This page has all the content from the different class pages in on place. Since the semester varies in what content is taught in which class, this will put everything in one long page so it can be cut up if need be.
We no longer require checking in to the lab or filling out lab hours time sheets. But you're still on the hook for spending time working on this class.
In 1439 Johannes Guttenberg becomes the first European to use moveable type
Guttenberg press, circa 1439 (wiki article)
Acutal paste-up artwork using actual paste
Drafting Machines
T-Squares
Rubber Cement, RC Thinner and Spray Mount
Hot-Waxers
X-Acto Knives & Blades
Wooden Type
Metal Type
AKA "Letterpress" - used nowadays for wedding invitations and special events
Hand setting type workstation
California job case & slug of set type
Letterpress press
Linotype Hot-Lead Typesetter Machine
(Wikipedia article )
Photo-Typesetting
Example of mark-up for typesetting and a good article .
Straight-Edges & Triangles
Templates
French Curve Sets
Flexible Curves
Ruling Pens
Instrument sets
Rapidograph Pens
Rubylith
Photostat Camera
& Processor
Luci Camera
Proportion Wheel
Typesetting is measured in Points, Picas and Agates
Apple introduces the Apple Macintosh and creates "Desktop Publishing".
The introduction of MacDraw introduces vector drawing for the masses
Adobe introduces Illustrator 88
Great YouTube video from Adobe on the origins of Illustrator
Altsys created FreeHand and licenses it to Aldus (creator of PageMaker)
Corel introduces CorelDRAW on Windows 2.0
Adobe acquires Aldus
Altsys sues Adobe to get FreeHand back
Macromedia acquires Altsys
Adobe acquires Macromedia
Adobe retires FreeHand
Some people still use FreeHand, but for all practical purposes it is dead in 2012.
Adobe moves to subscription model
Adobe Illustrator CC 2018 (version 22) current version, decent upgrade with some new features and enhancement (listed here)
There are more, the above are just a few of the options, listed by popularity. For more on the various tools and their differences check this Wikipedia article
Buy an Adobe Cloud subscription. $80/Yr or $40/Semester, cheaper than most textbooks
Buy Affinity Designer. $54.99 for Windows or OS X. Don't use the iPad version for this class.
Use the on campus machines through VMware Horizon.
Adobe Illustrator CS5 is the industry-standard illustration application for print, multimedia, and online graphics. Whether you are a designer or a technical illustrator producing artwork for print publishing, an artist producing multimedia graphics, or a creator of web pages or online content, Adobe Illustrator offers you the tools you need to get professional-quality results.
Adobe Illustrator CS5 Classroom In A Book
Create without boundaries: Create distinctive vector artwork for any project. Used by design professionals worldwide, Adobe Illustrator CS5 software provides precision and power with sophisticated drawing tools, expressive natural brushes, a host of time-savers, and integration with Adobe CS Live online services.
Adobe's web site - which is from an earlier version. They're so set in their monopoly that they don't even try to describe the product anymore, they just talk about new features.
First, a word about Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs).
Watch from 1:30 +
A Vector is geometrical primitive such as a point, line, curve or polygon which can be described by a mathematical formula, and formulas can be infinitely scaled.
Grouped by related function
Selection
Creation
Transformation
More Transformation
Useless Gadgets
Document Tools
Stroke/Fill Colors
Fill Types
Draw Modes
Screen Modes
A context sensitive display of everything that can be controlled for the current item from the Tools Panel
Pick your poison from the Workspace menu: Essentials
From the View Menu
With the Zoom Tool
Scrolling
The Navigator Panel
A white rectangle in the document window that will be a printed area. You can have more than one, and they can be any physical size (like 8 1/2 by 11) or digital size (link 64 pixels by 64 pixels)
How to navigate between Artboards...
How to add a new Artboard...
Or Shift-o (letter o)
Control Panel
Tool Panel
"Escape" key or any tool to exit Artboard mode...
Three different artboards in the Artboard panel
Any one document can have more than one artboard, but you can also have multiple documents open at the same time.
Clicking on any part of an artboard or an object on the artboard sets that artboard to the current artboard. You can tell because it will have a black outline around it.
Selection Tool (V)
Direct Selection Tool (A)
Magic Wand Tool (Y)
Lasso Tool (Q)
Selection Tool (V)
Single click on an object to select it.
Direct Selection Tool (A)
Group
selection tool
Magic Wand
selection tool
Lasso
selection tool
Layers Panel
selection gesture
| Mode | Mac Mod-Key | Win Mod-Key | Effect |
| Select-drag object | None | None | Moves object |
| Select-drag top, left, bottom or right center-handles | None | None | Enlarges or shrinks object from that side |
| Select-drag corner handle | None | None | Enlarges or shrinks object from that corner |
| Select-drag object | Shift | Shift | Constrains object's movement to horizontal, vertical or 45 degree axis |
| Select-drag top, left, bottom or right center-handles | Shift | Shift | Proportionately expands or shrinks object from that side |
| Select-drag corner handle | Shift | Shift | Proportionately expands or shrinks object from that corner |
| Select-drag object | Option | Alt | Leaves original object behind and moves a copy |
| Select-drag top, left, bottom or right center-handles | Option | Alt | Expands or contracts object from its center-point only on horizontal axis (for left and right handles), or only vertical axis (for top and bottom handles) |
| Select-drag corner handle | Option | Alt | Expands or contracts object from it center-point on horizontal and vertical axis |
| Select-drag object | Option & Shift | Alt & Shift | Leaves original object behind and moves a copy constrained to horizontal, vertical or 45degree axis |
| Select object | Command | Control | Changes Selection to to Direct Selection tool |
Check out "Show Options" from the little menu in the upper right)
Align to Selection
Default
Align to Key Object
Click and release on one object in current selection
Align to Artboard Aligns to the artboard the selections live on
Step by step Illustrator file screwdriver-steps.ai
Heavily modified from Adobe Illustrator CS5 Classroom in a Book, Lesson 3 (pp 86-116) (Zipped PDF of Adobe Illustrator CS5 Classroom in a Book)
Completed Illustrator file: screwdriver-complete.ai
Find it here. Due next Tuesday.
