Introduction to Illustrator

With the release of Illustrator, Adobe

has completed a tightly integrated trio
of applications (Photoshop, InDesign
and now Illustrator) that all work in the
same way. Most key commands are the
same across all applications, and
palettes look and work the same. The
applications are truly cross-platform,
working virtually identically on both the
Macintosh and Windows platforms.

Illustrator
We will learn about:
Raster and vector images
Illustrator's environment
Illustrator's tools and palettes
Views in Illustrator

Raster vs Vector
In the world of computer graphics, there
are two types of images - raster and
vector. Some programs that create raster
images (also known as pixel or paint
images) are Photoshop or Paintbrush.
Some programs that create vector art
(also known as object-oriented art) are
Illustrator and FreeHand.
Other programs, such as CorelDRAW,
have tools to create both raster and
vector images.

Raster Images
Raster images are made up of a whole
lot of tiny dots, called pixels. To
illustrate this concept, we will use a
sheet of graph paper. Each square on
the sheet represents one pixel. Let's
start simple and create a black and
white circle that is 20 pixels in diameter.
The number of pixels determines the
resolution of your file. The computer
stores this file by recording the exact
placement and colour of each pixel. The
computer has no idea that it is a circle,
only that it is a collection of little dots.

Each pixel has a coordinate, and the contents of that

pixel are recorded and saved in a file.

In the previous example, we see each individual

pixel, and the circle is very blocky. By adding
more pixels, thereby increasing the resolution,
we can make that same circle appear smoother
because the pixels are much smaller. Of course,
the higher your resolution is, the larger your file
size will be because the computer has many
more pixels to keep track of.
Where the problem arises is when you try
enlarging a raster image. Because the
resolution is set, when you scale the art, in
reality, you are just enlarging the pixels, which
results in a jaggy (or pixelated) image.

Vector Images
Vector art is different in that instead
of creating individual pixels, you
create objects, such as rectangles
and circles. By noting the
mathematical coordinates of these
shapes, a vector program can store
files in a fraction of the space as
raster images, and more importantly,
be able to scale images to virtually
any size without any loss in detail.

Unlike raster images, the vector circle appears

smooth at 100% (left) and just as smooth when
enlarged 800% (right).

These two graphics shows the differences between an

enlarged vector graphic on the left (notice the smooth
edges) and an enlarged bitmap graphic on the right (note
the jagged edges). Many companies have their logos
created as vectors to avoid problems with scaling: A vector
graphic logo maintains its high quality appearance at any
size.

Drawing Controls
Illustrator drawing tools have long been
the industry standard for power and
versatility, but theyve also always been a
little unnatural and tedious to those who
are new to using vector drawing tools.
The drawing tools have been improved to
allow you to work faster and get better
results, starting with Point selection:
Simply move your cursor over an anchor
point (with the direct selection tool), and
its enlarged to help you see it better.

The control panel has gained

additional tools to help you change
curved corners to rounded curves,
or back again. You can also connect
and remove anchor points quickly
with the improved path controls.
New tools in the control panel help edit
paths.

Erase It Away
The Eraser tool lets you erase as easily
as you create, even reconnecting
paths as you erase over shapes and
paths. You can make the eraser larger
or smaller by double-clicking the
Eraser tool and changing the options
in the Eraser Tool Options window.
The Eraser tool
makes it easy to
take away
shapes and
paths, just where
you want.

Isolation Mode
This allows you to take selected objects
into a mode that protects other artwork.
Isolation mode is truly essential if you
work on complex artwork and spend a lot
of time grouping, hiding, locking, and
restacking layers to access objects for
editing.
To use this new mode, just use the
Selection tool to double-click any
grouped set of objects. The rest of your
artwork becomes inaccessible. This
feature is truly a timesaver!

Double click a group

using the Selection
tool to enter the
Isolation mode.

Cropping Tool
When the new Crop Area tool is
selected, options appear in the
Control panel for measure as well
as Presets that you can choose
from. Want even more control?
Double-click the
Crop Area tool
for additional options.