Adobe Illustrator has long been
recognized as the industry leader when it comes to creating and
working with any type of graphic illustration. Whether it be designed
for printing, multimedia, online, or in conjunction with the creation
of web pages. Adobe CS, it remains the state of the art and the
standard program for professionals, or beginners. There are new
tools, and several new techniques in the latest program.
The excellent manual provides detailed instructions for the use of all of the components of this powerful program. You will also want to visit their web site for continually updated tutorials. You will also find mountains of tips and articles from Adobe and non-Adobe users.
You have to be impressed with the new added 3D capabilities. Make your own 3D shapes and sizes, along with various new type treatments. new and more advanced typographical controls, there are more printing options available and the program runs faster. Many of the tools function with a single click. You can now format a single line, paragraph. It supports PDF files being able to adapt them to Adobe Acrobat Distiller.Try the new Scribble Effect for a hand drawn finish. Some of the effects from Photoshop have been included also. The printing options include fitting to the page, printing previews and settings. You can send Illustrators graphics to be included and printed in Microsoft Office
Vector graphics are those created by using lines and curves (as an oversimplified explanation). Version 11 incorporates several new features which makes it easier to compose graphics for your web page. Downloads from the web page are faster. There is a built-in Pixel Preview tool which makes it easy to see how your vector graphics will appear in web browsers.
One of the most interesting feature of Ilustrator is the approach to SYMBOLS. This enhanced tool allows us to add, multiply, or change each symbol with ease. There are 8 different choices that can be used to change and configure the symbols - they are:
Symbol spinner - now you can rotate the symbols to create unique effects
Symbol sprayer - you can add the symbol over and over again.
Symbol shifter - move the symbols into different positions and change the paint order
Symbol screener - stack the symbols by making them transparent
Symbol styler - change and edit to create a completely new look for the symbol
Symbol cruncher - You can either bring the symbols in closer proximity or move them farther apart.
Symbol sizer - You can make the symbols larger or smaller
Symbol stainer - edit and change the colors contained in the existing symbols
Among some of powerful options available in Illustrator 11 are:
You can preserve your artwork
when it is transferred to the web.
Files can be sent to Flash (SVF)
and to the new scalable
vector graphics (SVG)
Another feature permits the creation of layers
of objects that are trasparent.
The degree of transparency for each
object can be controlled in the palette.
Using the opacity
and layer maskyou can hide
or bring out areas of your artwork.
The Pixel Preview
makes it possible to view
a rasterized image in pixels.
I was able to create several illustrations after spending about two weeks familiarizing myself with the many possibilities contained in Illustrator. My objective was to prepare a suitable background illustration for an imaginary advertising layout, which I believe is the main commercial use for the program.
1. Illustrator is full of material to help create drawings and sketches you might use in a layout. The CD contains artistic clip art drawings, colored and black and white sketches, over 200 forms and shapes in B/W, and about 350 photos and textures. Remembering these nearly 2,000 items would be impossible, so Adobe has included a limited edition of a program called Extensis Portfolio Browser. This collects the Adobe Illustrator format (.ai) files in a folder, and places them in a gallery of images for ready reference when printed. Some extra pages of helpful artwork. You may also view them on screen with the browser and select your choice for instant insertion in your layout on Illustrator's main artwork window. I am so impressed by the Portfolio Browser I am considering buying the full version. Anyone with a large number of graphics stored away should consider this.
2. Illustrator handles the "next hot graphics topic", SVG (Scaleable Vector Graphics), better than any program I have seen so far. This new XML based language for web graphics is a "must" if you create graphics for the web. Illustrator even permits SVG font embedding under proper circumstances, and the Illustrator SVG exporter automatically checks to be sure the fonts have the proper permissions, thus saving time and surprises.
3. We have all seen the problems with matching monitor, web, and printer colors in graphics. This knotty problem is neatly handled with Adobe Gamma; an advanced version is included with Illustrator 10. Be sure to run this program first to get the proper settings for your equipment. Illustrator has another great color matching feature. The Swatches palette now lets you add, edit and mix new custom colors, and or patterns, thereby creating a custom swatch set. If you copy an object from one document to another any custom swatches you have used in the original are added to the target document swatches. Neat!
4. Since Illustrator is used primarily to create original artwork as opposed to editing existing graphics, the means of freehand drawing is extremely important. The Pencil Tool is very sensitive and with a good mouse you can easily create freeform paths. Using the forms and shapes mentioned in 1. above you can modify and/or combine them using the Pencil Tool to edit.
5. The Pen Tool is used to draw straight lines and flowing curves. The resulting free flowing curved segments permit smoothly shaped Illustrations.
6. Illustrator has an opacity mask that permits blending layers with great precision. You simply select the shape to modify, and then shift-click the image. A menu pops up, select the "Make Opacity Mask " option, and your shape becomes the top layer linked to the Transparency Palette. It's that easy!
Adobe calls Illustrator 11 "The-industry standard vector graphics creation for print and the web." I agree. There is nothing to match it.
These are but a sampling of the added assistance you will get with Illustrator CS. The program is fully integrated with the other Adobe programs, particularly PhotoShop. There are so many new features in the brand new version that the only way to get a good text and graphic understanding of all of it's power and versatility is to go directly to the Adobe web page where the above graphics were lifted, and read the accompanying text material for each tool, palette or command
Included on this package you will find Adobe Reader software, More than 100 OpenType fonts,over 200 templates, over 100 libraries, clip art, stock photos, Scripting Guide, XML Extensions guide, 5 On Line tutorials, video workshop training CD, and a Users Guide.
"My overall conclusion of Adobe Illustrator CS is that it is the state of the art for graphic manipulation. For any serious consideration of vector graphics there is no other software program available that begins to approach the capabilities of Adobe Illustrator 11."
By: Ron Abbey