Sadly, there is no equivalent tool to the Shape Builder tool in Illustrator. Instead, you have to do multiple add and subtract shapes with the Path Editing tool at the top right of the UI
First, let's make a some shapes to shape the socket
Choose the polygon tool. Clicking anywhere, Polygon Tool: Click/Hold >
Shift >
Drag to make two hexagons with the polygon tool, first one that's 1 in. wide then one that's .75 in. Be sure to hold down the shift key to make the hexagon parallel to the artboard
Select the two hexagons and the top circle of the wrench
Selection Tool: Shift/Hold >
Click/Release hexagon object 1 >
Click/Release hexagon object 2 >
Click/Release circle object >
Release/Shift
Release the mouse, release the shift key, then click once on the top circle and release the mouse.
Selection Tool: Click/Release circle object
This makes the top circle the "key object"
Use the alignment tools to center everyone in the top circle
Selection Tool: Align Panel >
Click/Release Vertical Align Center >
Click/Release Horizontal Align Center
End result.
Taking advantage of Smart Guides, draw two rectangles that align with the outer anchor points of the two hexagons
Rectangle Tool: Click/Hold on "Anchor" SmartGuide at larger hexagon's leftmost anchor >
Drag up & right >
Snap to right side of larger hexagon >
Release
Rectangle Tool: Click/Hold on "Intersect" SmartGuide at smaller hexagon's leftmost anchor >
Drag up & right >
Snap to right side of smaller hexagon >
Release
Add a line to chop off the top of the wrench
Line Segment Tool: Click/Hold >
Shift >
Drag >
Release
Now start using the Shape Builder tool to subtract and combine shapes.
First, select the objects you want to build with.
Selection Tool: Click outside objects >
Drag rectangle over objects >
Release
Then, using the Shape Builder Tool with the alt/option key held down start subtracting parts
Shape Builder Tool: Alt/Option >
Click/Release >
Repeat Clicks
or
Shape Builder Tool: Alt/Option Click/hold >
Drag >
Release >
Repeat Drags
And finally, Shape Builder Tool: Click/Hold >
Drag to add parts together
Switch to the Selection tool
Click off to deselect the wrench head
Selection Tool: Click/Release on blank area of Artboard
Re-select the inner part of the wrench and give it some color
Shape Builder Tool: Click/Release inner wrench object >
Select color in Swatches panel >
Click on blank artboard
Use a polygon to cut a compound path (hole) out of the circle
Choose the polygon tool
Click in the center of the lower circle on the wrench when you see the smart guide say "center"
Click/Hold >
Drag
Use the Up/Down arrow keys to set the polygon to 6 sides
Hold down the shift key to align the polygon with the Artboard and size it to roughly .8 in.
Shift/Hold >
Drag >
Release (mouse and shift)
With the selection tool, select the polygon and the circle
Shift/Hold >
Click/Release on polygon >
Click/Release on circle
With the Pathfinder Panel, choose Minus Front or Exclude
Pathfinder Panel >
Click/Release Minus Front or Exclude
Double-click on the new object with the selection tool
Double-Click/Release
In Isolation Mode, shift-alt/option-drag the inner polygon to precisely size it
Click/Hold >
Shift/Hold >
Alt/Option/Hold >
Drag >
Release (all)
Exit Isolation Mode and tweak the dark gray rectangle wrench handle
Voila! The Wrench is complete!
There is no Pathfinder panel. Use the buttons a the top right of the UI.
Source: gears-steps.ai file
Start with a 4in by 5in Artboard
Draw a star shape with the Star tool and use the up/down arrow keys to give it 12 points. Make sure it's aligned to the Artboard by holding the Shift key.
Click/Hold >
Shift/Hold >
Drag >
Arrow Key (up or down to get 12 points) >
Control/Command/Hold >
Drag (to get desired pointyness) >
Release (all)
Draw a circle out from the center of the star
Click/Hold >
Alt/Option/Hold >
Shift/Hold >
Drag >
Release (all)
Select them both with a selection rectangle
Click/Hold >
Drag >
Release
Use the Unite button in the Pathfinder Panel
Pathfinder Panel >
Click/Release Unite
Action complete...
Draw another circle, a bit larger than the first
Click/Hold >
Alt/Option/Hold >
Shift/Hold >
Drag
Select the two objects and click the Intersect button
Click/Hold >
Drag >
Release
Pathfinder Panel >
Click/Release Intersect
Action complete...
Another way: Do it again, but with the Alt/Option key held down when you click on Merge
Pathfinder Panel >
Alt/Option/Hold >
Click/Release Intersect
Use Isolation Mode on the previous two version to see the difference it makes:
When no Alt/Option key, you can't edit the star shape in Isolation Mode
With the Alt/Option key, you can still edit the star shape
From the world of Bézier math, invented in 1962 by Pierre Bézier to design automobile bodies for Renault. Based, in part, on an old technique of drawing curves mechanically with long flexible rulers and anchors to hold the rulers at specific points to the drafting table.
