List of topics Menu commands Toolbar Index How to use this guide 1
List of topics Basic concepts Viewing and setting up documents Drawing Moving and aligning objects Modifying shapes and applying special effects Painting Creating custom colors, gradients, and patterns Using layers Using type Using graphs Importing and exporting artwork Printing documents Producing color separations Error messages and troubleshooting What’s new in 6.
Basic Concepts Bitmap images and vector graphics Opening documents Saving documents Setting preferences Using the toolbox and the plug-ins toolbox Using the status bar Using the Shortcuts palette Correcting mistakes Reverting to an earlier version of your document Using plug-in modules 3
Bitmap images and vector graphics Computer graphics fall into two main categories—bitmap images and vector graphics. Understanding the difference between these two types of graphics is useful when you’re creating and editing digital illustrations. (For more information on using these formats with Illustrator, see About graphic file formats.) See also Bitmap vs.
Bitmap images Bitmap images, such as those created in Adobe Photoshop, consist of a grid, or bitmap, of small squares, known as pixels. For example, a bicycle tire in a bitmap image is made up of a collection of pixels in that location, with each pixel part of a mosaic that together gives the appearance of a tire. When working with bitmap images, you edit pixels rather than objects or shapes.
Vector graphics Vector graphics, such as those created in Adobe Illustrator, are made up of lines and curves defined by mathematical objects called vectors. For example, a bicycle tire in a vector graphic is made up of a mathematical definition of a circle filled with a specific color and set at a specific location. When you move, resize, or change the color of the tire, the program changes the mathematical definition of the shape or location of the tire, or the tire’s color.
Bitmap vs. Vector graphics Click on artwork to jump to information on that format.
Opening documents When you start Adobe Illustrator, the program automatically opens a new document. You can also create a new document at any time, once Illustrator is running. In either case, a new document appears with the name Untitled art in its title bar. You can open existing documents as well as create new ones. An existing document appears with its name displayed in the title bar. See also Opening and placing artwork. To open a new document: Choose File > New from the Illustrator menu bar.
Saving documents You can save a document under its current name, location, and file format by using the Save command. If you are saving the document for the first time, the Save dialog box appears, enabling you to specify how and where you want to save the document. By using the Save As command, you can save a copy of a document under a different name, location, or file format. For information on saving a document in a different file format or with a special preview option, see Exporting artwork.
• From the Format pop-up menu, choose the file format in which you want to save the document. 2 If you save the document in EPS format, you can add Fetch® information. Fetch is a program that searches for and retrieves files based on information about the file. Choose any of the following options: • Select the Include Document Thumbnail option to create a thumbnail preview for the file when viewed by Fetch. • Enter the author’s name in the Author text box.
Setting preferences After you have used Illustrator for a while, you may develop preferences for the way in which various commands and tools work in the program. To accommodate different styles of working, Illustrator lets you set and save a wide variety of preferences. Any time you work in Illustrator, your saved preferences take effect, and tools and commands work the way you have specified.
• The Hyphenation Options dialog box defines which language dictionary is used and lets you specify any words you don’t want Illustrator to hyphenate. • The Plug-ins dialog box lets you indicate where the plug-in modules are located.
General Preferences dialog box Click on any option for information on that option.
Using the toolbox and the plug-ins toolbox The first time you open a document, the toolbox appears on the left side of the screen. The toolbox contains the set of working tools with which you can create, select, and manipulate objects in Illustrator. A further set of tools is available on the plug-ins toolbox. This second toolbox contains tools that can be provided by third-party developers. For more information about plug-ins, see Using plug-in modules.
To move either toolbox: Drag it by the title bar.
Using the tool pointers Many of the tools change the mouse pointer to an icon that indicates the function of the selected tool. For example, choosing the brush tool changes the pointer to a brush. You can also change any painting or editing tool pointer to a cross hair. To change the pointer to a cross hair: Choose one of the following options: • While the tool is selected, press the Caps Lock key on the keyboard. • Choose File > Preferences > General, select the Use Precise Cursors option, and click OK.
Selecting tools Select a tool from the default toolbox by clicking the tool. Select a hidden tool by positioning the pointer on the current tool in the toolbox and dragging to highlight the tool. Click on any tool to jump to information on that tool.
Toolbox overview Click on any artwork to jump to information on that tool. The selection tool selects entire objects. The direct-selection tool selects points or segments within objects. The group-selection tool selects objects and groups within groups. The hand tool moves the Illustrator artboard within the document window. The zoom tool increases and decreases the view in the document window. The pen tool draws straight and curved lines to create objects.
Toolbox overview, continued Click on any artwork to jump to information on that tool. The scissors tool splits paths. The add-anchor-point tool adds anchor points to paths. The delete-anchor-point tool deletes anchor points from paths. The convert-anchor-point tool changes smooth points to corner points and vice versa The brush tool draws freehand lines of varying thickness. The freehand tool draws freehand lines.
Toolbox overview, continued Click on any artwork to jump to information on that tool. The autotrace tool traces the outline of objects in a template. The oval tool draws circles and ovals. The rectangle tool draws squares and rectangles. The b eeboppers bellow the blues in bassoon, baritone bass B-flat on the the and The rounded rectangle tool draws squares and rectangles with rounded corners. The measure tool measures the distance between two points.
Toolbox overview, continued Le Sacre Pr 0-26 A v r i l s2 du i n t e mp Click on any artwork to jump to information on that tool. The area-type tool creates individual type and type containers and lets you enter and edit type. The path-type tool changes paths to type paths, and lets you enter and edit type on a type path. The rotate tool rotates objects around a fixed point.
Toolbox overview, continued Click on any artwork to jump to information on that tool. The eyedropper tool samples paint attributes from objects. The paint-bucket tool fills objects with the current paint attributes. nstrument 1994 The gradient tool adjusts the beginning and ending points of gradients within ojbects 1995 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 The blend tool creates a blend between the color and shape of two objects. A B The graph tool creates graphs.
Using the status bar A status line is displayed at the bottom left edge of the Illustrator document window.
To specify the type of information you want to display in the status line: 1 Position the cursor over the status line bar and hold down the mouse button. 2 Drag to choose the type of information you want from the pop-up menu.
Using the Shortcuts palette The Shortcuts palette displays a brief description of the function of all tools and keyboard shortcuts available in Illustrator. To use the Shortcuts palette: 1 Choose Show Shortcuts from the Help menu, located at the top right of the menu bar. 2 Click Forward or Back to go forward or backward one topic at a time.
Correcting mistakes You can use the Undo command to correct mistakes you make while using the Adobe Illustrator program. You can even undo an operation after you have chosen the Save command (but not if you have closed and then reopened the file). If an operation cannot be undone, the Undo command is dimmed. Depending on how much memory is available, you can undo up to 200 of the last operations you performed, in reverse order, by repeatedly choosing the Undo command.
To undo or redo an operation: Choose Edit > Undo or Edit > Redo. To change the maximum number of undo levels: Choose File > Preferences > General, enter a value in the Undo Levels text box, and click OK.
Reverting to an earlier version of your document The Revert to Saved command restores your document to the version that was last saved. You cannot undo this action. To revert your document to the saved version: Choose File > Revert to Saved.
Using plug-in modules A plug-in is a software module that adds functions to the main program. A collection of plug-ins is installed in the Plugins folder within the Adobe Illustrator 6.0 folder. Third-party developers also can create plug-in modules; see Creating plug-in modules for Adobe Illustrator for more information. Plug-ins work the same way that other functions in Illustrator work.
You can also use plug-ins from version 3.0.4 or later of Adobe Photoshop, and from Adobe Gallery Effects (included in the Adobe Illustrator Deluxe CD-ROM disc). In addition, you can use thirdparty plug-ins designed for Photoshop or Illustrator. (Plug-ins designed for Photoshop display a Photoshop icon in the Illustrator menu.) To install a plug-in module: Drag the plug-in into the Adobe Illustrator Plug-ins folder. To specify the location of plug-in modules: 1 Choose File > Preferences > Plug-ins.
Creating plug-in modules for Adobe Illustrator The open architecture of the Adobe Illustrator program allows third-party developers to create features that are accessible from within Adobe Illustrator. If you are interested in creating plug-in modules compatible with Adobe Illustrator, see the Adobe Systems Incorporated Home Page at http://www.adobe.com. You can also contact the Adobe Developers Association (ADA) by telephone. In the United States, call (415) 961-4111; in Europe, call +31-20-6511 275.
Viewing and Setting Up Documents Viewing modes Previewing and printing patterns and placed EPS images Moving the view of a document Magnifying and reducing the view Creating custom views Displaying multiple views of a document Using rulers About the work area Changing the artboard size Aligning the artboard with the printed page Choosing tiling options Moving the page boundaries Setting up standard and custom pages 32
Viewing modes You have three views in which to display your artwork on-screen: Preview view (the default), Artwork view, and Preview Selection view.
To change the view: Choose one of the following options: • Choose View > Preview to view the artwork as it will be printed, filled with as many colors and as much shading and detail as your monitor is capable of displaying. Preview view is the default view when you open a new document, and the most used view because it best indicates what the finished artwork will look like. • Choose View > Artwork to view objects in the artwork as wireframe outlines, hiding the paint attributes of the objects.
Note: You can use the Artwork View Speedup filter to speed up redrawing and editing in Artwork view. All artwork handles are displayed in black while editing in Artwork View with the Artwork View Speedup filter in effect. To use the Artwork View Speedup filter, place it into Illustrator’s Plug-ins folder and restart Illustrator. This filter does not appear on the menu, it is in effect whenever you are in Artwork view.
Previewing and printing patterns and placed EPS images Placed EPS images from other applications and objects that are filled with patterns can slow performance when previewing and printing artwork. The Show Placed Images option in the Document Setup dialog box lets you choose whether placed EPS images display a 1-bit preview when seen in Artwork view. (For information on placed images, see Opening and placing artwork.
To determine how placed EPS images and patterns appear: 1 Choose File > Document Setup. 2 Choose any of the following options: • Select or deselect the Show Placed Images option. • Select or deselect the Preview and Print Patterns option. 3 Click OK.
Moving the view of a document You can view different areas of a document using the scroll bars or the hand tool. Moving the hand tool around on an Illustrator document is analogous to moving a piece of paper on a desk with your hand. To scroll with the hand tool: 1 Select the hand tool. 2 Move the pointer onto the document and drag in the direction in which you want the document to move. Tip: To scroll quickly with the hand tool while using another tool, hold down the spacebar and drag with the mouse.
Magnifying and reducing the view The zoom-in and zoom-out tools and commands magnify or reduce the display of any area in the document up to 16 times. Zooming in and out changes only the magnification at which you see the document, not its actual size. (For more on resizing objects, see Scaling.) Two other commands provide shortcuts to often-used magnification levels. The Actual Size command lets you display a document at 100% magnification, and centers the document in the active window.
Continue clicking until the document is magnified as desired. When the document has reached its maximum magnification level of 1600%, the magnifying glass appears blank. • Choose View > Zoom In. Continue choosing this option until the document is magnified as desired. When the document has reached its maximum magnification level of 1600%, the command is dimmed. Tip: To choose the zoom-in tool while using another tool, press Command+ spacebar.
• Choose View > Zoom Out. Continue choosing this option until the document is magnified as desired. When the document reaches its maximum reduction level of 6.25%, the command is dimmed. To magnify by dragging: 1 Select the zoom-in tool. 2 Drag to draw a dotted rectangle, called a marquee, around the area you want to magnify. To draw the marquee from the center, hold down the Control key as you drag.
Creating custom views You may want to switch between several views while working on an Illustrator document. For example, you may want to set one view highly magnified for doing close-up work on some objects and create another view not as magnified for laying out those objects on the page. You can create and store up to 25 views of a document.
To create a new view: 1 Set up the view that you want. 2 Choose View > New View. 3 Enter a name for the new view, and click OK. The view names, along with keyboard shortcuts for accessing them, appear at the bottom of the View menu. To retrieve a view, select the name of the view you want to use. To rename or delete a view: 1 Choose View > Edit Views. 2 Select the view you want to edit and rename it or click Delete.
Displaying multiple views of a document You can display several views of the same document in separate windows. For example, you can simultaneously view several magnification levels of one drawing. Because the windows are simply different views of the same document, editing artwork in any of the windows affects the artwork in all windows at the same time. To open a new window: Choose Window > New Window. A new window of the same size appears on top of the previously active window.
Using rulers Illustrator can display rulers, one along the bottom and one along the right side of the document window. When you open a new document, the rulers are not visible, but you can display them at any time. These rulers are a tool for placing and measuring objects in artwork accurately. As you scroll and zoom around the document, the rulers adjust accordingly. To show or hide rulers: Choose View > Show Rulers or View > Hide Rulers.
Defining ruler units The large tick marks on the rulers indicate the unit of measure (such as inches), and the small tick marks indicate increments of the unit of measure (such as 1/8 inch). When you magnify or reduce the document view, the increments of the unit of measure reflect the change in magnification. The default units of measure for the rulers are points and picas. A point equals 1/72 of an inch; a pica equals 12 points, or 1/6 of an inch.
To set the unit of measure: 1 Choose one of two options: • To change the unit of measure for all documents, choose File > General Preferences. • To change the unit of measure for the active document only, choose File > Document Setup. 2 From the Ruler Units pop-up menu, drag to specify the unit of measure you want to use. 3 Click OK.
Automatically converting unit values in text boxes If you use other than the preset unit to enter values, Illustrator converts it to the set unit. For example, entering “3 cm” in a text box set to inches converts the value to 1.181 inches. You can also add, subtract, multiply, divide, and perform other mathematical operations in any Illustrator text box that accepts numeric values. Illustrator performs the calculation and uses the result.
Changing the ruler origin The point where 0 appears on each ruler is called the ruler origin. When you open a document, the position of the ruler origin depends on the View option selected in the Document Setup dialog box. Generally, if you have selected either the Single Full Page or the Tile Full Pages option, the default ruler origin is located at the lower left corner of page 1. When you change the ruler setting, the new setting becomes the default for the document whenever that document is opened.
To change the ruler origin: 1 Move the pointer to the lower right corner of the rulers where the rulers intersect. 2 Drag the pointer to where you want the new ruler origin. As you drag, a cross hair in the window and in the rulers indicates the changing ruler origin. 3 Release the mouse button to set the new 0,0 point in the rulers.
About the work area In Adobe Illustrator, the work area occupies the entire space within the Illustrator document window, and includes more than just the printable page containing your artwork.
Imageable area The imageable area is the area within the dotted lines representing the portion of the page on which the selected printer can print an image. Many printers cannot print to the edge of the paper.
Nonimageable area The nonimageable area is the area between the dotted and solid lines representing any nonprintable margin of the page. This example shows the nonimageable area of an 8.5" x 11" page for a standard laser printer.
Artboard The artboard is the area within the solid lines representing the region that can contain printable artwork. The artboard equals the imageable area plus any nonimageable area. By default, the artboard is the same size as the page, but it can be enlarged, as in the example shown. The U.S. default artboard is 8.5" x 11", but can be set as large as 120" x 120".
Scratch area The scratch area is the area between the solid lines, and the border of the document window represents a space on which you can create, edit, and store elements of artwork before moving them onto the artboard. Objects placed on the scratch area are visible on-screen, but they do not print.
The work area Click on any option for information on that option.
Changing the artboard size The boundaries of the artboard define the maximum printable area of your document. By default, the artboard is U.S. letter size (8.5 inches by 11 inches). You can change the artboard’s dimensions using the Document Setup dialog box. To change the size of the artboard: 1 Choose File > Document Setup. 2 Choose any of the following options: • Choose a preset size from the Size pop-up menu.
• Select the Use Page Setup option to set the size of the artboard to match the page size set in the Page Setup dialog box. The size of the artboard then changes any time you choose a new page size in the Page Setup dialog box. 3 Click OK.
Aligning the artboard with the printed page The artboard’s dimensions do not necessarily match the paper sizes used by printers. As a result, when you print a document, the program divides the artboard into one or more rectangles that correspond to the page size available on your printer. Dividing the artboard to fit a printer’s available page size is called tiling. You define the page size by selecting a page type in the Page Setup dialog box.
the page size specified in Illustrator, enabling you to print bleeds, for example, that run past the edge of the page. As you work with tiled artwork, be sure to consider how the artwork relates to the boundaries of the page grid and to the total dimensions of the artboard. For example, if the artwork is tiled onto six pages, part of the artwork will print on a separate sheet of paper that corresponds to page 6.
Choosing tiling options You set how pages tile using the options in the Document Setup dialog box— Single Full Page, Tile Full Pages, and Tile Imageable Areas. These options let you print the artwork on one or more pages, printing each page according to the page size defined in the Page Setup dialog box. To set whether the tiling format is visible on-screen: Choose View > Show Page Tiling or View > Hide Tiling. To change the page tiling options: 1 Choose File > Document Setup.
• Select the Tile Full Pages option to view and print multiple pages containing separate pieces of artwork. For example, you can use this option to print a twopage brochure. To view and print multiple pages, the artboard size set in the must be large enough to fit more than one full page at a time. Note: With the Tile Full Pages option, any artwork that extends past the imageable area of a given page is not printed.
If you have set up the document to view and print multiple pages, the document is tiled onto pages numbered from left to right and from top to bottom, starting with page 1. These page numbers appear on-screen for your reference only; they do not print. The numbers enable you to print all of the pages in the document or specify particular pages to print. The page or set of pages is aligned with the center of the artboard by default.
Tiling options Single Page option: Letter size page 11” x 14” artboard Tile Full Pages option: Letter size page 20”x 14” artboard 64
Tile Imageable Areas option: Letter size page 40”x 60” artboard 65
Moving the page boundaries You can adjust the placement of a page on the artboard to control how artwork is printed on the page. This is a good way to avoid having the artwork extend past the boundaries of the current page. You can adjust the page on any of the three View displays. You may find it easier to choose View > Fit In Window first so that you can see more of the document while you adjust the pages.
See also About the work area To adjust a page using the page tool: 1 Select the page tool. The pointer is a dotted cross in the active window. 2 Drag the page to the new location. As you drag, two gray rectangles appear: the outer rectangle indicates the page size, and the inner rectangle indicates the page’s printable area. Note: To move a page past the artboard boundary, change the artboard’s size in the Document Setup dialog box.
Setting up standard and custom pages Using the Document Setup dialog box (to set the artboard size and page tiling) with the Page Setup dialog box (to set different page sizes and orientations) lets you create standard- and custom-size pages. Select the Use Page Setup option in the Document Setup dialog box to override the dimensions set in the Document Setup dialog box. If you have artwork with bleeds, making the artboard larger than the page leaves room for crop marks, trim marks, and registration marks.
Setting up standard and custom pages Horizontal letter page Document Setup: • Use Page Setup Page Setup: • US letter paper • Landscape orientation return to text
Setting up standard and custom pages, continued Vertical tabloid page Document Setup: • Use Page Setup Page Setup: • Tabloid paper • Portrait orientation return to text
Setting up standard and custom pages, continued Horizontal tabloid page Document Setup: • Use Page Setup Page Setup: • Tabloid paper • Landscape orientation return to text
Setting up standard and custom pages, continued Two-page spread Document Setup: • Custom artboard (19.5" by 13.
Setting up standard and custom pages, continued Standard envelope – center fed Document Setup: • Use Page Setup Page Setup: • Envelope paper • Landscape orientation return to text
Setting up standard and custom pages, continued US letter page with bleed Document Setup: • Tabloid paper • Portrait orientation • Single Full Page view Page Setup: • US letter paper • Portrait orientation return to text
Setting up standard and custom pages, continued Custom page Document setup: • Custom artboard (22.75" by 25.
Document Setup dialog box Click on any option for information on that option.
Drawing About paths and anchor points Drawing with the freehand tool Drawing with the pen tool Selecting objects Adjusting path segments Hiding the anchor points and edges of a selected object Adding and deleting anchor points Selecting stray points Splitting paths with the scissors tool Averaging anchor points Joining endpoints Drawing with the brush tool Adding calligraphic strokes to objects Drawing rectangles and ovals 77
Drawing, continued Drawing polygons Drawing spirals Drawing stars Tracing artwork 78
About paths and anchor points A path is any line or shape that you create using the Adobe Illustrator drawing tools, and represents the outline of a graphic object. A single straight line, a rectangle, and the outline of a map are all typical examples of paths. A path consists of one or more segments. Anchor points, which define where each segment of a path starts and ends, “anchor” the path in place. By moving anchor points, you modify path segments, and change the shape of a path.
The first and last anchor points on an open path are called the endpoints. If you fill an open path, the program draws an imaginary line between the two endpoints and fills the path.
Drawing with the freehand tool The freehand tool lets you draw paths as if you were using a pencil. You can use it for fast sketching or creating a more handdrawn look than you could with the pen tool. The freehand tool sets anchor points as you draw, according to the path length and complexity, and the Freehand Tolerance value (2 pixels, by default) set in the General Preferences dialog box. You can adjust the position of anchor points after completing the path.
To draw a freehand path: 1 Select the freehand tool. 2 Position the pointer where you want the path to begin, and drag. (If the Use Precise Cursors option is select in the General Preferences dialog box, the pointer appears as a cross hair.) As you drag, a dotted line trails the pointer. When you release the mouse button, anchor points appear along the path and at its ends. The path takes on the current paint attributes, and is selected.
To erase part of the path as you draw: Hold down the Command key and drag back over the path. As you drag, the pointer changes to an eraser. To set the freehand tolerance: 1 Choose File > Preferences > General. 2 Enter a value between 0 and 10 in the Freehand Tolerance text box. Click OK. To make drawing tool pointers cross hairs: 1 Choose File > Preferences > General. 2 Choose the Use Precise Cursors option, and click OK.
Drawing with the pen tool The pen tool lets you create straight lines and smooth, flowing curves with greater precision than with the freehand tool. For most users, it is the most important and powerful drawing tool in Illustrator, as it provides the best control and greatest accuracy for drawing.
Drawing straight lines The simplest line you can draw with the pen tool is a straight line, by clicking the pen tool to create anchor points. To draw straight lines with the pen tool: 1 Select the pen tool. 2 Move the tip of the pen to the straight line’s starting point, and click. A solid square, an anchor point, appears; it is selected until you define the next point. 3 Click where you want the segment to end. Hold down the Shift key to constrain the tool to multiples of 45 degrees.
The last anchor point added is a solid square, showing it is selected. The other anchor points become hollow squares. To end an open path: Choose one of the following options: • Click the pen tool in the toolbox. • Hold down the Command key to change to the selection tool, and then click anywhere away from the path. • Choose Edit > Select None. • Select another tool. To close a path: Position the pen over the first anchor point (a closed circle should appear next to the pen tip), and click.
About direction lines and direction points On curved segments, each selected anchor point displays one or two direction lines, ending in direction points. The position of each direction line and point determine the size and shape of a curved segment. Moving these elements reshapes the curves in a path. Direction point Curved segment Anchor point Direction line Parts of a curved segment The direction lines are always tangent to (touching) the curve at the anchor points.
determines the slope of the curve, while the length of each direction line determines the height, or depth, of the curve. Moving direction lines changes the slope of the curve. Continuous curved paths—paths along a continuous wave shape—are connected by anchor points called smooth points. Noncontinuous curved paths are connected by corner points.
When you move a direction line on a smooth point, the curves on both sides of the point adjust simultaneously. In comparison, when you move a direction line on a corner point, only the curve on the same side of the point as the direction line is adjusted.
Drawing curves You create curves by dragging the pen tool in the direction you want the curve to go. The following instructions explain how to draw curves. See also About direction lines and direction points. To draw a curved path: 1 Select the pen tool. 2 Position the pen tip where you want the curve to begin. Hold down the mouse button. The first anchor point appears, and the pen tip changes to an arrowhead. 3 Drag in the direction you want the curve segment to be drawn.
4 Position the pointer where you want the curve segment to end, press the mouse button, and drag in the opposite direction to complete the segment. Hold down the Shift key to constrain the tool to multiples of 45 degrees. Drag in direction of curve to set anchor point . . . 91 and then drag in opposite direction to complete curve.
5 Choose one of the following options: • To draw the next segment of a continuous curve, position the pointer where you want the next segment to end, and drag away from the curve. Drag away from curve to create next segment. • To change the direction of the curve and create a noncontinuous curve, position the pointer on the last anchor point, hold down the Option key, and hold down the mouse button to set a corner point; then drag in the direction of the curve.
and mouse button, reposition the pointer, and drag in the opposite direction to end the curve segment. Press Option key and drag in direction of curve . . . and then release Option key and drag in opposite direction.
Keep the following guidelines in mind to help you draw any kind of curve quickly and easily: • Always drag the first direction point in the direction of the bump of the curve, and drag the second direction point in the opposite direction to create a single curve. Dragging both direction points in the same direction creates an “S” curve. Drag in opposite direction to create smooth curve. Drag in same direction to create S” curve.
curve. Use as few anchor points as possible, placing them as far apart as possible. Less to more efficient curves See the Adobe Illustrator Tutorial and Beyond the Basics for step-by-step procedures on drawing curves with the pen tool.
Selecting objects Before you can modify an object, you need to distinguish it from the objects around it. You do that by selecting the object with one of the selection tools. Once you’ve selected an object, or a part of an object, you can edit it by moving or copying, deleting, or adjusting paths. You select objects with one of three selection tools: • The selection tool lets you select entire objects or an entire path by selecting any spot on the path.
Tip: To use the last selection tool used while using any other tool, hold down the Command key. To select an entire object or line: 1 Choose the selection tool or the group-selection tool. 2 Choose one of the following options: • If the object is filled, and you are in Preview view, click within the object. Note: The Area Select option in the General Preferences dialog box must be selected for this option to work. For more information, see Selecting filled objects. • Click the path of the object.
To select a segment: Choose the direct-selection tool, and then choose one of the following options: • Click within 2 pixels of the segment. • Hold down the mouse button, and drag a selection marquee over part of the segment. Drag direct-selection marquee . . . to select segment and display direction lines. When you select a segment, all of the anchor points on the path are displayed, including any direction lines and direction points if the selected segment is curved.
To add or remove selections: Hold down the Shift key while selecting additional objects or segments.
Selecting filled objects The Area Select option in the General Preferences dialog box controls whether you can select a filled object in Preview view by clicking anywhere within its area or whether you must click a path or anchor point. The Area Select option is on by default.
You can turn off the Area Select option, such as if you’re working with overlapping filled objects. Area Select option off: Dragging selects points and segments within marquee. Area Select option on: Dragging selects object. To turn the Area Select option on or off: 1 Choose File > Preferences > General. 2 Select the Area Select option. Click OK.
Selecting multiple objects You can select several objects at a time, and then move, paint, group, transform, or edit them using any editing tool. To select or deselect multiple objects: Choose one of the following options: • Drag the marquee over all of the objects. • Select an object, and then hold down the Shift key while you select additional objects. Click to select one object . . . and then Shift-click to select additional objects.
To select all objects in a document: Choose Edit > Select All. This command selects all objects in a document except objects that have been locked or hidden. See Locking and hiding objects for more information on these types of objects. To select all unselected objects, and deselect all selected objects: Choose Filter > Select > Select Inverse.
Deselecting objects You deselect objects when you no longer want to edit them. You can deselect one object, several objects, or all objects in your artwork. To deselect objects when you are using a selection tool: Choose one of the following options: • To deselect everything in the document, click or drag at least 2 pixels away from any object, or choose Edit > Select None. • To deselect part of a selection, hold down the Shift key and click or drag over the path or segment you want to deselect.
Adjusting path segments You can modify the shape of a path by moving one or more of its segments, or by moving its anchor points. To adjust a curved segment, you move the segment between the points anchoring it, or you move one or more of its anchor or direction points. Tip: To quickly adjust a path you are drawing, hold down the Command key with the pen tool selected. Adjust the path, and then release the Command key to resume drawing with the pen tool.
2 Drag the selected anchor points or segments to a new position. Hold down the Shift key to constrain the tool to multiples of 45 degrees. Select points anchoring curve. Drag to move curve. To adjust a straight segment: 1 Select the direct-selection tool, and click anywhere along the segment you want to move. To adjust the angle or length of the segment, select an anchor point.
2 Drag the selected segment to its new position. Click to select straight segment. Drag to adjust. To adjust a curve: 1 Select the direct-selection tool. 2 Select the curve you want to adjust. Direction lines appear for that curve. 3 Choose one of the following options: • To adjust the location of the curve’s anchor point, drag the point. • To adjust the position of the segment between two anchor points, drag the segment.
• To adjust the shape of the curve on either side of the anchor point, drag the direction point. Click to select the curve . . . and drag the segment; drag the direction point; or drag the anchor point. Note: Hold down the Shift key to constrain the tool to multiples of 45 degrees.
To convert a smooth point to a corner point, and vice versa: 1 Select the direct-selection tool. 2 Select the object and the anchor point you want to convert. 3 Hold down the Control key while any selection tool is selected, or select the convert-direction-point tool. Tip: With the pen tool selected, press Option+Control to use the convertdirection-point tool. With the convertdirection-point tool selected, press the Command key to use the previous selection tool.
• Select a corner point, and drag to create direction lines, converting it to a smooth point. Click smooth point for corner point. Drag corner point for smooth point. • Select a smooth point to display direction lines. Then drag a direction line, converting the segment into a corner point with direction lines.
Hiding the anchor points and edges of a selected object Illustrator displays the anchor points of selected objects and, in Preview view, an outline of the selection edge. When you are working with complex paths or moving selected objects, you can hide all anchor points and selection edges if they obstruct your view using the Hide Edges command. You can still adjust the selected object. To hide or show anchor points and selection edges: Choose View > Hide Edges or View > Show Edges.
Adding and deleting anchor points You can add and delete anchor points on any path. Added anchor points can give you more control over the path shape. Similarly, you can delete anchor points to change the shape of a path or to simplify the path. If a path contains numerous anchor points, it’s a good idea to delete unnecessary points to reduce the path’s complexity. (See Improving printer performance for information on path complexity when printing.
To add and delete individual anchor points at specific locations on a path segment, use the add-anchor-point tool and the delete-anchor-point tool. Adding anchor point Result Deleting anchor point Result To add anchor points midway between pairs of anchor points in a path, use the Add Anchor Points filter. You can apply this filter before using distortion filters (Punk, Bloat, Twirl, and Free Distort), to intensify their effect.
To add an anchor point: 1 Select the add-anchor-point tool. 2 Position the pointer on a path segment, and click the mouse button. To delete an anchor point: 1 Select the delete-anchor-point tool. 2 Position the pointer over an anchor point, and click the mouse button. To add anchor points using the Add Anchor Points filter: Select the object, and choose Filter > Objects > Add Anchor Points.
Selecting stray points Single, isolated anchor points make artwork unnecessarily complex and can even slow printing. Stray points can be created, for example, if you inadvertently click the pen tool in the artwork area, and then choose another tool. The Delete Stray Points option in the Cleanup Artwork dialog box finds and deletes all isolated single points in the artwork. To delete all stray points: 1 Choose Filter > Objects > Cleanup. 2 Select the Delete Stray Points option.
Splitting paths with the scissors tool You may want to split paths that you have already created or that were created using the autotrace tool. Using the scissors tool, you can split an open path into two paths and split a closed path so that it becomes one or more open paths. However, you cannot split a text path. Path split with scissors tool and adjusted with direct-selection tool To split a path and adjust it: 1 Select the path if you want to see its current anchor points. 2 Select the scissors tool.
3 Click the path where you want to split it. If you split the path in the middle of a segment, two new endpoints are created, one on top of the other. Both endpoints are selected. If you split the path at an anchor point, a new anchor point is created on top of the original anchor point. Both anchor points are selected. 4 Deselect the paths. 5 Use the direct-selection tool to delete or adjust the new anchor point or path segment.
Averaging anchor points The Average command lets you move two or more anchor points to a position that is the average of their current locations. Vertical Horizontal Both Average command To average anchor points: 1 Use the direct-selection tool to select two or more anchor points. 2 Choose Object > Average. 3 Choose whether to average along both axes, the horizontal (x) axis only, or the vertical (y) axis only. 4 Click OK. The anchor points are now coincident.
Joining endpoints The Join command connects the endpoints of open paths, closing them. Joining two coincident (overlapping) endpoints replaces them with one anchor point. Joining two noncoincident endpoints draws a path between them. Tip: To average and join two paths at once, select the two points to join, and press Command+ Option+J to join the paths at their midpoint. To join two noncoincident endpoints: 1 Using the direct-selection tool, Shift-click to select the endpoints. 2 Choose Object > Join.
To join two coincident endpoints: 1 Using the direct-selection tool, drag to select the endpoints. 2 Choose Object > Join. 3 Select the Corner or Smooth option; see About direction lines and direction points for more information. Click OK. Drag to select coin– cident endpoints.
Drawing with the brush tool The brush tool draws closed paths that vary in width, simulating a brush stroke. To draw with the brush tool: 1 Select the brush tool. The pointer changes to a brush when you move it to the active window. 2 Position the tip of the brush where you want the path to begin. Drag the brush to draw the path. When you release the mouse button, anchor points appear along the line’s perimeter. Dragging brush Result See also Specifying brush widths and styles.
Specifying brush widths and styles The Brush Preferences dialog box lets you change the brush stroke width, style (such as variable-width lines or calligraphic lines), and brush stroke ending (round or flat). To specify the brush width and style: 1 Double-click the brush tool. 2 Choose from the following options: • If you have a pressure-sensitive drawing tablet, select the Variable option; enter the minimum and maximum line-width.
