Adobe Illustrator How To Guide

Adobe Illustrator CC 2021

How to Guide for Adobe Graphics for Television at

Fairfax Public Access

FPA•2929 Eskridge Rd., Suite S, Fairfax, A V 22031

Table of Contents Tool Bar .................................................................................................................................................1 Hidden Tools .........................................................................................................................................2 Pen Tool.................................................................................................................................................3 Type on a path tip sheet ........................................................................................................................4 Type in an area ......................................................................................................................................5 Creating Shapes (rectangle) ..................................................................................................................6 Creating Shapes (square) .....................................................................................................................7 Creating Shapes (circle) ........................................................................................................................8 Creating Shapes (polygons) ..................................................................................................................9 Creating Shapes (stars) ......................................................................................................................10 The Shaper tool ...................................................................................................................................11 The Shape builder tool ........................................................................................................................15 Gradients .............................................................................................................................................17 Tool Bar..................................................................................................................................................1 Keyboard Shortcuts ..............................................................................................................appendix A

Adobe Illustrator CC 2021 Tool Bar*

(V) Selection Tool

Direct Selection Tool (A)

(P) Pen Tool (group) (T)Type Tool (group) (M)Rectangle Tool (group) (Shift+N) Shaper Tool (group) (R) Rotate Tool (group) (Shift +M) Shapebuilder Tool Gradient Tool (G) (I) Eyedropper Tool

(H) Hand Tool

(X) Fill Color

Zoom Tool (Z) Swap Fill/Stroke (shift +X) Stroke (X) None (/)

* Grayed out tools will not be covered in this course

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Adobe Illustrator CC 2021 Hidden Tools Pen

Hold down the Pen(A) A tool icon in Illustrator’s Tools panel to access additional tools: the Add Anchor Point B , Delete Anchor Point C , and Convert Anchor Point D tools. You can create a corner point by using the shortcut method, by pressing the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) key to access the Convert Anchor Point D tool.

C

A

D

B Type

J

F G

E

H

K

I

Vector Shapes

N

L

Q

O

M

P

Hold down the Type (E) E tool icon in Illustrator’s Tools panel to access the additional type tools: Area Type tool (F), G Vertical Type tool H , F Type On A Path tool(G), Vertical Area Type tool (I), Vertical Type On A Path I tool (J) J and the Touch Type tool (K).

K You can use these to type out lines of horizontal or vertical text or align text to follow a vector path or predefined shape, just to name a few functions.

You can create a variety of primitive shapes with the Vector Shape tools in Illustrator. Press and hold the Rectangle tool to view all the Shape tools: Rectangle tool (L), L Rounded Rectangle tool M , Ellipse tool (N), N Polygon tool (O), O Star tool P , and the Flare tool Q

Shaper/Pencil

T

R

U

S Rotate/Pencil

V

The Shaper tool helps you create complex designs by drawing, stacking, and placing shapes together, and then combining, merging, deleting, or moving them.

Press and hold the Shaper tool to view all the hidden tools: Shaper tool (L), R Pencil tool S , Smooth tool (N), T Path Eraser tool U , and the Join tool V The Rotate tool W can rotate, or rotate and duplicate selected objects about an axis, or align the objects relative to another object.

W

The Reflect tool X flips objects across an invisible axis that you specify.

X

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Adobe Illustrator Pen Tool Tips Create Straight Lines With the pen tool selected click to create points, each point will create a straight connecting line.

PEN TOOL TEAR OFF MENU

A

B

C

D

A Pen Tool - a path creator. You can create smooth paths that you can stroke with a brush or turn to a selection.

This tool is effective for designing, selecting smooth surfaces, or layout.

B Add Anchor Point Tool - adds anchor points to existing paths.

Create Curved Lines Click and drag to create points with bezier handles that will form curved lines.

Delete Points With the Pen tool selected hover over an existing point and the cursor will automatically change to the DELETE Anchor Point Tool.

C Delete Anchor Point Tool - deletes anchors and reshapes existing vector shapes / paths (shape outlines).

D Anchor Point Tool -

is primarily used for converting smooth anchor points into corner points and vise versa.

Add Points With the Pen tool selected hover over and existing line segment and the cursor will automatically change to the ADD Anchor Point tool.

Move Points With the Pen tool selected hold down Control (Command on MAC) and the pen tool will change to the Direct Selection Tool.

Pen Tool Example

Add Anchor Point Tool Example

Move Bezier Handles With Pen tool selected hold down Movethe Bezier Handles Control on MAC) and the pen With the (Command Pen tool selected hold down tool will change to theonDirect Control (Command MAC)Selection and the Tool.

Click on the pullDirect or rotate. pen tool will handle changeand to the Selection Tool. Click on the handle and pull or rotate.