Turn on the Grid and Snap to Grid
Menu >
View >
Show Grid, Menu >
View >
Snap to Grid
Choose the Path tool from the Tools Panel
Tool Panel >
Click/Release Path Tool
Click (but don't drag) a point.
Click/Release
Move the cursor over 1" and up 1" on the grid and click again (but don't drag)
Move >
Click/Release
Repeat to make a zigzag line
Move >
Click/Release >
Move >
Click/Release
Oops! It's a filled object.
Set the fill to none in the Control Panel
Switch to Selection Tool >
Click/Release path >
Click/Release Fill tab >
Click/Release No Fill Swatch
Start again and make a zig zag line
Click/Release >
Move >
Click/Release >
Move >
Click/Release
This time, let's click with the Pen Tool and drag
Shift-drag straight up 1 inch...
Click/Hold >
Drag
Then click 1 inch to the left and shift-drag 1 inch down...
Move >
Click/Hold >
Drag
Repeat, alternating up and down directions
Move >
Click/Hold >
Drag >
Move >
Click/Hold >
Drag, etc.
Now a set with shorter direction handles
Shift-drag up 1/2 inch...
Click/Hold >
Drag
Move >
Click/Hold >
Drag
Move >
Click/Hold >
Drag >
Move >
Click/Hold >
Drag, etc
Now a set with diagonal direction handles
Shift drag from the starting anchor point up and right 1 inch
Click/Hold >
Drag
A very different curve!
Click/Hold >
Drag >
Move >
Click/Hold >
Drag
Move >
Click/Hold >
Drag >
Move >
Click/Hold >
Drag, etc.
Now a set of shorter diagonal direction handles
Only 1/2 inch up and right this time
Click/Hold >
Drag
Move >
Click/Hold >
Drag
The paths-symmetry.ai has a few more variations – try them out!
It's an interesting exercise to make an ellipse with the path tool. It may help in getting a "feel" for how anchor points and direction handles work.
Start fresh
Make a new artboard or a new file, make sure Grid is on
Menu >
New >
New Document Dialog >
Size:Letter >
Click:OK
Menu >
View >
Show Grid
Draw a 2 inch circle with the ellipse tool, then another ellipse that 2 inches tall and 3 inches wide
Tool Panel >
Click/Hold Rectangle Toll until popup menu >
Drag to Ellipse Tool>
Release
Shift/Hold >
Click/Drag 2in left + 2in down >
Release
Shift/Hold >
Click/Drag 3in left + 2in down >
Release
Select both ellipses
Tool Panel >
Click/Release Selection Tool >
Shift/Hold >
Click/Release first circle/ Release Shift
Add some guides:
Menu >
View >
Guides >
Make Guides
Select them both and use Menu >
View >
Guides >
Make Guides to turn the ellipses into guides
Use the Path Tool to re-create the four anchor points and distance handles of Illustrator's Ellipse Basic Shape Tool
Start on the left side, drag up about 1/2 inch
Click on the top side, drag right about the same
Zoom in. Turn Snap to Grid off. Use the Direct Selection tool to tweak the handles until the curve matches the circle as closely as possible.
Choose Menu >
View >
Show Rulers.
Click on the top ruler and drag the cursor down. A horizontal line appears with the cursor. Drag down until you intersect the line with the end of the left-side anchor point's handle's top. Release.
Re-select the path so the handles show. Do the same from the left ruler and drag the cursor to the right. A vertical line appears, etc.
Use these new horizontal and vertical guides (and two additional guides) to align the other handles as you complete the circle.
NOTE: To continue a path, choose the path tool and bring the cursor to the end-anchor of the path you want to continue. You'll see this icon:
Use the same techniques to create the 2x3 ellipse
The "distance handle" controls the shape of the curve along with the anchor point. Let's examine how the length and angle of the handles affect the curve, and how the number of anchor points also affects it.
A basic rule of thumb:
The fewer anchor points, the smoother the curve
Make a new document or add a new artboard to the current doc
With Snap to Grid on, create a simple curve with 45º handles, 6 inches wide
Select it, then use Menu >
Object >
Transform >
Move...
And use the dialog to make a copy of it 1 inch down
The result
Repeat the move with Transform Again, or better yet, Control/Command-D, 3 times
Now select the 4 lower curves and convert them to Guides with
Menu >
View >
Guides >
Make Guides
Zoom into the top guide. Let's define a curve with three anchor points that fits the guide
Compare the original curve's two anchor points and handles to the new three anchor pointed curve's. Note that the two point curve has longer handles
Try with the next two curves with handles that are too long and too short
Try the last curve with a bunch of anchor points. Notice how much tweaking is required to make the curve look smooth.