• Select a Cap style and Join style for the stroke end, round or flat. Round cap and join Flat cap and join • Select the Calligraphic option for script letters and lines to simulate drawing with an angled calligraphic pen tip. The line width varies on the up- and downstroke. (Set the pen rotation angle in the Calligraphic Angle box.) See also Adding calligraphic strokes to objects.
Adding calligraphic strokes to objects The Calligraphy filter applies a calligraphic stroke to an existing curved path. (For calligraphic brush strokes, use the Calligraphic option; see Specifying brush widths and styles.) The Calligraphy filter does not work with type. To apply a calligraphic stroke: 1 Select a curved path. 2 Choose Filter > Stylize > Calligraphy. 3 Enter values in the Pen Width and Pen Angle text boxes, and click OK.
Drawing rectangles and ovals Adobe Illustrator includes four rectangle tools and two oval tools: • The rectangle and oval tools let you draw rectangles and ovals by dragging from a corner of the rectangle or an edge of the oval to its opposite corner or edge. • The centered-rectangle and centeredoval tools draw rectangles and ovals when you drag outward from the center. • The rounded-rectangle tool lets you draw round-cornered rectangles by dragging from one corner of the rectangle to the opposite corner.
When you create an object with the rectangle or oval tools, a center point appears in the object’s center. You can use this point to drag the object or to align it with other elements in your artwork. You can show or hide the center point, but you cannot delete it. Squares with center point visible and hidden To create a rectangle or oval by dragging from an edge: 1 Select the rectangle tool, the rounded-rectangle tool, or the oval tool.
constrain the tool to multiples of 45 degrees, and create squares with the rectangle tool and circles with the oval tool. Drawing from corner and center To create a rectangle or oval by dragging from the center: 1 Select one of the centered-rectangle tools or the centered-oval tool by double-clicking the tool icon or pressing Option with the rectangle tool or oval tool selected. 2 Position the pointer at the center of the shape you want to create, and drag diagonally to any corner or edge.
To draw a rectangle or oval by specifying dimensions: 1 Select any rectangle or oval tool. 2 Click where you want to begin creating the shape. The beginning point is the center for a centered object, or a corner of a rectangle or side of an oval. The Rectangle dialog box displays the dimensions of the last drawn rectangle or oval. The units of measure are determined by defining ruler units in the Document Setup or General Preferences dialog box. 3 Enter the rectangle’s width in the Width text box.
rectangle or square. The default corner radius is 12 points. A corner radius of zero creates square corners. Note: The corner style of the rectangle or square you draw is determined by the corner radius value you specify in either the Rectangle or General Preferences dialog box. Specifying a corner radius value in either dialog box updates the value in the other dialog box. 5 Click OK to draw the rectangle or oval. To display or hide the center points: 1 Choose Object > Attributes.
Drawing polygons The polygon plug-in tool draws an object with a specified number of sides of equal length, with each side the same distance from the center of the object. Polygons To draw a polygon by dragging: 1 Select the polygon tool in the plug-ins toolbox. (Choose Window > Show Plug-in Tools to display the plug-ins tool box.) 2 Position the pointer at the center of the polygon you will create, and drag.
3 Choose any of the following options: • Drag the pointer in an arc to rotate the polygon. • Hold down the Shift key to constrain the tool to multiples of 45 degrees. • Hold down the spacebar to move the polygon as you drag. • Press or hold down the Up arrow key or the Down arrow key to add or delete polygon sides. To draw a polygon by specifying dimensions: 1 Select the polygon tool from the plug-ins toolbox. 2 Click to set the polygon’s center.
Drawing spirals The spiral plug-in tool creates a spiralshaped object of a given radius and number of winds; that is, the number of complete turns that the spiral will complete from start to finish. Spirals To draw a spiral by dragging: 1 Select the spiral tool from the plug-ins toolbox. (Choose Window > Show Plug-in Tools to display the plug-ins tool box.) 2 Position the pointer at the center of the spiral you want to create, and then drag.
3 Choose any of the following options: • Drag the pointer in an arc to rotate the spiral. • Hold down the Shift key to constrain the tool to multiples of 45 degrees. • Hold down the Control key to increase or decrease the amount by which each wind of the spiral decreases relative to the previous wind. • Hold down the spacebar to move the spiral as you drag. • Press or hold down the Up arrow key or the Down arrow key to add or delete winds to the spiral.
By default, the Spiral dialog box displays the dimensions of the last spiral you drew. The units of measure are determined by defining ruler units in the Document Setup or General Preferences dialog box. 3 Enter the distance from the center to the outermost point in the spiral in the Radius text box. 4 Enter the amount by which each wind of the spiral should decrease relative to the previous wind in the Decay text box. 5 Click the arrows or enter the number of segments in the Segments text box.
Drawing stars The star plug-in tool creates a starshaped object with a given number of points and size. Stars To draw a star by dragging: 1 Select the star tool from the plug-ins toolbox. (Choose Window > Show Plug-in Tools to display the plug-ins tool box.) 2 Position the pointer at the center of the star you will create; then drag. 3 Choose any of the following options: • Drag in an arc to rotate the star. • Hold down the Shift key to constrain the tool to multiples of 45 degrees.
• Hold down the Option key to make the slopes on every other side run parallel to each other. • Hold down the Control key to hold the inner radius constant. • Hold down the spacebar to move the star as you drag. • Press or hold down the Up arrow key or the Down arrow key to add or delete sides to the star. To draw a star by specifying dimensions: 1 Select the star tool from the plug-ins toolbox. 2 Click to position the star’s center. The Star dialog box displays the dimensions of the last drawn star.
4 In the Radius 2 text box, enter the distance from the star’s center to its outermost points. 5 Click the arrows or enter the number of sides to the star in the Points text box. Click OK.
Tracing artwork In some cases, you may want to base a new drawing on an existing piece of artwork. For example, you may want to create a graphic based on a pencil sketch drawn on paper, or an image saved in another graphics program. In either case, you can bring the image into Illustrator and trace over it. You have two ways of tracing artwork, depending on the source of the artwork you want to trace and how you want to trace it: • You can open an image in PICT or MacPaint® format as a template.
Using templates A template is a dimmed 1-bit PICT or MacPaint image that can be displayed in a document’s background for tracing over. You can open an existing or new document with a template, and change templates. You can display or hide a template, but you cannot change or move it once it is in a document. Using the autotrace tool, you can automatically trace objects in the template. To open a new document with a template: 1 Hold down the Option key while choosing File > New.
To open an existing document and template: Choose File > Open, select the name of the document to open; click Open. When you open an existing document, the corresponding template document appears. To change the template associated with an existing document: 1 Close the document if it is open. 2 Hold down the Option key while choosing File > Open. 3 Select the document you want to open, and click Open. 4 Select a new template, and click OK.
Drawing with the autotrace tool The autotrace tool traces simple shapes and lines. For best results when tracing artwork, trace simpler shapes with the autotrace tool and draw more complex shapes with the freehand or pen tool. You can also use a dedicated tracing program such as Adobe Streamline™. To trace a template shape: 1 Open a document with a template. 2 Select the autotrace tool. 3 Position the cross hair on a bitmap shape, within 6 pixels of its edge.
4 Click to trace the path. Click object . . . to autotrace entire object. Illustrator draws the path from where you clicked, keeping the shape on its right. The path may be drawn clockwise or counterclockwise, depending on where you click and on the path’s shape. Click object . . . to autotrace entire object.
To trace part of a template shape: 1 Open a document with a template. 2 Select the autotrace tool. 3 Drag the pointer from the point on the bitmap shape where the path will start to its end. Drag autotrace tool . . . to autotrace part of object. When tracing part of a template, you must start and stop dragging within 2 pixels of shape’s edge. See also Setting the autotrace gap distance.
Setting the autotrace gap distance The lines and shapes in bitmap template images often contain gaps that become visible when you enlarge your view of the document. You can control the accuracy with which the autotrace tool traces these gaps using the Auto Trace Gap option in the General Preferences dialog box. The gap distance setting tells the autotrace tool to ignore gaps that are equal to or less than the number of pixels you specify.
Tracing over an EPS or TIFF image On occasion, you may want to trace over an EPS or TIFF image. You can trace over such an image by using layers— putting the artwork onto a layer in an Illustrator document and then, optionally, dimming the layer. This action dims any placed EPS image on the layer, without dimming any other artwork on that layer.
2 Choose any of the following options: • Choose File > Place to place the EPS or TIFF image on the layer. See Placing EPS files for more information. • Copy the EPS image and paste it onto the layer. (For information on placing images, see Opening and placing artwork.) • Dim the layer by double-clicking the layer’s name in the Layers palette, selecting the Dim Placed Images option, and clicking OK. This dims any EPS image on the layer. 3 Trace over the image using the pen tool or freehand tool.
Tracing PICT, MacPaint, and EPS images PICT and MacPaint images containing simple filled shapes can be opened as a template and quickly traced over with the autotrace tool. PICT and MacPaint images containing line art can be opened as a template and traced over with the drawing tools. The autotrace tool is not recommended for line art, because it translates lines into closed paths.
Tracing PICT, MacPaint, and EPS images EPS images containing complex, detailed, or multi-color artwork can be placed on a layer, transformed, and dimmed; they can then be traced over with the drawing tools.
Moving and Aligning Objects Moving and copying objects Cutting and pasting Deleting objects Rotating the x and y axes Stacking objects Moving objects to the front and back of the artwork Pasting objects in front of and in back of other objects Pasting objects in their current layer Using the Control palette Using the measure tool Using guides Grouping and ungrouping objects Locking and hiding objects 149
Moving and copying objects You can move or copy objects in your artwork by • Cutting and pasting • Dragging to move or copy • Dragging between applications including open Illustrator and Photoshop documents • Using the arrow keys • Using the Move command • Using the Transform Each command when Moving groups of objects • Using the Control palette. In addition, you can use guides to align objects with precision.
If the copy is made when you are moving groups of objects or objects on a number of layers, the copied objects are all included in the topmost group or layer. To make a copy outside of the object’s group, use the Copy and Paste commands in the Edit menu.
Choosing preferences that affect how objects move The General Preferences dialog box lets you specify how an object is moved. To set preferences that affect how objects move: 1 Choose File > Preferences > General. 2 Choose one or more of the following options: • Select the Snap to Point option to specify whether, when you drag an object, it “snaps” to an anchor point or a guide when the pointer is within 2 pixels of the anchor point or guide. This option is on by default.
• In the Cursor Key text box, enter the distance you want each press of an arrow key to move a selection. • Select the Transform Pattern Tiles option to transform a pattern when you move or transform an object painted with a pattern. For more information on patterns, see Creating and working with patterns. 3 Click OK.
Cutting and pasting Cutting and pasting lets you move or copy objects in your artwork. To move or copy an object by pasting: 1 Select the object you want to cut. 2 Choose Edit > Cut or Edit > Copy. 3 If you want to paste into another document, open the document. Note: To paste a bitmap PICT version of the selected object onto the Clipboard for pasting into other applications, hold down the Option key while choosing the Copy command.
• Choose Edit > Paste in Back to paste the object directly in back of the selected object. See also Pasting objects in front of and in back of other objects.
Dragging to move or copy Dragging lets you move or copy objects in your artwork. To move an object or a copy of an object by dragging: 1 Select the object. Then position the pointer on an anchor point or path segment of the selected object. 2 Drag the object to its new location. Hold down the Shift key to constrain the object to multiples of 45 degrees. To drag a copy of the object, hold down the Option key as you drag. Press the Option key as you drag . . . 156 to copy the selection.
Dragging between applications You can use the drag and drop capability to move or copy objects between applications. To move a copy of an object between Illustrator documents or between Illustrator and Photoshop documents by dragging: 1 Open the document to which you want to drag the object. 2 Select the object. Then position the pointer on an anchor point or path segment of the selected object. 3 Drag the object to its new location. See also Using the drag and drop feature to import and export artwork.
Using the arrow keys You can precisely move or copy objects in your artwork using the arrow keys. To move an object using the arrow keys: 1 Select the object. 2 Press the arrow key that indicates the direction in which you want the object to move. The distance the object moves each time you press an arrow key is determined by the value specified in the Cursor Key text box of the General Preferences dialog box; the default distance is 1 point (.0139 inch).
Using the Move command You can move or copy objects a specified amount using the Move command. To move or copy an object a specific distance and direction: 1 Select the object. 2 Choose Arrange > Move, or hold down the Option key and click the selection tool. The Move dialog box displays the results of the last move or measure operation using the unit of measure set in the General Preferences dialog box. See defining ruler units for more information.
• Enter the distance and angle for the move. The angle you enter is calculated in degrees from the x axis. Positive angles specify a counterclockwise move; negative angles specify a clockwise move. You can also enter values between 180 and 360 degrees; these values are converted to their corresponding negative values (for example, a value of 270 degrees is converted to –90 degrees).
Aligning and distributing objects vertically and horizontally The Align palette enables you to align selected objects along the axis you specify. You can align objects along the vertical axis, using the rightmost, center, or leftmost anchor point of the selected objects. You can also align objects along the horizontal axis using the topmost, center, and bottommost anchor points of the selected objects. Note: Paragraph alignment of point type over-rides the Align Objects commands.
In addition, you can distribute objects evenly along the horizontal axis or vertical axis. Alignment option: Horizontal center Alignment option: Vertical center To align or distribute objects: 1 Select the objects you want to align or distribute. 2 Choose Window > Show Align. 3 Click the icon representing the type of alignment or distribution you want.
Moving groups of objects The Move option in the Transform Each dialog box moves objects in a selection in a specified or random direction. You can use the Random option to give a slightly less rigid, more natural look to a group of items. For example, if you draw a brick wall, and want the bricks to appear slightly offset from each other instead of perfectly aligned, you could select the Random option. To use the Move Each option: 1 Select the objects you want to move. 2 Choose Arrange > Transform Each.
4 Choose one of two options: • To move the objects by the specified amounts, click OK. • To move the objects randomly, but no more than the specified amounts, select the Random option. Then click OK.
Offsetting objects You can create a replica of a path, set off from the selected path by a specified distance, using the Offset Path filter. This is useful when you want to create concentric shapes or make many replications of a path at a regular distance from the original path. You can create an offset path from a closed path or an open path; if created from a closed path, the new offset path appears the specified distance outside or inside the original path. Original Offset paths: –2 pts.
To create an offset path: 1 Select the paths you want to offset. 2 Select Filter > Objects > Offset Path. 3 Specify the Offset distance, Line join type, and Miter limit. For more information about these options, see Setting stroke attributes with the Paint Style palette. 4 Click OK.
Deleting objects Deleting an object removes it permanently. To delete an object: 1 Select the object. 2 Press the Delete key or choose Edit > Clear.
Rotating the x and y axes When you open a new document, the x and y axes are parallel to the horizontal and vertical sides of the window. You can rotate the axes by specifying an angle of constraint in the General Preferences dialog box. Rotating the axes is useful if your artwork contains elements that are rotated to the same angle, such as a logo and text displayed on a 20-degree angle. Instead of rotating each element you add to the logo, you can simply rotate the axes by 20 degrees.
y y y x 20° 20° x x Constrain angle: 20° Constrain angle: 20°; object rotated 20° You can then use the Shift key to constrain the movement of one or more objects so that they move in a precise horizontal, vertical, or diagonal direction (in 45-degree increments) relative to the current orientation of the x and y axes. Pressing the Shift key while dragging or drawing limits movement to 45° increments.
The following objects and actions are aligned along the new axes: • Text objects, gradient angles you draw with the gradient tool, and objects you draw with the rectangle, oval, or graph tool • Scaling, reflecting, and shearing • Moving objects with the arrow keys • Any objects or operations to which you apply constraint (by holding down the Shift key while performing the action) limiting them to 45-degree multiples relative to the axes • The angle reported in the Info palette The following objects and acti
To rotate the axes: 1 Choose File > Preferences > General. 2 Enter the angle at which you want the axes rotated in the Constrain Angle text box. If you enter a positive number, the axes are rotated counterclockwise. If you enter a negative number, the axes are rotated clockwise. 3 Click OK. The rotation of the axes is saved in Adobe Illustrator’s Preferences file; it therefore affects new artwork in all documents until you change its value.
Stacking objects The Adobe Illustrator program stacks successively drawn objects, beginning with the first object drawn. How objects are stacked determines how they are displayed when they overlap. In addition, stacking is important when working with masks. You can change the stacking order, also called the painting order, of objects in your artwork at any time. You can also control how overlapping objects are displayed by using layers.
Moving objects to the front and back of the artwork The Bring to Front and Send to Back commands let you move an object to the front or back of the stack of objects on its layer. (For more information, see about layers.) If the object is part of any type of group—including masked artwork, compound paths, text, and word wraps—the object is moved to the front or back of the group, rather than the front or back of the entire layer.
Object brought to front Object repositioned in stack To make an object the frontmost or backmost object on its group or layer: 1 Select the object you want to move. 2 Choose Arrange > Bring to Front or Arrange > Send to Back.
Pasting objects in front of and in back of other objects The Paste in Front and Paste in Back commands let you paste copies of objects directly on top of and behind the objects you select. This is useful if you want to then move the copy a specified distance from the original’s location. These commands also enable you to paste the artwork into the same position in a new document as it was in the old, relative to the page origin.
The cut object is pasted into position. If no object was selected in step 3, the object is pasted on top of or in back of the stack.
If you paste more than one object, all pasted objects appear in front of or in back of the selected artwork. However, the relative painting order among the individual pasted objects remains the same. If you are working with multiple layers in your document that you have defined with the Layers palette, the layers may affect how objects are pasted. See Moving objects between layers for more information.
Pasting objects in their current layer Pasted objects (even if copied from different layers) are placed directly in front of or in back of all selected objects on the current layer if the Paste Remembers Layers option is turned off in the General Preferences dialog box. However, the relative painting order among the individual pasted objects remains the same. The Paste Remembers Layers option makes objects you paste retain their layering order. (See Moving objects between layers for more information.
Using the Control palette The Control palette displays information about selected objects. In addition, you can use the palette to move, scale, rotate, and resize objects. To use the Control palette: 1 Choose Window > Show Control Palette. 2 Select the object. 3 Choose any of the following options: • To select the reference point from which you are modifying the object, click a handle on the square representing the object’s bounding box on the palette.
• To rotate an object, enter a new angle between 0 and 360 degrees in the Angle text box. • To scale an object, enter a value in the Scale text box. 4 Press the Tab key or Return key to apply the change.
The Control palette Click on any option for information on that option.
Using the measure tool The measure tool calculates the distance between any two points in the work area. When you measure from one point to another, the distance measured is displayed in the Info palette. The Info palette shows the horizontal and vertical distance traveled from the x and y axes, the absolute horizontal and vertical distance, the total distance, and the angle measured.
To measure the distance between two points: 1 Select the measure tool. 2 Choose one of two options: • Click the two points between which you want to measure. • Click the first point and drag to the second point. Hold down the Shift key to constrain the tool to multiples of 45 degrees. If it was not previously displayed, the Info palette appears.
The Info palette Horizontal position Vertical distance from y axis return to text Absolute horizontal distance measured Absolute vertical distance measured Angle measured Angle diagonal distance measured
Using guides To help align text and graphic objects on the page, you can create and display dotted outlines, called guides, in the background of the work area. You can create two kinds of guides: • Ruler guides are straight horizontal or vertical lines created with the ruler. These guides are the simplest to make and are useful for setting alignment lines across the length or width of the work area.
By default, objects are aligned with guides whenever they are dragged within 2 pixels of the guide. For information on how to turn this feature on and off, see Choosing preferences that affect how objects move. Tip: To make working with multiple guides easier, place all guides on a single layer. You can then choose the layer to select all guides for moving or adjusting. See Creating layers and setting layer options for more information.
3 Hold down the mouse button and drag the dotted ruler guide into position. To convert an object into a guide object: 1 Select an object, a group of objects, or any combination of objects and groups.
2 Choose Object > Guides > Make. Objects selected and converted to guides with aligned artwork. To move, delete, or release a guide: 1 Choose Object > Guides > Lock to unlock the guide. When a guide is locked, a check mark appears in front of the Lock Guide command. 2 Select the guide you want to move, delete, or release, and choose one of three options: • Move the guide by dragging or copying. • Delete the guide by pressing the Delete key or choosing Edit > Cut.
• Release the guide object, turning it back into a regular graphic object, by choosing Object > Guides > Release. Note: The Lock Guides option locks all guides in the document. To lock an individual guide, select the guide when the Lock Guides option is turned off, and choose Arrange > Lock. To delete all guides in the artwork: Choose Object > Guides > Delete All.
Grouping and ungrouping objects You can combine several objects into a group so that the objects are treated as a single unit. You can then move or transform a number of objects without affecting their individual positions or attributes. For example, you might group the objects in a logo design, so that you can move and scale the logo as one unit. Groups can also be nested—that is, they can be grouped within other objects or groups to form larger groups.
Selecting grouped objects Once objects have been grouped, selecting any part of the group with the selection tool selects the entire group. If you are unsure whether an object is part of a group, select it with this tool. The direct-selection tool lets you select a single path or object that is part of one or several groups. If you have groups of objects within other groups, you can select the next group in the grouping hierarchy using the group-selection tool.
To select grouped objects with the group-selection tool: 1 Select the group-selection tool. 2 Position the pointer on the path you want to select, and click the mouse button. 3 Click the same place again to select successive groups until you have selected everything you want to include in your selection. First click selects an object. Second click selects group A.
Third click selects next group (group B). 193 Fourth click selects next group (group C).
Grouping stacked objects Grouped objects must be stacked in succession on the same layer of the artwork; therefore, grouping may change both the layering of objects and their stacking order on a given layer. See Stacking objects and About layers for more information. Grouped objects are stacked together behind the frontmost object in the group. If you group two objects that are separated by a nongrouped object in the stacking order, the non- grouped object will be moved behind the grouped objects.
Locking and hiding objects You can use the Lock and Hide commands to isolate parts of your artwork on which you do not want to work. Once an object has been locked or hidden, it cannot be selected or modified in any way. These features are useful when you are working on objects that overlap. In addition, the Hide command makes objects temporarily invisible, and so may speed performance when you work on large or complex artwork. Locked objects remain locked when files are closed and reopened.
To lock or hide artwork: Choose one of the following options: • To lock objects, first select the objects, and then choose Arrange > Lock. • To lock all unselected objects, hold down the Option key and choose Arrange > Lock. • To hide a selected object, select the objects, and choose Arrange > Hide. • To hide all unselected objects, hold down the Option key and choose Arrange > Hide. To unlock or show all objects: Choose Arrange > Unlock All or Arrange > Show All.
Modifying Shapes and Applying Special Effects Using the transformation tools Applying special effects to graphic objects Changing gradients and patterns into objects Changing vector graphics into bitmap images Applying special effects to bitmap objects Using the Pathfinder filters to modify shapes Converting strokes to filled objects Cutting objects with objects Working with compound paths Working with masks 197
Using the transformation tools The transformation tools consist of the rotate tool, the reflect tool, the scale tool, the shear tool, and the blend tool. Except for the blend tool, the transformation tools change objects relative to a fixed point on or around the object.
Defining the point of origin All of the transformation tools except the blend tool perform their functions in relation to some fixed point on or around the object. This fixed point is called the point of origin. The default point of origin is the object’s center point. You can drag an object to transform it around its center point, or you can set a new point of origin by clicking and then dragging to transform the object.
Original Scaled from new point of origin When you transform an object, the changes take place horizontally (along the x axis), vertically (along the y axis), or along both axes, relative to the Constrain Angle setting in the General Preferences dialog box.
Repeating transformations Sometimes you may want to repeat the same transformation several times, especially when you are copying objects. The Repeat Transform command in the Arrange menu lets you repeat a move, scale, rotate, reflect, or shear operation as many times as you want. You must choose the command immediately after you perform the operation. This command does not work with the blend tool.
Rotating Rotating an object turns it around a fixed point that you designate. The default point of origin is the object’s center point. Copying while rotating is a useful way to create radially symmetrical objects, such as the petals of a flower. See also Rotating each object in a selection. To rotate by dragging: 1 Select the object you want to rotate. 2 Select the rotate tool. 3 Choose one of two options: • Drag to rotate around the object’s center point.
Click to set point of origin. Then drag to rotate. To rotate a copy of the object instead of the object itself, hold down the Option key after you start to drag. For finer control, drag farther from the object’s point of origin. To rotate by specifying an angle: 1 Select the object you want to rotate. 2 Choose one of two options: • To set the center point as the point of origin, double-click the rotate tool.
3 Enter the rotation angle in degrees. Enter a negative angle to rotate the object clockwise; enter a positive angle to rotate the object counterclockwise. 4 Choose one of the following options: • To rotate the object, click OK. • To rotate a copy of the object, click Copy. • To place multiple copies of the object in a circular pattern around a point of origin, click Copy, and then choose Arrange > Repeat Transform. Set point of origin. 204 Use Rotate dialog and Copy option to rotate.
Choose Arrange > Repeat Transform as needed.
Rotating each object in a selection The Rotate option in the Transform Each dialog box rotates each object in a selection around its own center point. The effect differs from that of the rotate tool, which rotates objects in a selection around a common point of origin. You can also use the Rotate option to rotate objects a random amount, to create a more natural effect. Rotate tool Rotate each (specified) (random) To rotate each object separately in a group: 1 Select the objects you want to rotate.
3 In the Rotate text box, enter the angle by which you want to rotate the selected objects, between –360 degrees and 360 degrees. 4 Select the Preview option to preview the effect before you apply it. 5 Choose one of two options: • To rotate the objects by the specified amount, click OK. • To rotate the objects by a random amount, but by no more than the number of degrees specified in the Rotate text box, select the Random option. Click OK.
Reflecting Reflecting an object flips the object across an invisible axis that you specify. Copying while reflecting lets you create a mirror image of an object. To reflect by dragging: 1 Select the object you want to reflect. 2 Select the reflect tool. 3 Position the pointer on one point along the invisible axis across which you want the reflection to occur, and click to set the point of origin. The pointer changes to an arrowhead.
Click to set point of reflection. Result • Adjust the axis of reflection by dragging the pointer instead of clicking. Hold down the Shift key to constrain the tool to multiples of 45 degrees. As you drag, the invisible axis of reflection rotates around the point you clicked in step 3. When the image is in the desired position, release the mouse button. Drag reflect tool . . . 209 to rotate axis of reflection.
For finer control over the reflection, drag farther from the object’s point of origin. To reflect by specifying an axis: 1 Select the object you want to reflect. 2 Choose one of two options: • To set the center point as the point of origin, double-click the reflect tool. • To change the point of origin from which to reflect the object, select the reflect tool, hold down the Option key, and click the new point of origin. 3 Select the axis across which you want the object to be reflected.
If you choose an angled axis, enter the desired angle of reflection in degrees, relative to the x axis. Positive angles reflect the axis counterclockwise; negative angles reflect it clockwise. 4 Choose one of two options: • To reflect the object, click OK. • To reflect a copy of the object, click Copy.
Scaling Scaling an object enlarges or reduces it horizontally (along the x axis), vertically (along the y axis), or both horizontally and vertically, relative to the point of origin you designate. The default point of origin is the object’s center point. Vertical Horizontal Both See also Scaling each object in a selection. To scale by dragging: 1 Select the object you want to scale. 2 Select the scale tool. 3 Choose one of two options: • Select the object, and drag to resize it around the center point.
• Click to set the point of origin from which you want the object to be resized; then move the pointer away from the point of origin, and drag to scale the object. Click to set point of origin. Then drag to scale. To scale the object uniformly, hold down the Shift key as you drag. To scale a copy of the object instead of the object itself, hold down the Option key before you release the mouse button. For finer control over scaling, start dragging farther from the point of origin.
To scale by specifying scale factors: 1 Select the object you want to scale. 2 Select the scale tool. 3 Choose one of two options: • To set the center point as the point of origin, double-click the scale tool. • To change the point of origin from which to scale the object, select the scale tool, hold down the Option key, and click the new point of origin.
You can also choose to scale line weights automatically whether you scale objects by dragging or by the Scale dialog box. To do this, choose the Scale Line Weight option in the General Preferences dialog box. Scale Line Weight option on Scale Line Weight option off • Select the Nonuniform Scaling option and enter the horizontal and vertical scale factors as percentages to scale the height and width separately. The scale factors are relative to the specified point of origin and can be negative numbers.
Scaling each object in a selection The Scale option in the Transform Each dialog box scales each object in a selection around its own center point. The effect differs from that of the scale tool, which resizes objects in a selection around a common point of origin. The Scale option also lets you scale objects a random amount, to create a more natural effect. Scale tool Scale each (specified) (random) To scale each object individually in a group: 1 Select the objects you want to scale.
3 In the Scale Horizontal and Vertical text boxes, enter the percentage by which to scale the selected objects, between –4000% and 4000%. 4 Select the Preview option to preview the effect before you apply it. 5 Choose one of two options: • To scale the objects by the specified amounts, click OK. • To scale the objects randomly, but no more than the percentages specified in the Horizontal and Vertical text boxes, select the Random option. Then click OK.
Shearing Shearing an object slants, or skews, the object along the axis you specify. Copying while shearing is useful for creating cast shadows. Vertical Horizontal Both To shear by dragging: 1 Select the object you want to shear. 2 Select the shear tool. 3 Choose one of two options: • Drag the object to shear using the object’s center point as the point of origin.
• Click to set the point of origin from which you want the object to be sheared; then move the pointer away from the shear axis, and drag in the direction you want to shear the object. Hold down the Shift key to constrain the tool to multiples of 45 degrees. Select object. Then drag with shear tool. To shear a copy of the object instead of the object itself, start dragging, and then hold down the Option key. For finer control over shearing, start dragging farther from the point of origin.
To shear by specifying an angle and an axis: 1 Select the object you want to shear. 2 Choose one of two options: • To set the center point as the point of origin, double-click the shear tool. • To change the point of origin from which to shear the object, select the shear tool, hold down the Option key, and click the point of origin. 3 Enter the new shear angle. The shear angle is the amount of slant to be applied to the object, relative to a line perpendicular to the shear axis.
If you choose an angled axis, enter the angle of the axis that you want, in degrees, relative to the x axis. Original Shearing by a specified angle 5 Choose one of two options: • To shear the object, click OK. • To shear a copy of the object, click Copy.
Distorting The Free Distort filter varies the size and shape of an object. To distort an object: 1 Select the object to distort. 2 Choose Filter > Distort > Free Distort. The object’s image appears in the Distort box. (Deselect the Show Me option if you don’t want a preview.) Corner point Distort box Original object 3 Drag a corner point, representing a boundary of the object, to distort it. To revert to the original shape, click Reset. 4 Click OK.
Blending shapes Use the blend tool to create shaped blends made from a series of individual objects, each having a single stroke, fill color, or both. For rules on blending shapes and their colors, see About blending. Important: To create linear or radial blends between two or more colors, use the Gradient palette. (For more information, see Creating and working with gradient fills. To create a blend: 1 Place the two objects at the desired distance from each other. 2 Select the objects.
The Blend dialog box displays a recommended number of steps, along with the percentage of change in the first and last steps, based on the two colors you are blending. For example, if you blend an object that is filled with 100% black with an object that is filled with 100% white, the program enters 254 in the Number of Steps text box because 254 is the maximum number of printable gray values between black and white on a high-resolution output device.
5 To change the number of steps in the blend, enter a whole number between 1 and 1000 in the Number of Steps text box. 6 To modify the percentage of change from the starting shape to the ending shape, enter any number between –100 and 200 in the First Blend and Last Blend text boxes. The default values are determined by the value in the Number of Steps field. For example, if you specify 15 steps, the First Blend and Last Blend text boxes display 6.25% and 93.75%, respectively.
7 Click OK. The entire set of blended objects (excluding the original objects) is selected and grouped. Select anchor point on first object. Result 226 Select anchor point on second object.
About blending The Adobe Illustrator blend tool lets you create a series of intermediate objects and colors between two selected objects. You can blend between two open paths (such as two different lines), or between two closed paths (such as a circle and a square). Depending on the way you paint the objects you are blending, you can produce airbrush effects such as complex shading, highlighting, and contouring.
Blend tool applied to distribute shapes evenly You can also blend between two open paths to create a smooth transition between objects, or you can combine blends of colors and objects to create color transitions in the shape of a particular object. The following rules apply to blending shapes and their associated colors using the blend tool. (A beep warns you if you have incorrectly selected objects to blend.) • You can blend between only two objects at a time. • You cannot blend between groups of objects.
• You cannot blend between an open path and a closed path. Both paths must be either open or closed. • You cannot blend compound paths. • If you blend between one object painted with a process color and another object painted with a custom color, the blended shapes are painted with an appropriate process color. If you blend between two different custom colors, process colors are used to paint the intermediate steps.
Applying special effects to graphic objects Illustrator provides a variety of filters for changing an object’s shape and path direction. See • Roughening • Scribbling and tweaking • Twirling • Punking and bloating • Rounding corners • Adding drop shadows.
Roughening The Roughen filter moves anchor points in a jagged array from the original object, creating a rough edge on the object. Original Rounded Jagged To roughen an object: 1 Select the object you want to roughen. 2 Choose Filter > Distort > Roughen. 3 Set the size of the distortion by dragging the Size slider or entering a value between 0% and 200% in the Size text box.
4 Specify the details per inch by dragging the slider or entering a value between 0 and 1000 in the Detail text box. 5 Select the type of distortion you want around each anchor point—Smooth (for soft edges) or Corner (for sharp edges). 6 Select the Preview option to preview the effect before you apply it. 7 Click OK.