Convert a Straight Line to a Curved Line

Delete Anchor Point Tool example

Anchor Point Tool Example

With the Pen tool selected hold down ALT & the pen tool will change to the CONVERT Anchor Point Tool.

Click on the point and pull creating a curved bezier line or move bezier points independently.

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Adobe Illustrator CC 2021 Type on a path TIP SHEEET 1. Create a path using your pencil, pen, or shape tool 2. Use your text tool (keyboard shortcut ‘T’) and type along the path

3. Adjust where the text is positioned by sliding the left, center and right vertical lines using the direct selection tool (keyboard shortcut ‘A’)

4. To access additional ‘Type on a Path’ options, with your text selected, go to: Type> Type on a Path > Type on a Path Options ALIGN TO PATH OPTIONS

WARPS THE APPEARANCE OF TEXT

DEFAULT SETTINGS

CHECK THIS TO PREVIEW!

DEFINES THE LOCATION OF THE TEXT IN RELATION TO THE PATH

BASELINE

CHECK TO FLIP TEXT

ASCENDER

USE TO ADJUST SPACE BETWEEN CHARACTERS

DESCENDER

CENTER

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Adobe Illustrator CC 2021 Type in an area 1. Create an area using the pen or shape tool

2. Click and hold the type tool and select the Area Type tool

3. Hover the Area Type tool over the shape’s path until you see the path descriptor appear.

4. Click to add placeholder text into the shape

and then...

5. Type or copy your own text into the shape, and adjust the font, text size, or any other type settings you want until the text fills the shape in the way you desire.

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Adobe Illustrator CC 2021 Creating Shapes Click and hold down on the rectangle tool to reveal the hidden shapes panel To create a RECTANGLE: 1. (with the rectangle tool selected) A choose a point on the artboard, then B click and drag at a diagonal from upper left to lower right and release the mouse.

This will give you a rectangular shape.

A

B OR YOU COULD DO IT THIS WAY...

2. (with rectangle tool selected) (A) C click ANYWHERE inside the artboard and D set the height and width of the shape and then click ok E

C

D

E

corner widget - an edit point inside a shape that, when clicked and dragged, allows you to change how rounded the corners are.

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Adobe Illustrator CC 2021 Creating Shapes To create a SQUARE: 1. (with the rectangle tool selected) choose a point on the artboard, AND while holding down the shift key on the keyboard, click and drag at a diagonal from upper left to lower right and release the mouse.

This will give you a square shape.

OR YOU COULD DO IT THIS WAY...

2. (with rectangle tool selected) click ANYWHERE inside the artboard and set the height and width of the shape to the same number and then click This will ALSO give you a square shape.

CLICK ANYWHERE IN THE ARTBOARD

MAKE BOTH NUMBERS THE SAME

OK

CLICK ON OK TO CREATE THE SHAPE

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Adobe Illustrator CC 2021 Creating Shapes To create a Circle: 1. (with the ellipse tool selected) choose a point on the artboard, AND while holding down the shift and the alt keys on the keyboard (option on a MAC), click and drag at a diagonal from upper left to lower right and release the mouse.

This will give you a perfect circle shape.

OR YOU COULD DO IT THIS WAY...

2. (with ellipse tool selected) click in the CENTER of the artboard and set the height and width of the shape to the same number and then click This will ALSO give you a circular shape.

CLICK IN THE CENTER OF THE ARTBOARD

MAKE BOTH NUMBERS THE SAME

OK

CLICK ON OK TO CREATE THE SHAPE

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Adobe Illustrator CC 2021 Creating Shapes Polygon - a plane figure with at least three straight

sides and angles, and typically five or more.

To create a Polygon: 1. (with the polygon tool selected) choose a point on the artboard, and drag at a diagonal from upper left to lower right and release the mouse.

This will give you a six sided shape by default.

Some other potential shapes you can create include:

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Triangles - 3 sides Pentagons - 5 sides Octogons - 8 sides Nonagons - 9 sides and so on.

To create other polygonal shapes click the polygon tool inside the artboard.

From the Polygon creation window, define the new shapes radius and number of sides.

9

3

5

8

Then click OK to create the new shape.

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Adobe Illustrator CC 2021 Creating Shapes To create a Star: (with the Star tool selected) click in the artboard and drag outward from the click point.

Release the mouse to create the shape.

OR YOU COULD DO IT THIS WAY... (with the Star tool selected) click inside the artboard and release the mouse button.

A star creation window will open.

Here you can select the number of points on the star, the interior radius and the exterior radius of the star.

Then click OK to create the new shape.

These star shapes can range in size and shape depending upon the number of points you assign them, and the radius you assign to their interior and exterior arms.

6

7 4

8

9 20

A third way of creating star shapes is to click inside the artboard and drag outward.

Next, determine the number of points by pressing either the up or down arrow keys on the keyboard to add or subtract points from the shape.

