Teach Yourself Visually Illustrator 10

Are you a visual learner? Do you prefer instructions that show you how to do something, and skip the long-winded explanations? If so, then this book is for you. Open it up and you will find clear, step-by-step screen shots that show you how to tackle scores of Illustrator 10 tasks, from working with paths, objects, type, bitmap images, and trapping to using effects, filters, styles, layers, and sliced artwork. Teach Yourself Visually "I write to extend my thanks and appreciation for your books. They are clear, easy to follow, and straight to the point. Keep up the good work! I will always buy your books because they are the best." --Seward Kollie (Dakar, Senegal) "Your books are extraordinary! I buy them for friends, family, and colleagues." --Christine J. Manfrin (Castle Rock, CO) "Teach Yourself" sidebars offer practical tips and tricks Full-color screen shots demonstrate each task Succinct explanations walk you through step by step Two-page lessons break big topics into bite-sized modules

Table of Contents:
1. INTRODUCING ILLUSTRATOR. Concept: Work with Images. Concept: Understanding Illustrator. Concept: Navigate the Illustrator Desktop. 1. Start Illustrator. 2. Create a New Document. 3. Save a Document. 4. Open a Saved Document. 5. Close a Document. 6. Get Help. 2. UNDERSTANDING ILLUSTRATOR BASICS. 1. Change Document Settings. 2. Change Preferences. 3. Switch Between Views. 4. View Rulers and Grids. 5. View a Palette. 6. Move and Dock a Palette. 7. Change Palette Options. 8. Using the Zoom Tool. 9. Using the Select Tool. 10. Using the Direct Select Tool. 11. Copy and Paste an Object. 12. Undo and Redo a Command. 3. WORKING WITH PATHS. Concept: Understanding Paths. 1. Draw Straight Lines with the Line Tool. 2. Draw Freehand with the Pencil Tool. 3. Draw Curves with the Arc Tool. 4. Draw Straight Lines with the Pen Tool. 5. Draw Curves with the Pen Tool. 6. Reshape a Curve. 7. Reshape a Line with the Reshape Tool. 8. Close an Open Path. 9. Open a Closed Path. 10. Delete paths. 11. Erase parts of a path. 12. Smooth a path. 4. USING ADVANCED PATH TECHNIQUES. 1. Add or Remove Anchor Points. 2. Convert Anchor Point Type. 3. Remove Excess Anchor Points. 4. Clean Up Stray Anchor Points. 5. Average Points. 6. Join points. 7. Using Add and Subtract Commands. 8. Using the Intersect Command. 9. Using the Exclude Command. 10. Create a Compound Path. 5. WORKING WITH OBJECTS. 1. Draw a Rectangle or Rounded Rectangle. 2. Draw an Ellipse or Circle. 3. Draw Regular Polygons. 4. Draw Stars. 5. Create a Spiral. 6. Create a Rectangular Grid. 7. Create a Polar Grid. 8. Rotate an Object. 9. Reflect an Object. 10. Scale an Object. 11. Apply Shear to an Object. 12. Align Objects. 13. Move Objects Forward and Back. 14. Group and Ungroup Objects. 15. Cut Objects with the Knife Tool. 6. ADVANCED OBJECT EFFECTS AND SYMBOLS. Concept: Understanding Object Effects and Symbols. 1. Warp an Object. 2. Using the Free Transform Tool. 3. Using the Envelope Distort Tool. 4. Using the Liquefy Tools. 5. Create a A Flare. 6. Create a Symbol. 7. Insert and Delete Symbols. 8. Edit and Update Symbols. 9. Apply Symbol Effects. 7. APPLYING COLOR. Concept: An Introduction to Color. 1. Create and Save a CMYK Color. 2. Create and Save an RGB Color. 3. Fill an Object with Color. 4. Stroke an Object. 5. Paint with a Calligraphic Brush. 6. Customize a Calligraphic Brush. 7. Apply and Customize a Scatter Brush. 8. Paint with an Art Brush. 9. Fill an Object with a Gradient. 10. Create a Multicolor Gradient. 11. Fill an Object with a Pattern. 12. Save Colors with the Eyedropper. 13. Apply Colors with the Paint Bucket. 14. Adjust Opacity of an Object. 15. Adjust Blending of an Object. 8. WORKING WITH TYPE. Concept: Understanding Type in Illustrator. 1. Insert Point Type. 2. Insert Area Type. 3. Enter Type Along a Path. 4. Change Font and Font Size. 5. Change Paragraph Alignment. 6. Change Type Case. 7. Using Smart Punctuation. 8. Check Spelling. 9. Link Type Blocks. 10. Wrap Type Around an Object. 11. Convert Type to Outlines. 9. EFFECTS, FILTERS, AND STYLES. Concept: An Introduction to Effects, Filters and Styles. 1. Apply the Roughen Effect. 2. Apply Add and Subtract Effects. 3. Apply the Feather Effect. 4. Edit an Effect. 5. Apply the Hatch Effect Filter. 6. Apply the Pointillize Filter. 7. Using the Appearance Palette. 8. Apply a Style. 9. Create a New Style. 10. Using the Blend Tool. 11. Using the Mesh Tool. 10. CREATING GRAPHS. Concept: An Introduction to Graphs. 1. Create a Column Graph. 2. Create a Line Graph. 3. Create a Pie Graph. 4. Edit Graph Data. 5. Change a Graph Type. 6. Add Color to a Graph. 7. Import Data for a Graph. 11. WORKING WITH LAYERS. Concept: An Introduction to Layers. 1.Create a New Layer. 2. Delete a Layer. 3. Hide a Layer. 4. Lock a Layer. 5. Rearrange Layers. 6. Create a Sublayer. 7. Move Objects Between Layers. 8. Edit Layer Properties. 9. Create a Template Layer. 10. Merge Layers. 11. Flatten Artwork. 12. Release Objects to Layers. 13. Create a Clipping Mask with a Layer. 12. WORKING WITH BITMAP IMAGES. Concept: Understanding Images. Place an Image. Transform an Image. Trace an Image. Rastercize an Image. Copy an Image from Photoshop. 13. PREPARING FILES FOR PRINTING. Concept: Understanding Printing. Concept: Understanding Printing Separations. 1. Using Process Color. 2. Using Spot Color. 3. Trap Colors. 4. Using Knockouts. 5. Create Crop Marks. 6. Change Color Modes. 7. Print Artwork on a PC. 8. Print Artwork on a Mac. 14: CREATING ART FOR THE WEB. Concept: Understanding Web Art. 1.Select a Web-Safe Color. 2. Work in Pixel Preview Mode. 3. Save a GIF image for the Web. 4. Save a JPEG image for the Web. 5. Make a Button. 6. Slice Artwork. 7. Save Sliced Artwork. 8. Export a Flash Animation. APPENDIX: Shortcut Quick Reference.

About the Author :
Michael Toot is the author and co-author of several VISUAL books, including Master VISUALLY Web Design; Master VISUALLY Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere and AfterEffects; and Teach Yourself VISUALLY Macromedia Web Collection. He works and lives near Seattle, WA. Michael Wooldridge has worked as an independent web developer, writer, and consultant since 1995. He has written about technology for Macworld and CNET. He is the author of Teach Yourself VISUALLY Photoshop 7, Teach Yourself VISUALLY Photoshop Elements, and co-author of Master VISUALLY Dreamweaver MX and Flash MX.