Scribbling and tweaking The Scribble option randomly moves anchor points away from the original object. The Tweak option moves anchor points on the selected object by the amount you specify. Original Scribble Tweak To scribble or tweak an object: 1 Select the object you want to scribble or tweak. 2 Choose Filter > Distort > Scribble and Tweak.
3 Choose any of the following options: • To randomly move anchor points away from the original object, select the Scribble option. In the Horizontal and Vertical text boxes, enter the amount to move points, between 0% and 100%, or drag the sliders. • To move anchor points on the selected object, select the Tweak option. In the Horizontal and Vertical text boxes, enter the amount to move points, between 0 and 100 points, or drag the sliders. • To move anchor points, select the Anchor Points option.
Twirling The Twirl filter and the twirl plug-in tool rotate a selection more sharply in the center than at the edges. Original 160˚ 320˚ To twirl an object: 1 Select the object you want to twirl. 2 Choose one of the following options: • Choose Filter > Distort > Twirl. Enter a value for the twirl angle from –999 to 999, and click OK. • Select the twirl plug-in tool, and drag the object clockwise or counterclockwise.
Punking and bloating The Punk and Bloat filters curve objects inward and outward from their anchor points.
To bloat or punk an object: 1 Select the object with a selection tool. 2 Choose Filter > Distort > Punk and Bloat. 3 Drag the slider toward Punk to curve the object inward from its anchor points, and move the anchor points outward; drag the slider toward Bloat to curve the object outward from its anchor points, and move the anchor points inward. Values range from 0% to 100%. 4 To preview the effect before you apply it, select the Preview option. 5 Click OK.
Rounding corners The Round Corners filter converts the corner points of an object to smooth curves. Original 3-point 8-point To round corners on an object: 1 Select the object whose corners you want to round. 2 Choose Filter > Stylize > Round Corners. 3 Enter a value, in points, in the Radius text box to determine the shape of the rounded curve. 4 Click OK.
Adding drop shadows The Drop Shadow filter creates a threedimensional shadow effect on any selected object. You can offset the drop shadow any distance from your object along the x or y axis, as well as vary the darkness of the drop shadow. Original Grouped shadows Ungrouped shadows Drop Shadow filter To create a drop shadow: 1 Select the object for which you want to create the drop shadow. 2 Choose Filter > Stylize > Drop Shadow.
4 Enter the percentage darkness (% of black added) you want for the drop shadow. 100% creates a multicolored black, unless the original shape is gray (which creates a shadow of 100% black); 0% does not change the color of the drop shadow from that of the selected object. 5 To make the shadow part of the object rather than a separate object in the background, select the Group Shadows option.
Changing gradients and patterns into objects The Expand command converts gradients and patterns into a set of masked objects. This command can be useful if you are having difficulty printing these types of objects.
To convert gradients and patterns into objects: 1 Select an object that is filled or stroked with a gradient or pattern. 2 Choose from the following options: • Choose Object > Expand. If you are expanding a gradient, in the Expand dialog box, enter the number of steps to which you want to convert the gradient, and click OK. Any patterns are automatically expanded. • To expand a gradient using the last number of steps entered in the Expand dialog box, hold down the Option key as you choose Object > Expand.
Changing vector graphics into bitmap images The Rasterize command converts vector objects into a bitmap image in TIFF format. You can control the resolution and whether to delete the original selection or paste a TIFF copy over it. Once converted, you can apply plug-in filters, such as those designed for Adobe Photoshop, to the image as you would with any placed image. However, you cannot apply vector tools and commands (such as the type tools and the Pathfinder commands) to modify the bitmap image.
To create a bitmap version of artwork: 1 Select the object you want to convert. 2 Choose Object > Rasterize. 3 Choose a resolution from the Resolution pop-up menu: Screen for monitor output, Medium for laser printer output, High for imagesetter output; or enter a value in the Other text box. See Resolution and screen frequency basics for more information on resolution. 4 If you do not want to smooth the jagged edges around the bitmap image when it is converted, deselect the Antialiased option (the default).
Applying special effects to bitmap objects Plug-in filters let you alter the look of bitmap images in artwork. You can create impressionistic or mosaic effects, distort images, and produce various other interesting effects. You can use any of the plug-in filters supplied with Adobe Photoshop version 3.0.4 or later in Adobe Illustrator. You can also use the Gallery Effects filters included on the Adobe Illustrator Deluxe CD-ROM disc.
Creating a tiled effect on bitmap images The Object Mosaic filter creates sharp definition in an image by clustering pixels of similar color values together into individual tiles. You can control the tile size, the spacing between tiles, and the total number of tiles, and preserve the proportions of the original image when creating the mosaic copy. The Object Mosaic filter works with any type of bitmap image format Illustrator can place, as well as with bitmap images created with the Rasterize command.
When the Object Mosaic filter acts on a bitmap image, it creates a tiled copy, leaving the original bitmap image intact. Original bitmap image Object Mosaic filter applied To create a tiled effect on a copy of a bitmap image: 1 Select a bitmap image. 2 Choose Filter > Create > Object Mosaic. The dimensions of the bitmap image are displayed at the top left of the Object Mosaic dialog box.
• Enter Tile Spacing values to determine the distance in points between each tile in the mosaic. • Enter Number of Tiles values to determine the number of tiles horizontally and vertically in the mosaic. • Select the Lock Width option and click Use Ratio if you’ve changed the width for the mosaic and want to preserve the height-to-width ratio of the original bitmap image. This action calculates the appropriate number of tiles to use for the height of the mosaic, based on the number of tiles for the width.
Colorizing a 1-bit image Using the Paint Style palette, you can specify the color you want to give to the black portion of 1-bit TIFF images. Original 1-bit image Colorized To colorize a 1-bit TIFF image: 1 Select the 1-bit TIFF image. 2 Use the Paint Style palette to paint the image with black, white, a process color, or a custom color.
Using the Pathfinder filters to modify shapes The Pathfinder filters combine, isolate, and subdivide objects, and build new objects formed by the intersections of objects. See Setting Pathfinder preferences for information on setting Pathfinder filter options. Most of the Pathfinder filters create compound paths. A compound path is a group of two or more paths that are painted so that overlapping paths can appear transparent.
To use the Pathfinder filters: 1 Select the objects to which to apply the filter. 2 Choose Filter > Pathfinder, and then choose the filter you want to apply: • The Unite filter traces the outline of all selected objects as if they were a single, merged object. Any objects inside the selected objects are deleted. • The Intersect filter traces the outline of all overlapping shapes in the selected objects, ignoring any nonoverlapping areas. It works on only two objects at a time.
• The Minus Back filter subtracts the backmost selected objects from the frontmost object. You can use this filter to delete areas of your illustration by adjusting the stacking order. • The Divide filter divides a piece of artwork into its component filled faces (a face is an area undivided by a line segment). The resulting faces can then be ungrouped and manipulated independently of each other.
• The Outline filter divides an object into its component line segments, or edges. Each edge can be ungrouped and independently manipulated. This filter is useful for cropping. For example, by drawing a shape around a set of objects and applying the Outline filter, you can cut away everything that falls outside the shape. This filter is also useful for preparing an image when you need to create a trap for overprinting objects. For a complete description of trapping, see About traps.
Pathfinder filters Unite creates a single merged shape from overlapping, separate original shapes. Intersect creates a new object from the common space shared by two shapes. Exclude knocks out the area where one shape overlaps another. Minus Front subtracts the frontmost object from the backmost object. Minus Back subtracts the backmost object from the frontmost object. Divide creates separate objects from the artwork’s faces; segments are then filled.
Pathfinder filters, continued Outline creates independent, stroked lines divided at each intersection. Trim removes hidden part of filled paths without merging. Merge removes hidden filled paths; merges adjacentx/ overlapping objects filled with same color. Crop divides shapes and crops images outside of topmost shape.
Setting Pathfinder preferences The Pathfinder Options dialog box lets you change the precision of Pathfinder filters, and remove redundant points or unpainted artwork created by the filters. To set Pathfinder options: 1 Choose Filter > Pathfinder > Options. 2 Choose from the following options: • Enter a value in the Precision text box to set the precision of the Pathfinder filters calculations.
Converting strokes to filled objects The Outline Path filter traces the outline of all stroked paths within the selected artwork and substitutes a filled object with the same width as the original stroked path. This filter lets you modify the outline of an object more than you could if it were only a stroke. You can also use this filter to create an overlay of your original artwork that strips out all stroked lines and replaces them with compound filled paths.
To create an outline of your artwork: 1 Select the artwork you want to outline. The image can contain both filled and stroked paths, but only stroked paths will be outlined. 2 Choose Filter > Objects > Outline Path. The outline replaces the original artwork and is selected.
Cutting objects with objects The Apply Knife command in the Object menu and the knife tool in the plug-ins menu cut objects in a designated shape. The object you cut must be ungrouped. The Apply Knife command in the Object menu lets you use a selected object as a “cookie-cutter” or stencil to cut through other objects. The Apply Knife command slices overlapping objects into discrete shapes according to the selection’s boundaries, and discards the original selection.
2 Choose Object > Apply Knife. Object selected Apply Knife command applied Resulting objects pulled apart The shapes that result are ungrouped and selected.
To cut objects using the knife tool: 1 Choose one of two options: • To copy objects as you cut them, double-click the knife tool in the plugins toolbox. Select the Copy Objects option, and click OK. Drag the knife tool pointer over an object to cut it. • To cut objects along a path you draw, click to select the knife tool in the plugins toolbox. Drag the knife tool pointer over an object to cut it.
Working with compound paths A compound path consists of two or more overlapping objects combined into a single compound object. Using the Compound Paths command enables you to create paths that have transparent interior spaces where the original objects overlapped (such as the interiors of the letters o and g). Creating compound paths lets you create more complex objects than you could easily create using the drawing tools or Pathfinder filters.
Compound paths act as grouped objects. Therefore, if you want to select part of a compound path, you must use the direct-selection tool. Note: If you use complex shapes as compound paths, or if you use several compound paths in a file, you may have problems printing the file. If you experience printing problems, simplify or eliminate the compound paths.
Creating compound paths A compound path is two or more paths painted to appear transparent when they overlap. Turning an object into a compound path paints all objects in the compound path with the attributes of the backmost object in the stacking order. To understand how these paths work, try working in two windows— to preview artwork in one window as you work in Artwork view in the other.
Reversing paths within compound paths When creating a compound path, you can adjust whether overlapping paths appear transparent or filled with the Reverse Path Direction option in the Attributes dialog box. Compound path: inner circle selected Reversed option changed on inner circle To reverse paths in a compound path: 1 Use the direct-selection tool to select a part of the compound path to reverse. Do not select the entire compound path. 2 Choose Object > Attributes.
Working with masks Masks crop part of an image so that only a portion of the image appears through a shape or shapes you create. In Adobe Illustrator, you mask objects using the Make Mask command Masking: Masking object placed on top of image Result: Image appears only through mask Note: If you use complex shapes as masks, or if you use several masks in a file, you may have problems printing the file. If you experience printing problems, simplify or eliminate the masks.
To see whether an object is a mask: 1 Select the object. 2 Choose Object > Attributes. The Attributes dialog box lists the masking status of the selected object. You can also select all masks in your artwork using the Select Masks command.
Creating masks A masking object can consist of a single path or a compound path. To mask objects: 1 Draw or select the object you want to use as a mask. 2 Make sure that the object is on top of the objects you want to mask. When masking objects on different layers, keep in mind that objects on intermediate layers become part of the masked artwork. See About painting and About layers for more information. 3 Select the mask and the objects you want masked.
4 Choose Object > Masks > Make. The mask loses its paint attributes and is assigned a fill and stroke value of None. Mask and objects selected Mask command applied To undo the effects of a mask: 1 Select the objects you no longer want to use as a mask. 2 Choose Object > Masks > Release. Because the mask was assigned a fill and stroke value of None, it is not visible unless you select it or assign it new paint attributes.
Modifying masks Once you have created a mask, the mask and the masked objects can be selected and modified as any other object. To find out what objects are affected by a mask: 1 Choose the direct-selection tool. 2 Click the mask once to select it; Shift-click to select the masked objects, until all are selected. To add an object to masked artwork: 1 Select the object to add to the masked artwork; drag it in front of the mask. 2 Cut the selected object.
3 Use the direct-selection tool to select an object within the masked artwork. 4 Choose Edit > Paste in Front or Edit > Paste in Back. The object is pasted in front of or behind the selected object and becomes part of the masked artwork. Object in mask selected New object pasted in back To remove an object from masked artwork: 1 Use the direct-selection tool to select the object you want to remove; then choose Edit > Cut.
Selecting masks The Select Masks command finds and selects masks in the document. If there aren’t any objects selected, the command selects all of the masks in your document. If objects are selected, the filter deselects any of those objects that are not masks. To select masks: Choose Filter > Select > Select Masks.
Filling and stroking masks The Fill & Stroke for Mask command creates two objects that serve as the fill and stroke for a mask. The command places the stroked object on top of the mask, and it places the filled object behind the masked objects. To apply a fill and stroke to a mask: 1 Select the mask you want to fill or stroke. 2 Choose Object > Paint Style. 3 Select the Auto option, and choose a fill or stroke for the mask.
4 Choose Filter > Create > Fill & Stroke for Mask; then click OK.
Painting About painting Using the Paint Style palette Setting paint attributes Adjusting colors Saturating and desaturating colors Inverting colors Creating transparent color effects Blending colors between objects About custom colors, gradients, and patterns Outlining paths with patterns Selecting colors using other color systems Making color changes Selecting objects with the same fill or stroke options Deleting unpainted objects 275
Painting, continued Setting stroke attributes with the Paint Style palette Creating wavy and zigzag lines Adding arrowheads Copying and applying paint attributes with the eyedropper and paint bucket tools 276
About painting Paths and objects are painted with the current paint attributes set in the Paint Style palette. You can select an object and change its paint attributes at any time. The new paint attributes are then assigned to all new objects you create (except type) until you change the attributes again. See Setting paint attributes for more information. Filling an object paints the area enclosed by the path. Stroking an object outlines the path. Paths can be filled or stroked, or filled and stroked.
Filling and stroking affect closed and open paths differently, as the following examples illustrate. Open paths are filled as if the endpoints were connected by a straight line.
Using the Paint Style palette You use the Paint Style palette to set paint attributes for new and existing objects. All newly created objects are painted with the paint attributes currently displayed in the Paint Style palette. See also About painting and Setting paint attributes.
The Paint Style palette Click on any option for information on that option.
Setting paint attributes The following procedure describes how to set fill and stroke attributes using the Paint Style palette. See Using the Paint Style palette and About painting for more information. To set paint attributes: 1 Select one or more paths whose paint attributes you want to change, or deselect all paths in your artwork if you want the attributes to apply only to new paths you create. 2 Choose Object > Paint Style or Window > Show Paint Style.
Changing a “Mixed” fill or stroke changes the color of all selected paths. If the objects have different stroke weights, the Stroke Weight box is empty. Any common attributes, including line attributes and individual values of C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black) are displayed and can be adjusted. This feature allows you to adjust attributes common to different objects without altering differing paint attributes.
• Select the None, White, or Black color selection option to fill or stroke with none, white, or black. • Select the Process Color, Custom Color, Pattern, or Gradient color selection option and then choose a color from the scrolling list or use the sliders to mix a process color. • Click one of the palette paint swatches to fill or stroke with the color displayed in that swatch. 6 Select line attributes. If you selected the Auto option, the paint attributes are automatically applied.
Using the paint swatches You can use the scrolling list of paint swatches on the left of the Paint Style palette to store up to 225 colors in the palette. The paint swatches you define are saved with the document. This feature lets you create customized sets of paint for different documents. The default set of swatches is defined in the startup file. Paint Style swatches can store custom and process colors, blends, and patterns. Clicking a paint swatch displays that color’s name below the list of swatches.
• Option-click a paint swatch to apply the color to that swatch. (To copy a swatch to a new location, hold down the Option key and drag the swatch.) • Drag the name of the custom color, pattern, or gradient from the scrolling list on the right side of the palette to a paint swatch. The top four swatches—None, White, Black, and Process White—cannot be replaced. 3 Continue choosing colors and Option-clicking swatches as needed. 4 Save the document to save the new paint swatches in the palette.
Filling objects and stroking lines with white, black, and none To fill or stroke with white or black, select the White or Black option, respectively. You can also adjust the percentage, or tint, of black by typing a number in the text box or by adjusting the Tint slider until the shade is as you want it. Using the White option produces the same results as choosing a CMYK mix of 0%. Using the Black option produces a one-color black of 100%, with no cyan, magenta, or yellow.
Creating a process color You assign colors that will be printed with process inks by indicating percentages for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. These are known as CMYK colors (the letter “K” is used for black instead of “B,” to prevent confusion with the color blue). You can either type the percentages in the Paint Style palette, or adjust the Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black sliders until the color you want appears in the Fill or Stroke box in the palette.
To select a process color in the Paint Style palette: 1 Select the Fill or Stroke box to indicate which attribute you want to change. 2 Select the Process Color option at the top of the palette. Four sliders and text boxes appear, one for each of the four process colors. 3 Choose one of the following methods to adjust the process values: • Enter a value from 0% to 100% in each of the four process color boxes, using the Tab key to move from one text box to the next.
As you adjust each color value, the colors along the other sliders change to reflect the adjustment. For example, as you move the black slider to the right, black is added to the cyan, magenta, and yellow along the other three sliders. The Fill or Stroke box (whichever is selected) displays the composite process color.
Adjusting colors The Adjust Colors filter lets you change the amounts of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black in objects of different colors. This filter also lets you convert the fill or stroke color (or both) to a process color from a custom color or to a process (four-color) black from a solid black. Original Decrease Increase Adjusting colors To adjust colors: 1 Select the objects whose colors you want to adjust. 2 Choose Filter > Colors > Adjust Colors.
4 Choose any of the following options: • To convert the fill or stroke to a process color from a custom color, select the Fill or Stroke (or both) options, and select the Custom to Process option. • To convert a solid black to a four-color black, select the Fill or Stroke (or both) options, and select the Black to Process option. • To preview the effect of adjusting the color, select the Preview option. 5 Click OK.
Saturating and desaturating colors The Saturate filter darkens or lightens the colors of selected objects by increasing or decreasing the percentages of CMYK color values or the percentage tint of custom colors. Original Desaturate Saturate To saturate or desaturate colors: 1 Select the objects whose colors you want to saturate or desaturate. 2 Choose Filter > Colors > Saturate. 3 Drag the slider or enter a value from –100% to 100% to increase or decrease the CMYK colors or the custom color tint.
Inverting colors The Invert Colors filter creates a color negative (or inverse) of the selected object. When you invert an image, its color values on the CMYK scale are converted to the inverse of the CMYK color values of the original. For example, if an object is filled with 0% cyan, 0% magenta, 100% yellow, and 25% black, the inverted image will contain 100% cyan, 100% magenta, 0% yellow, and 75% black. Original Inverse To invert colors: 1 Select the objects whose colors you want to invert.
Creating transparent color effects By using the Hard and Soft filters, you can mix the colors in overlapping painted objects. For information on creating transparent effects by overprinting, see Step 3: Select overprint options for colors you want to appear transparent.
Using the Hard filter The Hard filter mixes two or more colors from overlapping objects. The mix color is created by combining the highest CMYK value from each color in the selection. For example, if Color 1 is created from 20% cyan, 66% magenta, 40% yellow, and 0% black; and Color 2 is created from 40% cyan, 20% magenta, 30% yellow, and 10% black; the resulting hard mix color is 40% cyan, 66% magenta, 40% yellow, and 10% black.
Using the Soft filter The Soft filter makes the top color of overlapping colors semitransparent and then divides the image into its component faces. You specify the amount of color to show through overlapping objects.If you overlap multiple objects, each object gets the selected level of transparency. A low value results in a low level of transparency; a high value produces a high level of transparency.
Blending colors between objects The Blend filters create a series of intermediate colors between a group of selected filled objects, based on the objects’ vertical or horizontal orientation, or on their stacking order. The filters do not affect strokes or unpainted objects. For more information on stacking order, see Stacking objects. Original Blend Front to Back filter applied To blend colors between filled objects: 1 Select three or more filled objects to blend.
2 Choose one of three options: • To fill the intermediate objects with gradated blends between the frontmost and backmost filled objects, choose Filter > Colors > Blend Front to Back. • To fill the intermediate objects with gradated blends between the leftmost and rightmost filled objects, choose Filter > Colors > Blend Horizontally. • To fill the intermediate objects with gradated blends between the topmost and bottommost filled objects, choose Filter > Colors > Blend Vertically.
About custom colors, gradients, and patterns You use the Paint Style pattern to paint with custom colors, fill with gradients, and fill objects with patterns. You can also create your own custom colors, gradients, and patterns. See Creating and working with gradient fills, and Creating and working with patterns. Custom color Gradient Pattern Fills Custom colors, gradients, and patterns you create and load into the Paint Style palette are saved with the current document.
You can also customize your startup file so that custom colors, gradients, patterns, and swatches you use frequently are loaded when the program is opened.
Painting with custom colors In Adobe Illustrator, a custom color may be a spot color from a color matching system or it may be a process color you have named and saved for easy editing or as a temporary placeholder for a spot color. When separated, custom colors are printed as individual separation. (See About separations for more information.) To paint with custom colors: 1 Select the objects you want to fill or stroke.
matching system, typing 200 would select PANTONE 200. For a screened percentage of that color, enter a percentage in the Tint text box, or drag the triangular slider until the color in the Fill or Stroke box appears as desired. (When printing color separations using the Color Separation Setup dialog box, you can convert a spot color back to its process color components. See Separating custom colors as process colors, for information on how to do this.
Filling objects with patterns You can apply patterns as fills or as paths that outline an object (see Outlining paths with patterns). Note: Pattern tiles for fill and path patterns differ in their design and tiling. (For more information, see How patterns tile.) For the best results, use fill patterns to fill objects, and path patterns to outline objects. To fill an object with a pattern: 1 In the Paint Style palette, select the objects you want to fill.
3 Select the Pattern option at the top of the palette. A list of patterns appears. Pattern option 4 Select the name of a fill pattern. In addition to the default list of patterns, Illustrator comes with a large selection of patterns—including some 50 patterns from the Adobe Collector’s Edition: Patterns and Textures. You can load patterns with the Import Styles command. (Patterns used to stroke objects or fill type appear gray in Preview or Preview Selection view, but they print correctly.
Filling an object with gradients Objects cannot be stroked with gradients. For information on printing considerations when creating a gradient, see Printing gradients and color blends. To fill an object with a gradient: 1 In the Paint Style palette, select the objects you want to fill. 2 Select the Fill box to indicate the attribute you want to change. 3 Select the Gradient option at the top of the palette. A list of the available gradients appears.
Outlining paths with patterns The Path Pattern filter lets you outline objects with patterns and create borders, frames, and decorative and ornamental effects. Path patterns differ from fill patterns in their design, tiling, and names—path patterns typically end with a suffix indicating whether they apply to the side, outer corner, or inner corner of a path. For illustrations of some effects you can create, see the Adobe Illustrator Tutorial and Beyond the Basics.
You can apply the same pattern to the sides and corners of an object, or you can vary the pattern, such as on squarecorner rectangles. Path pattern designs may include up to three pattern tiles to build a design for the sides, outer corners, and inner corners of objects. To outline a path with a pattern: 1 If necessary, create the artwork that you will outline with patterns. For best results, fill and stroke the artwork with None. (To better see your artwork, you can work in Artwork view.
5 From the scrolling list, select a pattern. To select no pattern for part of a path, select None from the list. You can choose a different pattern for each part of the path. The Adobe Illustrator path patterns are named with a suffix indicating the type of design: “.side” for side, “.outer” for the outer corner designs, and “.inner” for the inner corner designs.
To apply a path pattern to part of a path: 1 In the Path Pattern dialog box, choose from the following options: • Click the Sides box to select the option and apply the pattern to the sides of an object. • Click the Outer Corner box to apply the pattern to the corners of a rectangle or polygon. • Click the Inner Corner box to apply the pattern to the interior corners of an irregularly shaped object.
To adjust how the pattern tile fits the path: 1 In the Path Pattern dialog box, choose one of the three Tile Fitting options: • Choose Stretch to Fit to lengthen or shorten the pattern tile to fit the object. This option can result in uneven tiling. • Choose Add Spacing to Fit to add blank space between each pattern tile to apply the pattern proportionately to the selected object.
To scale a path pattern: 1 In the Tile Size section of the Path Pattern dialog box, enter a new width or height for the pattern tile. If applying a pattern to a circle, use a smaller width than the circle’s diameter for a donut effect, or match the tile’s width to the circle’s diameter for a solid effect. Adjusting either the width or height adjusts the other value proportionately. To scale the pattern tile, see Modifying patterns. 2 Click OK to apply the adjustments to the path.
To flip a path pattern horizontally, vertically, or both: 1 In the Path Pattern dialog box, select the Tile Position option to flip the pattern horizontally, vertically, or both. 2 Click OK.
Selecting colors using other color systems Adobe Illustrator lets you select colors using other color systems—including the PANTONE® Process Color System, Toyo Ink Electronic Color Finder 1050, the FOCOLTONE® COLOUR System, and the Trumatch™ color swatching system. To load predefined custom colors into your palette: Choose File > Import Styles, and open the file you want from the Color Systems folder.
Using the PANTONE Matching System ® To use the PANTONE printing ink colors, first determine the ink color you want by using either the PANTONE Color Formula Guide 747XR or an ink chart obtained from your printer. PANTONE books are available from print shops and graphic arts supply houses. In addition, you can simulate the PANTONE colors with process colors. The PANTONE Process Color System includes more than 3000 CMYK combinations that can be used to generate PANTONE color equivalents.
Select from PANTONE Coated, PANTONE Uncoated, PANTONE Process, and PANTONE ProSim custom colors. For more information, contact PANTONE at: PANTONE, Inc. 590 Commerce Blvd.
Using the Toyo Color Finder™ 1050 The Toyo Ink Electronic Color Finder™ 1050, created by Toyo Ink Manufacturing Co., Ltd., provides more than 2000 colors, based on the most common printing inks in Japan. You can choose a color from one of two files. The Toyo 88 file contains 1050 colors from the Toyo 88 Color Finder 1050. The Toyo 91 file contains 624 colors from the Toyo 91 Process Color Finder.
conditions. To obtain the same result as in the color book, use spot color ink for colors marked with one or two asterisks. For more information, contact Toyo at the following address: Toyo Ink Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
Using the FOCOLTONE COLOUR SYSTEM The FOCOLTONE COLOUR SYSTEM provides 763 CMYK colors. FOCOLTONE colors help avoid prepress trapping and register problems by showing the overprints that make up the colors. All of the colors convert to spot colors with a single mix of CMYK inks. You can choose a FOCOLTONE color using one of two files: one with the 763 colors arranged by their four-digit identification number; the other with the color swatches as they appear in the FOCOLTONE Colour Swatch Book.
Using the TRUMATCH color swatching system The TRUMATCH color swatching system provides predictable CMYK color matching with more than 2000 achievable, computer- created colors. TRUMATCH colors cover the visible spectrum of the CMYK gamut in even steps. The TRUMATCH COLORFINDER displays up to 40 tints and shades of each hue, each originally created in fourcolor process, and each reproducible in four colors on electronic imagesetters. The system also includes four-color grays using different hues.
Making color changes To select objects whose paint attributes you want to change, you can use the selection tools or one of four filters in Illustrator for Selecting objects with the same fill or stroke options. (For information on the selection tools, see Selecting objects.) You can also make global changes to any fill or stroke identified by a name— custom colors, patterns, gradients, and named process colors— by changing the definition associated with the name.
Selecting objects with the same fill or stroke options Four selection filters select objects with the same fill color, paint style (fill and stroke), stroke color, or stroke weight. You can use these filters to edit various ungrouped objects the same way. To select all objects with the same properties: Choose any of the following options: • To select all objects with the same fill color, select one or more objects with that fill color, or choose the fill color from the Paint Style palette.
choose the stroke color from the Paint Style palette. Then choose Filter > Select > Same Stroke Color. • To select all objects with the same stroke weight, select one or more objects with the same stroke weight, or choose the stroke weight from the Paint Style palette. Choose Filter > Select > Same Stroke Weight.
Deleting unpainted objects Unpainted objects can make artwork less efficient and slow to print. You can create unpainted objects, for example, by inadvertently clicking a drawing tool in the artwork area, and then choosing another tool when the fill and stroke options are set to None. You can use the Cleanup dialog box to delete unpainted objects. To delete unpainted objects: 1 Choose Filter > Objects > Cleanup. 2 Select the Delete Unpainted Objects option.
Setting stroke attributes with the Paint Style palette Use the Paint Style palette to select all stroke attributes, including the thickness (line weight) of the stroke, how the stroke is capped and joined, and whether a stroke is solid or dashed. To set stroke attributes using the Paint Style palette: 1 In the Paint Style palette, select the Stroke box; then choose the color you want for the stroke. 2 To specify a line weight, enter the desired line weight in the Stroke Weight text box.
If you enter a weight of 0, the program displays and prints a 1-pixel-wide hairline. (A pixel can range from 1/72 inch to less than 1/3000 inch, depending on the resolution of the output device.) Hairlines thinner than 0.25 point may not reproduce in final printing, depending on the printer’s resolution. 3 Choose the full palette option (the first option) from the Palette pop-up menu in the upper right corner of the palette. The line attribute panel appears at the bottom of the palette.
To select a Caps option for a line: 1 In the Paint Style palette with the Stroke box selected and a Stroke Weight entered, choose from these options: • Select the Butt Caps option for stroked lines with squared ends. • Select the Round Caps option for stroked lines with semicircular ends. • Select the Projecting Caps option for stroked lines with squared ends that extend half the line width beyond the end of the line.
To select a Joins option for a line: 1 In the Paint Style palette with the Stroke box selected and a Stroke Weight entered, choose from these options: • Select the Miter Joins option for stroked paths with pointed corners; then enter a Miter Limit between 1 and 500. The miter limit controls when the program switches to a mitered (pointed) join to a beveled (squared-off) join. The default miter limit is 4 switches a miter join to a bevel join when the length of the point is four times the line weight.
• Select the Bevel Joins option for stroked paths with squared corners. Caps Joins 2 If the Auto option is not selected in the Paint Style palette, click Apply or press Return.
To select a solid or dashed line: 1 In the Paint Style palette with the Stroke box selected and a Stroke Weight entered, choose from these options: • Select the Solid option to create a solid line. • Select the Dashed option to create a dashed line; then specify a dash sequence by entering the lengths of dashes and the gaps between them in the Dash Pattern text boxes.
The numbers entered are repeated in sequence. So once you have set the pattern, it’s unnecessary to fill in all the text boxes. Dash patterns are specified in points.
Creating wavy and zigzag lines The Zigzag filter adds anchor points to an existing path or line, and then moves some of the points to the left of (or upward from) the path, and some to the right of (or downward from) the path. You can specify the number of anchor points to make and the distance to move them. You can also choose whether to create smooth anchor points, for a wavy line effect, or corner anchor points, for a jagged line effect.
To convert straight lines to zigzags: 1 Select the line you want to convert. 2 Choose Filter > Distort > Zigzag. 3 Enter the distance you want to move points on the line in the Amount text box, or drag the slider. 4 Enter the number of ridges per unit of measure you want in the Ridges text box, or drag the slider. 5 Choose any of the following options: • To create smooth points, resulting in a wavy line, select the Smooth option.
Adding arrowheads The Add Arrowheads filter lets you add an arrowhead or tail to any selected line. The resulting arrows can be edited like any other object. Arrowheads and arrowtails Modified arrows To add arrowheads to a line: 1 Select a line. 2 Choose Filter > Stylize > Add Arrowheads. 3 Choose from various arrowhead designs by clicking the forward or backward icons below the arrow box.
4 To rescale the size of an arrowhead, enter the percentage you want in the Scale text box. 5 Choose the Start or End option to place the arrowhead at the beginning or the end of the line; choose the Start and End option to place the arrowhead at both ends of the line. The start and end of the line refer to the order in which the line was drawn. 6 Click OK.
Copying and applying paint attributes with the eyedropper and paint bucket tools You can use the eyedropper tool to copy paint attributes from any object in an Illustrator document and then use the paint bucket tool to apply the attributes to another object.
To copy paint attributes using the eyedropper tool: 1 Select the eyedropper tool. 2 Choose any of the following options: • Click an object to sample its attributes. The object can be unselected, locked, or in an inactive document. • Drag the pointer from within an Illustrator document to the object whose attributes you want to sample. The object can be anywhere on your desktop, such as in another application. 3 Double-click the object to apply the paint attributes to all selected objects.
To apply paint attributes using the paint bucket tool: 1 Select the paint bucket tool. 2 Click any object to select the object and paint it with the attributes currently in the Paint Style palette. Note: To toggle between the eyedropper tool and the paint bucket tool, hold down the Option key while either tool is currently selected. If you are working in Artwork view, or if the object is stroked and not painted, be sure to click the object’s outline.
To change the paint attributes affected by the paint bucket or eyedropper tool: 1 Double-click the paint bucket or eyedropper tool. The Paint Bucket/ Eyedropper Options palette appears. 2 Select the attributes you want to copy with the eyedropper and apply with the paint bucket. For a description of the attributes, see Setting paint attributes. 3 Click OK.
