A highly accessible, step-by-step guide to Adobe Illustrator CS6
Illustrator CS6 Digital Classroom includes 12 self-paced lessons that contain essential skills and explore new features and capabilities of Adobe Illustrator. Every lesson is presented in full color with step-by-step instructions. Learning is reinforced with video tutorials and lesson files on a companion DVD that was developed by a team of expert instructors and Illustrator experts. Each video tutorial demonstrates and explains the concepts and features covered in the lesson.
This training package shows how to create and produce vibrant graphics using this robust vector drawing application.
- Offers a complete training package combining a full-color, step-by-step instructional book with lesson files and video training from expert instructors
- Offers the basics for tapping into the power of Adobe Illustrator to create and produce brilliant art for all types of media
- Contains full-color, step-by-step instructions that make learning complicated tasks less intimidating
- Demonstrates how to quickly get up to speed using Illustrator to create sophisticated page layouts and work in a dynamic publishing environment
Jam-packed with information, the book and DVD take you from the basics through intermediate level topics. You'll get the information you need in a clear, approachable manner.
NOTE: DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of the e-book file, but are available for download after purchase.
Table of Contents:
Starting up
About Digital Classroom 1
Prerequisites 1
System requirements 1
Starting Adobe Illustrator CS6 2
Resetting Adobe Illustrator CS6 preferences 3
Loading lesson files 4
Working with the video tutorials 5
Setting up for viewing the video tutorials 6
Viewing the video tutorials with the Adobe Flash Player 6
Additional resources 7
Lesson 1: Adobe Illustrator CS6 Jumpstart
Starting up 9
The project 10
Setting up the artboard 12
Creating the background shape 13
Combining shapes 14
Sampling a color 15
Applying a fill and stroke 16
Creating the smaller combined shape 17
Applying color and effects 18
Cloning the small shape 19
Aligning and distributing the shapes 21
Adding Text 22
Applying the Warp effect 24
Adding text to the small shape areas 25
Distorting a shape 28
Importing an image 29
Adding lines of text 30
Self study 35
Review 35
Lesson 2: Getting to Know the Workspace
Starting up 37
Opening Illustrator 38
Exploring the new interface 39
Choosing a workspace 40
Opening a file 41
The document window 42
Using Artboards 43
Navigating multiple artboards 43
Using the Artboards panel 44
Creating New Artboards 46
Switching screen modes 47
Changing your view 48
Preview versus Outlines 48
Zooming and scrolling 49
Scrolling with the Hand tool 53
Changing views with the Navigator panel 54
The Tools panel 55
Using tools and panels 56
The Control panel 60
Moving the Control panel 61
Panel groups and the dock 62
Custom workspaces 65
Saving workspaces 65
Using the Manage Workspaces dialog box 66
Customizing keyboard shortcuts 67
Default shortcuts 67
Custom shortcuts 68
Saving shortcut sets 70
Deleting shortcut sets 71
Self study 71
Review 72
Lesson 3: Illustrator CS6 Essentials
Starting up 73
Using the shape tools 74
Repositioning and visually resizing the rectangle 76
Finding or changing the shape’s dimensions using the Transform panel 77
Rotating and shearing using the Transform panel 78
Constraining a shape 79
Entering exact dimensions 80
Selecting artwork 82
Helpful keyboard shortcuts for selections 82
The selection tools 82
Using shape and transform tools to create artwork 87
Using the transform tools 87
Adding a fill color 89
Entering a shape size in the Transform panel 90
Viewing in Outline view 91
Rotating the shape 91
Changing the color of the triangles 93
Using layers when building an illustration 94
Creating a new blank layer 95
Cutting and pasting objects 95
Creating bubbles 97
Cloning the bubble group 98
Repeating a resize transform 99
Moving objects from one layer to another 101
Self study 102
Review 102
Lesson 4: Adding Color
Starting up 103
Basics of the Appearance panel 104
Changing colors 105
Adding Effects 106
Creating a colorful illustration 108
Using Live Paint 108
Converting the artwork to a Live Paint group 111
Applying Live Paint to the group 112
Adding a symbol to your artwork 113
Expanding the symbol 115
Saving swatches 115
What is a Global Color? 117
Selecting the Same color 117
Saving a set of colors as a group 119
Creating a color group from selected colors 119
Using the Color panel 120
Adding Pantone (Spot) Colors 122
Adding Pantone colors 123
Self study 125
Review 125
Lesson 5: Working with the Drawing Tools
Starting up 127