End Anchor |
Every line has at least two anchors |
 |
Corner Anchor Point |
Has no handles Created with click-release |
 |
Smooth Anchor Point |
Has two handles, equidistant from the anchor, in alignment with each other Created with click-drag-release |
 |
Combination Smooth Anchor Point |
Smooth on both sides, with two handles, but handles are not aligned Created with click-drag-option/alt-drag-release |
 |
Combination Anchor Point |
Curved on one side, smooth on the other, with one handle for the smooth side Created by click-drag-release then click again on anchor |
 |
| Gesture | Result | |
| Click-release | Corner point |  |
| Click-drag-release | Smooth point |  |
| Click-spacebar or click-drag-spacebar followed by release | Moves point while spacebar is down, then fixes point on release |  |
| Click-drag then hold Alt/Option | De-couple handle from other handle |  |
| Click-drag-release then click-release on anchor point | Change leading handle to straight-line corner anchor |  |
| Click-drag-release then click-drag-release on anchor point | Change leading handle to straight-line corner anchor |  |
Truth is, I almost never can remember all of these. Instead, I just rough out the curves I want and go back in and edit them until I get the effect I want.
The source paths-tracing.ai paths-tracing.ai, and the source acanthusleaf.jpg file
Make a new doc
Choose Menu >
File >
Place
Place the acanthusleaf.jpg file in the middle of the artboard
Use the opacity slider in the Control Panel to set the opacity to 50%
Use the Layers Panel to lock the acanthus leaf image
Start tracing the leaf with as few anchor points as possible. Just rough it out, we'll refine it later. The key is to look for the outer edges of curves and drag out a handle that's tangent to the curve
Remember tangents from Geometry? Here's a refresher:
A tangent line is a line which sits perpendicular (at a right angle) to the point on a curve
And so on... the only way to really demo this is to show it live. Here's the resulting file (paths-tracing.ai).
The most important properties:
Anatomy of a Character @ ITCfonts
Font's can be broken down into various categories or classifications. Many individual fonts can overlap classifications, like Sans Serif and Decorative, but by and large, most fonts can be classified based on their history.
For more information on typographic history as applied to classifications, here is an excellent website on the subject.
Other examples:
Caslon, Hoefler, Times New Roman, Jenson, Kennerley, Centaur, Stempel Schneidler, Verona, Lynton
Based on letters drawn with a pen by monks.
Other examples: ITC Century, ITC Zapf International
18th Century, transitioning from Old Style to Modern. More pure geometric form, conforming to the ideals of the Enlightenment.
Other examples:
Didot, Walbaum, Century Schoolbook
Advances in printing technology in the late 18th and early 19th centuries make it possible to have thinner elements.
Other examples: Grotesque, Franklin Gothic, Univers (not Universal as in the book), Futura
Early 19th century invention. Uber category for any font without serifs.
Oddly, there's a resurgence of interest in Blackletter in Hawaiian surf-oriented design.
Other examples: Old English, Schwabacher, Gotisch
Based on 13th century medieval manuscript letter-forms. Sometimes called Gothic.
Despite being really hard to read, the Nazi's loved it because it harkened back to their supposed Arian roots.
Other examples: Brush Script, Shelley Script, Snell Roundhand
Based on calligraphy and handwriting. Trending high right now.
Other examples: Aachen, Blackoak, Ironwood, ITC Machine
Designed for use in larger sizes. Used primarily for headlines and titles. Avoid for use a body copy (text type)
Example font: Helvetica Family
1pt 2pt 3pt 4pt 5pt 6pt 7pt 8pt 9pt 10pt 11pt 12pt 13pt 14pt 15pt 16pt 17pt 18pt 19pt 20pt 21pt 22pt 23pt 24pt 25pt 26pt 27pt 28pt 29pt 30pt 31pt 32pt 33pt 34pt 35pt 36pt 37pt 38pt 39pt 40pt 41pt 42pt 43pt 44pt 45pt 46pt 47pt 48pt 49pt 50pt 51pt 52pt 53pt 54pt 55pt 56pt 57pt 58pt 59pt 60pt 61pt 62pt 63pt 64pt 65pt 66pt 67pt 68pt 69pt 70pt 71pt 72pt
This is normal spacing
AB - Two letters with wide kerning
AB - Two letters with negative kerning
Sentence with wide tracking
Sentence with negative tracking
This is 12pt leading for a 12pt block of type. A little too tight, I think. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Suspendisse eget diam. Morbi in risus. Morbi nibh. Sed cursus urna. Nunc vitae nisl eu arcu vulputate pharetra. Nullam euismod.
This is normal leading for a 12pt block of type, which is usually about 14.4pts. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Suspendisse eget diam. Morbi in risus. Morbi nibh. Sed cursus urna. Nunc vitae nisl eu arcu vulputate pharetra. Nullam euismod.
This is 16pt leading for a 12pt block of type. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Suspendisse eget diam. Morbi in risus. Morbi nibh. Sed cursus urna. Nunc vitae nisl eu arcu vulputate pharetra. Nullam euismod.
This is 18pt leading for a 12pt block of type. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Suspendisse eget diam. Morbi in risus. Morbi nibh. Sed cursus urna. Nunc vitae nisl eu arcu vulputate pharetra. Nullam euismod.
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This paragraph is aligned right. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Suspendisse eget diam. Morbi in risus. Morbi nibh. Sed cursus urna. Nunc vitae nisl eu arcu vulputate pharetra. Nullam euismod. Fusce pharetra. Aliquam non ante. Ut porta, neque at porta viverra, eros nulla sollicitudin sapien, sed tempus tellus risus, vivamus sed.
This paragraph is aligned center. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Suspendisse eget diam. Morbi in risus. Morbi nibh. Sed cursus urna. Nunc vitae nisl eu arcu vulputate pharetra. Nullam euismod. Fusce pharetra. Aliquam non ante. Ut porta, neque at porta viverra, eros nulla sollicitudin sapien, sed tempus tellus risus, vivamus sed.