Creating Custom Colors, Gradients, and Patterns About custom colors, gradients, and patterns Creating custom colors Creating and working with gradient fills Creating and working with patterns Importing styles from other documents Creating a custom startup file 339
About custom colors, gradients, and patterns Any custom colors, gradients, and patterns you create are saved with the document. You can load them from one document into another by using the Import Styles command or by creating a custom startup file that loads the custom colors, gradients, and patterns you want when you open the program. The procedure for creating a custom color, gradient fill, and pattern is similar.
Creating custom colors You can define and name your own custom colors using white, black, or percentages of CMYK. Creating your own custom colors lets you select process colors in the Paint Style palette by name, import process colors from one document to another, and make global color changes to artwork. When you color separate the artwork, each custom color is printed out on a separate piece of film or converted to its process color equivalent, as described in Spot color output.
3 Enter a name for the color in the Change Name To text box. It’s a good idea to name each custom color distinctively so that the new custom color doesn’t replace another custom color with the same name in an open file. 4 Select the White or Black option and choose a tint of gray, or select a process color using one of the procedures described in Creating a process color. 5 Click OK. The custom color you have created appears in the Paint Style palette, listed alphabetically with the other custom colors.
Modifying custom colors You can use the Paint Style palette to modify the tint of a custom color, whereas you use the Custom Color dialog box to modify all other attributes of a custom color. When you modify a custom color, the new color replaces all objects painted with the custom color’s former definition.
To modify the tint of a custom color: 1 Choose the custom color you want to change using the Paint Style palette. 2 Drag the Tint adjustment slider or enter a tint value in the tint percentage text box. The lower the number, the lighter the tint will be.
To modify a custom color using the Custom Color dialog box: 1 Choose Object > Custom Color, or double-click any of the custom colors listed in the Paint Style palette. The Custom Color dialog box appears. 2 Select the color you want to change. 3 Change the color to black, white, or a process color using the dialog box controls. 4 When you are satisfied with the new color, click OK. 5 Save the file to save the new color definition.
Deleting custom colors Deleting unused colors from the Custom Color list reduces the size of your file and lets you more easily access the custom colors you keep. This procedure deletes the specified colors from all open documents. (It does not delete colors from your startup file.) The default custom colors will reappear the next time you open the documents. To delete a custom color: 1 Close any documents from which you do not want to delete custom colors.
Creating and working with gradient fills A gradient fill is a graduated blend between two or more colors or tints of the same color. You use the Gradient dialog box to create your own gradients and to modify existing gradients. You can also add intermediate colors to a gradient to create a fill defined by multiple blends between colors. You can create a linear or radial gradient.
To create a gradient: 1 Choose Object > Gradient, choose Window > Show Gradient, or doubleclick a gradient name in the Paint Style palette to display the Gradient palette. 2 Choose one of two options: • To create a new gradient, click New. The name New Gradient, followed by a number, appears in the list. By default, a new gradient is a linear blend from white to black, and the midpoint of the blend—the point at which each color is 50%—is halfway between the two colors.
5 Specify a percentage of white or black, a process color, or a custom color, by clicking the appropriate color option box and using the procedures in Setting paint attributes. Note: If you create a gradient between custom colors, be sure to deselect the Convert to Process option in the Separation Setup dialog box to print the gradient as individual separations. Gradients between a custom color and a process color print as process colors. For more information, see Printing gradients as separations.
7 Click the Linear or Radial option. Linear and radial gradients 8 To display the full palette or only the top panel, click the palette display control below the gradient bar at the top right of the palette. Click to collapse and expand palette 9 To adjust the gradient’s starting or ending point, drag the triangles below the bar.
To adjust the midpoint of the fill (the point at which the colors are at 50%), drag the diamond located above the bar.
Modifying gradients You can modify gradients by transposing the beginning and ending colors, or you can add colors to blend between multiple colors. It’s a good idea to fill an object with the gradient you plan to adjust. This lets you see the effect on the artwork as you adjust the gradient.
To add intermediate colors to a gradient: Click anywhere below the gradient bar to define another triangle. Select a color and adjust the triangle as you would any other starting or ending color. Click below bar to define new color To delete an intermediate color, drag the triangle off the gradient bar.
To transpose colors in a gradient: Drag the starting color triangle below the gradient bar to the ending color triangle, or vice versa. You can use this procedure with any two starting and ending points in a gradient.
Adjusting gradients with the gradient tool Once you have filled an object with a gradient, the gradient tool lets you modify the gradient by “repainting” the fill along an imaginary line you drag. This tool lets you change the direction of a gradient, change the starting and ending points of a gradient, and apply a gradient across multiple objects. To use the gradient tool: 1 Select an object whose gradient you want to modify. 2 Select the gradient tool.
4 Release the mouse button to set the gradient’s ending point. Drag to set gradient’s direction and length. Result To apply a gradient across multiple objects: 1 Select the objects you want to fill with a gradient. 2 Fill each object with the gradient using the Paint Style palette or the paint bucket tool. 3 Select the objects if they are not already selected. 4 Select the gradient tool.
5 Position the pointer where you want to define the starting point of the gradient, and drag across the object in the direction you want the gradient to be painted. 6 Release the mouse button where you want to set the gradient’s ending point.
Deleting gradients This procedure deletes the specified gradients from any open Illustrator documents. Make sure you close any documents that you don’t want affected. (If any object is currently painted with that gradient, a message appears.) Any objects painted with a deleted gradient are filled with black. This procedure does not delete gradients from your startup file. To delete a gradient: In the Gradient palette, select the gradients that you want to delete, and click Delete.
Creating and working with patterns To create a pattern, you select and define artwork as a pattern using the Pattern dialog box, similar to defining a custom color or gradient. You can use any artwork for a pattern (with the exception of masks or gradients), or you can design a pattern from scratch with any of the tools in the Adobe Illustrator program. You can customize any pattern by resizing the pattern, or by coloring the pattern’s objects.
Patterns intended for filling objects (fill patterns) differ in their design and tiling from patterns designed to outline paths (path patterns). For best results, use fill patterns to fill objects and path patterns to outline objects.
How patterns tile Patterns tile from left to right from the ruler origin, by default the bottom of the artwork, to the top of the artwork. Only one tile makes up a fill pattern, whereas up to three tiles can comprise a path pattern—for the sides, outer corners, and inner corners. Corner tiles enable path patterns to flow smoothly. Fill patterns tile perpendicular to the x axis. In contrast, path patterns tile perpendicular to the path (the top of the pattern tile always faces outward).
Guidelines for constructing patterns Follow these general guidelines when constructing pattern tiles: • As you create your pattern tile, enlarge the artwork to align elements more accurately, and then reduce the artwork for the final selection. • For greatest efficiency in previewing and printing, a fill pattern tile should be about 1/2” to 1” square.
• To make the pattern easier to print, delete any unnecessary detail from the artwork. If possible, group objects with the same paint attributes so that they are adjacent in the stacking order. • To create simple line patterns, layer stroked lines of varying widths and colors, and place a bounding box behind the lines to create a pattern tile. Corner tile Side tile • To ensure smooth tiling, close paths before defining the pattern.
• When painting a tile, apply named custom colors to make it easier to change colors later. See Creating custom colors for more information. • To make an organic or textural pattern appear irregular, vary the tile artwork subtly, not dramatically, for a more realistic effect. You can use the Roughen filter in the Distort menu to control variations.
• Corner tiles must have the same height as side tiles to align properly on the path. If you plan to use corner tiles with your path pattern, align objects in the corner tile horizontally with objects in the side tiles, so that the patterns tile correctly. Side tile Incorrect corner tile Correct corner tile • Create special corner effects for path patterns using corner tiles. See Creating corner tiles for path patterns.
Constructing simple patterns and defining patterns To create a pattern, you define artwork as a pattern tile using the Pattern dialog box. The procedure is similar to defining a custom color or a gradient. To create and define a pattern: 1 Create artwork for the pattern (see Guidelines for constructing patterns). You cannot use a mask or gradients (unless converted to objects) as a pattern.
4 With the selection tool, select the artwork that will make up the pattern tile. 5 Choose Object > Pattern. 6 Click New. A preview of the pattern tile appears in the upper right corner of the dialog box. 7 Name the pattern using up to 31 characters. (For ease of use on IBM PC-compatible platforms, name the pattern using the DOS 8.3 naming convention of eight characters for the name followed by a period and up to three characters for the file format; e.g., Geometrc.ai.) 8 Click OK.
Constructing geometric patterns Where you draw the bounding box determines how a geometric pattern tiles. See How patterns tile for more information. To construct a geometric pattern: 1 If necessary, construct a geometric object, paint it, and display its center point using the Object > Attributes dialog box. (For example, the diamond shape in the following illustrations was created by using the polygon tool.) 2 Make sure the Snap to Point option is on in the File > General Preferences dialog box.
6 When the copy of the object has snapped into place, release the mouse button and then release the Option and Shift keys. 7 Shift-click to select both objects, and begin dragging the objects to the right by one of their anchor points; then hold down the Option and Shift keys to create a copy and constrain the move. 8 When the copy of the object has snapped into place, release the mouse button and then release the Option and Shift keys. 9 Repeat steps 3 through 7 until you’ve built the pattern you want.
10 Using the rectangle tool, follow one of two methods: • For a fill pattern, draw a bounding box from the center point of the upper left object to the center point of the lower right object. • For a path pattern, draw a bounding box from the center point of the artwork, holding down the Option key and the Shift key as you drag to draw from the center outward and to constrain the box to a square. The bounding box should surround and coincide with the outer boundaries of the objects.
11 Paint the rectangle and the geomet- ric objects the desired color. 12 If you painted the rectangle, copy it, fill and stroke it with None, and choose Arrange > Send to back to make it the bounding box and backmost in your artwork. 13 Define the geometric objects as a pattern, following the procedure in Constructing simple patterns and defining patterns.
Constructing patterns with irregular textures You can create an irregularly textured fill pattern that will tile seamlessly using this procedure. Fill patterns clip any artwork outside the bounding box; path patterns do not. To create an irregularly textured path pattern, select and define as a pattern only the texture within the bounding box. See How patterns tile for more information. To create an irregular texture: 1 Draw a bounding box (rectangle). If you are creating a path pattern, go to step 13.
3 Select the lines and the box. 4 With the pointer on the lower left corner of the box, drag it to the right; then hold down the Option and Shift keys to make a copy and to constrain the move. Draw texture on left side of rectangle . . . and then copy texture and rectangle. 5 When the upper left corner point of the copy snaps to the upper right corner point of the box, release the mouse button, and then the Option and Shift keys. 6 Deselect the box.
7 Select the right box; delete it. Then select right rectangle and delete it . . . to create identical texture on the right and left. 8 Use the freehand tool to draw a texture with objects or lines intersecting only the box’s top side. Select all lines crossing the top and the bounding box.
9 With the pointer on the upper right corner of the box, drag it down; then hold down the Option and Shift key. Draw texture at top of rectangle; then copy texture and rectangle. 10 When the upper left corner point of the copy snaps to the box’s lower left corner point, release the mouse button and the Option and Shift keys. 11 Deselect everything.
12 Select the lower box and any objects that don’t cross the top box; delete them. Select lower box; delete it . . . to create identical texture on bottom. 13 Use the freehand tool to fill the box with a texture, without intersecting the box’s edges. Paint the texture. 14 Define the artwork and bounding box as a pattern. See Constructing simple patterns and defining patterns.
Creating corner tiles for path patterns Corner tiles lend special border effects when applying path patterns. You can create corner tiles from scratch, or you can use a path pattern’s side tile as the basis for designing complementary outer and inner (reflected –135°) corner tiles. To create symmetrical corner tiles from a side tile: 1 Open a path pattern file, supplied with Adobe Illustrator on the Deluxe CD-ROM, that you want to use. 2 Choose Object > Pattern. Select the tile you want to use.
4 Select the tile and the bounding box. 5 Use the rotate tool to rotate the tile and its bounding box 180 degrees. Tile rotated 180° Pasted tile 6 Using the rotate tool, Option-click the lower left corner of the bounding box. Enter a value of 90° and click Copy to create a copy flush left of the first tile. This will become the corner tile. 7 Use the selection tool to select the top right anchor point.
8 When the copy’s upper right anchor point snaps to the corner tile’s lower right anchor point, release the mouse button and the Option and Shift keys. This third copy is for alignment. Rotate 90° and copy right tile. Option-drag corner tile to make third copy.
9 Select the artwork in the right tile. Drag it to the left, holding down the Option key and the Shift key so that the artwork overlaps that in the corner tile. Copy, move right tile over corner. Result 10 Edit the corner tile to line up its art- work vertically and horizontally with the tiles next to it. Paint the tile.
11 Select all of the tile including the bounding box. 12 Choosing Object > Pattern. Click New, name the tile as a variation of the original (for example, use the suffix .outer). Click OK. To create an inner corner tile: 1 Select the outer corner tile, including its bounding box, or choose Object > Pattern and paste the pattern tile into your artwork. 2 Using the reflect tool, reflect the tile –135°, and copy it.
Modifying patterns You can edit an existing pattern to create a new one. You can also edit a pattern and save it under its original name. Any new and existing objects painted with that pattern are painted with the new definition rather than with the old definition. To modify an existing pattern: 1 Make sure that nothing is selected in your artwork. 2 Choose Object > Pattern. 3 In the scrolling list, select the pattern that you want to modify, and click Paste.
7 To preserve different patterns with the same name in open documents, close any documents that you do not want affected. 8 Choose Object > Pattern. 9 Choose one of two options: • To save the new pattern with the same name, select the name of the existing pattern and click OK. The pattern is updated in all open documents in which the pattern appears. • Click New, enter a name for the pattern, and click OK. (For ease of use on IBM PC-compatible platforms, name the pattern using the DOS 8.
Moving patterns Patterns begin tiling from the ruler origin and keep tiling in a left-to-right sequence, from bottom to top, until the selection is filled. See How patterns tile for more information. You can adjust where all patterns in your artwork begin tiling by changing a document’s ruler origin. To move all of the patterns within a file: 1 Choose View > Show Rulers. 2 With the selection pointer on the box in the lower right corner where the rulers intersect, begin dragging into the window.
Transforming pattern-filled objects If an object that you want to transform is filled with a pattern, you can choose to transform only the pattern, transform only the object, or transform the pattern and object simultaneously. Once you have transformed a fill pattern, all patterns that you subsequently apply will be transformed the same way. To return fill patterns to their original states, select another paint style, and then reselect the desired pattern.
To transform a pattern and object using a transformation tool: 1 Use the selection tool to select the pattern-filled object. 2 Double-click the transformation tool you want to use. 3 Choose one or both of the following options: • Select the Pattern Tiles option to transform the pattern tiles. • Select the Objects option to transform the object. 4 Enter the desired transformation values in the text boxes. 5 Click OK.
Deleting patterns You should eliminate unused patterns in your file. Any objects painted with a deleted pattern are filled with black. To delete one or all unused patterns: 1 Choose Object > Pattern. 2 Choose one of the following options: • Select the pattern you want to delete. • Click Select All Unused to select all of the patterns that are currently unused. 3 Click Delete to delete the unused patterns.
Previewing and printing patterns The Preview and Print Patterns option in the Document Setup dialog box lets you choose whether to preview and print patterns in your artwork. By default, this option is turned on. Because patterns can significantly slow previewing and printing, you may want to turn off the Preview and Print Patterns option. You can turn the option back on at any time to preview and print the patterns in your artwork. See also Additional tips for efficient printing.
Importing styles from other documents You can import the style characteristics—including custom colors, patterns, gradients, and graph designs—from an Illustrator document into your current document by using the Import Styles command. When you import styles into your document, the new custom colors, patterns, gradients, and graph designs are added to your document’s scrolling lists.
Creating a custom startup file You can create a custom startup file that defines the contents of the default Paint Style palette. In this way, you can have easy access to the patterns, gradients, graph designs, and custom colors that you use most frequently. By adding these elements to the startup file, you make them available in every new Adobe Illustrator document you create.
To create a custom startup file: 1 Make a backup copy of the current default startup file, Adobe Illustrator Startup, and then save the backup file in a different location. This action saves the original startup file in case you need it again. The startup file is located in the Plug-ins folder in the main Illustrator folder. 2 Open the default startup file to use as a template for the custom startup file.
5 Create any new custom colors, patterns, and gradients you want, or import them using the Import Styles command. 6 Drag the custom colors, gradients, or patterns to their appropriate swatches. 7 Add the new paint style attributes to the artwork in the startup file, so you can see and refer to them later if necessary. 8 Save any graph designs that you want available in your documents.
Using Layers About layers Using the Layers palette Creating layers and setting layer options Drawing objects on layers Moving objects between layers Changing the order of layers Deleting layers Locking layers Hiding and showing layers Dimming placed EPS images Choosing a selection color for layers Displaying layers in Artwork view Making selected layers nonprintable 393
About layers The Layers palette lets you create multiple levels of artwork on separate, overlapping layers in the same document. You can create and modify objects on any layer without affecting artwork on other layers. You can display, print, lock, and reorder layers as distinct units. See Using the Layers palette and Creating layers and setting layer options. Three rules affect objects and their order on layers: • Within each layer, objects are stacked according to their painting order.
Using the Layers palette Use the Layers palette to create layers and set their options, and to set how layers are displayed and printed. All new artwork is placed on the layer selected in the Layers palette. See also • Creating layers and setting layer options • Hiding and showing layers • Deleting layers To display the Layers palette: Choose Window > Show Layers.
The Layers palette lists the layers in a document, starting with the frontmost layer. A colored dot to the right of a layer name in the palette indicates that a selected object is on that layer.
The Layers palette ELE MENTS t he A Discussion on Euclid’s Geometry William Baeck The Layers Palette ELEMENTS the ELEMENTS A Discussion on Euclid’s Geometry William Baeck Text Line Art Background return to text
Creating layers and setting layer options Every new Adobe Illustrator document contains one layer, named by default “Layer 1.” You can create any number of layers in your document; the number of layers a document can have is limited only by your computer’s memory. Once a layer is created, you can then set options for any layer, such as whether the layer will display or print, and whether to lock all objects on that layer.
• Select a color from the Selection Color pop-up menu to indicate selected objects in that layer. • Select or deselect the Show option to display or hide the. layer • Select or deselect the Print option to make the layer printable or nonprintable. • Select or deselect the Preview option to display the layer in Preview or Artwork view. For more information, see Displaying layers in Artwork view. • Select or deselect the Dim Placed Images option to dim placed EPS images or show them at their normal intensity.
Drawing objects on layers Any new object created in a document is placed on the layer selected in the Layers palette. To select a layer on which to work: Click the name of the layer you want on the Layers palette.
Moving objects between layers You can move objects from one layer to another by cutting objects from one Layer and pasting them into another, or by using the Layers palette; you can also reorder the layers in your artwork. The Paste commands can be used to move objects between layers. With the Paste commands, if objects are cut or copied from different layers, they are pasted together onto the selected layer by default.
To move an object to a different layer using the Paste commands: 1 Make sure that the Paste Remember Layers option in the General Preferences dialog box is deselected. 2 Select the object that you want to move, and choose Edit > Cut. 3 Select any object on the layer to which you want to move the cut object, or select the layer name in the Layers palette.
• Choose Edit > Paste in Back to paste the object into its original position in the artwork, behind the backmost selected object. If the selected object is in a group, the pasted selection becomes part of the group. Once the object is pasted, you can move it and use the commands in the Arrange menu to change the stacking order of the object on its new layer. To move an object to a different layer using the Layers palette: 1 Select the object you want to move.
2 Drag the colored dot to the layer to which you want to move the object.
Changing the order of layers By rearranging the layers on the Layers palette, you can change the order of layers in your document. To change the order of layers: In the Layers palette, drag the layer you want to move to its new location.
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Deleting layers You can remove a layer from your document by removing it from the Layers palette. Deleting a layer deletes all objects on that layer from your document. Tip: Before deleting a layer, hide all the other layers first. This lets you check what’s on the remaining layer. To delete a layer: 1 Select the layer name in the Layers palette. 2 Choose Delete Layer from the Layers palette pop-up menu.
Locking layers Locking a layer has an effect similar to that of choosing the Lock command from the Arrange menu—locked layers cannot be selected or edited in any way. To lock or unlock a layer: Click the dot beneath the pencil icon to the left of the layer name. This turns on the Lock option in the Layer Options dialog box. Click again to turn the option back off and unlock the layer.
To lock all layers but those selected in the palette: 1 Select the layer or layers you want to edit. 2 Choose one of two options: • Choose Lock Others from the Layers palette pop-up menu. • Click the pencil icon. the ELEMENTS A Discussion on Euclid’s Geometry Dot under pencil icon indicates art can be edited.
The ELEMENTS A Discussion on Euclid’s Geometry No dot under pencil icon indicates art cannot be edited. To unlock all layers: Choose Unlock All from the Layers palette pop-up menu.
Hiding and showing layers Hiding a layer has an effect similar to that of choosing Hide from the Arrange menu. Hidden layers cannot be viewed or edited. To hide or display a layer: Click the dot beneath the eye icon to the left of the layer name. This turns off the Show option in the Layer Options dialog box. Click again to turn the option back on and redisplay the layer. the ELEMENTS A Discussion on Euclid’s Geometry Solid dot under eye icon: layer art in Artwork view.
the ELEMENTS A Discussion on Euclid’s Geometry Hollow dot under eye layer art in Preview view. the ELEMENTS A Discussion on Euclid’s Geometry Empty eye column and pencil with red slash: Layer is uneditable.
To hide all layers but those selected in the palette: 1 Select the layer or layers you want to view. 2 Choose one of two options: • Choose Hide Others from the Layers palette pop-up menu. • Click the eye icon. To display all layers: Choose Show All from the Layers palette pop-up menu.
Dimming placed EPS images The Dim Placed Images option in the Layer Options dialog box makes placed EPS images on a given layer appear dimmed on-screen. This option screens back placed images to make it easier to edit objects on top of the placed image. You can use this option as a design tool with placed images, for laying out artwork on top of them, or using them as a template you can trace over. For information about tracing over a dimmed placed image, see Tracing over an EPS or TIFF image.
Choosing a selection color for layers Selecting a different color for each layer makes it easy to distinguish layers in your artwork as you work. By default, selecting an object highlights the object with a light blue outline and anchor points. For example, if you are working with three different layers, you can leave the first layer light blue, and set the next two layers to indicate selected objects with different colors.
Displaying layers in Artwork view Displaying a layer in Artwork view displays all artwork on the layer as outlines, and is similar to switching to Artwork view. See Viewing modes for more information. To display a layer in Artwork view: Choose one of two options: • Option-click the dot beneath the eye icon to the left of the layer name. Optionclick again to turn the option back on and redisplay the layer in Preview view. • Deselect the Preview option in the Layer Options dialog box.
Making selected layers nonprintable You can use the Print option in the Layer Options dialog box to make a layer temporarily nonprintable. This option is useful for printing only the segments of your artwork that you need to proof. For example, you could put all type in a document onto a single layer and then print only that layer for proofing. To make a layer temporarily nonprintable: 1 In the Layers palette, choose the layer you want to make nonprintable.
Using Type Creating type Setting type attributes Using keyboard shortcuts to change type attributes Painting type Transforming type Modifying letterforms as graphic objects Working with columns of text Formatting columns and paragraphs Editing text 418
Creating type Using the type tools, you can create type anywhere in a document. You can create type by: • Entering type at a point • Entering type in a rectangle • Entering type in an object • Entering type along a path • Importing text files You can also export type to another application.
Entering type at a point You can use the type tool to enter type anywhere in the Illustrator work area, without first defining a bounding area for the type. Entering type this way, for example, would be a good way to type in a caption for an illustration. To enter type at a specific point: 1 Select the type tool. The pointer changes to an I-beam within a dotted box. The small horizontal line near the bottom of the I-beam marks the position of the type baseline.
3 Enter the type you want. Press Return to begin a new line of type. The default font is 12-point Helvetica. To change the font, see Setting type attributes.
Selecting type The type tool’s I-beam pointer lets you select individual characters, words, and paragraphs, and change the type’s attributes. To select all of the type on a path or in a type container, use the selection tool on the path or type container, as described in Selecting objects. See also Editing text. To select characters and words: 1 Select any type tool. 2 Choose one of two options: • Drag to select the type you want to change. (Shift-drag to extend or reduce your selection.
Type overview Illustrator lets you use type in various ways, including customizing type for use as display type for titles or headlines, manipulating type as graphic objects, flowing type along and within a path, and wrapping type in columns of body text. Click on any callout to jump to information on that topic.
To select blocks of type: 1 Select any type tool. 2 Choose any of the following options: • Drag to select the type you want to change. (Shift-drag to extend or reduce your selection.) • Position the I-beam pointer in a paragraph, and triple-click to select the entire paragraph.
• Click the type with a type tool, and then choose Edit > Select All to select all the type on the type path or in the type container.
Entering type in a rectangle You can use the type tool to define a text rectangle into which you enter type. This method is useful when you want to create one or more columns of text, such as for a brochure. You can also create a rectangle with the rectangle tool, and then use the type tool to convert it to a text rectangle. The text rectangle you create is unpainted (neither filled nor stroked).
To create a text rectangle using the type tool: 1 Select the type tool. The pointer changes to an I-beam within a dotted box. 2 Drag diagonally to define the text rectangle. When you release the mouse button, the pointer reverts to an I-beam. (In Artwork view, a rectangle appears with an in sertion point at the top left corner of the text rectangle.) 3 Enter the type. Notice that the type wraps to fit inside the defined area. 4 Press Return to begin a new paragraph.
If you enter more type than can fit within the rectangle, a small box containing a plus sign appears near the bottom of the rectangle when in Artwork view or the text rectangle or type is selected. The plus sign is positioned at the end of the baseline of the last visible line of type.
Changing the size or shape of a text rectangle You use the direct-selection tool to adjust a text rectangle. To change the size or shape of a text rectangle: 1 Select the direct-selection tool. 2 If the type is selected, click outside the rectangle to deselect it. 3 Position the pointer on the edge of the text rectangle you want to adjust. Do not select any type baselines. 4 Click to select an edge or corner of the text rectangle, and drag to adjust the rectangle’s shape.
Note: It’s easiest to adjust a text rectangle in Artwork view.
Entering type in an object You can use any object as an area within which to enter type. If the object is an open path, the program draws an imaginary line between the endpoints of the path to define the object for the type, just as it does to paint open paths. When you turn an object into a type path, the path becomes unstroked and unfilled, even if the path was originally stroked or filled.
Type tool Area-type tool Path-type tool Moving type tool over filled objects and paths To enter type in an object: 1 Select the type tool or the area-type tool (if the object is a filled open path). 2 Position the pointer on the path, and click the mouse button. An insertion point appears. 3 Enter some type.
Resting on the descending edge of the Holy Mountain Nikko, below the shelter of dense forest, in the midst of Clicking filled object with areatype tool . . . changes object into text container and enables you to enter text. As with text rectangles, if you enter more type than can fit within the area, in Artwork view, a small box with a plus sign (+) appears near the bottom of the area.
Entering type along a path You can enter type that flows along the edge of an open or a closed path. The path can be regularly or irregularly shaped. When you enter type along a path, the path is no longer stroked or filled. You can paint it later if you want, without affecting the paint attributes of the type. You can have only one string of type (that is, without a carriage return) on a path.
To enter type along a path: 1 Select the type tool or the path-type tool. 2 Position the pointer on the path, and click the mouse button. An insertion point appears on the path. 3 Enter the type you want. Type appears along the path. At th e Do e P or o f t h al Set the insertion point. ac e Then enter type.
Moving type along a path You use the selection tool to move type along a path. To move type along a path: 1 Use the selection tool to select the type path if it is not already selected. 2 Position the pointer on the I-beam at the beginning of the line of type. At th e Do ac Do At th e e P or o f t h al e Position pointer on I-beam. or of Then drag to move type. 3 Press the mouse button and begin dragging the I-beam in the direction you want to move the type.
Flipping the direction of type along a path You use the selection tool to flip the direction of type along a path. To flip the direction of the type along a path: 1 Select the selection tool. 2 Position the pointer on the I-beam. 3 Choose one of the following options: • Press the mouse button and drag the I-beam across the path. • Double-click the I-beam. ce e Position pointer on I-beam. th e At ac e e P or o f t h r of t h e Do o Do al Pa th la At Then drag across path to flip type.
To move type across a path without changing the direction of the type, use the Baseline Shift option in the Character palette. For example, if you have created type that runs from left to right across the top of a circle, you can enter a negative number in the Baseline Shift text box to drop the type so that it flows inside the top of the circle.
Deleting empty type paths from artwork The Delete Empty Text Paths option in the Cleanup dialog box lets you delete unused type paths and containers from your artwork, thus making your artwork more efficient and easier to print. You can create empty type paths, for example, by inadvertently clicking the type tool in the artwork area, and then choosing another tool. To delete an empty type path from your artwork: 1 Choose Filter > Objects > Cleanup. 2 Select the Delete Text Paths option, and click OK.
Setting type attributes You can either set type attributes before you enter new type or reset them to change the appearance of existing, selected type. You can set attributes for several type paths and type containers if they are all selected. See • Choosing a font family • Choosing a type size • Finding and replacing fonts • Specifying leading • Specifying kerning and tracking • Specifying baseline shift • Adjusting horizontal scale You change the type attributes using the Character and Paragraph palettes.
In addition, some attributes can be changed using keyboard shortcuts. See Using keyboard shortcuts to change type attributes. For a complete list of shortcuts, see the Adobe Illustrator Quick Reference Card. You can use various shortcuts to enter values in the Character and Paragraph palettes. • To apply a value in a text box to the selected type and remain in the same text box in the palette, press the Enter key.
Choosing a font family A font family is a complete set of characters, letters, and symbols that comprises a particular typeface design in one style. For example, the font used in this paragraph is Minion. The default font family in the Adobe Illustrator program is Helvetica. You can choose a font from the Font pop-up menu or from the Character palette. Note: Special characters, such as the infinity symbol, may display correctly but not print.
3 Choose one of two options: • In the Font text box, type the name of the font family you want to use. As you type, the name of the first font beginning with that letter appears. Continue entering the font name until the correct font name appears. • Choose a font from the Font pop-up menu. 4 Press the Enter key or Tab key to apply the new font.
Choosing a type size You can choose the type size in the Character palette, from the Size submenu in the Type menu, or by using keyboard commands. The default type size is 12 points. Type size is always measured in points. (One point is equal to 1/72 of an inch.) When you change the type size, the Info palette displays the new type size.
3 Choose a new type size from the Size pop-up menu. You can also enter a number by typing the size in the Size text box and pressing the Enter key or Tab key. The new size is applied. To choose a type size from the Type menu: 1 Select any type container or type path using a selection tool, or set an insertion point or select a block of type using the type tool. 2 Choose Type > Size. The Size submenu appears. A check mark appears next to the current type size.
Finding and replacing fonts The Find Font command creates a list of all the fonts in your document and lets you search for and replace them (including the font’s type style, color, and kerning) by name. This command also lets you save the list of fonts as a separate file, which can be useful for a service bureau that is printing the file. To find and replace fonts in your document: 1 Choose Type > Find Font.
• Select the Document List option to limit the fonts you can use as replacements to those already in your document. 3 Select a font name from the Find Fonts in Document list. Illustrator selects the next instance of that font in your document. 4 Choose one of the following options: • Click Find Next to find the next instance of that font. • Click Skip to go to the next name in the font list and search for that font.
When there are no more instances of a font in your document, that font name is removed from the list of fonts to find. 6 To save a list of all fonts found in the document, click Save, and then enter a filename and location for the font list file.
Specifying leading Leading specifies the amount of vertical space between baselines. Leading is always measured in points. If a line of type contains characters with different leading values, the line’s leading is set to the greater of the two values. In the heart of the large island of Niphon and in a mountainous and wooded region, fifty leagues from Yokohama, lies hidden the ancient city of the dead— the necropolis of Japanese Emperors.
To change the leading value using the Character palette: 1 Select any type container or type path using a selection tool, or select a block of type using the type tool. 2 Choose Type > Character. 3 Enter a value in the Leading text box, or choose a value from the pop-up menu. 4 Press the Enter key or Tab key. To change the leading value from the Type menu: 1 Select any type container or type path using a selection tool, or select a block of type using the type tool. 2 Choose Type > Leading.
To specify leading before a paragraph: 1 Choose one of two options: • To apply leading to a single paragraph in text, click the type tool anywhere in the paragraph. • To apply leading to all paragraphs in a type container, use the selection tool to select the entire type container. 2 Choose Type > Paragraph. 3 Enter a value in the Leading Before Paragraph text box. 4 Press the Enter key or Tab key.
Specifying kerning and tracking Kerning controls the spacing between two characters. You can control kerning manually; or you can turn on the kerning built into a font by the font designer. See Spacing characters with auto-kerning for more on using a font’s built-in kerning. Tracking inserts uniform spacing between more than two characters in selected type. Use tracking to adjust the spacing of a word or of an entire block of type.
Positive kerning or tracking values move characters apart; negative kerning or tracking values move characters closer together. Kerning and tracking values are measured in units that are 1/1000 of an em space. The width of an em space is relative to the current type size. In a 1-point font, 1 em corresponds to 1 point; in a 10-point font, 1 em corresponds to 10 points. Because kerning units are 1/1000 em, 100 kerning units in a 10-point font are equivalent to 1 point.
At the door of the 0/1000 em At the door of the 200/1000 em Tracking values To change the kerning or tracking value: 1 Select any type container or type path using a selection tool, or set an insertion point or select a block of type using the type tool. 2 Choose one of the following options: • Press Option+Left Arrow to move characters closer together, or Option+Right Arrow to move characters farther apart.