Working with the Pen tool 128
Drawing straight lines 129
Drawing curved lines 131
Drawing hinged curves 133
Drawing curved lines to straight lines 134
Drawing straight lines to curved lines 135
Tracing images 136
Placing an image as a template 137
Placing an image using Image Trace 140
Working with the new Image trace option 144
Other drawing tools 146
Using the Line Segment and Arc tools 146
Using the Pencil, Smooth, and Path Eraser tools 148
Using the Eraser tool 150
Editing existing paths 150
Adding and removing points 150
Refining a curve 152
Cutting and joining paths 153
Combining shapes using the Shape Builder tool 155
Combining the shapes 158
Subtracting with the Shape Builder tool 158
Creating the fish eyes 160
Self study 162
Review 162
Lesson 6: Exploring Additional Color Options
Starting up 163
Taking a look at the finished illustration 164
Adding tonal values with gradients 166
Customizing an existing gradient 168
Saving the Gradient 169
Applying a second instance of the gradient 170
Using the Gradient panel 171
Updating a gradient 174
Creating and using patterns 175
Creating a bounding box 176
Applying the pattern 177
Editing a pattern fill 178
Locating existing patterns 181
Finishing up the illustration 184
Creating a Color Group 186
Using the Color Guide 187
Self study 191
Review 191
Lesson 7: Working with and Formatting Text
Starting up 193
Formatting type 194
Paragraph formatting 197
Formatting imported type 199
Paragraph and character styles 202
Editing styles 205
Advanced techniques with text 208
Text on a path 208
Warping text 209
Text in a shape 211
Creating outlines 212
Check spelling 214
Find and Replace 215
Self study 216
Review 216
Lesson 8: Organizing your Illustrations with Layers
Starting up 217
Getting to know the Layers panel 218
Using layers to organize your illustrations 220
Using the Layers panel to make selections 221
Creating new layers and moving items between layers 222
Paste Remembers Layers 225
Template layers 226
Self study 228
Review 228
Lesson 9: Working with Symbols
Starting up 229
Cleaning out the symbol library 230
Creating symbols 231
Editing symbols 232
Importing a symbol library 235
Using the symbolism tools 236
Editing nested symbols 243
Replacing symbols 244
Saving symbol libraries 245
Self study 246
Review 246
Lesson 10: Using Effects and Transparency
Starting up 247
Working with the Appearance panel and effects 248
Applying effects 249
Editing effects 251
Using graphic styles 253
Creating and saving graphic styles 254
Applying and modifying graphic styles 256
Working with object transparency 256
Working with multiple opacities 257
Working with blending modes 258
Saving and importing graphic styles 260
Applying graphic styles to layers and symbols 261
Self study 263
Review 263
Lesson 11: Exporting and Saving Files
Starting up 265
Saving using the AI file format 266
Saving an illustration with layers 267
Make a template layer 267
Using the Transform Effect 268
Duplicating a Stroke 269
Saving different versions of the logo onto separate layers 271
Expanding appearance 271
Save the first version 272
Using Live Paint 272
Using the Color Guide panel 273
Saving the third version 273
Using Recolor Artwork 274
Saving a layered PDF 276
Integration with other applications 278
Exporting for Photoshop 278
Integrating with InDesign 278
Integrating with Flash 278
Integrating with Microsoft Expression Blend (XAML) 278
Integrating with Premiere and After Effects 278
Saving as EPS 278
Save for Web 280
Making a Flash animation 282
Exporting a Flash animation 285
Self study 288
Review 288
Lesson 12: Advanced Blending Techniques
Starting up 289
Using the Blend Tool 290
Applying a gradient 294
Applying Radial Gradients 296
Applying gradients using Illustrator’s
Gradient Mesh options 298
Adjusting the Mesh 301
Revisiting Blend Options 302
More mesh work 305
Overlapping images 307
Applying a gradient mesh using the Mesh tool 310
Finishing up with the Mesh tool and automatically adding a Highlight 314
Using the Symbol Tools 316
Creating a symbol 320
Modifying a Symbol’s appearance 322
Self study 326
Review 326
Lesson 13: Adobe Illustrator CS6 New Features
Starting up 327
64-bit support 328
New Look and Feel 328
Changing the User Interface brightness 329
Image Trace 330
Using the new Pattern Options panel 332
Applying gradients to strokes 333
Reviewing new panel enhancements 334
Appendix
Adobe Illustrator Tools 335
Keyboard shortcuts 337
About the Author :
The AGI Creative Team develops and delivers training programs through the American Graphics Institute. They have created official training guides for Adobe Systems and Microsoft, and deliver professional development training workshops to clients internationally.
