Show/Hide Illustrator Rulers

illustratorOverviewNewV1.doc rev 02/20/2013

Objectives:

·  Show/Hide Illustrator rulers

·  Choose between process and spot colors

·  Define gamut

·  Locate and use a panel menu

·  Be able to determine the most appropriate method for creating rectangles and ellipses.

·  Creating a perfect square/circle

·  Use the Fill and Stroke tools

·  Apply a Stacking Order

·  Define and use gradients

·  Using Pathfinder

·  State when to use the Selection tool versus Direct Selection tool

·  Define paths and anchor points

·  Adding additional anchor points to an object

·  Using the Direct select tool to modify a part of shape.

·  Using the transform panel

·  Blends

Before we start Illustrator:

·  Download the Illustrator and Photoshop assets (.zip) from the class site and save to your JMA501 Images folder and finally unzip it (into JMA501>Images)

Illustrator Overview

How does it Work

We use it to create vector graphics--

·  Can resize without losing quality

·  Place dots (anchor points)

·  Connect the dots with paths : lines or curves

·  The paths create shapes

Versus a program like Photoshop:

·  We use various tools to create the shapes, and then fill inside the shapes with colors, patterns, or gradients and maybe add a stroke (a border) to the shape

·  Once we have anchor points, can fill the resulting areas, push, pull the anchor points (White arrow...direct select) and the paths to change the shapes

·  Start Illustrator and set units to inches, Landscape to better fit monitor aspect ratio (W/H)

·  Save as overview.ai inside InClass/Illustrator

·  Click OK.

Change toolbox to two columns, rather than one…personal preference: click tiny double-arrow top left:

·  What you see is the artboard (drawing area)

The document (page) has a canvas area also----store stuff there for later use, 220” or so in each direction

Can have multiple artboards in a given document, each a different size, orientation)

·  Change workspace to Essentials, or reset Essentials by clicking that

Condenses panels on the right to become icons…swatches for example

Can click to show swatches as in a panel, or shrink to an icon:

Small double-arrow to show again as an icon:

What if I can’t find the artboard?

Setup for today:

·  Open the Swatches panel

·  Open the Transform panel (Window>Transform)

·  View>Smartguides

The Swatches panel shows the available colors, gradients, and patterns.You can add additional ones from built-in libraries, or “mix your own” colors. Use the colors to fill in shapes you create + stroke colors

·  Smartguides provide location information

·  The Transform panel is used to precisely place and size objects, also use to rotate objects

Panel Menus and Color Management

The Swatches panel, like most panels, has a panel menu…small arrow in upper right

Panel Menu Example

Adding a new swatch library member (additional colors)

·  Click upper right corner, just below the “x” , down arrow

·  Choose Open Swatch Library, to add more colors

·  Choose a library from the list (They are groups of additional related colors)

I chose Nature>Foliage

They are colors that “go together”, like Adobe Kuler themes

Process Colors versus Spot Colors

·  As you plan your project, you’ll need to decide what colors to use, or use a new library

·  Swatch colors can be process or spot colors. Spot adds in additional colors other than CMYK

·  In general, stay with process colors-made with CMYK inks…cheapest …

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

To add fill and stroke colors to a shape-

·  Use the Pencil tool and draw a closed shape

·  Select the shape (The one you just created) using Selection tool (Black arrow)

·  Note: You may see a bounding box:

It’s what’s used when you align two or more objects, or to resize a shape

To hide it: View>Hide Bounding Box

·  Find the Fill and Stroke tools

Fill Color

·  Bring the Fill Color box to the top (just click it) and choose a CMYK Red from Swatches panel as the fill color

·  OR: Use color picker (double click the Fill tool),

OR

·  Use the Color panel

Stroke size...use control panel…change to 4 pt

Stroke Color

·  Select the Stroke tool, which brings it to the top

·  Let’s make the stroke be yellow

The area at the top is the Control Panel: and we can also use it to modify the stroke properties

·  Change the stroke width to blue, 5 points:

·  Result:

Drawing with Rectangle/Ellipse Tools

·  Will use the Rectangle tool and draw and fill a rectangle multiple ways: Everything we do with rectangle can be done with ellipse also

Methods:

1.  Drag

2.  Click once and enter values into a dialog box

3.  Draw from center out and drag

4.  Draw perfect squares, circles

·  Click away (black arrow) to deselect everything, or Select>Deselect

·  Find the rectangle tool:

You might need to uncover it:

·  For practice, choose flare and draw! Whew

·  Ctrl-Z

·  Choose Rectangle again

·  Move the shape you drew earlier (Selection… Black arrow) to upper area of artboard

Draw a Rectangle:Method # 1: Drag on the artboard (Can move the artboard via space bar + left-mouse button…try it)

·  Click where you want the rectangle and drag to create it

·  Starts at a corner of the rectangle

·  See if you can drag and hold to set the rectangle to exactly 3 “ wide, 2” tall:

o  Not easy!

o  Now use the Transform tool:

·  Choose a Green fill

·  For the stroke, choose a related color from the Color Guide:

·  Use the color Guide (or kuler} to choose a stroke color :

