting type on the rack269Moving on up and down269Adjusting Entire Paragraphs270Changing the alignment of a paragraph270Changing the space around the paragraph270Using Type as a Mask272Converting Type to Paths274Type Styles276Chapter 15: Printing Your Masterpiece277Printing Quickly277What You See Is Roughly What You Get278Setting Up Your Page to Print (You Hope)279Quick printing279Changing Artboard size280Printing Mechanics281Printing composite proofs282Important printing options283All about Way-Scary Separations283Separations are not in color285Printing separations285Chapter 16: Moving Files Into and Out of Illustrator287Bringing Files Into Illustrator288Deciding whether to link or embed290Managing links291Getting Files Out of Illustrator294Working with Illustrator and Photoshop296Making life easy: Copy and paste, drag and drop296Placing files298Now opening in an application near you298Exporting a graphic299Using Adobe Illustrator with Nearly Everything Else301Chapter 17: Putting Your Art on the Web305From Illustrator to the Web305Using Web colors only307Working in Pixel Preview mode308Choosing a file format309So which file format is best, already?312Creating Web-Specific Pixel Graphics313Saving a graphic as a GIF file315Saving a graphic as a JPEG file317Saving a graphic as a PNG-8 or PNG-24 file319Creating Web-Specific Vector Graphics319Saving a graphic as a Flash file320Saving a graphic as a SVG file320Slicing and Dicing Your Graphics321Part V: The Part of Tens323Part V: The Part of Tens323Chapter 18: Ten Production-Enhancing Tips325Punching Holes325Use Photoshop Effects in Illustrator!327When White Isn’t Nothing327Expanding to Get to the Root of the Artwork329Quick! Hide!330Taking a Tip from Illustrator331Changing Your Units Whenever You Want331Reusing Your Brushes, Swatches, and Libraries332Avoiding Russian Dolls332Selecting Type When You Want333Chapter 19: Ten (Or So) Ways to Customize Illustrator335Positioning Panels336The Flexible Tools Panel336Changing the Items on the Menu337Changing the Default Settings338Changing Hidden Commands You Never Knew About339Action Jackson340Sticky Settings342Index343Index343Size: 90.2 KBPages: 10Language: EnglishOpen manual
