Some examples of bitmap stuff

Photography

Blurry images

Noisy or grainy images

Images with lots of texture

Computer Graphics Images (CGI) or 3D images

The Tools Panel

Grouped by related function

Selection

Creation

Transformation

More Transformation

Useless Gadgets

Document Tools

Stroke/Fill Colors

Fill Types

Draw Modes

Screen Modes

The Control Panel

A context sensitive display of everything that can be controlled for the current item from the Tools Panel

The Panels Panel

Pick your poison from the Workspace menu: Essentials

Grouped
Popup inpidually from collapsed view or expand to wide view
Adjust the overall width and the grouped height
Reorganize-able and save-able configurations
When lost, choose another configuration, the re-choose Essentials. I suggest you leave them alone for now…
Panel Options in the upper right corner of each panel group.

Changing the view of artwork

From the View Menu

With the Zoom Tool

Scrolling

The Navigator Panel

Working with Multiple Documents

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.

Selecting & Aligning

The Selection Tool Gallery

Selection Tool (V)

Direct Selection Tool (A)

Magic Wand Tool (Y)

Lasso Tool (Q)

Using the Selection Tools

Single click to select one object
Shift-click for multiple objects
Click-drag over an area to select all the objects in the dragged area

Selection Tool (V)

Single click on an object to select it.

Direct Selection Tool (A)

Selects only the control point directly clicked on or within the dragged area
Allows direct manipulation of control points

Group
selection tool

Selects objects within groups

Magic Wand
selection tool

Selects all objects with similar attributes

Lasso
selection tool

Selects multiple control points

Layers Panel
selection gesture

Select with the Layers Panel
Double circle shows object as selected
Blue tint on layer shows layer as current layer but not current selection
Colored box in layer shows object selected in that layer

One more thing...

Isolation Mode!

So cool!
Drills down into groups and make them editable

Moving, Scaling and Rotating permalink

Illustrator loves modification keys:
Shift, Command/Control, Option/Alt

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

printable table

Aligning

Note: If you don't see the bounding box, turn it back on under Menu > View > Show Bounding Box.

Check out "Show Options" from the little menu in the upper right)

Select some objects, default alignment is to the selection's rectangle.

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

Distributing

Distribute the distance between objects

Target what alignment is relative to

Create a Screwdriver document

Create a new document

Menu > File > New
Check that it's set to Size: Letter and Orientation: Vertical
Click OK

Setup the environment

Menu > Window > Workspace > Essentials
Expand the right panels with the little triangles in the upper right

Tear-off basic shape tools by clicking the tab on the right side

Setup the environment

Menu > Window > Workspace > Essentials
Expand the right panels with the little triangles in the upper right

Let's use Grids and Inches

Set General units to inches in
Menu > Illustrator > Preferences > Units... (MAC)
Menu > Edit > Preferences > Units... (WIN)

Set to General:Inches, Stroke: Points, Type: Points.

Check grid setting in Menu > Illustrator > Preferences > Guides & Grid...

Grid > Gridline every: 1 in
Grid > Subdivisions: 8

Show and Snap To Grid

Menu > View > Show Grid
Menu > View > Snap to Grid

Choose Menu > Window > Info

Info panel showing width, height and x/y location

Create the Handle

Draw a rectangle, .75 inches wide by 2.5 inches high

Check it with the Control Panel or Info Window (Menu > Window > Info) to check for the correct size (w: .75, h: 2.5)

Deselect Snap to Grid
Let's use smart guides

A word about smart guides
NOTE: Smart guides won't work when Snap to Grid is on
Set smart guide colors in preferences to Medium Blue (light green is too hard to see on our projector)

Smart Guide Preferences: Choose medium blue

Make sure smart guides are on (Menu > View > Smart Guides)
Zoom in

Draw a new rectangle with the same centerpoint (smart guide will say &"center&") that is the same height and around 1.5 inches wide.
Hold down the option/alt key to keep it centered.

Send new rectangle to back

A word about stacking order
Check out the Layers Panel
Menu > Object > Arrange > Send to Back or
Control-Click / Right-mouse button > popupmenu or Shift-Command/Control-[ (left bracket)

Make a rounded rectangle

Choose tool
Click (but don't drag) on the lower left anchor point of the rectangle we just drew

Rounded Rectangle Dialog: set to 1.5in by .5in with .25 corner radius

A dialog will appear – set it to:

1.5 in wide
.5 in high
.25 corner radius
Click OK

Switch to selection tool

Shift-click-drag up until center matches the base of the rectangles

Menu > Object > Arrange > Send to back

Duplicate with Copy and Paste in Place and move the new rounded-rect to the top

Move center of new rounded-rect to bottom of old rounded-rect

Squish rounded rect horizontally

Select rounded rect and get ready to squish horizontally

Sequence of gestures matters!