• Press Command+Option+Left Arrow to move characters closer together or Command+Option+Right Arrow to move characters farther apart by five times the Tracking value set in the General Preferences dialog box. • Choose Type > Tracking or Type > Character, enter a positive or a negative value in the Tracking/Kerning text box, and press the Enter key or Tab key.
Spacing characters with auto-kerning To use a font’s kerning information to space characters better, you can select the Auto- Kerning option in the General Preferences dialog box or in the Character palette. Many fonts contain information about the spacing of character pairs; for example, the spacing between an A and a W often is less than the spacing between an A and an F. Auto-kerning is off by default because using the feature slows the program’s performance.
See also Specifying kerning and tracking. To apply auto-kerning to existing type in a file: 1 Choose Edit > Select All. 2 Select the Auto-Kerning option in the Character palette. 3 Deselect the type; deselect the option.
Specifying baseline shift Baseline shift controls the distance that type appears from its baseline, either raising or lowering the selected type. The Baseline Shift option lets you create subscripts or superscripts, or move path type above or below a path without changing the direction of the type flow. For example, using the path-type tool on a circle positions type above the circle. Using the Baseline Shift option then moves the type inside the circle without changing the type’s orientation.
To specify baseline shift: 1 Select a type container or type path using a selection tool, or select a block of type using the type tool. 2 Choose one of the following options: • Press Option+Shift+Up Arrow to increase the baseline shift or Option+ Shift+Down Arrow to decrease the baseline shift. The move is equal to the Baseline Shift value set in the General Preferences dialog box (2 points, by default). • Choose Type > Character, enter a value in the Baseline Shift text box.
Adjusting horizontal scale Horizontal scale specifies the proportion between the height and width of the type. Unscaled characters have a value of 100%. You can adjust the horizontal scale to compress or expand selected characters. These adjustments have no effect on the characters’ height.
50% DOOR OF THE PALACE 100% DOOR OF THE PALACE 200% DOOR OF T Horizontal scale values To adjust the horizontal scale of type: 1 Select any type container or type path using a selection tool, or select a range of text using the type tool. 2 Choose Type > Character. 3 Enter a percentage in the Horizontal Scale text box. 4 Press the Enter key or Tab key.
Using keyboard shortcuts to change type attributes You can use keyboard shortcuts to change the type point size, change leading values, adjust spacing, and change paragraph alignment. To change the type point size from the keyboard: Choose one of the following options: • Press Command+Shift+> to increase the point size. • Press Command+Shift+< to decrease the point size. The point size changes by the increment set in the Size/Leading text box in the General Preferences dialog box. The default is 2 points.
To change the leading value from the keyboard: 1 Select any type container or type path using a selection tool, or select a block of type using the type tool. 2 Choose one of the following options: • Press Option+Up Arrow to decrease the leading. • Press Option+Down Arrow to increase the leading. The leading changes by the increment set in the Size/Leading text box in the General Preferences dialog box.
Adjusting spacing using the keyboard The Keyboard Increments options of the General Preferences dialog box let you set the increments in which baseline shift and kerning/tracking values increase or decrease when you use keyboard shortcuts. The default key increment values are 2 points for size/leading, 2 points for baseline shift, and 20/1000 of an em space for kerning/tracking. The Keyboard Increments option controls the following keyboard shortcuts: • Command+Shift+> increases the point size.
• Option+Command+Right Arrow increases the kerning/tracking five times. • Option+Command+Left Arrow decreases the kerning/tracking five times. • Option+Shift+Up Arrow increases the baseline shift. • Option+Shift+Down Arrow decreases the baseline shift. The type units preference determines the units for point size, leading, kerning, tracking, and baseline shift. To change keyboard increments: 1 Choose File > Preferences > General. 2 Choose a unit of measure from the Type Units pop-up menu.
Painting type You can paint type, the type container, or the type path. You may want to paint the container to create a background for your type, or paint the type path as a visual base for the type. To paint type, a type container, or a type path: 1 Choose one of the following options: • To paint the type, use the selection tool to select the type. • To paint a type container or type path, use either the direct-selection tool or the group-selection tool, and click once to select the path or object.
Transforming type The selection tool lets you select an entire type path or type container so that you can transform the type along with the path or container. You can also transform individual type containers within linked type containers. For more examples of transformed type, see the Adobe Illustrator Tutorial and Beyond the Basics.
Note: To transform a type path or type container without transforming type, use the group-selection tool to select just the path. Verify the baselines don’t appear, indicating type is deselected. Select the rotate, scale, or shear tool to transform the type container and its path.
Modifying letterforms as graphic objects The Create Outlines command lets you turn type into a set of compound paths that you can edit and manipulate as you would any other graphic object. To use the Create Outlines command with a given typeface, you must have the Type 1 or TrueType font outlines for that typeface installed on your system. The Create Outlines command retains all formatting of the selected type.
Editing type outlines Painting type outlines Tip: If you select type outlines and choose Object > Compound Paths > Release, you can use the outlines as type areas. To convert type to path outlines: 1 Using a selection tool, select the type you want to convert. Note: To convert type to outlines, you must select type with a selection tool, not a type tool. 2 Choose Type > Create Outlines.
To use several outlined letters as a mask: 1 Select all of the letters. 2 Choose Object > Compound Paths > Make. 3 Make a mask as described in Working with masks.
Working with columns of text Illustrator provides several commands that make it easy to create and work with columns, or blocks, of type.
Importing text files You can import text files into the Adobe Illustrator program from other applications. Once you have created an insertion point with any of the type tools, use the Place command to import type. Illustrator uses the Claris® XTND document format translator to import text from word processor and page layout applications. You can import text from any document type for which an XTND translator has been installed.
3 Select the text document you want to open, and click Place. The text from the document you selected flows into the type container. Most of the styles you used in typing the original document are retained. If the original text is word-wrapped and you import it as a point-type object, each paragraph appears on a single line.
Exporting text files The Export command exports text to a new text file in one of 14 file formats (for example, WordPerfect®, Microsoft® Word®, or Rich Text Format). You must have the Claris XTND utility installed to use the Export command. (This utility as installed if you used the Easy Install option when copying the Adobe Illustrator program onto your hard disk drive.) See File formats supported in Adobe Illustrator and Exporting artwork for more information.
Displaying overflow text If your type container is too small, you won’t be able to see all of the text within it. You can adjust the type container so that all of the text is visible. To display all text: Choose one of the following options: • Adjust the size of the type container. • Link the type container to another type container so that the overflow text flows into the second type container. Create one or more copies of the type container, if necessary.
Linking type containers You can link type containers that have been created with the type tool or the area-type tool. When you link type containers, type flows from one object to another based on the type container’s stacking order. Type flows first into the backmost object in the stacking order and continues to the next object in the stacking order. The most recently created object is frontmost.
In the heart of Niphon in a mountainous and wooded region, fifty leagues from Yokohama, is hidden the ancient city of the dead— the necropolis of Japanese Emperors. Resting on the slope of the Holy Mountain of Nikko, under a cover of dense forest and in the midst of cas- cades whose roar called them into existence, among the ferns and mosses and green dampness, overarched by dark branches and bordered by the wildness and grandeur of Nature, lies this ancient structure.
Changing the type flow You can change the order in which type flows by changing the stacking order of type containers using the Send to Front and Send to Back commands. You can adjust the stacking order before or after linking type. See also Stacking order.
Copying a linked type container If you run out of room for type in a container, you can create a copy of the container for overflow type. See also Unlinking and removing type containers. To create a linked copy of a type container: 1 If you are not already in Artwork view, choose View > Artwork. 2 Select the direct-selection tool, and position the pointer on the type container. Make sure the baselines aren’t selected.
The type flows from the first type container to the second, and the two type containers are linked. In the heart of Niphon in a mountainous and wooded region, fifty leagues from Yokohama, is hidden the ancient city of the dead— the necropolis of Japanese Emperors.
Unlinking and removing type containers You can unlink type containers to change their Stacking order without affecting the flow of type. However, to return the type to its original object, you must cut and paste the type. To delete a single or unlinked type container without deleting the type within it, copy and paste the text elsewhere, and then delete the container. To unlink linked type containers: 1 Select the selection tool.
3 Click Delete. The type container you selected disappears, and the type that it contained flows into the next grouped or linked object in the stacking order. 4 To add a new type container, create or select the type container; then hold down the Shift key and use the groupselection tool to click the old type container to which you want to link the new type container. Then choose Type > Link Blocks. The type flows into the new type container.
Creating rows and columns The Rows & Columns dialog box lets you divide rectangles and text blocks into blocks of rows and columns and precisely change the height, width, and gutter size between rows and columns. You can also use the Rows & Columns dialog box to change the way in which text flows (from left to right or up and down) by clicking the Text Flow icon. Text flow options Note: You can also create rows and columns of linked type containers using the instructions in Linking type containers.
To divide a rectangular graphic object or type container into rows and columns: 1 Using the selection tool, select a rect- angle or type container. Note: If the object is not rectangular, it will be converted into rows and columns based on the object’s rectangular bounding box. 2 Choose Type > Rows & Columns. 3 Enter the number of columns you want in the Columns text box, and the number of rows you want in the Rows text box.
5 Choose any of the following options: • To change the direction of the text flow from left to right or from top to bottom, click the Text Flow icon. • To preview the effect, select the Preview option. • To add path guides along the row and column edges, select the Add Guides option. 6 Click OK.
Wrapping type around a graphic object You can make type wrap around any graphic object, including type paths and compound paths, by using the Make Wrap command. You must use area type when wrapping type around a path; point type and path type do not wrap around an object. You can make one or several type containers wrap around any number of objects. To wrap type around a graphic object: 1 Make sure that the object or objects around which you want to wrap type are in front of the type.
You can use an unpainted graphic boundary to control how closely type wraps around an object, such as a large initial capital letter. You can then adjust and resize the unpainted boundary using a selection tool to achieve the exact kind of text wrap you want. Note: If you are importing an Adobe Photoshop image, you can import the clipping path along with it to serve as the graphic boundary for the image.
In the heart of the large island of Niphon in a mountainous area, fifty leagues from Yokohama, is is hidden the ancient city of the dead the necropolis of Japanese Emperors. Resting on the descending edge of the Holy Mountain of Nikko, under a cover of dense forest and in Make Wrap command applied To separate a wrapped type container from a graphic object: 1 Select the type container or graphic object. 2 Choose Type > Release Wrap.
Greeking type below a specified font size Adobe Illustrator greeks—displays as a dimmed bar—type below a specified type size, as set in the Greek Type Limit text box in the General Preferences dialog box. Any type at or below the specified type size is replaced on-screen with nonletterforms that act as placeholders in the artwork. Greeking type affects only artwork displayed onscreen, not the printed image.
Formatting columns and paragraphs Various Illustrator functions are especially useful for working with larger groups of type, such as type laid out within columns.
Specifying paragraph indentation Indentation specifies the amount of space between the ends of each line of type and the path that contains that type. You can indent from the left or the right side of the path, and you can choose additional indentation for the first line of a paragraph. Negative indentation moves the type outside the margin. Hanging punctuation controls whether punctuation marks fall inside or outside the margins.
Indentation affects only the selected paragraph or paragraphs. In the heart of the large island of Niphon and in a mountainous and wooded region, fifty leagues from Yokohama, lies hidden the ancient city of the dead—the necropolis of Japanese Emperors.
To specify paragraph indentation: 1 Select any type container or type path using a selection tool, or set an insertion point or select a block of type using the type tool. 2 Choose Type > Paragraph. 3 Select the indentation text box you want to change (right, left, or first line), and enter an indentation value. 4 Press the Enter key or Tab key.
Specifying alignment options Alignment controls how lines of type are arranged in paragraphs. Each paragraph (or line in point type) can have any of these alignment options: • Left alignment, the default option, aligns type on the left margin, with a ragged right edge. • Right alignment aligns type on the right margin, with a ragged left edge. • Centered alignment centers each line of type between margins.
In the heart of the island of Niphon and in a mountainous region, fifty leagues from Yokohama, lies the ancient city of the dead— the necropolis of Japanese Emperors. In the heart of the island of Niphon and in a mountainous region, fifty leagues from Yokohama, lies the ancient city of the dead— the necropolis of Japanese Emperors.
In the heart of the island of Niphon and in a mountainous region, fifty leagues from Yokohama, lies the ancient city of the dead— the necropolis of Japanese Emperors. Center alignment To change alignment options from the Paragraph palette: 1 Select any type container or type path using a selection tool, or set an insertion point or select a block of type using the type tool. 2 Choose Type > Paragraph. 3 Click the alignment style you want.
Specifying hanging punctuation Hanging punctuation controls whether punctuation marks fall inside or outside the margins. If hanging punctuation is turned on, the following characters appear outside the margins: periods, commas, single-quotation marks, double-quotation marks, apostrophes, hyphens, em dashes, en dashes, colons, and semicolons.
To select hanging punctuation: 1 Select any type container or type path using a selection tool, or set an insertion point or select a block of type using the type tool. 2 Choose Type > Paragraph. 3 Select the Hanging Punctuation option.
Specifying spacing options Spacing options include options for controlling the word spacing and letterspacing in lines of justified or unjustified type. Spacing options are always applied to an entire paragraph. To adjust the spacing in only a few characters, use the Tracking option; see Specifying kerning and tracking for more information. To change spacing in text 1 Select any type container or type path using a selection tool, or set an insertion point.
3 Choose one or both of the following options: • To change the amount of space between words in a line of type, enter a minimum, desired, and maximum value in the Word Spacing text boxes. (With unjustified text, only the Desired option is available.) For justified text, the default values for word spacing are 100% minimum, 100% desired, and 200% maximum. At 100%, no additional space is added between words.
Both word spacing and letterspacing are measured as percentages of the width of a space in the selected type size. In the heart of the large island of Niphon and in a mountainous and wooded region, fifty leagues from Yokohama, lies hidden the ancient city of the dead—the necropolis of Japanese Emperors.
Using the Tab Ruler palette The Tab Ruler palette lets you quickly set left, right, center, and decimal-point tabs in type. When setting tabs, a visual tab guide appears in the selected type to help you set tabs, even if the type path is rotated or wrapped. The units of measure for the tab ruler are defined by the units of measure specified in the Document Setup dialog box.
• Drag the Extend Tab Ruler button at the lower right of the palette to extend the ruler. • Select the Snap option to snap tabs to ruler units as you drag them. You can also hold down the Control key as you drag tabs to turn the Snap option on or off temporarily. 4 Click the Tab Ruler where you want the tab to appear. The tab position (relative to the left margin of the selected text) appears in the top center of the palette.
• Center-Justified Tab. Centers text on the tab mark. • Right-Justified Tab. Justifies text to the right, keeping the left margin ragged. • Decimal-Justified Tab. Justifies text in alignment with a decimal point (useful for creating columns of numbers). 2 Choose any of the following options: • To move a tab, drag it to a new position. As you drag, a line indicates where the tab is moving in the text. • To remove default tabs, drag to the right. • To replace default tabs, drag to the left.
Tab Ruler palette Snap option Decimal tab Right tab Center tab Left tab return to text Tab position Extend tab ruler button
Fitting headline type Adobe Illustrator lets you fit type across the full width of a type path in an object by using the Fit Headline command. The Fit Headline command works with Adobe multiple master fonts by adjusting the weight of the font and the tracking value when distributing type along a path. The Fit Headline command works with other fonts by adjusting only the tracking value. See also Specifying kerning and tracking.
To fit headline type across a specified area: 1 Enter type in a type container using the type tool or area-type tool. 2 Select the type using any type tool. 3 Choose Type > Fit Headline.
Hyphenating words The autohyphenation feature automatically hyphenates words where appropriate at the ends of lines. You can set the hyphenation parameters in the Paragraph palette. If you select the autohyphenation option, you can specify the minimum number of letters allowed at the beginning or end of a word before allowing a hyphen to be inserted. You can also limit the number of consecutive hyphenated lines. You can enter a discretionary hyphen to hyphenate a word manually.
To enter a discretionary hyphen: 1 Select a type tool and click where you want to enter the hyphen. 2 Press Command+Shift+hyphen. To set the auto hyphenate feature: 1 Choose Type > Paragraph. 2 Select the Auto Hyphenate option. If the Hyphenation options are not visible, click the display control in the Paragraph palette. 3 In the Hyphenation text boxes, enter the minimum number of letters allowed at the beginning and end of a word before a hyphen is inserted.
Using the Hyphenation Options command The Hyphenation Options command lets you specify any words you don’t want Illustrator to hyphenate and defines which language dictionary is used. To specify how a word may be hyphenated in Adobe Illustrator: 1 Choose File > Preferences > Hyphenation Options. 2 If desired, choose the language in which the hyphenation rules apply from the Languages pop-up menu. When you select a different language, the rules for hyphenating words change to match that language’s rules.
3 Enter the word for which you want to specify hyphenation characteristics. If you enter the word with no hyphens, Adobe Illustrator never hyphenates the word. If you enter the word with one or more hyphens inserted, Adobe Illustrator hyphenates the word only at those places. 4 Click Add. 5 To remove a word from the hyphenation list, click the word to select it, and then click Delete.
Specifying the hyphenation language The Language option controls the dictionary used to apply hyphenation rules to the selected text. Various languages, such as U.S. English, U.K. English, French, German, and Italian, are available. To specify the hyphenation language: 1 Choose Type > Character. 2 Choose a language from the Language pop-up menu. 3 Press the Enter key or Tab key.
Editing text You can use the standard word-processing methods to edit selected text. To edit text: 1 Select the text that you want to edit. You can choose Edit > Select All to select all the text along or within the path. 2 Choose any of the following options: • Type over the text. • Choose Edit > Cut to remove the text. • Choose Edit > Copy to copy the text. • Choose Edit > Paste to paste cut or copied text. • Press Delete to delete the text.
Checking spelling The Check Spelling command compiles a list of misspelled words in a document and offers a list of alternative spellings. If Illustrator has incorrectly identified a word as misspelled, you can either skip the word without changing it in the document or add the word to the dictionary list. These new words are then added to the custom file AI User Dictionary in the Plug-ins folder. You can edit this list of words as well.
3 To get a list of alternative spellings for a misspelled word, click the word in the Misspelled Words list. The first instance of that word is highlighted in your document, and any alternative spellings appear in the Suggested Corrections list. 4 Choose one of three options: • To enter a new spelling for a misspelled word, either click the correct spelling in the Suggested Corrections text box or type the corrected spelling in the Change text box.
• To add the word to your dictionary, click Learn. (To add several words at once, hold down the Shift or Command key while clicking or dragging the mouse to select the words.) 5 To edit your current dictionary list, click Edit List and choose one of three options: • To change a word in the dictionary list, select a word in the list, retype it in the text box, and then click Change. • To add a new word, type it in the text box, and then click Add. • To remove a word, select the word, and then click Remove.
Finding and replacing text The Find command finds and replaces text strings on paths and within type containers while retaining the type style, color, kerning, and other type attributes of the text. To find and replace text: 1 Choose Type > Find. 2 Enter the text string you want to find and, if desired, the text string with which you want to replace it. 3 Choose any of the following options: • Select the Whole Word option to search only for entire words that match the text in the Find text box.
• Select the Wrap Around option to search the entire document, starting from the text selection point to the end of the document, and then from the beginning of the document to the text selection point. 4 Choose one of the following options: • Select the Find Next option to search for the next instance of the text string, without replacing it. • Select the Replace, then Find option to replace the text string and then search for the next instance of it.
Changing capitalization The Change Case command enables you to change text from the current case setting to all uppercase, all lowercase, or mixed case (that is, each word beginning with an uppercase letter). city on the edge City On The Edge CITY ON THE EDGE Lowercase, mixed case, and uppercase text To change the capitalization of selected text: 1 Select a type tool, and select the text to be changed. 2 Choose Type > Change Case. 3 Select the Upper Case, Lower Case, or Mixed Case option, and click OK.
Using smart punctuation The Smart Punctuation dialog box searches for keyboard text symbols and replaces them with publishing text symbols. It can also report the number of symbols replaced. To turn on the Smart Punctuation feature for the document: 1 Choose File > Preferences > General. 2 Select the Smart Punctuation option, and then click OK. To replace standard keyboard characters with publishing characters: 1 Choose Type > Smart Punctuation.
• V, X, Z Ligatures. Changes any occurrence of the ff, fl, or ffl letter combinations into ligatures. To change to the ff and ffl ligatures, you must have the appropriate Adobe Expert font installed on your system. fi ffi fl ffl fi ffi fl ffl Ligatures before and after • Smart Quotes (“ ”). Changes straight keyboard quote marks ('' '') and (' ') into printer’s quote marks (“ ”) and (‘ ’). • Smart Spaces (. ). Replaces multiple spaces after a period with a single space. • En, Em Dashes (--).
• Ellipses (. . .). Replaces three keyboard periods (...) with an ellipsis character (…). • Expert Fractions. Replaces separate characters used to represent fractions with their single-character equivalents. To change to expert fractions, you must have the appropriate Adobe Expert font installed on your system. ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ ¹⁄₂ ³⁄₄ ⁵⁄₈ ⁷⁄₁₆ Expert fractions before and after 3 Choose one of two options: • Select the Entire Document option to search and replace text symbols in the entire document.
4 Click the Report Results option to see a list of the number of symbols replaced. 5 Click OK to search for and replace selected characters.
Using Graphs About graphs Creating a graph Adjusting graphs Selecting graph options Changing graph styles Combining different graph styles Customizing a graph Selecting parts of a graph About graph designs Creating a graph design Applying graph designs to a graph 525
About graphs Adobe Illustrator’s graph tools let you create six different graph styles: • Grouped column. The default graph style compares one item to another or compares different items over a period of time. • Stacked column. This graph compares the progress of a group of variables over time or shows the relationship of parts to the total. The values for each category are stacked one on top of another, instead of side by side, as they are in a grouped column graph. • Line.
• Scatter. This graph plots data points as paired sets of coordinates along the x and y axes. Scatter graphs are useful for identifying patterns or trends in data. They also can indicate whether variables affect one another.
Area Scatter 528
Creating a graph You can create a graph by dragging with the graph tool or by specifying dimensions in the Graph dialog box. To create a graph: 1 Double-click the graph tool, or choose Object > Graphs > Style. 2 Select the type of graph you want. 3 Select options for the selected graph style, as described in Selecting graph options. 4 Click OK. 5 Select the graph tool. The pointer changes to a cross when you move it to the active window.
• Click the graph tool in the artwork where you want to create the graph, and then specify the dimensions for the graph in the Graph dialog box. By default, the Graph dialog box displays the dimensions of the most recently drawn rectangle, oval, or graph. Dimensions are determined by the ruler units set in the Document Setup dialog box. A graph of the shape and dimensions you designate appears, along with the Graph Data dialog box. Anchor points on the graph indicate that it is selected.
Entering and editing graph data You can enter data in a graph by: • Typing it into the Graph Data dialog box • Importing data from another application • Copying and pasting data from other applications or from another graph. See also • Editing existing data • Adjusting graphs Note the following about graph data: • You must select an entire graph before you can change its data. • You can enter data in up to 32,767 rows by 32,767 columns, as memory permits.
To enter data manually: 1 Create a new graph using the procedure described in Creating a graph. Make sure that the graph is selected. 2 If the Graph Data dialog box is not already open, choose Object > Graphs > Data. Entry line Row Column Cell At the top of the worksheet is the entry line for entering data. You enter labels and then data that correspond to the labels. Each label or value you enter is placed in a separate cell. A cell is the intersection of a row and a column.
Labels are words or numbers that describe two things: categories, whose data is entered in rows; and legends, whose data is entered in columns. In the final graph, legends appear as boxes that you can place above or to the right of a graph. Categories (y axis) Legends (x axis) 75 A B 50 25 0 1980 1990 Labels and legends 3 Enter labels and data for the particular style. See Entering labels and data for particular graph styles for more information.
Usually, you enter a label in at least the first row and the first column of the worksheet. Follow these guidelines: • To create category labels for the horizontal (x) axis, enter the labels in the first column (except for scatter graphs, which do not use categories). (If you also are entering legends, skip the first cell of the column.) • To create legend labels for the vertical (y) axis, enter the labels in the first row. (If you also are entering category labels, skip the first cell of the row.
• To create line breaks in legends or labels, use the vertical bar key to separate lines. For example, enter Total|subscriptions|1996 to produce the following graph label: Total subscriptions 1996 The letters or numbers that you type appear simultaneously in the entry line and in the cell. 4 Continue entering data in the worksheet, choosing one of the following methods to move to another cell: • Press the Tab key to enter the data and select the next cell in the same row.
5 To correct a mistake or change how data is entered in the Graph Data dialog box, choose one of these options: • If you accidentally enter graph data backward, (in rows instead of columns, or vice versa), switch the columns and rows of data by clicking Transpose. • To switch the x and y axes of a scatter graph, click Switch XY. See Transposing the x and y axes in scatter graphs.
Entering labels and data for particular graph styles Labels can be words that describe columns of data, or they can be years, months, or days for comparing data over time. Follow these additional guidelines for entering data for the selected graph style: • For grouped and stacked column graphs, enter numbers along the vertical (y) axis; enter labels for the data along the horizontal (x) axis. • For grouped and stacked column graphs, the height of the column corresponds to the amount being compared.
• For line graphs, enter numbers representing quantities along the y axis; enter numbers representing time along the x axis. Each column of data corresponds to one line in the line graph. You can combine positive and negative values in a line graph. • For pie graphs, plot only one row of data, either all positive or all negative values. If you plot additional rows of data, a separate pie graph is created for each additional row. You cannot combine positive and negative values.
• For scatter graphs, enter one column of data each along the y axis and the x axis. A scatter graph differs from the other kinds of graphs, because both axes measure values; there are no categories. If the first column contains labels, it is ignored, and the second column produces values for the y coordinates. For additional illustrations of how different graph styles plot data, see Selecting graph options.
Importing data from another application If you first save data files as text in other applications, you can import the data files into Adobe Illustrator. In the text files, each cell must be separated by a tab, and each row must be separated by a carriage return. You can also cut and paste data from a spreadsheet application such as Lotus® 1-2-3 using the Cut and Paste commands. The data must not contain any commas; otherwise, the data is not plotted. For example, enter “732000” not “732,000”.
2 If the Graph Data dialog box is not already open, choose Object > Graphs > Data. 3 Click to select the cell that will be the top left cell of the data that you import. 4 Click Import. 5 Open the file that you want to import. The data is imported and entered into the worksheet in the Graph Data dialog box. 6 Click OK. The graph is updated with the imported data.
Copying and pasting data from other applications You can copy data from another application and paste it into the Graph Data dialog box by using the Clipboard. To copy and paste data from another application: 1 Open the application and file containing the data you want to copy, and choose Edit > Copy to copy the data to the Clipboard. 2 Open the Adobe Illustrator program. 3 Create a new graph. Make sure that the graph is selected.
Editing existing data You can edit data you have entered in the Graph Data dialog box. The Cut and Copy commands move data to the Clipboard; the Paste command moves data from the Clipboard into a worksheet. The Clear command erases the entire selection, either within the text or as a set of cells. The Delete key functions as both a Delete and Backspace key for a single cell. To edit existing data: 1 Click to select the cell you want to edit.
• Use the Cut, Copy, Paste, or Clear command in the Edit menu to edit the data. You can cut and paste any cell or group of cells to another selected cell or group of cells. 3 Click OK.
Adjusting graphs You can adjust graphs using the Graph Data dialog box by: • Transposing rows and columns of data • Transposing the x and y axes in scatter graphs • Adjusting cell column width • Adjusting decimal precision 545
Transposing rows and columns of data If you accidentally enter graph data backward (that is, in rows instead of columns, or vice versa), you can use the Transpose command to switch the columns and rows of data. The Transpose command reverses the categories and legends and reenters all the data accordingly. To transpose rows and columns of data: 1 Choose Object > Graphs > Data.
2 Click Transpose. Labels and data that were listed across the top row are now listed along the left column. A B "1980" "1990" "1980" 45.00 66.00 A 45.00 66.00 "1990" 62.00 72.00 B 62.00 72.
Transposing the x and y axes in scatter graphs You can reverse the x and y axes to display data better on scatter graphs using the Switch XY option. This option is available only for scatter graphs because only scatter graphs plot values on both axes. You do not need to reenter data; the Switch XY option does this automatically. To transpose the x and y axes in a scatter graph: 1 Choose Object > Graphs > Data. 2 Click Switch XY to reverse the data columns.
Adjusting cell column width In the Graph Data dialog box, the default cell column width is seven digits. The actual width varies according to the selected typeface. You can change the default column width by dragging the column boundary to make one column wider or narrower, or by entering a new value in the Cell Style dialog box. To adjust a cell’s column width manually: 1 In the Graph Data dialog box, position the pointer at the top of the column you want to adjust. The pointer changes to a double arrow.
To reset the column width, you must drag the column width again; you cannot use the Cell Style dialog box. If you change the column width to zero, the column reverts to the column width set in the Cell Style dialog box. To change the width of columns you have not previously changed manually: 1 Click Cell Style in the Graph Data dialog box. 2 Enter a value between 3 and 20 in the Column Width text box. Click OK.
Adjusting decimal precision You can define the number of decimals in which you want numbers displayed by using the Number of Decimals text box in the Cell Style dialog box. The default is 2. This means that if you enter the number 4, it appears in the Graph Data dialog box as 4.00; if you enter the number 1.55823 with the Number of Decimals text box set to 2, the cell displays 1.56. The program keeps the original data in memory; so, if you reset the Number of Decimals text box to 5, the cell displays 1.
Selecting graph options Depending on the graph style chosen, additional options are available (with the exception of area graphs). To select graph style options: 1 If you want to change an existing graph, select the entire graph. 2 Choose Object > Graphs > Style, or double-click the graph tool.
• Adding a drop shadow to a graph • Displaying legends across the top of a graph • Displaying overlapping columns of data 553
Selecting grouped column and stacked column options Grouped column and stacked column graph options are the same. They include • Column Width. By default, the column width is 90%. • Cluster Width. A cluster is a group of columns corresponding to a row of data in the work sheet. Cluster width is the total width of all columns in a cluster. The default cluster width is 80%.
150 Column Cluster 75 90 50 60 25 30 0 1980 1990 Column and cluster widths A B 120 0 1980 1990 Stacked column graph 555
Selecting line graph options There are four graph style options for line graphs: • The Mark Data Points option places square markers at each data point. • The Connect Data Points option draws lines that connect the data points and makes it easier to see relationships between data. • The Fill Lines option becomes available when you select the Connect Data Points option.
• The Edge-to-Edge Lines option draws lines that extend across the graph, from left to right along the horizontal (x) axis.
Selecting pie graph options Three graph style options let you choose how to display legends with pie graphs: • The Standard Legends option places column labels outside the graph; this option is the default. When you combine pie graphs with other kinds of graphs, select the Standard Legends option. • The Legends in Wedges option inserts labels in the corresponding wedge. • The No Legends option omits legends entirely.
Percentages and legends are painted black by default. If a pie wedge with a dark background obscures a legend, repaint the dark background. Use the group-selection tool to select the dark pie wedges, and paint the wedge using the Paint Style palette. See also Displaying legends across the top of a graph.
Selecting scatter graph options Selecting scatter graph options is the same as for selecting line graph options, except that the Edge-to-Edge option is not available. The default options for scatter graphs are Mark Data Points and Connect Data Points.
Specifying the axis position You can specify whether to display the vertical (y) axis on the left side, the right side, or both sides of the graph. The default is Use Left Axis. You must select the entire graph to use the Same Axis Both Sides option. See Combining different graph styles for more information on changing axis attributes when a graph has more than one graph type.
A B 75 75 A B 75 50 50 50 25 25 25 0 0 1980 1990 Graph with left axis 562 1980 1990 0 Graph with same axis both sides
Setting axis tick mark and label options You can add tick marks to show units of measurement and to better delineate data series in a graph, and you can add information to labels including units of measurement such as “$.” B A 75 50 25 0 1980 1990 Tick marks with labels Tick marks are the lines placed perpendicular to the axes to show the units of measurement.
There are three options to set horizontal (y-axis) tick marks, and there is one option to set vertical (x-axis) tick marks, as described in the following procedures. See Combining different graph styles for more information on changing axis attributes when a graph has more than one graph type. To set horizontal tick mark and label options for either the left or right y axis: 1 In the Graph Style dialog box, click the Use Left Axis option or Use Right Axis option.
You can use this option, for example, to display very large numbers for the tick marks. Changing the y axes individually also lets you specify different options for the x and y axes or for the right and left y axes when you combine different graph types. 4 Either accept the values set when you created the graph or enter a minimum value, a maximum value, and the value between labels. To prevent numbers from appearing on an axis, enter 0 in the Value Between Labels text box.
• To add horizontal tick marks to the graph, click either Short Tick Lines or Full Width Tick Lines to extend tick lines across the graph. • If desired, enter a value in the Draw Tick Marks Per Tick Line to specify how many tick lines to draw. 6 Click OK, and then click OK again. To place vertical tick marks on the x axis: 1 In the Graph Style dialog box, click Bottom if you selected a scatter graph; if you selected another style graph, click Category.
• Enter a value in the Draw Tick Marks Per Tick Line text box to specify how many tick lines to draw. 3 Click OK, and then click OK again.
Adding a drop shadow to a graph You can add drop shadows to give a graph a three-dimensional effect. This option may not be appropriate for some graph styles, such as a line or scatter graph. 150 B A 100 50 0 1980 1990 Drop shadows To add a drop shadow: 1 In the Graph Style dialog box, select the Drop Shadow option. 2 Click OK.