·  Shows related shades of that color

·  So, add a 5 point stroke color from the Color Guide

·  Result

Resizing Shapes

·  Select the rectangle using the Selection tool

·  Can resize using the Transform panel or the Scale tool

·  or use a Bounding Box

·  Go ahead and resize using any method

o  Using Transform: Enter W:3 and H:2, Tab key

Using Scale tool

·  With rectangle selected, double-click the Scale tool and enlarge to 150%, Check Preview box, scale uniform (maintain aspect ratio)

Using the Bounding Box (View>Bounding Box)

·  Draw a triangle using the Pen tool (click to add three anchors)

·  (Make sure View>Bounding box is on)…see if you can make this shape and colors

·  Click and drag a corner to scale

Drawing Method # 2: Click once on the artboard and enter the desired width and height

·  Deselect everything

·  Select the rectangle tool

·  Click once

·  Make a 3”by 3” Choose your own Fill/Stroke colors ( I chose Red with blue stroke

·  Method # 3: Drag a perfect square (circles too)

·  Shift-Drag to create a perfect square (same for ellipses)

·  Draw a small perfect square

o  2” x 2”. Blue fill, Red stroke (5 pt)

Method # 4: Draw from center-out

·  Alt-drag to draw a rectangle by drawing from its center out, rather than drawing from a corner.

Stacking Order

The objects on the page have varying locations relative to each other: called stacking order

·  Open Layers Panel

·  Expand Layer 1 ( We only have one layer)

·  Note the stacking order

·  Drag one object on top of another…note which is on top. Change the stacking order and observe the difference

Drawing Circles/ellipses…same as rectangle

Drawing using Pencil tool

·  It draws using the current stroke color, and stroke size

·  Turn Fill off

·  Draw a 4-point black line:

·  Look for anchor points

Using Direct Select and Smooth Tools

·  Select the white arrow (Direct Select)

·  Click the line

·  Find an anchor (look for the Smartguides word path) and drag

·  May have to zoom in, also be sure smart guides are on, look for word

o  May have to double-click the line

·  Find the Smooth tool (Under pencil tool) and draw over your line

Drawing using Pen tool

·  Click once, move cursor, click again to draw a straight line

·  Make another triangle using the Pen tool

or

·  Creating a Bezier curve: Click once with Pen tool, then drag up or down, click again at another location but drag cursor

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

Try it

Filling with a Gradient

We did this in the dice poster

Gradual change from color to color…

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.

·  Select a rectangle and look at Transform panel values: Note the 9 references...center one is selected below…can also use the control panel reference object

·  Turn on Rulers: Ctrl-R

·  Select a rectangle and use the transform panel to position its center at X=4, Y=4

·  Or use Control Panel:

Selecting part of an object-Direct Select tool

·  Deselect everything first

·  Use white arrow…called Direct Select tool

·  Click a corner of any object

·  Anchor should now be filled in, others hollow

·  Pull the corner anchor point to deform the object

Look at corner anchor points…only the one you selected should be filled in…others should be hollow, if not, click away (deselects), then click a corner anchor again.

The Blend tool…saw in Dice example

·  Use pencil tool and draw two lines with zero fill, 4 point stroke, two different colors

·  Select both lines

·  Object>Blend>Make

·  Another gradient type!

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 is under Rectangle tool, just select and say OK, color it green

o  Draw an orange square…So created an orange rectangle and a green star

·  Select both: (Drag over both, or select one, then shift-click on the second object)

·  Object>Blend>Blend Options:

Choose as above ….Says to Blend in 8 steps

·  Then, Object>Blend>Make:

Back to basics…

Anchors and Paths Example

·  Save your document (practice.ai)

·  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 object. Direct Select: a part of an object

·  Goal: To create this:

·  Set Fill to none, stroke to 1 point black

·  Create a new rectangle 5” wide by 2” tall, (no fill), black stroke, 1 point

·  Show rulers (Ctrl-R)

Adding Additional Anchor Points

Use the Add Anchor Point Tool

(Hides under Pen tool)

Want to add two additional anchor points along the top path of the 5” x 2” rectangle

·  Show rulers (if not already showing---Ctrl-R)

·  Drag out two vertical guides from the rulers

o  To precisely position where we want the new anchor points

Initially the guides may be locked

To unlock:

·  View>Guides

Check the Lock Guides option to unlock

So, position the guides where you want to add extra anchor points

Rearranging stacking order

o  Open the Layers panel

·  Expand Layer 1…

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)

·  And then Select Object>Arrange>Bring to front:

Add More Anchor Points

·  Now, select the Add Anchor Point tool

·  Click where your guides meet the path: look for “intersect” via smart guides

·  Deselect all

·  Select both new points 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)

·  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

·  Select the new path with direct select (Two anchors)and drag down

Result:

Now choose the convert tool:

And round the anchors to see this:

o  Save

o  Close the document

Pathfinder

Draw a black ellipse and two smaller ones…Unite picks up the top object’s color:

·  Select all the objects

·  Open Pathfinder>Shape panel and look for unite (Alt click to unite