This paragraph is aligned justified. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Suspendisse eget diam. Morbi in risus. Morbi nibh. Sed cursus urna. Nunc vitae nisl eu arcu vulputate pharetra. Nullam euismod. Fusce pharetra. Aliquam non ante. Ut porta, neque at porta viverra, eros nulla sollicitudin sapien, sed tempus tellus risus, vivamus sed.
Rivers
Orphans
Widows
10 minute Semiotics lesson on YouTube
A logo should be immediately identifiable for what it is, aka "branding"
A logotype is a uniquely set and arranged typeface. Some examples:
Logos and Logotypes are frequently paired together to make up a company ID
Menu > Type > Create Outlines
Let's talk about Sketching for design and illustration!
Always sketch out the bounding rectangle of your design!
Demo... example file
Here's a good beginner's guide
Demo...
Normal text cursor
Text cursor over a closed shape
Text cursor over an open path
Area Type Tool
Path Type Tool
Demo... example file
Uses very small and hard to see cursors to indicate editing mode:
Adjust Type on Path: Left Margin
Adjust Type on Path: Right Margin
Adjust Type on Path: Center Align and Flip Sides
NOTE: There is a bug in Illustrator CC that will sometimes cause this to fail. I'm still working on figuring out how to reproduce this bug reliably, and in the meantime if you run into it, convert your text to outlines instead of using this technique.
After youv'e created the text object, select it with the Selection tool.
Open the Appearance Panel (Menu > Window > Appearance). Note that the layer 'Characters' is highlightd in the panel.
This will add a stroke (and an empty fill) above the Characters layer.
From the Stroke layer, pick a color...
Then set the stroke to twice as wide as you want it to be.
Click on the Stroke layer and drag it down to below the Characters layer.
Release and the stroke is now behind the text. And, the text is still editable!
Here's some variations on what you can do with adding strokes to text through the appearance panel...(strokes02.ai)
Stroke Help Link: http:/help.adobe.com/en_US/illustrator/cs/using/WSA1E31D7D-13E6-41ac-AA8C-4AD129B9FC1Ca.html
Every non-bitmapped object in Illustrator has a path with some kind of "stroke" and "fill" (even if it's "no stroke" and "no fill")
An open path is any path with with a beginning and ending set of anchors that aren't connected to each other.
A closed path is any path in which all the anchors are connected to other anchors on both sides.
The stroke window gives control over the general aspects of a stroke, such as:
No Cap
Round Cap
Square Cap
Miter Join (default)
Round Join
Bevel Join
Corner miters control the appearance of to path segments coming together at a corner. The limit value ranges from 0 to 500, with 0 giving a chopped-off appearance to the miter (technically know as a chamfered edge), and a high value giving a pointed connection, much like the miter made by a carpenter on a wooden frame.
1 will make any angle corner a bevel
2 will turn 90° into a miter (or round) join
3 will turn 45° into a miter (or round) join
Greater than 3 will set more acute angles to miter (or round) joins
Very acute angles may need numbers over 10
500 is an outrageously high number, mostly you're less then 10. Sometimes you need a big number for curves coming together into a point:
189 limit for this example
Centered (default)
Inside
Outside
12pt dash (default). No value for the gap matches the dash size.
You can make up to 3 dash and gap sizes that repeat
Labeled Preserves exact dash and gap lengths
can lead to misaligned corners and sides. Useful mostly for open objects
Labeled Aligns dashes to corners and path ends, adjusting lengths to fit
keeps corners and side looking neat. This used to be really hard to do by hand. Added in CS 4 or 5
Handy for charts, graphics and technical illustrations.
The Width tool in the Toolbar lets you modify the width of a stroke at any point on a path.
You can change the width of a stroke at any point along the stroke with the Width Tool
And you can put gradients on paths
Use the gradient panel to control the way the stroke works on the path:
Linear gradient aligned within the stroke
Linear gradient aligned within stroke and rotated
Radial gradient aligned within the stroke
Linear Gradient along stroke
Linear Gradient across stroke
Fun with path gradients:
Get one from the Library
stylus
Makes editable paths similar to the Pen tool (demo)
vs.
The Brushes Panel
Same path, different brush
Load brushes from the popup menu in the lower left of the brushes panel
Click on the above to see at full size. NOTE: Even though they're listed here, you're not allowed to use them in this class! However, you're welcome to build your own.
Illustrator has five categories of brushes, which you'll see when you choose Create New Brush
from the brush panel. Each brush category has its own dialog to control its behavior.
Calligraphic brushes are based on elliptical shapes of various sizes. You can use a graphics tablet to vary the Angle, Roundness, and/or Size of the brush based on the pressure applied to the stylus (but don't forget to set the variability or it won't work).
Art brushes are made from existing vector graphics. Setup is fairly complicated, we'll look at some examples later in the semester.
In fact, brush design is hard. We'll cover more on custom brushes later...
Paint Brush makes editable paths without fills and strokes defined by Brushes
Blob makes contiguous areas of color with fills and invisible strokes
Double-Click the tool icon to access
With the Width
tool
Since the Paint Brush tool makes only strokes/paths without fills, it's often useful to turn it into an object whose outer visual boundary is a stroke and interior is a fill.
Use Menu>Object>Expand Appearance
Hand-drawn thing from paintbrush tool
Thing expanded into filled objects with no stroke
Thing filled with Live Paint after being converted to Live Paint object with Menu > Object > Live Paint > Make
For interesting effects!
