Transcript Introduction to Illustrator

Introduction to Illustrator
With the release of Illustrator, Adobe has
completed a tightly integrated trio of
applications (Photoshop, InDesign and now
Illustrator) that all work in the same way.
Most key commands are the same across all
applications, and palettes look and work the
same. The applications are truly crossplatform, working virtually identically on
both the Macintosh and Windows platforms.
Illustrator
We will learn about:
 Raster and vector images
 Illustrator's environment
 Illustrator's tools and palettes
 Views in Illustrator
Raster vs Vector
In the world of computer graphics, there are
two types of images - raster and vector. Some
programs that create raster images (also
known as pixel or paint images) are Photoshop
or Paintbrush. Some programs that create
vector art (also known as object-oriented art)
are Illustrator and FreeHand.
Other programs, such as CorelDRAW, have
tools to create both raster and vector images.
Raster Images
Raster images are made up of a whole lot of
tiny dots, called pixels. To illustrate this concept,
we will use a sheet of graph paper. Each square
on the sheet represents one pixel. Let's start
simple and create a black and white circle that
is 20 pixels in diameter.
The number of pixels determines the
resolution of your file. The computer stores
this file by recording the exact placement and
colour of each pixel. The computer has no idea
that it is a circle, only that it is a collection of
little dots.
Each pixel has a coordinate, and the contents of that pixel are
recorded and saved in a file.
In the previous example, we see each individual pixel,
and the circle is very blocky. By adding more pixels,
thereby increasing the resolution, we can make that
same circle appear smoother because the pixels are
much smaller. Of course, the higher your resolution
is, the larger your file size will be because the
computer has many more pixels to keep track of.
Where the problem arises is when you try enlarging
a raster image. Because the resolution is set, when
you scale the art, in reality, you are just enlarging the
pixels, which results in a jaggy (or pixelated) image.
Vector Images
Vector art is different in that instead of
creating individual pixels, you create objects,
such as rectangles and circles. By noting the
mathematical coordinates of these shapes, a
vector program can store files in a fraction
of the space as raster images, and more
importantly, be able to scale images to
virtually any size without any loss in detail.
Unlike raster images, the vector circle appears smooth at
100% (left) and just as smooth when enlarged 800% (right).
These two graphics shows the differences between an enlarged vector
graphic on the left (notice the smooth edges) and an enlarged bitmap
graphic on the right (note the jagged edges). Many companies have their
logos created as vectors to avoid problems with scaling: A vector graphic
logo maintains its high quality appearance at any size.
Drawing Controls
Illustrator drawing tools have long been the
industry standard for power and versatility, but
they’ve also always been a little unnatural and
tedious to those who are new to using vector
drawing tools. The drawing tools have been
improved to allow you to work faster and get
better results, starting with Point selection:
Simply move your cursor over an anchor point
(with the direct selection tool), and it’s
enlarged to help you see it better.
The control panel has gained additional
tools to help you change curved corners to
rounded curves, or back again.You can also
connect and remove anchor points quickly
with the improved path controls.
New tools in the control panel help edit paths.
Erase It Away
The Eraser tool lets you erase as easily as
you create, even reconnecting paths as you
erase over shapes and paths.You can make
the eraser larger or smaller by doubleclicking the Eraser tool and changing the
options in the Eraser Tool Options window.
The Eraser tool
makes it easy to take
away shapes and
paths, just where you
want.
Isolation Mode
This allows you to take selected objects
into a mode that protects other artwork.
Isolation mode is truly essential if you work
on complex artwork and spend a lot of time
grouping, hiding, locking, and restacking
layers to access objects for editing.
To use this new mode, just use the Selection
tool to double-click any grouped set of
objects. The rest of your artwork becomes
inaccessible. This feature is truly a timesaver!
Double click a group using
the Selection tool to enter
the Isolation mode.
Cropping Tool
When the new Crop Area tool is selected,
options appear in the Control panel for
measure as well as Presets that you can
choose from. Want even more control?
Double-click the
Crop Area tool
for additional options.