With Selection tool, click to select. Option-click on left side center handle to reduce width
Watch the hints from Smart Guides

Menu > Object > Arrange > Send to back

Make the top end of the handle

Ellipse drawn for back of handle, sent to back

Draw a 1.5 in by 1 in ellipse. Watch the smart guides and the tooltip grey thingy
Send it to the back too

Group it

Screwdriver handle selected for grouping

Menu > Select > Select All

Screwdriver handle grouped, showing change in Layers panel

Menu > Object > Group or
Option-click / Right-mouse button > Group or
Command/Control-G
Observe the Layers Panel
Thoughts on Grouping

Make the Screwdriver Head

Choose the polygon tool
Start centered over the handle
Use the down arrow key on the keyboard to set the
number of sides of the polygon to 3
Hold down the shift key to constrain the of the triangles "levelness"

.25 inch triangle (3 sided polygon) drawn at bottom of handle

Make it about .25 inches high

Switch to the select tool, then use shift-constrained corner handle to rotate it 180 degrees (pointing down)
Shift-drag the handle about 2.5 inches below the handle
OR double-click on the Rotate tool to bring up a dialog and set it through there.

With the triangle selected, double-click the Rotate tool and enter "180" degrees.
With the triangle still selected, switch to Draw Inside mode

Note the change in the object's selection rectangle

Select the Ellipse Tool, and draw a centered ellipse about 0.1 inch wide which touched the top of the triangle

Switch out of Draw Inside mode by selecting the Draw Normal icon
Make the screwdriver shaft from head to handle

Choose the rectangle tool
Move the cursor over the triangle's center until it says "intersect"

Click-option-drag until a rectangle snaps to the width of the triangle
Choose the select tool

Move the square up to above the triangle

Click-shift-drag until the bottom of the rectangle aligns with the top of the triangle

Drag the top of the rect up until it gets to the handle

Click-drag the top center handle up to the bottom of the screwdriver handle

Tweaks

Ugly points sticking out of triangle and rect

Tweak the corner style of the triangle and shaft to eliminate the points with Stroke Panel: Round Join

Stroke corner style changed to get rid of corner points

Make the screw-head

Draw an ellipse about .6 in wide by .3 in high

With the Direct Select tool, chose only the bottom anchor point of the ellipse.

Menu: Edit: Copy
Menu: Edit: Paste in Front

Choose Selection tool
Drag the 1/2 ellipse down by about .1 inch

Choose the Line Segment tool
Draw a line from the left edge of the lower 1/2 ellipse up to the top ellipse, then the same for the right side.
Shift-drag each time and use smart guides to align to anchor points
Choose direct selection tool

Drag select the end anchor point of the left line and left edge of the 1/2 ellipse

Choose "Connect selected end points" button from the Control Panel, then OK
Do the same for the right side

With the direct selection tool, shift-select the two endpoints of the right and left lines

When connecting these endpoints the same way, there's a problem! The trick is to use the Layers panel and lock the top elipse, then do the join.
Fill the shape with light grey
Arrange > Send to back

Group the screwtop

Add a star shape to the top of the screw

Choose the star tool
Click in the center of the screw top and shift-drag to the left.
Use the down arrow key to reduce the number of points on the star to four
Use the command/control keys to adjust the ratio of the star point to the center diameter.
Release
Choose the Selection tool
Option/Alt drag the right side handle to widen the star

When done, group the whole thing and center it to the artboard

Completed Illustrator file: screwdriver-complete.ai.zip

Class 2: Introduction to Illustrator I, Selection, Alignment & Shape Creation

Types of Graphics: Vector vs. Bitmaps Review

Some examples of vector type stuff

What is a Raster Image (aka Bitmap)?

Some examples of bitmap stuff

Now, to add to the confusion!

A First-Look Tour

The User Interface (UI)

The Tools Panel

The Control Panel

The Panels Panel

Changing the view of artwork

Good Videos to know about

Adobe Tutorials

Adobe Help: helpx.adobe.com/illustrator

Artboards (from traditional media)

Working with Multiple Documents