13point star, radius 1 .8 in, radius 2 .25 in. 2pt stroke. Rotate each about 18.85 degrees (13/360/2) and scale down
First, create an object, or group of objects (without gradients, brushes or other fancy stuff)
Choose New Brush from the bottom of the Brush Panel
Set some settings, we can tweak latter...
The Scatter Star brush applied to a star
Scatter Star applied to a paintbrush path with pressure controlling size
Object to trace with curvature tool (right click to download)
Borrowed from 'Yes I'm a Designer' YouTube
| Gesture | Result |
| First click/release | Drop and anchor for start of curvature line |
| Following clicks/releases | Draw a curved line from previous anchor and drop a smooth anchor |
| Following clicks/drags | Create a moving smooth anchor. Releasing the mouse drops the anchor |
| Option/Alt click/release or double-click/release | Drop a corner anchor |
| Esc | Stop drawing line |
| Click/drag on an existing line segment | Add a smooth anchor to that point. Drops the anchor on release. |
| Option/Alt click/release or double-click/release on existing anchor | Convert the anchor from smooth to corner or visa versa |
An image separated into its component cyan, yellow, magenta, and black plates
Beyond the CMYK inks, there are also solid color cans of ink in a color system called Pantone Matching System (PMS)
PMS colors are chosen from a color book, which also is represented in Illustrator
Our Tattoo assignment is in CMYK with PMS colors
You need to drag colors from the Pantone Color Book (Solid Coated) over to your document's color swatches panel. You get to the Pantone Color book through the menu in the lower left corner of the Swatches panel.
The color's needed are black and white, plus:
CMYK represents 4 colors of ink, printed on top of each other at angles (0°, 15°, 45°, 75°) to create different colors: 
Double-click a swatch for it's options dialog
Note the Color Type: Process Color
Note the Color Mode: CMYK
A word about CMYK vs. Spot color and the "Global" setting
Use the Create New Swatch menu item in the Color Panel, or the Create New Swatch button in the Swatch Panel. Set the Color panel to Show Options to view sliders.
Mix with the slider (which is kind of clunky)
Mix with the rainbow thingy in the Color Panel (also kind of clunky)
Use the Color Guide (more on this next time...)
Color basics: HSB = Hue, Saturation, Brightness
Use the H S B radio buttons to pick which color aspect you want to change in the vertical bar next to the buttons
Hue selected (in Degrees out of 360°)
Saturation selected (in percent out of 100%)
Brightness selected
The color picker will let you choose colors that can't be printed with CMYK inks. A warning icon will appear next to the color when you pick an illegal color
We see colors with lightwaves. When white light (which contains all colors of light - remember prisms and rainbows and Newton?) hits a red colored object, that object absorbs all the non-red colors of light and reflects only the red lightwaves. Our eyes can see a set of colors in what's called the Visible Spectrum. Certain media, like CMYK printing, can only create a limited subset of all the possible colors we can see. This subset is called a "Gamut"
When you go outside the gamut that CMYK can reproduce, Illustrator will tell you with that little ! icon
This is a graph of different gamuts
It matters because if you do something that looks great on-screen but is out of the CMYK gamut, you'll be really disappointed when it gets printed (and your client might refuse to pay you and you probably also get stuck with the printing bill).
Swatches can be organized in Color Groups through the Add Color Group button
Drag a swatch to move it into a group
Watch out! Dragging from one group or the default colors moves that color without leaving a copy behind. To create a separate swatch of the same color in a group, click the swatch you want to copy, then drag if from the Color Panels color tab
Drag a color tab into a group
(make new example on the fly)
Create a new group with a selection and Add Color Group yields:
Linear
Radial
Linear Gradient Angle
Radial Gradient Angle and Aspect Ratio
Double-click on a tab to edit a color
Click below gradient band to add a new tab, click on an existing tab and drag it off the panel to delete it.
You can adjust the position of the tabs
Adjust the center point of the point-to-point spread of the gradient
Adjust the Opacity of a color tab
And Strokes can have gradients too!
The gradient tool doesn't work with gradients in strokes, but you can use the Angle to set the stroke, or use Menu > Object > Expand with only strokes, then select the fill in the appearance panel
It's easy to mess up transparency in a gradient by making the transparent color different than the solid color. They should be the same.
The right way: black to black to black gradient, with the center black at 0% opacity
The wrong way: black to white to black gradient
Only 2 years old, Freeform Gradients use points and/or lines to allow customization of a gradient within a shape.
To apply a freeform gradient to a shape:
The Gradient tool will be selected and points will appear on the shape icon for Freeform Gradient Color Steps (the number of default points varies by shape). Each point represents a color stop in the gradient. The colors will automatically blend from point to point, point to line, and or line to line within the shape.
Freeform gradients can also be set using lines.
The points in a line can be moved, added, deleted, and have their color and opacity set using the same steps as above.
Freeform gradients can be made using a combination of points and lines. Just click POINT or LINE in the gradient panel to switch between them. When finished, switch to another tool to set the gradient. To edit the gradient later, select the shape then either switch to the Gradient tool or click EDIT GRADIENT in the Gradient panel.
Blend sample blends.ai file
The Blend Tool
Look out for strokes with blending filled objects...
Blending objects generates a path that can be edited
Blends the stroke, fill and shape two or more objects together
Three shapes blended. Note unpredictable transition between anchors
It can make a difference where you click with the blend tool
Blended Gradients
Blended Spiral Paths
Blended Paths
Blended stars on straight path with Menu > Object > Blend > Replaced Spline
Very important feature!