Displaying legends across the top of a graph By default, legends are displayed to the right of the graph. You can choose to display them horizontally across the top of the graph. 200 C B A 150 200 150 100 100 50 50 0 1980 1990 Default legends A B C 0 1980 1990 Legends across top To display legends across the top of a graph: 1 In the Graph Style dialog box, select the Legends Across Top option. 2 Click OK.
Displaying overlapping columns of data When using a graph such as a grouped column or area graph, you can control the order in which columns of data overlap. 80 C B A 60 40 20 0 1980 1990 First Column in Front option selected To specify the order in which columns overlap: 1 Choose one of two options in the Graph Style dialog box: • Select the First Row in Front option to place the first row of data in the worksheet frontmost in the graph.
• Select the First Column in Front option (the default) to place the first column of data in the worksheet frontmost in the graph. Always select this option for an area graph to prevent some areas from being hidden. 2 Click OK.
Changing graph styles Once you have created a graph, you can change to another graph style to illustrate the data more effectively. To do so, you use the Graph Style dialog box. To change the graph style of an individual series of data, you use the groupselection tool to select the data series. Be sure to include the legend in the selection. See also Combining different graph styles and Customizing a graph. Note: Once graph objects are painted with gradients, changing graph styles causes unexpected results.
3 In the Graph Type section of the Graph Style dialog box, select the type of graph you want. 4 Click OK. 5 Click to select the desired graph style (type). The options for the particular type of graph you have selected appear to the right of the graph type. (The area graph does not have any options.) 6 Click to select the desired graph options.
Combining different graph styles You can combine any type graph with another, with the exception of scatter graphs. Scatter graphs cannot be combined with any other graph type. Price index 250% Retail A B C Retail price per unit $25 Wholesale 200% $20 150% $15 100% $10 50% $5 0% 1970 1980 1990 $0 Grouped column and line graph styles combined To combine different graph types in the same graph, you select parts of the graph using the group-selection tool.
If a graph uses more than one graph style, you can vary the graph style along the right and along the left axis so that each axis measures different data. Note: You must select the entire graph to set the axis style. If you combine a stacked column graph with other graph styles, be sure to use the same axis for all data series represented by the stacked column graph, to avoid overlapping columns or misleading column heights.
Importing graph designs from other documents You can create a custom startup file that contains the graph designs you use most frequently. The graph designs contained in the startup file then appear in the graph design list in the Graph Design dialog box, and are available in every new Adobe Illustrator document you create. See Creating a custom startup file.
Customizing a graph You can customize a graph you have created by • Changing the colors of shading • Changing the typeface and type style • Moving, reflecting, shearing, rotating, or scaling any or all of the graph • Applying graph designs to a graph • Importing graph designs from other documents See also • Selecting parts of a graph • Creating a graph design • Reusing a graph design 577
Selecting parts of a graph Graphs are created as grouped objects. You can select elements of a graph with the direct-selection and group-selection tools, and change the elements. However, if you ungroup the elements of a graph, such as individual columns of data, you will be unable to change the graph’s style or modify the graph’s data. The elements of a graph are related. The entire graph with its legends is one group.
If you want to select some objects in a graph and send them to the back or front of other objects, it’s important that you send only objects that represent an entire data series or individual numbers. You can select individual columns, lines, pie wedges, or series, and move them to the front or back. Do not, however, select and send individual category labels, individual legend labels, individual axis tick lines, individual axis tick labels, or vertical or horizontal axis lines.
To select an entire path in a graph: 1 Select the group-selection tool. 2 Position the pointer on the legend of the columns you want to select (for example, Group B), and click to select the legend. 80 B A 60 80 60 40 40 20 20 0 0 1980 1990 First click selects a legend. B A 1980 1990 Second click adds columns to selection. 3 Without moving the group-selection tool pointer from the legend, click the mouse button. All of the columns grouped with the legend are selected.
Each click adds another layer of grouped objects to the selection, beginning with the next group up in the hierarchy. You can click as many times as the number of groups to add to a selection. To deselect part of a selected group: 1 Select either the direct-selection tool or the group-selection tool, and position the tool on the object you want to deselect. 2 Hold down the Shift key, and click to deselect the object. To change part of the type in a graph: 1 Select the group-selection tool.
About graph designs You can use custom designs in graph columns or markers to represent data. Graph designs can be a simple drawing, logo, or other symbol representing values in a graph, such as a bicycle; or they can be complex objects that contain patterns, guide objects, and type. You can also use the designs in the Gallery folder included with the Adobe Illustrator program. Graph designs are suitable for a grouped or stacked column graph, or for replacing markers in a line or scatter graph.
See • Creating a graph design • Importing graph designs from other documents • Applying graph designs to a graph • Reusing a graph design 583
Scaled graph designs A vertically scaled graph design is stretched or compressed vertically. Its width does not change. A uniformly scaled graph design is scaled both vertically and horizontally. The horizontal spacing of the designs is not adjusted for the different widths. 300 300 200 200 100 100 0 1980 1990 Vertically scaled design 0 1980 1990 Uniformly scaled design See Creating a graph design.
Repeating graph designs A repeating design stacks a design to fill the columns. When you choose the Repeating Design option in the Graph Column Design dialog box, you assign a value to each design in the Each Design Represents text box. You also choose whether to chop or scale designs that represent fractions. The Chop option cuts off a fraction of the top design as necessary; the Scale option scales the last design to fit in the column.
Sliding graph designs A sliding design is like a vertically scaled design except that you can specify where in the design to stretch or compress it. For example, if you were using a pencil to represent data, you might stretch or compress only the wooden part of the pencil, but not the point and the eraser. Using the Vertically Scaled option would scale the entire pencil. 300 200 100 0 1980 1990 Sliding graph design You can also rotate the design in the legend box.
A Rotation on A Rotation off To create a sliding graph design: 1 Create a rectangle as the backmost object in the design. 2 Create the design using one of the drawing tools, or place an existing design in front of the rectangle. 3 Use the pen tool to draw a horizontal line to define where the design will be stretched or compressed. 4 Select all parts of the design including the horizontal line. 5 Choose Arrange > Group.
7 Choose Object > Guides > Make. 8 Use the selection tool to select the whole design. 9 Choose Object > Guides > Lock to remove the check mark next to Lock so you can unlock the guides. Move the design around to make sure that the guide moves with the design. 10 Choose Object > Graphs > Design. 11 Click New. A small preview of the selected design is displayed. 12 Type a name for the design, and click OK. 13 To make the guide invisible when previewing the artwork, choose View > Hide Guides.
Creating a graph design Creating a graph design is similar to creating a pattern. If you want to include column totals in the design, see Displaying column totals with graph designs. When you create a new design or use a design in a document, the design is saved.
Copying and pasting the column or marker first makes the column or marker rectangle the backmost object in the design. If necessary, choose Arrange > Send to Back to make the rectangle the backmost object in the design. 4 Paint the rectangle as desired, or fill and stroke it with None so that it is invisible. 5 Create the design using any of the drawing tools, or position an existing design in front of the rectangle.
Only the portion of the design that fits inside the backmost rectangle appears, but the whole design appears when used in the graph. 11 Name the design, and click OK. 12 Apply the design to a graph.
Displaying column totals with graph designs You can include column totals with your graph design. To display column totals with the graph design: 1 Follow steps 1 through 5 of the procedure in Creating a graph design. 2 Select the type tool. Position the pointer at a point where you want the value to appear, near or in the rectangle that defines the design. For example, you can place the value in, above, below, to the left, or to the right of the design.
The first digit determines how many places appear before the decimal point. For example, if your total was 122, a digit of 3 would display 122. If you enter 0 for the first digit, the program adds the number of places necessary for the value. The second digit determines how many places appear after the decimal point. Zeros are added as necessary, and values are rounded up or down as necessary. You can vary these numbers, depending on how many digits you need. 0124.369 %30 124 %31 124.4 %32 124.
5 To align the decimal points, choose Type > Paragraph, and select the Right Alignment option. 6 Using the selection tool, select the entire design, including the rectangle and any type. 7 Choose Arrange > Group to group the design. 8 Choose Object > Graphs > Design. 9 Click New. A preview of the selected design appears. 10 Name the design, and click OK.
Applying graph designs to a graph You can apply a graph design that you have created or imported as a column in a column graph or as a marker in a line or scatter graph. See also • Reusing a graph design • Creating a graph design • Importing graph designs from other documents To use a graph design in a column graph: 1 Use the group-selection tool to select the graph column or columns you want to fill with the design, or select the entire graph. 2 Choose Object > Graphs > Column.
If you choose a repeating graph design, enter a value in the Each Design Represents text box for what each design represents. For example, if each design should represent 100 units, enter 100 in the Each Design Represents text box. Also select whether to chop or scale any fractions of the design. 4 Select the design you want to use; a preview of the selected design appears. 5 Click OK.
The design is scaled so that the backmost rectangle in the design is the same size as the default square marker on the line or scatter graph.
Reusing a graph design You may want to reuse a graph design that you have created and edit it to create a new design. If you have the original artwork, you can alter it and then rename the design using the Graph Design dialog box. See Creating a graph design for more information. If you don’t have the original artwork defined as a graph design, you can retrieve the original artwork by pasting the graph design into your artwork document.
Importing and Exporting Artwork About importing and exporting artwork File formats supported in Adobe Illustrator Using the Clipboard to import and export artwork Using the drag and drop feature to import and export artwork Opening and placing artwork Exporting artwork Using the Publish and Subscribe commands About vector graphics and bitmap images About graphic file formats 599
About importing and exporting artwork Illustrator can import and export many common graphic file formats, including EPS, PICT, TIFF, PDF, and PostScript®. In addition to these common graphic file formats, Illustrator can use artwork in any file format supported by an Adobe Photoshop-compatible file format plugin filter, including GIF, PhotoCD™, PIXAR, Scitex CT®, and many more.
File formats supported in Adobe Illustrator File format Import methods Export methods Considerations TIFF Open, Place None Illustrator opens or places only first page of a multipage file. PostScript (Level 1) Open Clipboard; Print-toFile option Illustrator opens or places only first page of a multipage file. Save As Opening or placing converts spot colors to process color and loses Overprint attribute.
Using the Clipboard to import and export artwork You can use the Clipboard as a limited method for transferring selections of artwork between an Illustrator document and another application. You can use the Clipboard to: • Copy text between Adobe Illustrator and most word-processing and page layout applications. • Copy selected paths between Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Streamline, Adobe Dimensions, or Adobe Premiere.
To copy artwork as bitmap PICT images to the Clipboard: 1 Select the object or objects you want to copy. 2 Hold down the Option key and choose Edit > Copy.
Using the drag and drop feature to import and export artwork The drag and drop feature lets you copy and move artwork by dragging a selection of artwork between an Illustrator document and another document, or the desktop. You can use the drag and drop feature in the following ways: • You can drag and drop selections of artwork between Illustrator documents. • You can drag and drop selections of artwork between Adobe Illustrator and the desktop.
• You can drag and drop selections of artwork between Adobe Illustrator and other applications that support the drag and drop feature, such as Scrapbook. To drag and drop artwork to the center of a Photoshop document window: 1 Select the artwork you want to copy. 2 Open the document into which you want to copy the selection. 3 Begin dragging the selection; then hold down the Shift key, and continue dragging to the document window.
Opening and placing artwork You can use the Open or Place commands to import artwork created by other applications.
Opening files created by other applications You can use the Open command to open a document created by another application, and create a new Adobe Illustrator document. Vector artwork in the document you open is converted to Illustrator paths, which can be modified using any Illustrator tool; bitmap images can be modified using transformation tools, such as scale and rotate, and using image filters, such as the Gallery Effects™ (GE) filters in the Illustrator Filter menu.
3 Click Open. Note: If you open an EPS file that contains fonts not installed on your system, Courier is used for the missing fonts when you print.
Placing non-EPS files created by other applications Using the Place command with images in file formats other than EPS includes a copy of the file copies in an existing Adobe Illustrator document—just as if the file had been opened in Illustrator. Vector artwork is converted to Illustrator paths; bitmap images can be modified using transformation tools and image filters. See also Placing EPS files.
3 Locate and select the file that you want to place. If you don’t see the name of the file you want, the file has been saved in a format that Illustrator cannot read. See the Read Me file installed with Adobe Illustrator for a complete list of all the file formats you can import. 4 Click Place. The artwork is converted to the Adobe Illustrator format, placed in the center of the page boundary, and is selected.
Placing EPS files When you use the Place command to insert an EPS image into existing Illustrator document, the Place command creates a link to an external file and does not include a copy of the file in the document. Depending on how you save the Illustrator document, you can retain the link between the placed EPS file and its original application, or you can break the link and include the EPS file as an element in the Illustrator file.
See also • Opening files created by other applications • Managing Adobe Illustrator documents containing placed EPS files. • Placing non-EPS files created by other applications To place an EPS file: 1 Open the Illustrator document into which you want to place the EPS file. 2 Choose File > Place EPS. 3 Locate and select the file to place, and click Place. An outlined box containing two diagonal lines appears. This box defines the artwork’s dimensions.
To turn on and off the display of EPS preview images in Artwork view: 1 Choose File > Document Setup. 2 Click the Show Placed EPS Images option, and click OK.
When you make changes to a placed EPS image using the application that created it, the changes are automatically applied to the Illustrator documents that contain the placed file. Note also that if you select a placed EPS image and then replace it with any other image, any transformation attributes, such as scaling, rotating, or shearing, are applied to the new place image. To edit a placed EPS image: 1 Start the application that created the placed EPS file and open the file. 2 Edit the image.
Managing Adobe Illustrator documents containing placed EPS files You can display the location of an EPS file that you want to move or edit, and you can list the locations of all placed files in a given Illustrator document. To determine the location of a placed file: 1 Select the placed artwork. 2 Choose Object > Attributes. 3 Use the Location of Placed Art pop-up menu to display the location of the placed image.
5 Open the Document Info text file with TeachText or any word processing program. The Placed Art section lists the locations of all the placed EPS files. Note: When you move an Illustrator document that contains placed EPS files, you must either move the original files, or find the placed files the next time you open the Illustrator document. If you plan to move a document that contains placed files, store the document and the original files in the same folder, and move the entire folder.
Including placed EPS files in Illustrator documents By default, when you save a document that contains a placed EPS file, the placed file remains as a separate element that is linked to the Illustrator document. You can incorporate the placed file into the Illustrator document and break the link between the placed file and its original application. To include placed EPS files in an Illustrator document: 1 Open the Illustrator document containing placed EPS files. 2 Choose File > Save As.
Exporting artwork To use an Adobe Illustrator document in another application, you must save the document in a graphics file format that the other application can use. You can save Illustrator documents in a number of graphic formats, including EPS, PDF, and GIF. However, using a format other than EPS often results in a loss of quality. See About graphic file formats for more information.
To save an Illustrator document in another format: 1 Choose File > Save As. 2 Select the folder where you want to save the file and rename the file or change the file suffix to reflect the new file format. Changing the filename ensures that your original artwork is preserved on disk. 3 Choose a file format from the Format pop-up menu. 4 Click Save. If you are saving the document in a bitmap format, you may be asked to choose a resolution and bit depth for the bitmap.
Saving documents in previous versions of Adobe Illustrator Some applications can import Illustrator files directly without requiring that the files first be saved in a different format. You might find, however, that these applications cannot import the current version of the Illustrator file format. If you want to use the Windows version of the Illustrator program to change a document, for example, you must save the document in Illustrator 4 file format.
Saving documents in EPS format The most common way of sharing Illustrator artwork is to save the artwork as an EPS file. Virtually all page layout, word processing, and graphic applications accept imported or placed EPS files. Unlike many other graphic file formats, EPS files preserve all of the graphic elements you can create with Adobe Illustrator. Illustrator documents saved as EPS files remain Illustrator documents. You can double-click an Illustrator EPS file to start Illustrator and open the document.
2 Select the folder where you want to save the EPS file and enter a name for the file. 3 Choose Illustrator EPS from the Format pop-up menu, and click Save. 4 Choose from the following options: • Select the kind of preview image you want to save with the EPS file. • Select an Adobe Illustrator compatibility option. Keep in mind, however, that certain features, such as gradients and layers, are not supported by earlier versions of the Illustrator file format.
Using the Publish and Subscribe commands You can use Adobe Illustrator Publish and Subscribe commands to share and update material between documents. Publish and Subscribe let you copy and update material from on e document to other documents. Once you’ve pasted published material into a document, the material can be updated automatically whenever the original file is modified. (For a detailed description of Publish and Subscribe, see your Macintosh documentation.
You can then open the document in which you want to insert the edition; this document is called a subscriber. Each time you make changes to the published selection and save the changes, the artwork in the subscribing documents is updated. If you do not want updates to be sent automatically, you can send them manually using the options in the Publisher Options dialog box. To publish artwork: 1 Using a selection tool, select the objects to be published. 2 Choose Edit > Publishing > Create Publisher.
You can publish your artwork as a PICT file containing a PostScript language resource for printing or as a combination PICT and EPS file. If the file is being subscribed to by an application that is compatible with the EPS format, such as Adobe Illustrator, save the file as PICT and EPS. If the subscribing application is not EPS compatible, save the file as PICT only. 5 Type in a name for your artwork in the Name of New Edition text box. Click Publish.
• Choose Manual to update the edition only when you click the Update Edition Now button. 4 Select the file format in which to update the edition, either PICT only, or PICT and EPS. 5 Click OK. To subscribe to published artwork: 1 Choose Edit > Publishing > Subscribe To. 2 Select the edition to which you want to subscribe. A preview of the artwork is shown in the preview box. 3 Click Subscribe. The subscribed artwork appears in your document as if it were placed with the Place EPS command.
About vector graphics and bitmap images Adobe Illustrator creates a type of graphics known as vector graphics. Vector graphics represent objects mathematically as straight lines, arcs, and other geometric shapes. Because vector graphics are represented mathematically, software can perform such operations as scaling and rotating without changing the quality of the artwork. The characters of PostScript language Level 1 fonts are also vector graphics.
Paint and image-editing software, such as SuperPaint and Adobe Photoshop, generate a different type of electronic artwork known as bitmap images, also called raster images. Computer displays and printers are called raster devices because they present information with a raster, or grid of dots. The raster is a sequence of lines, and each line is a row of dots called pixels (picture elements). Raster devices can be characterized by their resolution in dots-per-inch (dpi).
When software rasterizes vector artwork on the fly for display or printing, it uses the resolution of the display or printer. This means that higher resolution devices, which have more dots per inch than lower resolution devices, produce finer artwork. A small vector circle that appears rough and jagged on a 72-dpi monitor, for example, appears smooth when printed on a 600-dpi printer.
Bitmap artwork See also • Resolution and bit depth • File size and image compression 630
Resolution and bit depth Resolution is the measure of how many dots or pixels are in a given unit of measure. One way of expressing bitmap resolution is in pixels per inch (ppi). Note: Many textbooks and manuals refer to image resolution in dots per inch (dpi). Used in the context of image resolution, dpi means the same thing as ppi. Scanning, paint, and image-editing software determine the resolution of bitmap images. With scanning software, you select the resolution before scanning the image.
Bit depth is the number of bits used to describe each pixel in a bitmap. The bit depth describes the amount of color or grayscale information conveyed by a pixel. A black-and-white bitmap has a bit depth of one. Each pixel can be either 0 or 1, which correspond to black and white. Grayscale images can have bit depths of either 4 or 8. A 4-bit grayscale image has 16 shades of gray; an 8-bit image has 256 shades of gray.
Indexed-color bitmaps are 8-bit images that include a color table that defines a 24-bit color for each of 256 values that can be represented by an 8-bit value. An 8-bit image can thus use colors usually available only for 24-bit images. However, the indexed-color image is still limited to a total of only 256 colors.
File size and image compression The storage required for bitmap images is the product of the image size, Resolution and bit depth. A 2-by-4-inch, 1200ppi, 24-bit color image, for example, requires more than 34 MB (megabytes) of storage, while the same image at 300-ppi requires about 2 MB. Because bitmap images can require so much storage, many techniques have been developed for compressing image data to reduce storage requirements.
• Lemple-Zif-Welch (LZW) is a lossless compression technique supported by TIFF, PDF, and PostScript language file formats. • Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) is a lossy compression technique supported by the PDF and PostScript language file formats.
About graphic file formats Graphic file formats vary in how they represent graphic information. Graphic information can be represented as either vector drawings or as bitmap images. Some graphic file formats contain only vector drawings or only bitmap images, but many can include both in the same file. For more information, see File formats supported in Adobe Illustrator and the Read Me file.
TIFF file format TIFF is a flexible bitmap image format that is supported by virtually all paint, image-editing, and page-layout applications. Also, virtually all desktop scanners can produce TIFF images. Early versions of the TIFF format supported only uncompressed black-and-white images, but the most recent version supports up to 24-bit RGB, CMYK, and YCbCr color images, and both the LZW and JPEG compression methods. The latest version also supports both the LZW and JPEG compression methods.
PostScript language file format PostScript is a page description language that is built into many desktop printers and virtually all high-end printing systems. Because it is built into so many printers, most Macintosh, Windows, and UNIX® application can create PostScript files for printing. PostScript files can describe a single page, but typically they represent entire documents.
PostScript Level 2 also supports a number of compression techniques for bitmap images, including the LZW, CCITT, and JPEG methods. Illustrator does not save PostScript files directly, but if you are using a PostScript printer, you can use the Print-to-File option in the Print dialog box to create a PostScript file. Note: Adobe recommends that you create PostScript files with the Apple LaserWriter 8® or Adobe PostScript printer driver.
Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) file format The Encapsulated PostScript file format is used to transfer PostScript language artwork between applications. Typically, EPS files represent single illustrations or tables that are placed on a host page, but an EPS file can also represent a complete page. Because they are based on the PostScript language, EPS files can contain both vector and bitmap graphics.
Not all applications that create EPS files create preview images, however. When you place an EPS file without a preview image, Illustrator displays a box with an X to represent the EPS artwork. When you place an EPS file with a TIFF or Windows Metafile preview image, Illustrator also displays a box with an X for the EPS artwork. For more information on importing and exporting EPS files in Illustrator see Placing EPS files and Including placed EPS files in Illustrator documents.
PDF file format PDF file format is the document format used by Adobe Acrobat®, Adobe’s electronic publishing software for Macintosh, Windows, UNIX®, and DOS. Acrobat Reader software is included on your Adobe Illustrator CD-ROM. See the Getting Started guide and the online documentation in the Acrobat folder for more information on Adobe Acrobat. Based on the PostScript Level 2 language, PDF can represent both vector and bitmap graphics in both color and grayscale.
You can also use Illustrator to make changes to individual PDF pages. To modify a page within a PDF file, open the PDF file, select the page to modify, make changes, and save the modified PDF file. The modified page is restored to its original position in the PDF file.
PICT file format Together with the Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) file format, the PICT file format is the most common graphic interchange format for Macintosh applications. The first version of the PICT format, PICT 1, represents blackand-white vector and bitmap images, but bitmap images have a fixed resolution of 72 dpi, which is the resolution of most Macintosh monitors. The second and current version of the PICT file format, PICT 2, supports color vector and bitmap graphics.
PC Paintbrush file format (PCX) PCX is a bitmap image file format that is supported by many Windows applications. PCX supports the RLE compression method. Images can have a bit depth of 1, 4, 8, or 24. Version 5 PCX files support a custom color palette, but version 3 PCX files do not.
Windows bitmap file format (BMP) BMP is a bitmap image file format that is supported by many Windows applications. BMP supports the RLE compression method. Images can have a bit depth of 1, 4, 8, or 24.
CompuServe Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) The CompuServe® GIF format is a bitmap image file format that is used extensively on both the CompuServe network and the World Wide Web. GIF images can have a bit depth from 1 to 8. The GIF format supports LZW compression.
Printing Documents Printing: an overview Resolution and screen frequency basics Printing artwork Printing composites Printing gradients and color blends Improving printer performance Compiling information about the document Annotating objects 648
Printing: an overview When you print a document, the Adobe Illustrator program sends it to a printing device, either to be printed directly onto paper or to be converted to a positive or negative image on film. In the latter case, the film can then be used to create a master plate for printing by a mechanical press. The simplest types of images, such as a page of text, use only one color in one level of gray. A more complex image is one whose color tones vary within the image.
For artwork that will be commercially reproduced and that contains more than a single color, you must print the artwork on separate master plates, one for each color. This process is called color separation.
• Compiling information about the document • Annotating objects • Aligning the artboard with the printed page • About separations See also the Adobe Print Publishing Guide, included in your Adobe Illustrator software package 651
Resolution and screen frequency basics The detail in a printed image results from both the resolution and Screen frequency. The higher an output device’s resolution, the finer (higher) a screen frequency or screen ruling you can use. Resolution is the number of dots or pixels per linear unit used to reproduce artwork and images. Computer-based graphics display images as groups of dots called pixels.
Monitor resolution Of all the forms of output devices, monitors usually have the lowest resolution—typically in the range of 70 dpi to 96dpi. The typical Macintosh monitor, for example, has a resolution of 72 dpi; a typical PC-compatible monitor has a resolution of 96 dpi.
Printer resolution Inkjet printers have the lowest resolution printed output and usually print in the range of 180 dpi to 360 dpi. Laser printers occupy the middle range, usually with a resolution of 300 dpi to 600 dpi. At the top of the range are imagesetters, which can produce output from 1200 dpi to 5000 dpi.
Image resolution Raster images are saved as groups of pixels at a fixed resolution. In contrast, vector drawings are saved as mathematical expressions, and display at the resolution available to the output device. The image resolution refers to the spacing of pixels in the raster image, and is measured in pixels per inch (ppi). See Bitmap images and About vector graphics and bitmap images. Note: The Document Info dialog box enables you to define the output resolution for vector drawings.
Bit resolution Also known as pixel depth, bit resolution determines the number of colors available to pixels in a raster image. For example, a pixel with a bit resolution of 1 has 21, or two, possible values: on and off. A pixel with a bit resolution of 8 has 28, or 256, possible values. Common bit resolutions range from 1 to 24 bits per pixel. See Bitmap images and About vector graphics and bitmap images.
Screen frequency Although separate from resolution, screen frequency also affects the sharpness of a printed image. Also known as screen ruling, screen frequency refers to the number of halftone cells per inch in the halftone (or line) screen used to print a grayscale image or color separation. The line screen arranges the image in each separation into rows of halftone dots for printing. The frequency of these rows of dots is described in lines per inch, or lpi. A low lpi setting (e.g.
Printing artwork For any type of artwork you print, you can choose from a set of standard printing options in the Page Setup dialog box. You can then print the artwork using the Print dialog box. See • Setting crop marks • Setting trim marks See also • Printing composites • Printing gradients and color blends • Improving printer performance To select printing options: 1 Choose File > Page Setup. This dialog box varies depending on the selected printer.
2 Choose any of the printing options, as described in your Macintosh system documentation. 3 Choose one of the following options: • Click OK. • Click Options to choose from another group of printer settings that are available on the selected printer. (See your Macintosh documentation for information on these options.) Choose the options you want; then click OK to return to the Page Setup Dialog box, and click OK again. To print a document: 1 Choose File > Print. 2 Indicate which pages you want printed.
The number of pages that print is determined by the View options selected in the Document Setup dialog box. If the Single Full Page option in the Document Setup dialog box is selected, only one page will print. If any other View option is selected, you can print a specified page or range of pages by clicking the From option and entering the beginning and ending page numbers to be printed in the appropriate text boxes.
Printing composites If you are making color separations, you may want to print a color or grayscale composite proof to check your work or to send to the print shop with each set of separations. A composite image can help you design and proof your artwork and check your separation setup before printing final (and costly) separations. When Illustrator prints a composite, it prints all of the colors used in the file, regardless of whether any are selected, with all of the printer’s marks in place.
To create a composite: 1 Choose File > Print. 2 Choose Normal from the Output pop-up menu. 3 Choose any other printing options. See Printing artwork for more information. 4 Click Print.
Setting crop marks Crop marks define where your artwork will be trimmed after it is printed. You can create crop marks using the Make Cropmarks command to place them directly into the artwork, or from the Separation Setup dialog box to place them in separations. Only one set of crop marks can appear in a document. If you need multiple marks—for example, if you are printing multiple pages from the same document—use trim marks instead.
If you plan to separate a color Illustrator document, you should first set crop marks in the artwork. You can reposition the crop marks later either by deleting the first set of crop marks and then setting new crop marks, or by using the Separation Setup dialog box to change the existing crop marks. See also Step 5: Place crop marks around the image to be separated. To set crop marks directly in artwork: 1 Draw a rectangle to define the boundaries of where you want the crop marks to appear.
Note: If you have selected the Single Full Page option in the Document Setup dialog box, you can use the Make Cropmarks command without first creating and selecting a rectangle to define the boundaries of the crop marks. The crop marks are set at the outer corners of the page. To eliminate crop marks: Choose Object > Cropmarks > Release. The original rectangle reappears to define the bounding area of your artwork.
Setting trim marks Like crop marks, trim marks also define where a printed image should be trimmed. You cannot create more than one set of crop marks in a file; however, you can create multiple trim marks inside your artwork using the Trim Marks filter. The Trim Marks filter creates trim marks based on an imaginary rectangle drawn around the imageable area of the object.
Illustrator does not recognize trim marks created with the Trim Marks filter as special objects when creating color separations. As a result, trim marks do not affect the bounding box, or printable image area, around the artwork. Trim marks are useful, therefore, when you want to create several sets of crop marks around objects on a page—for example, when you are creating a sheet of business cards to be printed.
Printing gradients and color blends Documents with gradients and color blends can be difficult for some printers to print smoothly (without discrete bands of color) or at all. Banding in a blend Follow these general guidelines to help avoid banding: • Use an appropriate line screen that retains 256 levels of gray; see Ensuring your resolution/line screen produces 256 grays. • Use a blend that changes at least 50% between two or more process color components.
• Use shorter blends. The optimum length depends on the colors in your blend, but try to keep blends shorter than 7.5 inches. For more information, see Calculating the maximum blend length based on the color change. • Use lighter colors or make dark blends short. Banding is most likely to occur between very dark colors and white.
Ensuring your resolution/line screen produces 256 grays In printing your document, you may find that the resolution of your printer, when combined with the chosen line screen, allows fewer than 256 levels of gray. A higher screen frequency decreases the levels of gray available to the printer. (For example, if you are printing at a resolution of 2400 dpi, using a line screen higher than 150 will result in fewer than 256 levels of gray.
This table lists the maximum line screen you can use with a printer to maintain all 256 levels of gray.
Calculating the maximum blend length based on the color change Adobe Illustrator calculates the number of steps in a gradient based on the percentage of change between the colors in the gradient. The number of steps, in turn, determines the maximum length of the blend before banding occurs. The gradient’s number of steps and maximum length assume that you are printing the document with a line screen and resolution that produce 256 levels of gray.
3 Calculate the number of steps in the blend, using this formula: Number of steps = Number of grays × Percent change in color To figure out the percent change in color, subtract the lower color value from the higher color value. For example, a blend between 20% black and 100% black is an 80%—or 0.8—change in color. When blending process colors, use the largest change between the colors.
Calculating the number of steps in a blend Maximum Blend Length Number of Steps Adobe Illustrator Recommends Points Inches CMS 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200 210 220 230 240 250 256 21.6 43.2 64.8 86.4 108.0 129.6 151.2 172.8 194.4 216.0 237.6 259.2 280.8 302.4 324.0 345.6 367.2 388.8 410.4 432.0 453.6 475.2 496.8 518.4 540.0 553.0 .3 .6 .9 1.2 1.5 1.8 2.1 2.4 2.7 3.0 3.3 3.6 3.9 4.2 4.5 4.8 5.1 5.4 5.7 6.0 6.3 6.6 6.9 7.2 7.5 7.7 .762 1.524 2.286 3.048 3.
Printing gradients with Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Dimensions, and older versions of Adobe Illustrator Adobe Photoshop 2.5, Adobe Dimensions 1.0, and versions of Adobe Illustrator earlier than 5.0 cannot read the multicolored gradients in Illustrator 5.0, 5.5, and 6.0. If you want to use gradients in Photoshop or in an earlier version of Illustrator, save the file in Illustrator 3.0 format.
Improving gradient printing with the Compatible Gradient Printing option Some older Level 1 imagesetters have difficulty printing gradients. For example, these imagesetters may take excessively long to print files with gradients, or may print not print such files at all. The Compatible Gradient Printing option enables such imagesetters to print your files. Note: Use this option only with files that contain gradients and that will be printed on imagesetters that have difficulty printing such files.
Improving gradient printing on low-resolution printers Illustrator automatically turns off the printer’s default screens and uses Adobe Screens to enhance the output of gradients when printing to low-resolution printers (600 dpi and less) that support fewer than 256 gray levels. However, you may want to use the printer’s default screen if your low-resolution printer uses special screening, such as stochastic screening.
Improving printer performance Objects that contain overly complex paths are one of the main causes of printing problems. A path’s complexity is determined by the number of line segments and anchor points it contains. The more complex the path, the longer it takes to print. Before printing, make sure that the paths contain only the necessary anchor points. You can simplify paths by: • Drawing with the pen tool instead of the freehand tool, when possible.
• Increasing the flatness of curves. See Creating a printer override (Riders) file for more information.
Splitting paths to print large, complex shapes If you are printing Adobe Illustrator documents containing overly long or complicated paths, the document may not print, and you may receive limitcheck error messages from your printer. To simplify paths, you can split long, complex paths into two or more separate paths using the Split Long Paths option in the Document Setup dialog box.
