Book Image

Adobe Illustrator for Creative Professionals

By : Clint Balsar
Book Image

Adobe Illustrator for Creative Professionals

By: Clint Balsar

Overview of this book

Adobe Illustrator is a vector-based art tool for visual creatives. It is an industry-standard tool that helps you take a design from concept to completion, including the process of peer collaboration and client feedback. Complete with step-by-step explanations of essential concepts and practical examples, you’ll begin to build confidence as you master the methods of successful illustrators in the industry by exploring crucial tools and techniques of Adobe Illustrator. You’ll learn how to create objects using different tools and methods while assigning varied attributes and appearances. Throughout the book, you’ll strengthen your skills in developing structures for maintaining organization as your illustration grows. By the end of this Adobe Illustrator book, you’ll have gained the confidence you need to not only create content in the desired format and for the right audience but also build eye-catching vector art based on solid design principles.

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Table of Contents (17 chapters)
Preface
Preface
Who this book is for
What this book covers
To get the most out of this book
Download the color images
Conventions used
Get in touch
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1
Part 1 – Reviewing the Necessary Knowledge
Part 1 – Reviewing the Necessary Knowledge
Free Chapter
2
Chapter 1: Building a Foundation beyond the Basics
Chapter 1: Building a Foundation beyond the Basics
Technical requirements
Creating a file
Workspaces and preferences
Tools and the Control panel
Additional panels and shortcuts
The grid and guides
What's new in Adobe Illustrator 26.3.1?
Summary
3
Chapter 2: Prepping for Illustrator
Chapter 2: Prepping for Illustrator
Technical requirements
Developing a plan
Utilizing resources
Media types
Artboards
Bleeds
RAM, scratch disks, and GPU performance
Digital asset management plan for organization and computer maintenance
Summary
4
Part 2 – Advanced Illustrator Methods
Part 2 – Advanced Illustrator Methods
5
Chapter 3: Developing and Organizing Objects
Chapter 3: Developing and Organizing Objects
Technical requirements
Groups and compound paths
Layers and selecting
Migrating objects into other layers or sublayers
Summary
6
Chapter 4: Drawing with the Pencil, Paintbrush, Pen, and Shape Tools
Chapter 4: Drawing with the Pencil, Paintbrush, Pen, and Shape Tools
Technical requirements
Making the Pencil tool work for you
Loading and creating brush profiles
Advanced training on the Pen tool and anchor point editing
Exploring simple shape tools and the Shaper tool to develop more advanced objects
The Pathfinder panel for heavy lifting
Summary
7
Chapter 5: Editing and Transforming Objects
Chapter 5: Editing and Transforming Objects
Technical requirements
Anchor-level editing
Transformations and their options panels
The Effect panel and its options
Summary
8
Chapter 6: Advanced Attribute Design
Chapter 6: Advanced Attribute Design
Technical requirements
Fill options and color control
Multiple fills and strokes through the Appearance panel
Variable width profiles and vector pack brushes for strokes
Dynamic tools for greater options
Summary
9
Chapter 7: Powerful Typography Options in Adobe Illustrator
Chapter 7: Powerful Typography Options in Adobe Illustrator
Technical requirements
Exploring font structure and personality
Using ligatures and alternatives
Designing with text on a path
Drawing using Snap to Glyph
Summary
10
Part 3 – Real-World Applications
Part 3 – Real-World Applications
11
Chapter 8: Preparing Artwork for Presentation
Chapter 8: Preparing Artwork for Presentation
Technical requirements
Starting with the end in mind
Creating industry-standard presentations
Output methods for more media options
Summary
12
Chapter 9: Utilizing Multiple Artboards
Chapter 9: Utilizing Multiple Artboards
Technical requirements
Setting up a document with an appropriate preset or template
Adding additional artboards
Labeling, arrangement, and additional options
Summary
13
Chapter 10: Advanced Layer Development and Organization
Chapter 10: Advanced Layer Development and Organization
Technical requirements
Using the Artboards panel to your advantage
Organizing layers with objects, documents, and artboards in mind
Using groups, nested groups, and Isolation Mode for improved workflow
Summary
14
Chapter 11: Extending Illustrator Through Third-Party Tools and the iPad
Chapter 11: Extending Illustrator Through Third-Party Tools and the iPad
Technical requirements
Adobe Stock & Marketplace in your Creative Cloud app
Powerful and creative plugins from Astute Graphics
Cineware by Maxon for 3D objects
Substance 3D in Illustrator
Illustrator for iPad
Summary
15
Chapter 12: Illustrator Mastery – Advanced Techniques and Shortcuts
Chapter 12: Illustrator Mastery – Advanced Techniques and Shortcuts
Technical requirements
Logo development using the Outline view and Shape Builder
Mood board development using Pattern and Repeat for background fills
Comp card with advanced typography settings
Illustration with texture fills
Summary
Why subscribe?
16
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RAM, Scratch Disks and GPU Performance

Having adequate Random-Access Memory (RAM) is crucial to keeping Adobe Illustrator from processing slowly or even hang during a complex command. Adobe states that the minimum system requirement is 8 MB but recommends 16GB or more.

In addition, you should try to keep plenty of hard drive space available on your Scratch Disk. The scratch disk needs to be a local drive. This is usually your startup drive because it should be your fastest drive. A Solid-State Drive (SSD) makes for a great scratch drive since it is so fast. Before beginning, just direct Illustrator to your scratch disk using the Preferences panel. If you have more than one hard drive installed, you can also direct Illustrator to a secondary scratch disk from within the Preferences panel.

The third item that can really accelerate your workflow is the computer’s Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). This is often known as your “Graphics Card” and Adobe lists several that...

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