Leftover tool from Adobe Flash/Animate (circa 1993) originally developed for the Apple Newton. Turns objects roughlty drawn as ellipses and rects into acutal ellipses and rects. Really utterly useless...
Like a cheaper version of the Brush tool. Has no adjustability for Accurate vs Smooth and won't use brush shapes, only stroke widths.
Takes the currently selected path and sort of massages areas into being smoother. Really hard to predict how it will work. It's usually better to use Object > Path > Simplify (although it affects the entire path and not just a portion of it). There are also extensions to Illustrator that do this much better (like Astute Graphics VectorScribe).
Erases part of a selected path. You have to drag along the actual path for it to work. Similar to the Eraser tool, but the Eraser tool will erase part of a closed-path object and keep the path closed, while the path eraser will turn the path into an open path or paths. The Eraser tool also has an adjustable size, while the Path Eraser tool is just a small point.
Circle with Path Eraser tool used on two sections.
Circle with Eraser tool drawn across it. Creates two closed paths with a gap between the size of the Eraser.
Circle with Scissor tool touched on right and left parts of the path, then moved down. Note that the path does not need to be selected.
Circle cut with Knife tool, then moved down. It creates two closed paths with no gap between the two parts.
Takes two paths and connects them together. Works best with overlapping paths. If you have two open paths that don't overlap, it's better to select the two points with the Direct Selection tool and use Menu > Objects > Path > Join.
Demo... example file
Go to the preferences panel and change General > Keyboard Increment to 0.0005 (you can go as low as .0001)
Make a square and use it as a measuring device.
Any set of attributes you apply to an object, as seen in the Appearance Panel, can be saved as a style and applied to other objects
Select the object you want to create a style from
Click on the Create New Style button in the Graphic Styles panel
Then select the object you want to apply the style to and click on the style in the Graphic Styles panel
Practical Scatterbrush (practical_scatterbrush.ai)
Practical Pattern Brush
More here and on the web
Tip: Use grouping to keep things from piling up on one another, then ungroup (if you need to)
Great slide shows: Everything you know about color is wrong...
I'm still trying to figure out Adobe Color Harmony Rules, but here's a few:
Color Harmonies: Analagous (source .ai file)
Color Harmonies: Complementary
Color Harmonies: Pentagram
Color Harmonies: Shades & Tints
Color Harmonies: Tetrad
Color Harmonies: Triad
Recolor images_4recolor.ai"
Recolor frank_04.ai
Select one of the samples
Click on the “Recolor Artwork” button in the control panel
The Recolor Artwork dialog
First things first:
Click on the eyedropper icon to get the colors from the original art
Click on the file icon to make those colors a color group. This helps if you need to return to the original colors later on
Randomly change color order button
Randomly change saturation and brightness
Find colors in your artwork, with the idea of locking them out or doing special processing on them
Select a color and click this button to lock it out from being recolored
You can globally adjust colors too (very similar to the next process of Editing with locked harmonies)
Saturation
Brightness vs. Luminosity: I have no idea what the difference is. There is no consensus regarding this in the literature. It is likely a trick of mathematics in the way the R G and B values are calculated. They do look different. I thinks it's about luminosity maintaining saturation better than brightness.
Temperature: The only place (true for the previous as well) used in Illustrator. Warm vs Cool, basically
You can apply color harmonies to your existing colors as well
Choose Edit at the top of the dialog
To maintain the color relationships, choose "Link harmony colors"
Let's walk through the options...
Save sets of colors you like
There used to be more of these but, unbelievably, Adobe pulled them down.
Recoloring Artwork Illustrator How-To
Recolor Artwork YouTube Tutorials
Illustrator CS6: Recolor Artwork Menu on YouTube from ZNGGraphicDesign
Has same set of Color Harmony rules as Illustrator, but individual colors are really easy to edit and adjust.
Sign in with Adobe ID to save color sets or do a screen capture and sample colors with eyedropper tool.
Save the color set with .
Once saved, it will show up in the Adobe Color Themes panel in Illustrator
Curved sections of the neck on some bottles can be tricky. Hold your pen still with one hand and rotate the bottle with your other hand
It's handy to put the place image into a Clipping Mask and set the opacity back, then lock the layer.
You will be graded on how well you design works on your specific bottle. Keep in mind that bottles are stacked next to each other on the store shelf, so the text and artwork on the bottle must be readable from the front - don't make the mistake of wrapping your artwork too far around the bottle to be read.
Sample File
This type of gradient was really hard to do before!
Why its better to stroke a shape than scale it (sometimes) (stroke_vs_scale.ai)
Powerful, tricky to use. Not worth our time to try and figure out for the results. If you really want good 3D, use Maya. Although, you it can be useful for some things:
source: pineapple_steps.ai
pineapple.ai
I have no idea why these exist. I managed to find a tutorial for a very edge-condition kind of trick, but really, who needs it?
Make crop marks for cutting a rectangle containing the selected object. Useful for preparing camera-ready artwork or cutting a printed object out.
Sample file fx_transform-2.ai
Transform... (transformed.ai)
Similar functions on multiple objects as the Pathfinder Window, plus a few unique ones which only work on grouped objects:
Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) is a method of using vector graphics on the web as a file format. Cool stuff, but it's really about the saving something in an .svg file. The filters work in that format for use on the web.