Complex object, and Split Long Paths option applied It is a good idea to save a copy of your original artwork before splitting paths. That way, you will still have the original, unsplit document to work with if needed. Keep in mind that Illustrator treats split paths in the artwork as separate objects. To change your artwork once paths have been split, you must either work with the separate shapes or rejoin the paths to work with the image as a single shape.
To split long paths: 1 Choose File > Document Setup. 2 Select the Split Long Paths option, and click OK. Illustrator will split paths as needed when you print or save the file. To split a stroked path: Split the path with the scissors tool. To split a compound path: 1 Choose Object > Compound Paths > Release to remove the compound path. 2 Break the path into pieces using the scissors tool. 3 Redefine the pieces as compound paths. To split a mask: 1 Choose Object > Mask > Release to remove the mask.
To rejoin a split path: 1 Delete any extra lines created by the Split Long Paths option by selecting the lines and pressing the Delete key. 2 Select all of the split paths that made up the original object. 3 Choose Filter > Pathfinder > Unite. The path is rejoined, with anchor points placed at each intersection where a split path was reconnected.
Changing the output resolution Curves in artwork are defined by the PostScript interpreter as small line segments—the smaller the line segments, the more accurate the curve. However, when small line segments are used to draw a curve, the total number of line segments increases, thereby increasing the complexity of the curve. If a curve is too complex for a PostScript interpreter to rasterize, a PostScript error can result, and the curve won’t print.
You can also change the output resolution of future objects you create (without affecting existing objects) with the Document Setup dialog box. Note: You can also change the flatness of an object. See Creating a printer override (Riders) file for more information. To change the output resolution for an object: 1 Select the object for which you want to adjust the output resolution. 2 Choose Object > Attributes. 3 Enter the output resolution for the object.
Additional tips for efficient printing You may not be able to print an image, an image may take a long time to print, or your printer may simply quit with or without issuing an error message. Error messages include a rangecheck error or a VMerror (virtual memory error). Many of these errors are caused by overly complex paths in your artwork. If your image takes a long time to print, consider simplifying its shape.
In addition, anything stroked with patterns using the Paint Style palette (rather than using the Path Patterns filter) other than very simple paths do not print unless you set the document for PostScript Level 2 printing. See Printing artwork for more information.
Illustrator 6.0 contains various printing enhancements and new text features. Opening or printing an Illustrator document using version 5.01 or earlier will strip many of these enhancements from the document and will reflow any tabbed text. Make sure that you or your service bureau uses Adobe Illustrator 6.0 to print 6.0 documents. To retain 6.0 printing and text enhancements when your service bureau does not have version 6.0, use Adobe Illustrator 6.0 to save a copy of the 6.
Creating a printer override (Riders) file The Make Riders filter creates an Adobe Illustrator EPSF Riders file. The Riders file is PostScript code that, when added to an Adobe Illustrator document, overrides how a document prints. The Delete Riders filter removes Riders files from your system. A Riders file is used to set the screen frequency, angle, spot function, and flatness for all documents, or to add an annotation or an error handler message to all documents.
Once the Riders plug-in is in your Plugins folder, it affects all files that are saved as EPS files or printed from Illustrator. To remove the Riders information from your files, remove the Adobe Illustrator EPSF Riders files, and resave all documents that contain embedded Riders information. To make an EPSF Riders file: 1 Choose Filters > Other > Make Riders.
• Choose a spot function to determine the halftone dot’s shape. Choose Import from the Spot Function pop-up menu to select and import a spot function. Warning: An imported spot function must be in PostScript language, correctly formatted. Importing an incorrectly formatted spot function can corrupt a document or make it unprintable. For more information, see the Spot Function Template file in the Utilities/Riders folder.
If a curve is extremely complex, and you don’t want to lose any of the curve’s quality, you can use the Split Long Paths option. • Enter an annotation of up to 254 characters by selecting Setup from the Annotation pop-up menu. When the Annotation dialog box appears, select the font and type size from the pop-up menus, and type the annotation. The annotation will appear at the bottom left corner of the printed page.
To delete a Riders file: 1 Choose Filter > Other > Delete Rider. 2 Select the Riders file you want to delete. This file is called Adobe Illustrator EPSF Riders. 3 Click Delete.
Compiling information about the document The Document Info command lists general document information and object characteristics, as well as the number and names of custom colors, patterns, gradients, fonts, and placed art. To view document information using the Document Info command: 1 Select an object with a selection tool, or if you want information on all objects, deselect all objects by choosing Edit > Select None.
3 Choose from the seven information screens listed in the Info pop-up menu: • Document lists the document name and settings in the Document Setup dialog box. This information screen is available only if you haven’t selected any objects. • Objects lists the number of paths, masks, compound paths, custom colors, patterns, gradients, fonts, and placed art contained in the selected artwork. • Custom Colors lists the names of any custom colors in the selected artwork.
Annotating objects You can use the Note text box in the Attributes dialog box to annotate an object so that it can easily be located in the PostScript file with a text editor. This feature can help service bureaus or other professionals trying to troubleshoot printing problems. To annotate an object: 1 Select the object you want to annotate. 2 Choose Object > Attributes. 3 In the Note text box, type the annotation. You can enter up to 240 characters.
4 Click OK. The annotation is associated with the object. When you save the artwork, the object is annotated in the PostScript language program with your annotation preceded by the text string %AI3_Note.
Producing Color Separations About separations CMYK output Spot color output Step 1: Calibrate your color monitor Step 2: Check colors in your artwork Step 3: Select overprint options for colors you want to appear transparent Step 4: Create a trap to compensate for misregistration on press Step 5: Place crop marks around the image to be separated Step 6: Set separation options Step 7: Print and save separations 698
About separations Artwork can consist of custom (spot) colors, process colors, or both. When you separate artwork containing custom colors, a separate plate is created for each custom color that contains only objects of that specific color. When you separate artwork that contains process colors, each color is separated into from one to four plates, depending on the mixture of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black portions in the image.
The process of dividing the image into two or more colors is called color separating, and the films from which the plates are created are called the separations. You can print a color or grayscale composite proof to check your work or send to the print shop with each set of separations. You should work closely with the print shop that will produce your separations, consulting its experts before beginning each job and during the process.
• Step 7: Print and save separations See also The Adobe Print Publishing Guide for more information on the basics of printing, including line screens, resolution, process colors, and spot colors.
CMYK output Artwork is separated into CMYK output when you’re preparing an image to be printed using the process colors cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K). (The letter K is used for black to avoid confusion, because B might also stand for blue.
Spot color output You can use custom inks to create spot colors (also called custom colors), in addition to or in place of process colors. Because a spot color is printed using a single plate, spot colors can often reduce the complexity and cost of printing artwork. jump to art For example, instead of using the four process colors to reproduce artwork consisting of black text and bluishgreen line drawings, you could use two spot colors—one of black and one representing that exact shade of green.
To view the process color equivalent of a spot color: 1 Select the Custom color selection option at the top of the Paint Style palette. 2 Double-click the spot color whose process color equivalent you want to view. 3 The CMYK values for the spot color appear in the Custom Color dialog box. 4 Click Cancel.
Separating custom and process colors Process colors: Custom color is converted to process color equivalent and printed as part of process color plates. Options set in Color Separation dialog box. Process plus custom color: Custom color is printed on a separate plate. Options set in Color Separation dialog box.
Step 1: Calibrate your color monitor To produce a full spectrum of color, video monitors mix the three basic colors of light—red, green, and blue (or RGB)—whereas, the printed page mixes the four basic ink colors (or process colors) of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK). Because RGB devices can produce colors not reproducible using CMYK inks, color in your printed artwork may look very different from color in the artwork on-screen.
About color models Most of the visible spectrum can be represented using different color models based on different sets of primary colors. • RGB. Devices that project light, such as a computer monitor, represent the range of colors in the visible spectrum by controlling the intensities of the primary colors red, green, and blue (RGB). Adding these colors equally creates white light, while subtracting them all leaves black.
• CMYK. On printed material, combining the four inks cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) in different intensities represents the colors in the visible spectrum. In theory, adding the primary colors cyan, magenta, and yellow together produces black, and subtracting them leaves white. However, because all printing inks contain some impurities, combining these three inks actually produces a muddy brown. Black ink is used to produce a true black.
The gamut of a color system is the range of colors that can be displayed or printed. The widest gamut is in the visible spectrum, which contains all the colors visible to the human eye. The RGB gamut and CMYK gamut are subsets of the visible spectrum. As shown in the following illustration, the CMYK gamut is smaller than the RGB gamut. This means that some colors that appear on the monitor, such as fluorescent colors, cannot be reproduced by CMYK inks.
Calibrating your monitor You can achieve the most accurate color calibration on a 24-bit monitor. Monitors that have a lower bit display dither many colors—that is, simulate them by mixing the existing colors—and thus can only approximate a broader spectrum of color. Before you calibrate your color monitor, get a sample progressive color bar from your print shop. A color bar displays the process colors and combinations of color, including a four-color black.
3 If you are using Adobe Photoshop with Adobe Illustrator, choose the CIE calibration option, and then choose from the following options: • Choose an option from the Ink pop-up menu that matches the ink set and color printer you are using. The default option is designed to produce quality separations using SWOP (standard web offset proofing) inks on coated paper.
• In the Gamma field, enter the same target gamma setting you used in Adobe Photoshop to calibrate your monitor. (To check the value, in the Control Panels folder of the System Folder, double-click the Gamma icon; the Adobe Photoshop Gamma Control Panel appears.) Note: Adobe Photoshop uses a color model developed by the Centre Internationale d’Eclairage (CIE) to convert images between RGB and CMYK modes.
6 Adjust the screen color to match the printed color in one of these ways: • Drag the circle in the middle of the main color field to a new location. • Drag the slider up or down on the luminosity bar to the right of the color display box. • Enter new values in the Hue, Saturation, and Brightness text boxes, or in the Red, Green, and Blue fields; you can type decimal percentages in these fields.
To adjust colors using the Apple Color Picker: 1 In the Color Matching dialog box, click the color swatch that does not match your printed color sample to display the Color Picker. The color swatch displays an ink simulation, or CMYK approximation, of the color. You should match the swatch to your printed sample.
3 When the screen color matches the printed sample, click OK. 4 Repeat this procedure for each of the colors in the Color Matching dialog box that does not match your printed sample.
Step 2: Check colors in your artwork After calibration, colors in the artwork may look different, because they more closely match the printed output. For example, an object that looked red on the screen before may now look orange. At this point, you need to correct any color problems in the artwork.
Types of colors you can use, and how they are separated You can paint artwork with process colors, spot colors, or a combination of both. See • Creating a process color • Selecting colors using other color systems • Creating custom colors • Setting paint attributes Every ink color, whether process or custom, is printed as an individual separation. When printing separations, you can convert spot colors to their process color equivalents.
Printing gradients as separations When separated, a gradient between two custom colors creates custom color artwork; a gradient that uses any noncustom color creates process color artwork. To create a gradient that will separate on one piece of film between a custom color and white, create a gradient fill between the custom color and a 0% tint of the color.
Step 3: Select overprint options for colors you want to appear transparent By default, both fills and strokes in the Adobe Illustrator program appear opaque because the top color knocks out, or cuts out, the area underneath. You can prevent knockout by using the Overprint option in the Paint Style palette to make overlapping printing inks appear transparent. Note: The degree of transparency depends on the ink, paper, and printing method used.
Colors knock out by default Overprint option on The Overprint Black dialog box allows you to set black fill or black stroked lines to overprint (or, alternatively, to remove overprinting commands from black fill or black stroked lines). You may want to overprint in the following situations: • Overprint 100% black lines against a color background when the illustration style allows.
• Overprint when the artwork does not share common ink colors and you want to create a trap or overlaid ink effects. When overprinting process color mixes or custom colors that do not share common ink colors, the overprint color is added to the background color. For example, if you print a fill of 100% magenta over a fill of 100% cyan, the overlapping fills appear violet, not magenta.
To print colors transparently by overprinting: 1 Select the object or objects that you want to overprint. This example shows the yellow and magenta fills selected. Cyan (bottom) Magenta (middle) Yellow (top) 2 Choose Object > Paint Style. 3 In the color selection options, select the Fill Overprint option. If you use the Overprint option on a 100% black stroke or fill, the black ink may not be opaque enough to prevent the underlying ink colors from showing through.
The preview on-screen appears the same as before, but the selected colors overprint when printed as a separation. To set or remove overprinting from black lines: 1 Select the objects that will have overprinting added or removed. You can set overprinting for custom colors that contain a specific percentage of black or for process colors that include black. 2 Choose Filter > Colors > Overprint Black. 3 In the dialog box, select Add to add overprinting; select Remove to remove overprinting commands.
• Select the Include Blacks with CMY option to apply overprinting to paths painted with cyan, magenta, or yellow if the path also contains black at the specified percentage. • Select the Include Custom Blacks option to apply overprinting to custom colors that include black at the specified percentage. 6 Click OK.
Step 4: Create a trap to compensate for misregistration on press Misregistration can cause gaps between colors on the final output when colors printed from separate plates overlap or adjoin one another. To compensate for potential gaps between colors in artwork, print shops use a technique called trapping to create a small area of overlap (called a trap) between two adjoining colors. See About traps. Illustrator traps artwork two ways.
Artwork suitable for Trap filter Artwork unsuitable for Trap filter The second trapping method is changing individual objects’ stroke with the Paint Style palette’s Overprint option. You can also create trap using a dedicated trapping program, such as Adobe TrapWise®.
About traps When overlapping painted objects share a common color, trapping may be unnecessary if the color that is common to both objects creates an automatic trap. For example, if two overlapping objects contain cyan as part of their CMYK values, any gap between them is covered by the cyan content of the object underneath.
You can create both spread and choke in the Adobe Illustrator program. It is generally best to scale your graphic to its final size before adding a trap. Once you create a trap for an object, the amount of trapping will increase or decrease if you scale the object. For example, if you create a graphic that has a 0.5-point trap and scale it to five times its original size, the result will be a 2.5-point trap for the enlarged graphic.
Trapping with tints When trapping two light-colored objects, the trap line may show through the darker of the two colors, resulting in an unsightly dark border. For example, if you trap a light yellow object into a light blue object, a bright green border is visible where the trap is created. To prevent the trap line from showing through, you can specify a tint of the trapping color (in this example, the yellow color) to create a more pleasing effect.
Trapping type Trapping type can present special problems. Avoid applying process colors to type at small point sizes, because any misregistration can make the text difficult to read. Likewise, trapping type at small point sizes can result in hard-toread type. As with tint reduction, check with your print shop before trapping such type. For example, if you are printing black type on a colored background, simply overprinting the type onto the background may be enough.
Using the Trap filter The Trap filter creates traps for simple objects. The filter identifies the lighter artwork—whether it’s the object or the background—and overprints (traps) it into the darker artwork. Area of trap Area of knockout Foreground color Background color Function of Trap filter See also • Trapping by overprinting • Step 4: Create a trap to compensate for misregistration on press.
If the top and bottom objects have similar color densities so that one color is not obviously darker than the other, the Trap filter will determine the trap based on slight differences in color. If the trap specified by the Trap dialog box is not satisfactory, you can use the Reverse Trap option to switch the way in which the Trap filter traps the two objects. Light object, dark background: Trap filter makes spread. Dark object, light background: Trap filter creates choke.
4 Enter a value in the Height/Width Percentage text box to specify the trap on horizontal lines as a percentage of the trap on vertical lines. Specifying different horizontal and vertical trap values lets you compensate for on-press irregularities, such as paper stretch. Contact your print shop for help in determining this value. The default value of 100% results in the same trap width on horizontal lines and on vertical lines.
5 Enter a Tint Reduction value to change the tint of the trap. The default value is 40%. The Tint Reduction value reduces the values of the lighter color being trapped; the darker color values remain at 100%. The Tint Reduction value also affects the values of custom colors. Tint reduction 100% has 100% of lighter color. Tint Reduction 50%: Trap Trap has 50% of lighter color.
• Select the Convert Custom Colors to Process option when trapping custom colors if you want to convert the trap to equivalent process colors. This option creates an object of the lighter of the custom colors and overprints it. By converting the trap to a process color, you prevent another custom color (and separation) from being created just for the trap. • Select Reverse Traps to trap darker colors into lighter colors.
Trapping by overprinting For more precise control of trapping and for trapping complex objects, you can create the effect of a trap by stroking an object and setting the stroke to overprint. When stroking an overprinting a line you can trap just part of an object or trap a line. See also Using the Trap filter. To create a spread by overprinting: 1 Select the topmost object of the two objects that must trap into each other. 2 Choose Object > Paint Style.
3 Choose one of two options: • To create a spread, enter the same color values for the Stroke as appear in the Fill options. This method enlarges the object by stroking its boundaries with the same color as the object’s fill. Stroke creates spread trap Fill creates knockout Area of trap Area of knockout Object stroked with 1-point stroke of fill color • To create a choke, enter the same color values for the Stroke as appear in the lighter background; the Stroke and Fill values will differ.
Stroke creates choke trap Fill creates knockout Area of knockout Area of trap Object stroked with 1-point stroke of background color 4 In the Weight text box, enter a stroke width of between 0.6 and 2.0 points. A stroke weight of 0.6 point creates a trap of 0.3 point. A stroke weight of 2.0 points creates a trap of 1.0 point. Check with your print shop to determine what value to use. 5 In the color selection options, select Overprint Stroke.
To trap a line: 1 Select the line to be trapped. 2 In the Paint Style palette, stroke the line with white, and select the desired line weight. 3 Copy the line, and choose Edit > Paste in Front. The copy is used to create a trap. 4 In the Paint Style palette, stroke the copy with the desired color, and choose a line weight that is wider than the bottom line. 5 Select the Overprint option for the top line.
To trap part of an object: 1 Draw a line along the part of the object you want to trap. If the object is complex, select the edges using the direct-selection tool, copy them, and choose Edit > Paste in Front to paste the copy directly on top of the original. Drop shadow with a trap Line drawn where two shapes intersect creates a trap. 2 Choose Object > Paint Style. 3 Select a color value for the Stroke to create either a spread or a choke.
Step 5: Place crop marks around the image to be separated You can place crop marks around the image to be separated either directly on the artwork or place the crop marks in the separations. Crop marks indicate the area that will be imaged.
Step 6: Set separation options Setting up a separation involves choosing the separation options, and then printing or saving the file. The separation settings you choose for a document are saved with the separated file. If you open a file that has never been separated in Illustrator, the program returns to the default settings. To choose separation options: 1 Choose one of the following options: • Choose File > Separation Setup. • Choose File > Print, and then select Separation Setup.
See • Specifying whether to preview the artwork • Specifying which layers to separate • Specifying which colors to create separations for • Separating custom colors as process colors • Specifying the halftone screen ruling • Specifying the page size and orientation • Specifying a custom page size • Specifying the emulsion • Specifying the image type • Overprinting black in the separation • Specifying the bleed area • Specifying the bounding box in the separation • Specifying printer’s marks 743
Selecting a PPD file To define the output device for the separation, you select the PostScript Printer Description (PPD) file that corresponds to your printer or imagesetter. To obtain PPD files not included with the program, see the ReadMe file in the Utilities/PPDs folder in the Illustrator folder. A PPD file contains information about your output device, including its resolution, available page sizes, line screen rulings, and screen angles.
(If you installed the PSPrinter driver, you may also have a set of PPD files in the Printer Descriptions folder, located in the Extensions folder in the System Folder.) 3 Select a PPD file that corresponds to the output device you will use to print your separations, using the scroll bar as needed. The filenames correspond to the printer or imagesetter name and model and have a .ppd file extension. 4 Click Open.
Specifying whether to preview the artwork The Preview option lets you determine whether to display a preview of the artwork in the Separation Setup dialog box, or display a bounding box with an X through it. To preview the artwork: 1 In the Separation Setup dialog box, select the Preview option. 2 Specify another separation option, or click OK.
Specifying which layers to separate The Layer pop-up menu lets you specify which layers to include in the separation. For more information on layers, see Using Layers. To specify which layers to separate: 1 In the Separation Setup dialog box, choose one of the following options from the Layer pop-up menu: • To separate only the printable layers, choose Printable. • To separate only the visible layers, choose Visible. • To separate all layers, choose All. 2 Specify another separation option, or click OK.
Specifying which colors to create separations for The Separation Setup dialog box labels each separation with the color name that Illustrator assigned it. If a dot appears next to the color name under the printer icon, Illustrator will create a separation for the color. A dot under the crossed-out printer icon means that Illustrator won’t create a separation.
To specify whether to create a separation for a color: 1 Choose one of the following options: • To create a separation, click next to the color’s name under the printer icon. A black dot appears. • To not create a separation, click next to the color’s name under the crossedout printer icon. A black dot appears. 2 Under the printer icon in the Separation Setup dialog box, click next to the color’s name. A black dot appears. 3 Specify another separation option, or click OK.
Separating custom colors as process colors You can separate custom colors as equivalent CMYK process colors in the artwork for separations only, without affecting the original artwork. Named CMYK colors are then printed as CMYK separations rather than on a single plate; spot colors are printed as their CMYK equivalent on the process-color plates. If you save your separations, any color conversion is saved in the separation files.
Dots next to custom colors indicate whether they will be converted to process colors To separate individual custom colors as process colors: 1 Deselect the Convert to Custom option. 2 Under the process color icon in the Separation Setup dialog box, click next to the custom color’s name. A black dot appears. 3 Specify another separation option, or click OK.
Specifying the halftone screen ruling The Halftone menu displays one or more sets of line screens (lines per inch, or lpi) and resolutions (dots per inch, or dpi) available on the printer or imagesetter that will be used to print the color separations. A high line-screen ruling (for example, 150 lpi) spaces the dots used to create an image closely together to create a finely rendered image on the press; a low screen ruling (60 lpi to 85 lpi) spaces the dots farther apart to create a coarser image.
The PPD files for high-resolution imagesetters offer a wide range of possible line-screen rulings paired with various imagesetter resolutions. The PPD files for lower resolution printers typically have only a few choices for line screens, and they are coarser screens of between 53 lpi and 85 lpi. The coarser screens, however, give optimum results on lower resolution printers.
Note: The default angles and frequencies are determined by the selected PPD file. Be sure to check with your print shop for the preferred frequency and angle before creating your own halftone screens. 2 Specify another separation option, or click OK.
Specifying the page size and orientation Adobe Illustrator normally uses the page size default in the PPD file for the selected printer. However, you can change the page size to any of the sizes listed in the PPD file as well as specify portrait (vertical) or landscape (horizontal) orientation. Page sizes are listed by a familiar name (such as “Letter”) and by dimensions in points. The dimensions shown in parentheses after the page size are the limits of the imageable area.
Note: The imageable area may vary by PPD file, even for the same page size (for example, letter), because different printers and imagesetters define the sizes of their imageable areas differently. Make sure that your page size is large enough to contain your artwork as well as crop marks, registration marks, and other necessary printing information. To conserve imagesetter film or paper, however, select the smallest page size that will accommodate your artwork and necessary printing information.
To specify a page size: 1 In the Separation Setup dialog box, choose an option from the Page Size pop-up menu. 2 Specify another separation option, or click OK. To specify the orientation of the page: 1 In the Separation Setup dialog box, choose Portrait or Landscape from the Layout pop-up menu. 2 Specify another separation option, or click OK.
Specifying a custom page size You can specify a custom page size using the Custom Page Size option in the Page Size pop-up menu. This option is available only if you are using a printer that accommodates various page sizes, such as a high-resolution imagesetter. The PPD file for a laser printer, for example, does not provide this option. The largest custom page size you can specify depends on the maximum imageable area of your imagesetter.
• To specify a page size larger than the default, enter a new width and height in points in the Width and Height fields. Be sure to increase the values; decreasing the default values may clip your artwork. • If desired, change the placement of the page by entering a value in points in the Offset field. Film Offset Imageable area Offset off Page moves left with Offset on The Offset value specifies the amount of space along the right side of the imageable area.
• To rotate your page 90 degrees, select Transverse and click OK. Note that the vertical arrows in the margins of the preview window are displayed horizontally, indicating that the imageable area has been rotated. Transverse off Page rotated 90 degrees with Transverse on If your imagesetter can accommodate the longest side of your imageable area, you can conserve a considerable amount of film or paper by using the Transverse option in conjunction with the Offset option.
Offset value Offset value Film Saved Transverse off Film saved with Transverse on When both the Offset and Transverse options are selected, the Offset option controls the amount of space between the separations.
Specifying the emulsion Emulsion refers to the photosensitive layer on a piece of film or paper. Up (Right Reading) means that type in the image is readable (that is, “right reading”) when the photosensitive layer is facing you. Down (Right Reading) means that type is readable when the photosensitive layer is facing away from you. Normally, images printed on paper are printed Up (Right Reading), whereas images printed on film are often printed Down (Right Reading).
To specify the emulsion: 1 In the Separation Setup dialog box, choose Up (Right Reading) or Down (Right Reading) from the Layout pop-up menu. The image flips. 2 Specify another separation option, or click OK.
Specifying the image type The image options determine the image exposure: negative or positive. Typically, print shops require negative film in the United States and positive film in Europe and Japan. If you are unsure about which image type to use, consult your print shop. To specify the image type: 1 In the Separation Setup dialog box, choose Positive or Negative from the Image pop-up menu. 2 Specify another separation option, or click OK.
Overprinting black in the separation It can be cheaper and easier to have the print shop overprint black on the press. You can choose whether to overprint black when printing or saving selected separations. By default, Adobe Illustrator version 3.2 and earlier overprinted black and required you to specify a fourcolor black to knock out black. For more information, see Step 3: Select overprint options for colors you want to appear transparent.
Specifying the bleed area Bleed is the amount of artwork that falls outside of the bounding box, or crop marks and trim marks. You can include bleed in your artwork as a margin of error—to ensure that the ink is still printed to the edge of the page after the page is trimmed, or to ensure that an image can be stripped into a keyline in a document. Once you create the artwork that extends into the bleed, you can use Illustrator to specify the extent of the bleed.
If you set crop marks directly in the artwork, rather than in the separation, changing the bleed affects only how much of your artwork shows beyond the crop marks; it does not change how your artwork is cropped. If you set crop marks using the Color Separation Setup dialog box, changing the bleed moves the crop marks farther from or closer to the image; the crop marks still define the same size bounding box, however.
Specifying the bounding box in the separation The bounding box is represented as a light- gray rectangle surrounding the artwork in the Color Separation Setup preview window; this rectangle coincides with the crop marks you set in Adobe Illustrator. The numbers in the Bounding Box text boxes show where the image lies within the page. These numbers measure the distance from the 0, 0 point in the imageable area to the edges of the bounding box.
Note: The Bounding Box numbers for a given page size (such as Letter) may vary by PPD file. This is because printers and imagesetters may differ in how they define the size of an imageable area. To specify the bounding box: 1 In the Separation Setup dialog box, choose one of two options: • Enter values in the Left, Right, Top, and Bottom text boxes. Press the Tab key to go to the next text box. • Drag any of the size handles in the preview. 2 Specify another separation option, or click OK.
Specifying printer’s marks When you prepare artwork for printing, a number of marks are needed for the printer to register the artwork elements precisely and verify correct color. These marks include such elements as crop marks, registration marks, star targets, calibration bars, and labels. The Color Separation Setup dialog box enables you to add these marks to your separations. jump to art The Use Default Marks option adds the following marks to the separations: • Crop marks.
For more precise control over the placement of crop marks, use the Make Cropmarks command. For more information about the Make Cropmarks command, see Setting crop marks. • Registration marks and star targets. Illustrator places two types of marks around your artwork that the print shop uses to align the separations; they are registration marks and star targets. Registration marks are the most commonly used marks in printing, because they are easy to line up accurately.
To specify printer marks: 1 In the Separation Setup dialog box, select the Use Default Marks option. 2 Specify another separation option, or click OK.
Step 7: Print and save separations When you have completed setting up the separations, you are ready to print or save your separations. Note: The printer or imagesetter you plan to use to print separations must match the PPD file you specified when setting up the separations. If the output device and PPD file don’t match, an error message will appear, and the separations won’t print.
4 Choose Separate from the Output pop-up menu. 5 Select the Printer option as the desti- nation, and click Print. To save the separations you selected: 1 Select the separations you want to save. See Step 6: Set separation options for more information. 2 Choose File > Print, or return to the Print dialog box if it is still open. 3 Choose any print options. See Print- ing artwork for more information. 4 Choose Separate from the Output pop-up menu.
Separation Setup dialog box Click on any option for information on that option.
Specifying printer’s marks Star target Label Registration Marks clownfish.
Error Messages and Troubleshooting Before you call Technical Support There are several steps you can take before calling technical support to report a problem. (For information on how to reach technical support, refer to the Technical Support card included in the Adobe Illustrator package.) Performing these steps can solve many problems and often eliminates the need for telephone assistance: • See the ReadMe file, installed with the program, for last-minute information not included in this user guide.
In addition, you can try these remedies: • Restart your computer without the system extensions by holding down the Shift key and choosing Restart from the Special menu. Restart Adobe Illustrator. Then open the Preferences folder in your System Folder, and drag the Adobe Illustrator Prefs file to the Trash; empty the Trash. Restart Adobe Illustrator. • Make sure that any SCSI devices you use are securely and fully connected to your computer, and that device cords are not damaged.
Error messages See these symptoms for solutions to the problem you are experiencing: • –8133 error. • Cannot print illustration, offending command “clip”. –8133 error. Limitcheck error. • Can’t open the hyphenation file “US English Hyphenation.” Text will not be hyphenated. • Can’t open the Illustration. Out of memory or missing resource ID = – 192 or –43, occasionally –37, –38, or –39. • Can’t save preview but all other information was saved successfully. • Error Context: 161.2474 508.4369L 161.2474 550.
• Limitcheck error. • Out of Memory. Not enough memory to perform the operation requested. • VM error.
–8133 error. An –8133 error by itself generally means that the overall file is too complex. You must reduce the number of objects within the file or reduce the complexity of the objects. For more information, see Improving printer performance.
Cannot print illustration, offending command “clip”. –8133 error. Limitcheck error. A document containing several masks or several compound objects for masks may be difficult to print. Try to simplify the file, lower the printing resolution, or print to a device with more memory. For more information, see Improving printer performance.
Can’t open the hyphenation file “US English Hyphenation.” Text will not be hyphenated. The link to your Plug-ins folder is broken. For information on linking Illustrator to the Plug-ins folder, see Using plug-in modules.
Can’t open the Illustration. Out of memory or missing resource ID = –192 or –43, occasionally –37, –38, or –39. When the Adobe Illustrator application starts, it checks the software system to determine the output device to be used so that the program can display the correct page size and imageable area. You specify the output device by selecting it from the Chooser.
Can’t save preview but all other information was saved successfully. When you save an EPS file with a preview option other than None, Adobe Illustrator creates a picture of the file as it appears on-screen and attaches it to the EPS file. The amount of memory required corresponds to the physical dimensions of the image. The larger the image, the more RAM is required to create the picture. Additionally, the program requires more memory to create a color (8-bit) preview than a black-and-white (1-bit) preview.
3 Try saving the EPS file with the Preview option set to None. The file will appear as a gray box on the screen, but will retain all color information and print properly to a PostScript output device.
Error Context: 161.2474 508.4369L 161.2474 550.2205I (f) * *U Can’t open illustration. All objects in a compound path must be paths. You attempted to reopen a file that contains compound paths (including type that has been converted to outlines) that have been converted to guides. If you select a compound path and choose Arrange > Make Guide, once you save and close the document, you will not be able to reopen it.
To fix the file so it will reopen in Adobe Illustrator: 1 Write down the lines of code you get when you try to open the file. They are telling you where the error occurs in the Adobe Illustrator code. 2 Make a copy of the file to work on. 3 Open the copy in a word-processing program such as Microsoft Word or MacWrite™.
5 Remove the parentheses and the asterisk (just leaving the letter). This will disable the guide attribute for the object. Sample Adobe Illustrator code: Bad File 133.7411 540.2636 L Good File 133.7411 540.2636 L 133.7411 498.5 L 133.7411 498.5 L 126.9725 498.5 L 126.9725 498.5 L 126.9725 550.2005 L 126.9725 550.2005 L 135.2532 550.2005 L 135.2532 550.2005 L 161.1034 508.4369 L 161.1034 508.4369 L 161.2474 508.4369 L 161.2474 508.4369 L 161.2474 550.2005 I 161.2474 550.
6 Choose File > Save As, and give the file a new name, saving in Text Only format. 7 Close the file. 8 Start Adobe Illustrator, and open the file from within the application. If you have several compound paths that have been made into guides, you may need to go through this procedure a number of times to get the file to open. Always save backup files in case you accidentally remove the wrong line of code.
Insufficient memory to open document. When you open an illustration, Adobe Illustrator loads the information into RAM. The amount of RAM that is available depends on how much total RAM your computer has, your system software configuration, and how much RAM has been allocated to Adobe Illustrator. To allocate more memory to Adobe Illustrator, see the instructions in Illustrator has insufficient memory.
Limitcheck error. Limitcheck errors usually indicate that part of the file is too complex for the memory the printer has allocated for specific tasks. The accompanying Offending Command message—such as Curveto, Fill, or Clip—indicates the source of the problem. The Curveto message usually means that one or more paths are causing the problem. The Fill message can mean that a blend, a mask, a compound path, or a pattern is causing the problem. The Clip message usually indicates a problem with a mask.
