mygraphicslab: illustrator cs6 - ai01...
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Copyright © 2013 MyGraphicsLab / Pearson Education
CREATE SHAPES
MYGRAPHICSLAB: ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR CS6
Copyright © 2013 MyGraphicsLab / Pearson Education
IN THIS LESSON YOU WILL LEARN:
The role of vector artwork in digital graphic design How to create a document in Illustrator How to choose and define a color mode How to define essential preferences (units of measurement) How to use rulers and grids How to draw shapes How to set and change fill and stroke attributes How to select and move shapes How to arrange objects (front to back) How to save files
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THE ROLE OF VECTOR ARTWORK IN DIGITAL GRAPHIC DESIGN
Vector artwork – analogous to drawing with pen or pencil Raster artwork – analogous to dabbing paint on canvas
Each of the three strokes in this slide has the same path – with different strokeattributes applied
Illustrator paths are indicated by thin blue lines
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VECTORS AND RASTERS
Two digital graphic technologies: raster (bitmap) and vector Illustrator is mainly a vector program Most other graphic programs, like Photoshop, are raster programs
How do vectors and rasters work? Raster artwork is defined by individual dots Vector artwork is defined by anchors and paths that connect them Paths generated by anchors (vectors) are defined using anchor control
points
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VECTOR ART IS DEFINED BY ANCHORS AND PATHS
Controlling a vector path by adjusting an anchor control point
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Editing a drawingby moving ananchor in Illustrator
VECTOR ARTWORK HAS THE ADVANTAGES OF BEING…
Scalable – objects can be resized without loss of resolution Smaller in file size – the data required to define an anchor and path is less than
the data required to define thousands of pixels Easier to edit – editable anchors and paths
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ILLUSTRATOR PROJECTS ARE GENERALLY SCALABLE
An Illustrator file that is used for abuilding-sized banner has the samedata as one used for a postcard
Illustrator artwork can be infinitelystretched without degrading intopixelation
Even enlarged to 1200% of itsoriginal size, this curve does notdegrade into “jaggies” or pixelationin Illustrator
Copyright © 2013 MyGraphicsLab / Pearson Education
Effects applied to this Illustrator artwork causeit to pixelate when enlarged 400% — notecontrast to lack of pixelation in previous slide.
ILLUSTRATOR PROJECTS CAN INCLUDE VECTORS AND RASTERS
Vectors are scalable withoutdegrading in resolution
Rasters are not infinitely scalable –the resolution is defined, and finite
Illustrator vectors sometimesinclude resolution-dependent,raster-based effects. Designersmust be conscious of this whenscaling Illustrator projects
Raster effects can make Illustratorfiles much larger
Enlarged raster effects do degradein quality
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HOW TO CREATE A DOCUMENT IN ILLUSTRATOR
Illustrator projects are usually integrated with other applications Part of a publication produced in InDesign Part of a website created in Dreamweaver Part of a Flash animation created in Flash Professional
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OUTPUT FIRST!
An Illustrator file is defined by the dimensions and otherattributes of its final destination Dimensions (height and width) Units of measurement (inches, pixels) Color mode
Illustrator comes with preset profiles for common outputtargets like print, web, and mobile devices
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DEFINE COLOR MODES
Two basic color modes CMYK for print mixes cyan, magenta, yellow and black RGB for digital output mixes red, green, and blue
Other options Spot colors (single color printing) Pantone colors Grayscale (black and white)
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Color modes are either combinationsof print inks or digital pixels.
BASIC RULES
Anything destined fordigital output is RGB
For print, check withyour print shop or printer
Color modes are set… When documents are
created In the Color panel
within any document
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Adjusting units ofmeasurement in theDocument Setup dialog box
HOW TO DEFINE ESSENTIAL PREFERENCES (UNITS OF MEASUREMENT)
Pixels or inches? Pixels for digital output (often calculated at 72 per inch on computer screens) Inches and centimeters for print output
Points and ems – based on type sizes Defined…
When generating a new document From the Document setup dialog box within a document (File > Document Setup)
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SETTING UP A WORK ENVIRONMENT
Alignment and productivity tools Rulers and grids Snap to… Guides Smart Guides User Interface
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Exported or printed content is generally defined by theartboard (shown here in white).
THE ILLUSTRATOR WORKSPACE
Welcome Screen Choose a document type Work from templates Access recent files
Artboard and workspaces Artboard is the defined
output area Multiple artboards possible
(we’ll explore that optionlater)
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PANELS
Panels Where the power of Illustrator is
hidden Stashed as icons on the right, or
available from the Window menu Control panel
Context sensitive – changesdepending on tool or selection
One-stop shopping for mostcommon attributes
The Tools panel Interactive Tear-offs
Tearing off shape tools
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DRAWING SHAPES
The six shape tools are useful in awide range of illustration projects Rectangle, Rounded Rectangle,
Ellipse, Polygon, Star, Flare
To draw a shape interactively Select a tool Click and drag to draw a shape Before releasing mouse button,
rotate clockwise or counterclockwise
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GENERATING SHAPES
Several ways to generate shapes Double-click the Rectangle, Rounded Rectangle, Ellipse,
Polygon, or Star tool Click at a location on the artboard Define the shape dimensions in the dialog that opens
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SET AND CHANGE FILL AND STROKE ATTRIBUTES
In the Control panel Select a tool, and choose fill color
and stroke color from the pop-upmenus
Select an object, and define a filland/or stroke color
In the Tools panel Select a tool, and choose stroke and
fill color from the Color panel Select an object, and select apply
stroke (or gradient) from the Toolspanel
The Color panel Expands to show a larger palette Accepts web-ready hexadecimal
values
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Copying an object while moving it
SELECT AND MOVE SHAPES
Selection tools Selection tool Direct Selection tool
Moving & copying Select, click and drag to move Rely on Smart Guides for quick
alignment Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option
(Mac) to copy while moving
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Moving an object to the back of a stack
ARRANGE OBJECTS (FRONT TO BACK)
New drawing tools Default – draw in front of existing
objects New Draw Behind tool – draw
behind existing objects Draw inside
Move a selected object front to back Right-click or Control-click (Mac)
and choose Arrange (and then afront to back option)
Choose Object > Arrange
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Rotating an object with the bounding box
ROTATE AND RESIZE WITH BOUNDING BOX
View (or hide) bounding box forselected objects
Click and drag on bounding boxhandles to resize or reshape
Hover over bounding box handleand click and drag to rotate
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SAVE OR EXPORT FILES
Editable formats – can be reopened and edited in Illustrator Illustrator, PDF PDFs can be saved with (or without) Illustrator editability
Exported formats – cannot be edited in Illustrator SWF – a web-friendly vector format Raster (bitmap) – JPG, PNG, GIF
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WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW
Create a postcard with shapes Design a poster with shapes Prototype (create a mockup for)
a web page
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REVIEW: KEY POINTS
Illustrator’s role in the world of digital design For drawing illustrations For generating scalable, easily editable vector files
Defining documents / setting up workspace Define dimensions and units of measurement Set color mode View grids, rulers, guides, and snap-to Define stroke and fill colors
Designing with shapes Draw or generate shapes – in front, behind, or inside other shapes Select and move or copy Reshape and rotate with bounding box
Save or export Saved formats can be made editable with Illustrator Formats exported for web (SWF, GIF, JPG, PNG) cannot