Actual SVG graphic in a browser
<img src="http://www.khazar.com/star-blur.svg" />
SVG Code for Blurry Starr
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<!-- Generator: Adobe Illustrator 23.0.0, SVG Export Plug-In . SVG Version: 6.00 Build 0) -->
<svg
version="1.1" id="Layer_1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" x="0px" y="0px"
viewBox="0 0 100 100"
style="enable-background:new 0 0 100 100;"
xml:space="preserve">
<filter id="AI_GaussianBlur_4">
<feGaussianBlur stdDeviation="4"></feGaussianBlur>
</filter>
<symbol id="star" viewBox="-67.74 -64.42 135.48 128.85">
<linearGradient
id="SVGID_1_" gradientUnits="userSpaceOnUse"
x1="0" y1="55.6988"
x2="7.294410e-15" y2="-63.428">
<stop offset="0" style="stop-color:#F9ED32"/>
<stop offset="1" style="stop-color:#BE1E2D"/>
</linearGradient>
<polygon
style="fill:url(#SVGID_1_);
stroke:#2E3192;
stroke-width:5;
stroke-miterlimit:10;"
points="0,56.42 14.31,12.9 60.13,12.74 23.16,-14.33 37.16,-57.95 0,
-31.15 -37.16, -57.95 -23.16,-14.33 -60.13,12.74 -14.31,12.9 "/>
</symbol>
<use xlink:href="#star"
width="135.48" height="128.85"
x="-67.74" y="-64.42"
transform="matrix(0.6147 0 0 -0.6147 50 49.5171)"
style="overflow:visible;
filter:url(#AI_GaussianBlur_4);"/>
</svg>
Use the Warp Effects under Menu > Effect > Warp... or in the Appearance Panel's Fx popup menu
Hint: Hide Edges first with Menu > View > Hide Edges
Illustrator is a terrible painting tool. Sure it has a paint brush, but that doesn't mean you should use it. This is a tedious way to paint and can make for buggy files that crash and take forever to save. And, if you don't use a graphics tablet, really hard to get the results you'd get with real paint on real paper.
Here's a sample case: RomeroA_assignment2-jk3.ai
Our current project requires 1/8 inch bleed. This is required wherever ink touches the edge of the final label!
Create a new doc the size of your main label:
In the "Bleed" section, set it to .125 in.
3in x 4in artboard with .125in bleed
(The red line)
Be certain that any artwork that goes the the edge of the label/artboard, goes past the edge to the red bleed line.
Now, to make an artboard for the bottle cap. Illustrator can't do non-rectangular artboards, so you have to adapt a square artboard with a circular guide or guides to indicate the edge of the cut and artwork.
Choose the Artboard Tool near the bottom of the Tools panel
Draw out a new artboard roughly the right size (I'm targeting .75in)
While still in the Artboard tool, with the new artboard selected, enter the size in the Control Panel at the top of the screen
Draw a circle of solid color (remember, the cap is two colors, a background color drawn here, and a color fo the logo) centered and out to the bleed line
Draw another circle centered and out to edge of the artboard
With the circle still selected, choose
Menu > View > Guides > Make Guides
This turns the circle into a guide that accurately shows the edge of the printed bottle cap. Create your artwork for the cap taking the guide's edges into account.
Add your artwork. Remember that with the background is one solid color and the artwork is another, solid, color.
Die cuts are special dies (a kind of special shaped knife) used to create non-rectangular print jobs. Here's a company that specializes in die cut stickers, Sticker Robot.
Say you want a label that looks like this
But this art doesn't include a bleed for the die to cut into
Take the bits that go past the edge of the cut and make a copy of them and paste in place. Then add a .25in stroke to the objects (enter the "in" as part of the measurement). This centers a 1/4 inch stroke so 1/8 inch goes past the edge of the cut line. Then move the stroked objects to the back of the layers.
The artwork with correct bleed.
Bleed shown with gray pattern
With thanks to Mr. Brian Yee
Based on Satori Graphics YouTube Video
Powerful, tricky to use.
Main gotcha: don't use strokes, they won't render predictably
If you really want good 3D, use Maya or some other 3D application.
Source: 3dexrude01.ai
Source: pineapple-steps.ai
Source: bottle_label-steps.ai
Source: 3drotate01.ai
Source: perspective_label.ai
Can be a little flakey, especially with strokes
Organizing your layers (Tomasi) akimeta_organized.ai
Neating up for client presentation moonshine_coaster.ai
And last but not least, how to make a cow nose (Joelle) cow_nose2.ai
A personal set of images in Illustrator based on mosaic medallions in the ceiling of the Chora Church, Istanbul, Turkey ( my photos)
chora_medallion_a.ai
chora_medallion_b.ai
chora_medallion_c.ai
chora_medallion_d.ai
chora_medallion_e.ai
Banners are kind of tricky. Here's one way...banners01.ai
Download pinocchio.ai
Brand new functions in Illustrator. Mirror kind of replaces Reflect tool. There's a good YouTube video on it here
It's an object that can be edited in Isolation mode (very powerful). And, unlike Blend, the options are available in the Properties Panel.
CAVEAT: The Grid repeat feels like a pattern, but it isn't a pattern. You can't save it in the Swatches panel or export it.
May come in handy for your poster.
Remember that it's important not to make any bitmap image in your file less the 72dpi. Here's a demo
72dpi image download
240dpi image download
One Artboard, 11inches wide by 17 inches tall with 1/4inche margin (Spec)
3dlettering01.ai
Taken from a great youtube video channel, creatnprocess
Works better with 3D "Classic"