Out of Memory. Not enough memory to perform the operation requested. Such memory messages indicate that the available RAM is limited. Adobe Illustrator stores a duplicate of your artwork in RAM that it reverts to if you choose the Undo command. The more Undo Levels set in the General Preferences dialog box, the more RAM is needed to save the information. However, the program has to duplicate only those objects being edited, so you may be able to work on individual objects or smaller groups of objects.
3 To reduce the number of Undo levels, choose File > Preferences > General and decrease the Undo Levels value set in the Edit Behavior option. Click OK. 4 To allocate more memory to Adobe Illustrator, see the instructions in Illustrator has insufficient memory.
VM error. A VM error usually means the printer has run out of memory. To determine which objects are causing the problem, try printing the file in sections by copying some of the objects in the illustration to a new document and printing; then add objects and print again. Continue this procedure until you receive the VM error again. Simplify the object or objects that cause the VM error. If a single object won’t print, recreate the object.
Troubleshooting See these symptoms for solutions to the problem you are experiencing: • Illustrator has insufficient memory • Anchor points cannot be selected. • As you try to position anchor points, they jump to a nearby anchor point. • Unexpected blank pages appear in printed output. • Stroked shapes that appear to be aligned do not line up when you preview or print. • Sharp spikes appear in stroked letters, such as M and W, in printed output. • The screen display is blank in Preview view.
• Rectangles, ovals, and graphs appear drawn at an angle. • Patterns or custom colors are unavailable in the Paint Style palette.The program won’t draw a long path and displays an error message. • The document will not print, or a limitcheck error message appears when you attempt to print. • The document will not print on a QuickDraw printer. • A streak appears in a filled object when you preview or print it. • The Make Wrap command under the Type menu doesn’t work.
• No values appear on the graph axis. • An error message states that a relatively small graph exceeds the available memory. An error message states that a pattern exceeds the available memory. • The object’s center point does not appear in the exact center of the object. • Outline Stroke and Offset Path commands leave overlaps and extraneous points. • Adjoining objects appear to overlap in Preview view or when printed to low-resolution printers.
Illustrator has insufficient memory Adobe Illustrator uses the amount of memory specified in the Get Info dialog box. You should increase the memory allocation in increments of 1000K. If it appears you need more memory on restarting the program, you can increase the amount more by repeating these steps. Also see your Macintosh reference guide for more information about allocating memory. To change the memory allocation for System 7.0 and 7.0.1: 1 Quit Adobe Illustrator.
4 Enter the desired amount of memory in the Current Size text box of the Get Info dialog box. Try increasing the amount by 1000K. 5 Close the Get Info dialog box. To change the memory allocation for System 7.1, 7.5, and 7.5.1: 1 Quit Adobe Illustrator. Memory allocation cannot be changed while the application is running. 2 In the Finder, select Adobe Illustrator by clicking once on the program icon. (Make sure that you select the Adobe Illustrator program and not the folder.) 3 Choose File > Get Info.
Anchor points cannot be selected. The object is locked, or there is another anchor point on top of the anchor point you want to select. If you think that the object might be locked, choose Arrange > Unlock All. (Make sure that you unlock each layer individually; Unlock All unlocks only objects on the current layer.) If you still can’t select the anchor point, select the path that is on top of the path containing the anchor point you want to select, and lock it.
As you try to position anchor points, they jump to a nearby anchor point. The Snap to Point option in the General Preferences dialog box is selected. When this option is turned on, an anchor point that you are dragging will snap to any anchor point within 2 pixels of its position. To prevent anchor points from snapping to another anchor point, choose File > Preferences > General; then deselect the Snap to Point option. Click OK to return to your document.
Unexpected blank pages appear in printed output. You are drawing too close to the Adobe Illustrator program’s page border. A direction point in one of your curves may extend to another page. When you are ready to print, choose File > Print. Then click the From button, and specify the pages you want to print. Another option is to use the page tool to adjust the page grid so that the artwork is farther away from the edge of the page.
Stroked shapes that appear to be aligned do not line up when you preview or print. Sharp spikes appear in stroked letters, such as M and W, in printed output. The miter line join style is causing the corner points to extend beyond the actual anchor points. When you specify this style of line join, the outer edges of two lines that form a corner extend until they meet. If the lines form a sharp angle or have a heavy line weight, the corner can extend farther than expected.
The screen display is blank in Preview view. The mask attribute is set for a small object in your document, such as a line or a single anchor point, and it is causing all of the objects in front of it to be masked. You may also have unpainted artwork. To correct the masking: 1 Select the artwork, and verify that it is painted. 2 Choose Edit > Select All; then choose Object > Release Mask.
Banding or shade-stepping occurs on printed blends or gradient fills. The blends or gradient fills are too long, or there are too many steps in the blend. The maximum number of gray levels that can be printed by an imagesetter is 256. If the blend is too long, or the number of steps too many, the image may exhibit bands when printed. To prevent banding, shorten the length of the blend to less than 7.
A rotated, reflected, or sheared object disappears. You have rotated, reflected, or sheared the object off the screen. To redisplay the object, scroll or zoom out to display the object in its new location, or choose Edit > Undo.
Rectangles, ovals, and graphs appear drawn at an angle. You have rotated the x and y axes. When you draw rectangles, ovals, or graphs, their sides are placed parallel to the current axes. To reset the axes, choose File > Preferences > General. The value in the Constrain Angle text box shows the current angle of the x axis.
Patterns or custom colors are unavailable in the Paint Style palette. No patterns or custom colors are available. You can create one or more patterns or custom colors for the document. For information on how to do this, see Creating and working with patterns or Creating custom colors. You can also import custom colors and patterns using the Import Styles command; see Importing styles from other documents. A variety of patterns can also be found in the Gradients & Patterns folder.
The program won’t draw a long path and displays an error message. If an error message appears telling you to shorten a path you are drawing, you have exceeded the amount of memory needed to draw the path. The PostScript interpreter limits the number of anchor points in a single path based on the amount of memory available. You must simplify the path by splitting it into smaller units. See Splitting paths to print large, complex shapes.
The document will not print, or a limitcheck error message appears when you attempt to print. Objects in the image are too complex to print. The inability to print generally occurs with very complex objects such as blends, masks, compound paths, patterns, multiple groupings, and so on. You can either increase the memory on your printer or simplify the artwork. See Limitcheck error. for more information.
The document will not print on a QuickDraw printer. Many drivers for QuickDraw printers, especially color printers, require large amounts of free disk space when printing. These drivers use the disk space to create and temporarily store a large bitmap image of the artwork. The image is then sent to the printer. An error message appears if there is not enough disk space available. To print the document, free sufficient disk space or reduce the printer resolution, if such a setting is available.
A streak appears in a filled object when you preview or print it. The path is not closed. To close the path, find the anchor points that are not connected (zoom in to magnify the artwork if necessary), and use the Average and Join commands, or the Unite command, to close the path.
The Make Wrap command under the Type menu doesn’t work. There are several possible causes and solutions to this problem: • The type container is in front of the wrapping object; it must be behind the wrapping object. To place the type container in back of the wrapping object, select the wrapping object, and choose Arrange > Bring to Front. • The type container is grouped with another object.
The axis options in the Graph Style dialog box are not applied to the graph. You have not selected the entire graph. Use the selection tool to select the entire graph; then set the axis style in the Graph Style dialog box.
All of an area graph appears in Artwork view, but only part of the graph previews and prints. The area graph does not have the First Column in Front option turned on in the Graph Style dialog box. In the Graph Style dialog box, select the First Column in Front option.
Changing the graph type for a single data series doesn’t change the series. You have not selected the entire data series. You must select every object in the data series, including the legends. Using the group-selection tool, click one of the elements of the data series (such as a column or a legend) to select it, and then click again to select the entire series. See also Selecting parts of a graph.
No values appear on the graph axis. Either the Value Between Labels in the Graph Axis Style dialog box is set to 0 or you have used manual axis values to create more than 30,000 tick marks. To make values appear on the graph axis, enter a positive or negative value in the Value Between Labels text box in the Graph Axis Style dialog box, or click the Calculate Axis Values From Data option in the Graph Axis Style dialog box. See also Setting axis tick mark and label options.
An error message states that a relatively small graph exceeds the available memory. An error message states that a pattern exceeds the available memory. You may receive an error message stating that you’re running out of memory if you set too many tick marks on a graph axis, or if you use an overly complex graph or pattern. Set fewer tick marks in the Graph Axis Style dialog box, or simplify your graph design. Simplify your pattern; for instructions, see Modifying patterns.
The object’s center point does not appear in the exact center of the object. The center point of an object is defined by the center of an object’s bounding box. Since the direction lines on a given point are considered part of the object, they can make the bounding box larger than the actual object if they extend beyond the visual edge of the object.
Outline Stroke and Offset Path commands leave overlaps and extraneous points. The Outline Stroke and Offset Path commands may leave triangular overlaps or extraneous points at corner points of the original object. To remove the triangular overlaps, use the Pathfinder Unite filter. The Unite filter separates the triangular overlaps into individual objects, which you can then select and delete using the deleteanchor-point tool.
Adjoining objects appear to overlap in Preview view or when printed to low-resolution printers. The PostScript overscan conversion rule can cause adjoining objects to look as if they overlap. The Illustrator previewer and PostScript rasterizers in printers overscan the edges of shapes by one device pixel to prevent gaps from appearing between objects. To correct the problem of overscanning, use an output device with higher resolution, if possible.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X A Actual Size command 39 ADA. See Adobe Developers Association Add Anchor Points filter 113, 114 Add Arrowheads filter 333 Add Guides option 486 add-anchor-point tool 17, 114 adding values in fields 48 Adjust Colors command 290 Adobe Acrobat 642 Adobe Developers Association (ADA) 31 Adobe Expert font 521 Adobe Fetch 622 Adobe Gallery Effects User Guide 245 Adobe Illustrator Deluxe CD-ROM 245.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X averaging 118 defined 79 deleting 112 deleting stray 115 hiding 111 moving 105 problems selecting 801 angle of constraint 168 annotating files 692 objects 696 Anti-aliased option 244 Apply Knife command 259 area graph 526.
A B C D E F G H Auto-Leading option 449 autotrace tool drawing with 141 setting gap distance 144 Average command 118 axis of reflection 209 axis options 561 I B J banding in blends and gradients 668–672 troubleshooting 806 base 762 baseline 420 baseline shift 458 bevel join 328 bit depth 632 bit resolution 656 bitmap images 4–5, 628 applying special effects to 245 creating a tiled effect on 246 importing 602 blank pages 803 screen display 805 bleed 766 Blend Front to Back command 297, 298 Blend Horizon
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X shapes 223–226, 227–229 troubleshooting 806 BMP 646 bounding box defined 60 in patterns 359 in separations 768 Bring to Front command 173 brush preferences 122 brush tool 17, 121 butt cap 326 C calibrating, color monitor 706, 710–715 Calligraphic option 123 Calligraphy filter 124 capitalization, changing 520 Case Sensitive option 515 CCITT (International Telegraph and Telekeyed Consultive Committee) 635 center point 126–131 problem with 820 centered alignmen
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X choke trap 727 CIE (Centre Internationale d’Eclairage) 712 CIE calibration option 711 circles, drawing 128 Cleanup command 115, 323, 439 Clear command 167 Clipboard, importing and exporting artwork with 602 closed paths, defined 79 CMYK colors 287, 706, 708 coincident endpoints 119 color adding to gradient fills 353 adjusting 290 blending 297 CMYK colors. See CMYK colors custom.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X colorizing a 1-bit image 249 Colors filters 297 column width, in graphs 485, 536 columns, in text 485 commands.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Create Mask option 244 Create Outlines command 469 creating documents. See opening documents Crop filter 253 crop marks 663–665, 741, 770 eliminating 665 setting 663, 767 Cropmarks command 664 Cursor Key option 158 curved segment 87 curves, drawing 90.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X D dashes 522 Data command 532 decimal precision, in graphs 551 Delete Empty Text Paths option 439 Delete key, for removing objects 167 Delete Riders filter 689 Delete Text Paths option 439 delete-anchor-point tool 17, 114 deleting objects 167 deleting unpainted objects 323 deselecting objects 104 designs, creating in graphs 589 Dim Placed Images option 414 direction lines 87 direction points 87, 108 direct-selection tool 17, 18, 96 disappearing objects 805 di
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X drag and drop feature 604 Drop Shadow filter 239 E editing text 514 ellipses 523 em space 453 emulsion 762 en and em dashes 522 Encapsulated PostScript.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W extensions, restarting without 778 eyedropper tool 17, 335, 338 F Fetch. See Adobe Fetch fields, adding and subtracing values in 48 file formats, compatible 600 file size 634 Fill & Stroke for Mask command 273 fill patterns 360. See also patterns filling 277, 281–283 film base 762 conserving 756, 760 Find Font command 446 finding and replacing text 518–519 finding files.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X G Gallery Effects filters 245 gamut 709 gap distance 144 General Preferences dialog box Area Select 100 Auto Trace Gap 144 Auto-Kerning option 456 Baseline Shift 459 Constrain Angle option 152, 171 Corner Radius 129 Cursor Key 153 Freehand Tolerance 83 Greek Type Limit 490 Paste Remembers Layers 178 Ruler Units 47 Scale Line Weight 215 Snap to Point option 152 Tracking 455 Transform Pattern Tiles 153 Type Preference 465 Type Units 465 Undo Levels 27 Use Preci
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X applying across multiple objects 356 converting into 241 creating 347–351 custom colors in 353 deleting 358 improving printing of 676 in graph objects 572 masked objects 241 modifying 352 opening files with multicolored 675 printing 668–677 printing as a custom color 349 printing as separations 718 transposing colors in 354 graph axis, no values appear 818 graph designs 582–598 applying 595 creating 589 defined 589 importing 576 Graph dialog box 530 graph sty
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z graphs adjusting 545–551 categories 533 cell 532 changing style 572 column width, adjusting 536, 549 combining styles 574 copying and pasting data 542 creating 529 data series problems 817 decimal precision, setting 551 drop shadow, adding 568 editing data 543 entering data 531, 531–536 horizontal (x) axis 534 importing data 540–541 labels 533, 537 legends 533, 569 options, setting 552–567 painted with gradient fills 572 partially previewing and printing
A B C D E F G H grouping objects 190 stacked objects 194 group-selection tool 17, 18, 96 using in graphs 578 guide objects 185–189 gutter size 484 I H J Hairlines 325 halftone screen ruling 752 halftoning 649 hand tool 17, 18, 38 hanging punctuation 492, 498 Hard command 295 headline type 507 Hide Edges command 111 Hide Template command 140 hiding and locking objects 195–196 hinting 730 home page 31 horizontal scale 460 hyphenation 509–512 Hyphenation Options dialog box 12 K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V imagesetters 59 Import Styles command 313, 389 importing artwork 609 graph designs 576 styles 389 importing and exporting artwork 599–626 text files 473–475, 602 Include Placed EPS files option 622 indentation 492 indexed-color bitmaps 633 Info palette 182 Intersect filter 251 Invert Colors command 293 J Join command 119 JPEG 635 justified alignment 495 justify last line 495 K kerning 452 Keyboard Increments option 464–465 keyboard quote marks 522 keyboard text
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X landscape (horizontal) orientation 755 Language option 513 languages specifying for hyphenation 513 specifying for spell checking 517 layers changing order of 405 choosing a selection color for 415 creating 398–399 deleting 407 displaying in Artwork view 416 hiding 411 locking 408–410 moving objects between 401–404 nonprinting 417 selecting 400 separating 747 showing 411 Layers palette 395 leading 449–451 Learned Words dialog box 517 left alignment 495 legend
A B C N maximum with gradients 671 printer 752 line trap, creating 739 line weight 214, 324 lines arrowheads 333 dashed 329 drawing with the pen tool 84 wavy and zigzag 331 Link Blocks command 478 Location of Placed Art menu (in Attributes dialog box) 615 Lock command 196 locking objects 195 lossless compression 634 LZW (Lemple-Zif-Welch) 635 O M P MacPaint 138 magnifying and reducing views 39–41 Make Compound Paths command 264 Make Cropmarks command 771 Make Guide option 188 Make Mask command 266 Mak
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X modifying 270 releasing 805 selecting 272 measure tool 17, 182 memory allocation, changing 799–800 memory, and printing 680 Merge filter 253 Minus Back filter 252 Minus Front filter 251 Misregistration 725 Misspelled Words list 516 miter join 327 miter limit 327, 804 miter line, problems with 804 monitor resolution 653 mouse pointer 16 Move command 159 Move option (Transform Each dialog box) 163 moving groups of objects 163 moving objects 66, 150–160 by dragg
A B C F newlink General Preferences Dialog Box 13 nonimageable area 53 Nonuniform Scaling option 215 Note text box 696 G O H Object Mosaic filter 246 Offset option 759, 760 Offset Path filter 165 offset value 759 Open command 8, 607 open paths defined 79 ending 86 opening documents 8, 607 Outline filter 252 Outline Path filter 257 outlining objects.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X page size 755. See also artboard page tool 17, 67 paint copying attributes 335–338 setting attributes 281–283 paint bucket tool 17, 335, 338 Paint Style palette 279–280 adding colors to 284 saving colors in 284 selecting custom colors 301, 304, 305 selecting process colors 288 paint swatches 284–285 clearing 285 painting type 466 painting order.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Pathfinder filters 250. See also individual filter names Pathfinder preferences 256 paths adjusting 105 blending 223 closed 79 closing 86 compound 250, 262, 264 curved 90 defined 79 erasing 83 filling 277 freehand 82 open 79 splitting 116 splitting to print complex shapes 680–683 stroking 277 tracing.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y masked objects 241 modifying 382–383 moving 384 path 306–312 previewing and printing 388 problems with 809 redefining 383 tiling 384 transforming 385 PC Paintbrush file format (PCX) 645 PDF file format 642–643 importing and exporting 601 reading. See the Adobe Illustrator Getting Started Guide pen tool 17, 18, 84–95 performance, improving. See the Adobe Illustrator Getting Started Guide Photoshop.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X non-EPS files 609 plug-in filters 14, 29, 243 Plug-ins dialog box 12 preferences command 29 plug-ins toolbox 14 point of origin 199, 212 point size 444 pointer, changing 16 points 46 polygon plug-in tool 130 portrait (vertical) orientation 755 positive image 764 PostScript file format 638 importing and exporting 601 Level 1 and Level 2 638 PostScript Printer description file.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T Preview view 33 Print command 659 Printer Descriptions folder 745 printer resolution 654 printer’s marks 770 printer’s quote marks 522 printing color blends 668–677 composites 661 error information 692 file information 694 gradients 668–677 gradients as separations 718 options in Page Setup dialog box 658–660 separations 773 tiling 61 tips for efficient 678 troubleshooting 811 unexpected blank pages 803 process colors.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Random option 163 rangecheck error 686 raster image 628 Rasterize command 243 rasterizing 628 rectangle tool 17, 126 rectangles 125–129 Redo command 27 reflect tool 17, 208 reflecting objects 208–211 registration marks 771 Release Mask command 805 Release Wrap command 489 Remove Redundant Points option 256 Repeat Transform command 201 Replace Fonts list 447 Report Results option 524 resizing objects.
A B C U Reverse Trap option 732, 735 Revert to Saved command 28 RGB 706, 707 Riders file 689 right alignment 495 right reading 762 RLE.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Same Stroke Weight command 322 Saturate command 292 Save As command 9 Save command 9 saving documents in other file formats 620– 622 Scale Line Weight option 215 Scale option 216 scale tool 17, 214 scaling objects 212–217 scatter graph 527, 560 scissors tool 17, 116 scratch area 55 screen angle 690 screen frequency 657, 690 screen ruling. See line screen Scribble and Tweak filter 233 SCSI devices, connecting properly 778 searching files.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X multiple objects 102 segments 98 text 422 unselected objects 103 selection tool 17, 18, 96 Send to Back command 173 separating custom colors as process colors 750 Separation Setup dialog box 742 separations color controlling space between 761 defined 699 printing 773 saving 773 setting options 742 shade stepping.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X smart punctuation 521–523 smart quotes 522 smart spaces 522 smooth points 88, 109 Snap to Point option 152 Soft filter 296 spacing options 500, 503, 507 speed, improving. See the Adobe Illustrator Getting Started Guide spelling, checking 515–517 spiral plug-in tool 132 Split Long Paths option 680 splitting paths filled and stroked objects 681 with scissors 116 spot colors.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y streaking, in filled object 813 stroking defined 277 setting attributes 324 with a pattern 306 Style command 529 Subscribe command.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X third-party developers 31 TIFF 145, 249, 637 importing and exporting 601 Tile Full Pages option 49, 62 Tile Imageable Areas option 62 tiling 59, 61 Tint Reduction value 734 title bar 8 tool pointers 16 toolbox 14 tools.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y similar color densities 732 type 730 with tints 729 Trap command 732 Trim filter 253 Trim Marks filter 666–667, 741 troubleshooting 796–822 anchor points 801 anchor points jump 802 banding 806 blank pages 803 blends 806 center point 820 custom colors 809 drawing paths 810 error messages 779–795 filled object 813 gradient fills 806 graphs 815 letters 804 Make Wrap command 814 object disappears 807 objects drawn at angle 808 outline stroke and offset path 821
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X twirl plug-in tool 235 type along a path 434–438 area type 419, 431 as graphic objects 469 choosing a font family 442 containers, linking and unlinking 477–483 deleting empty paths 439 entering 420–438 greeking 490 hyphenating 513 importing 469 in a rectangle 425, 426 in an object 431 indenting 492 moving along a path 436 painting 466 path type 419 point type 419 selecting 422 setting attributes 440–460 size 444–462 spacing 500, 503, 507 transforming 467 trap
A B C D E F G H I J unit of measure 46 unit values, converting 48 Unite filter 251, 683 units arithmetic, using 48 Unlink Blocks command 482 Unlock All command 196 Use Page Setup option 58 V U vector graphics 4–7, 627 bitmap images 243 converting into 243 vertical shift.
A B C D World Wide Web.
File and Edit menus File Edit New Open… Close Save Save As… Revert to Saved Place… Import Styles… Import Text… Document Setup… Separation Setup… Document Info… Page Setup… Print… Preferences Quit Undo Redo Cut Copy Paste Clear Select All Select None Paste In Front Paste In Back Publishing Show Clipboard Preferences General… Color Matching… Hyphenation Options… Plug-ins… Publishing Create Publisher… Subscribe To… Publisher Options… Show Borders
Arrange and View menus Arrange View Repeat Transform Move… Bring To Front Send To Back Transform Each… Group Ungroup Lock Unlock All Hide Show All Preview Artwork Preview Selection Hide Template Show Rulers Hide Page Tiling Hide Edges Hide Guides Zoom In Zoom Out Actual Size Fit In Window New View… Edit Views…
Object menu Object Guides Paint Style… Custom Color… Pattern… Gradient… Attributes… Join… Average… Expand… Apply Knife Rasterize… Guides Masks Compound Paths Cropmarks Graphs Make Release Lock Cropmarks Make Release Masks Make Release Compound Paths Make Release Graphs Style… Data… Design… Column… Marker…
Font and Type menus Font Type Chicago Courier Frutiger Geneva Helvetica Helvetica Narrow Lucida Lucida Sans Minion Minion Expert Monaco Myriad MM New York Palatino Symbol Times Zapf Dingbats Size Leading Alignment Tracking… Spacing… Character… Paragraph… Link Blocks Unlink Blocks Make Wrap Release Wrap Fit Headline Create Outlines Export… Check Spelling...
Filter menu Filter Create Last Filter Colors Create Distort Ink Pen Objects Other Pathfinder Select Stylize Fill & Stroke for Mask Object Mosaic… Trim Marks Distort Free Distort… Punk and Bloat… Roughen… Scribble and Tweak… Twirl… Zig Zag… Colors Adjust Colors… Blend Front to Back Blend Horizontally Blend Vertically Invert Colors Overprint Black… Saturate… Ink Pen Edit… Effects…
Filter menu, continued Objects Select Add Anchor Points Cleanup… Offset Path… Outline Path Same Fill Color Same Paint Style Same Stroke Color Same Stroke Weight Select Inverse Select Masks Select Stray Points Pathfinder Unite Intersect Exclude Minus Front Minus Back Divide Outline Trim Merge Crop Hard… Soft… Trap… Options… Stylize Add Arrowheads… Calligraphy… Drop Shadow… Path Pattern… Round Corners… Other Delete Riders… Make Riders…
Window menu Window New Window Hide Toolbox Show Layers Show Info Show Paint Style Show Gradient Show Character Show Paragraph Show Tab Ruler Show Align Show Plug-in Tools Show Control Palette
What’s New in Adobe Illustrator 6.
Enhanced image support The following features provide comprehensive support for importing and editing images: • Expanded File Format Support. You can now open or place files in many formats, including Adobe Illustrator 1, 88, 3, 5 and 6; TIFF; PostScript; EPS; the Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF); PICT; Adobe Photoshop 2.5 or later; and any file format supported by an Adobe Photoshop plug-in module. • Photoshop Filters.
In addition, the complete Gallery Effects collection is included on the Deluxe Edition CD-ROM. • Rasterizing Objects. Anything created in Adobe Illustrator can be instantly “rasterized,” that is, turned into pixelbased artwork, at a specified resolution. • Colorizing 1-bit Images. The black portions of 1-bit images imported into Adobe Illustrator can be colorized using any color, from a CMYK combination to a spot color from a color matching system such as Pantone®.
Integration with other Adobe products Adobe Illustrator 6.0 is integrated with the following products: • Adobe Fetch®. Adobe Illustrator files can save previews for use in Adobe Fetch, a software utility used for cataloging those images. • Adobe Acrobat. Version 6.0 has the ability to open, edit and save files in version 1.1 of the Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). • Adobe PageMaker®. Double-clicking a placed Adobe Illustrator file within the Adobe PageMaker 6.
New tools and palettes Additions and enhancements include the following: • New plug-in tools with special functions now appear on a floating tool palette. The star, polygon, spiral, and twirl tools replace the Star, Polygon, Spiral, and Twirl filters in previous versions. The knife tool cuts apart objects as you drag, providing an intuitive way to divide several overlapping paths. Third-party plug-in developers can easily add tools to the plug-in tool palette or create palettes of their own.
• The Align palette combines features of the Align and Distribute filters from the previous versions of Adobe Illustrator. The new palette displays various options for aligning and placing objects along the axis you specify. • The Shortcuts palette displays quick-reference information about the tools and keyboard shortcuts available in Illustrator.
New filters and commands Version 6.0 offers the following additions and enhancements: • The Path Pattern filter lets you place patterns along paths, a unique method for creating borders, frames, distinctive shapes, and graphic design elements. The patterns generated are fully editable vector artwork. For example, a pattern applied to a path can be painted, resized, and transformed just as can other Adobe Illustrator artwork.
• The Zig Zag filter adds anchor points to an existing path and offsets these points to create either a wavy or jagged line effect. • The Transform Each filter combines Move Each, Rotate Each, and Scale Each into one filter, accessed now from the Arrange menu. This new filter lets you move, rotate, and scale each object in a selection according to specified or random values. • The Saturate filter combines the Saturate, Saturate More, Desaturate, and Desaturate More filters.
Drag-and-drop support You can move copies of objects in Adobe Illustrator 6.0 by dragging them from one document window to another, or between a document window and the desktop. You can drag and drop objects between Adobe Illustrator and any application that supports Macintosh Drag Manager, such asAdobe Photoshop or the Scrapbook. You can also drag and drop objects from Adobe Illustrator to Adobe PageMill™.
Built-in color separation You can now print color separations from within Adobe Illustrator. The functionality of Adobe Separator™, the color separation utility that shipped with previous versions of the program, is incorporated into the Separation Setup dialog box in Illustrator.
Unit and value conversion in text boxes You can enter values using any unit of measure, or any arithmetic expression, into a numeric text box. Version 6.0 automatically calculates the value of arithmetic expressions, and converts all units to the preset unit. For example, if you enter “1 in + 1 cm” into a text field set to points, Illustrator converts the entry to 100.346 points.
About Ink Pen Effects The Ink Pen Effects filter creates textured gradations such as crosshatching and irregular random textures such as wood grains that you can apply to artwork to simulate the look of an ink pen drawing. The Ink Pen Effects filter converts a selected object into a mask, and then draws lines or shapes behind it. The shapes created by the Ink Pen Effects filter are objects and can require significant program memory.
You can also create your own ink pen designs by drawing or selecting an object, naming it as a hatch in the Ink Pen Edit dialog box, and then applying it to artwork using the Ink Pen Effects dialog box.
Applying an ink pen effect To apply an ink pen effect to a selected object, you choose a hatch setting and its associated hatch style, modify the settings if desired, and apply them through the Ink Pen Effects dialog box. The Ink Pen Effects dialog box lets you control the hatch’s spacing or number of elements (called density), its uniformity (called dispersion), the line thickness (or stroke weight), the angle at which the hatch is applied (called rotation), and the size of the hatch (called its scale).
Original hatch Low value High value Density Dispersion Rotation Scale Thickness Hatch concentration and direction 15
To fill an object with an existing ink pen hatch: 1 Select the object you want to fill with a hatch. 2 Choose Filter > Ink Pen > Effects. 3 Select a hatch setting, choosing from the following options: • Choose a setting from the Settings pop-up menu to load a set of predefined options. Each setting has different hatch styles associated with it. • To import an existing group of hatch settings, click Import, locate the settings, and click Open.
• None deselects the option. • Constant applies the effect evenly. If you select this option, no range is available. • Linear increases the effect progressively. • Reflect varies the effect from the center of the object outward. • Symmetric varies the effect proportionately and evenly, for example, if applying hatches to round or cylindrical shapes. • Random applies the effect irregularly.
6 If you chose an option in step 6, enter an angle along which to apply the effect using the dial or by entering a value from 0 to 300 in the text boxes. Then drag the slider or enter values in the text boxes to specify a range, as follows: • Dispersion, which controls the spacing of hatch elements, ranges from 0 to 300. • Thickness, or stroke weight, of the hatch elements ranges from 10% to 1000%. (This option is dimmed if the selection is unstroked.
8 Choose from the following Paint Style options for the hatch: • To select another design element for the hatch, choose from the Hatch Style menu. The hatch you select uses the current settings. • To specify a color for the hatch, choose from the Hatch Color pop-up menu: Original to retain the current hatch fill; or Match Fill to match the hatch fill to the selection’s fill. (Do not choose the Match Fill option if the selection is filled with a pattern.
• To specify whether the hatch fades across the object, choose from the Fade pop-up menu: None for no fade; To White to fade the hatch to white; To Black to fade the hatch to black; or Use Gradient if the object is filled with a gradient and you want that gradient to define the fade’s direction and colors. • If you chose a fade option, enter an angle for the fade in the Fade Angle text box. 9 When you have finished adjusting the hatch options, click OK to apply the hatch to your artwork.
Creating and saving hatches You can create and save your own hatches or modify existing hatches and save them for reuse. Creating a hatch is similar to creating a tile for a pattern. To save hatches, you use either the Ink Pen Edit or Ink Pen Effects dialog box.
To create a hatch: 1 Draw the objects you want to convert to a hatch design for the ink pen effect. 2 Select the artwork. 3 Choose Filter > Ink Pen > Edit. 4 Click New. Enter a name for the new ink pen hatch. Click OK. 5 To improve the program’s performance, deselect the Preview option to turn off the preview of the hatch. 6 Choose one of these options: • To save the hatch, click OK again. • To save the hatch for reuse with other documents, click Save As.
To modify an existing hatch: 1 Make sure that nothing is selected in the artwork. 2 Choose Filter > Ink Pen > Edit. 3 Choose one of two options: • Choose a hatch from the Hatch popup menu. • Click Import, locate the hatch you want to modify, and click Open. 4 Click Paste. The hatch is pasted into the document. Click OK. 5 Edit the hatch as desired, and then select it. 6 Choose Filter > Ink Pen > Edit. 7 Click New. Name the new hatch. Click OK.
8 Choose one of two options: • To save the new hatch in the document, click OK again. • To save the hatch for reuse in other documents, click Save As. Locate the file in which you want to save it as or specify a new filename; then save the file. 9 Click OK.
To save hatch settings: 1 Choose Filter > Ink Pen > Edit or Effects. 2 Specify the hatch settings and any style options you want to save. 3 Choose from these options: • To save the settings in the document, click New. Enter a new name for the settings and click OK. • To save the settings separately for use in other documents, click Save As. Locate the file in which you will save the settings or enter a new filename; then save the file. Any settings attached to the hatch also are saved. 4 Click OK.
To delete an existing hatch: 1 Choose Filter > Ink Pen > Edit. 2 Choose a hatch from the Hatch pop-up menu. 3 Click Delete. Click OK.
1995 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved. Adobe Illustrator 6.0 User Guide This manual, as well as the software described in it, is furnished under license and may only be used or copied in accordance with the terms of such license. The information in this manual is furnished for informational use only, is subject to change without notice, and should not be construed as a commitment by Adobe Systems Incorporated.
FOCOLTONE is a registered trademark of Focoltone, Ltd. The concept, structure, and form of all FOCOLTONE material and intellectual property are protected by patent and copyright. TRUMATCH, TRUMATCH SWATCHING SYSTEM, TRUMATCH COLORFINDER, TRUMATCH SWATCHBOOK, and TRUMATCH COLORFINDER SOFTWARE are trademarks of TRUMATCH, Inc. TRUMATCH SWATCHING SYSTEM, including the color identification numbers, is covered by patent pending and copyright protection.
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