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Adobe Illustrator CC 2021 Shaper Tool Tool Tip

The Shaper tool The Shaper tool helps you create complex designs by drawing, stacking, and placing shapes together, and then combining, merging, deleting, or moving them.

If you draw a basic polygon shape, you can increase or decrease the number of sides by clicking on the diamond shape and moving it up or down.

(with the Shaper tool selected) draw a shape anywhere inside the artboard. The shaper tool will automatically refine your rough drawing into a smooth vector shape that it thinks you were trying to draw.

Click on the diamond.

rough drawing

refined shape

rough drawing

refined shape

rough drawing

refined shape

Drag up to decrease the number of sides and drag down to increase.

REMEMBER

The max. number of sides you can acheive with this method is 11 and the min. number of sides possible is 3.

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Adobe Illustrator CC 2021 Shaper Tool The Shaper tool Scribble function of the Shaper tool allows you to merge shapes together or delete parts of all of other shapes by scribbling over them.

sc r

Draw out three shapes and allow some overlap on each shape

i bbl

e!

Scribble inside the circle shape

Most of the circle shape is punched out

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Adobe Illustrator CC 2021 Shaper Tool The Shaper tool Scribble function of the Shaper tool allows you to merge shapes together or delete parts of all of other shapes by scribbling over them.

Scribble over intersecting areas

i bb sc r

l e!

and the shapes will merge

when you scribble over two or more shapes to create a different shape, you create a Shaper Group

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Adobe Illustrator CC 2021 Shaper Tool The Shaper tool All shapes within a Shaper Group remain editable even after they have been punched out or merged Single click on the shape to select the Shaper Group Double click on the shape to enter Construction Mode

While in this mode, click on the shape or shape’s stroke to select and modify it.

You can also enter “Face Selection mode”.

Single click inside the Shaper group and then single click on the shape one more time to enter Face Selection mode.

In this mode, you can change the shape color.

To exit Construction mode: - Click on the mode arrow

or

- Click outside of the dashed area

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Adobe Illustrator CC 2021 Shaper Tool The Shaper tool

Once you have created a shape you are happy with, its time to “finalize” it, or make it so it can no longer be edited in construction mode. (with the shaper group still selected) click on the object 11. menu and select Expand from the drop down list

22. In the Exapand window:

1 2

- make sure all the boxes are checked

33. Click OK 3 You now have a shape that has been finalized and can no longer be edited in Construction Mode

The Shape builder tool The Shape Builder tool allows you to create complex objects by merging and erasing simpler objects. The Shape Builder tool selects edges and regions of an object, which can be merged or erased to form a new object.

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The Shape builder tool Using the Adobe Illustrator CC Shape Builder tool, you can combine, edit, and fill shapes on your artboard.

Follow these steps to create your own unique shape using the Shape Builder tool:

1 Create several overlapping shapes

1

2 Select the shapes that you want to combine.

2 the Shape Builder tool and then click 3 Select and drag across the selected shapes The selected shapes are combined into one shape.

3

The Shape Builder tool also enables merging objects, breaking overlapping shapes, subtracting areas, and more.

4 Create another shape that overlaps your

4

new combined shape.

5 Using the Selection tool, select both shapes 6 Select the Shape Builder tool again. down the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) key 7 Hold and click and drag across the newly added shape

7

8 It’s subtracted from the underlying shape

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Adobe Illustrator CC 2021 Gradients Adding a gradient fill to a shape

1 Draw a shape on the artboard.

2

Select the gradient tool from the tool bar.

3

Click in the center of the shape and Illustrator will add a basic linear gradient.

4

In the gradient settings window, you can set the first and last gradient colors using the color picker.

OR

5

Add an array of colors by clicking below the gradient bar.

6

If you don’t like how the gradient looks, click and drag down on any of the color stops to remove them or click on the trash can and the current gradient color will be deleted.

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appendix A

Common Illustrator Keyboard Shortcuts Shortcut New file

Windows Control + N

MAC Command + N

Open file

Control + O

Command + O

Close file

Control + W

Command + W

Save the currently opened file

Control + S

Command + S

Save the currently opened file As...

Shift + Control + S

Shift + Command + S

Place

Shift + Control + P

Shift + Command + P

Exit the App

Control + Q

Command + Q

Undo (one level)

Control + Z

Command + Z

Redo (one level)

Shift + Control + Z

Shift + Command + Z

Select All

Control + A

Command + A

Cut

Control + X

Command + X

Copy

Control + C

Command + C

Paste in front

Control + F

Command + F

Paste in place

Shift + Control + V

Shift + Control + V

Create Outlines

Shift + Control + O

Shift + Control + O

Deselect

Shift + Control + A

Shift + Comand + A

Smart Guides

Control + U

Command + U