Learning becomes fun when you comprehend each concept fluently. But how to make learning easy and effortless? Well as per me it depends on your way of learning.
You can make it easy yourself, just start thinking like a curious person who find the world like a box of questions.
Whether you are learning web designing or graphic designing or any other thing, you must try to explore more and more curious questions and then their answers.
So, if you are learning Adobe Illustrator courses in Delhi from any renowned graphic design institute like ADMEC then you must know everything about it.
This blog is all about the top 10 interesting things that learners might not know about Adobe Illustrator. So, let’s start our curiosity!!
Adobe Illustrator – An Insight
Adobe Illustrator is a part of family of Adobe creative cloud. Illustrator is a vector based program. The software works with pixels. Adobe illustrator is best to great vector based artworks.
While working on illustrator we can increase the size of the artwork or workpiece we are working with without fearing that the image is going to be pixelated.
Professional designers have been using Adobe Illustrator to design logo, books, magazines, wedding cards, characters for gaming, advertising campaigns posters and many more.
Thus learning Illustrator courses from best graphic design institute in Delhi can build career path for you.
Top 10 Most Interesting Things about Adobe Illustrator
- Artboard
- Layers
- Clipping Mask
- Align Panel
- Pathfinder
- Symbols
- Blend Tool
- Ruler
- Offset Path Tool
- Snap to Grid / Pixel Grid
1. Artboards
Adobe Illustrator has provided artboard as an interesting feature in itself creating a big advantage. In the version of Adobe Creative Suite there’s not the option of Artboard. In the latest version artboard allow designer/ User to create more pages in simple language in the same board.
- While we create a New Document, the number of Artboards can change
- You can also add more such Artboards by moving to Windows -> Artboards
Adding Artboard
There are many advantages about artboards. The board can be fill with pages (artboards) but depending on the page size. In Artboard option we can change the page size and orientation depending on the work being done.
2. Layers
Adobe Illustrator has another feature called layers and the works just like artworks. While designing for example a Logo or design. Layer help in classifying and organising the structural work to have an easy access and easy to identify which help in adjusting the work piece. To have access to layers:
- Window > Layers
- Shortcut (F7)
In the layer panel the layers can be hidden, rename, reorganised and lock. A new level of visibility is there with all these options in the layer panel. It is not said that the user cannot work in one layer, it is possible, but Working in several layer and renaming them is on top of the advantage.
3. Clipping Mask
Another cool feature in Adobe Illustrator is the Clipping mask. Masking is used to fit an image in an object. In simple language, clipping allow to fit an image in any shape, without elimination or deleting the extra in the image.
Steps to Form Clipping Mask in Adobe Illustrator
- First start by placing an image on the board
- Now, create a shape and place it on top on the image
- Then, select the image with form
- Go to window -> Clipping Mask (Shortcut: Ctrl+7)
4. Align
Align is a great option to align background, works, shapes, image. In the properties, there is the option of align to artboard or to the selection. To have access to the Align Option, simply go to: Window > Align
Type of Alignment:
- Horizontal Align left
- Horizontal Align center
- Horizontal Align right
- Vertical Align top
- Vertical Align center
- Vertical Align bottom
5. Pathfinder
Pathfinder is an awesome option to create new shape. adding, subtract, intersect, exclude of shape are the option which allow to create new shapes and form as in the example below. Pathfinder it a very useful while creating new logos, forms, shapes, badges, cartoon characters, 2D environment and many more. Option: Window > Pathfinder.
6. Symbols
Symbol is one among the best options in illustrator. It is the best option as it provides with many symbols that are very useful and there’s no need to go download, convert the shape and to have a symbol. There are so many symbols to be use while creating a scene, mobile app, map. The option is found in:
- Window > Symbols
- Shortcut: Shift + Ctrl + F11
Symbols can not only be imported but also be created and add to its categories. These saved symbols can be re-used again and again.
7. Blend Tool
Blend tool is not a complicated tool to used. It is a very interesting tool in Illustrator and many people don’t know how to use the blend tool. Blend tool is used to create shape patterns repeating the colour palettes, colour which blends between two or multiple objects.
- Object > Blend
- Shortcut: Alt + Ctrl + B
Blending option can works in many different forms. Settings can be change accordingly to design and need.
8. Ruler / Guide
After activation the ruler to the workspace, measurements can be done. In the ruler itself there’s another interesting thing called guide, which can be drag from the ruler using the mouse and use them as guide lines.
When the ruler is on, there are two rulers that appears. One on the left and second on the top. The two rulers provide horizontal guideline and vertical guidelines. Grid and ruler can be use at the same time that can allow a great balance in the artwork.
The ruler is way much easier to use, that having shapes used as guide and delete them after being used. The guidelines can be easily be hidden and shown while working.
The third feature in the ruler is the direction option to change the unit measurements. Just right click on the ruler, there’s the option to change the measurement units to Points, Picas, Inches, millimetres, centimetres or into Pixels.
- To open ruler: View > Rulers > Show Rulers
- Shortcut: Ctrl + R
- To show guides: Ctrl + ;
- To hide guides: Ctrl + ;
9. Offset Path Tool
Offset path is another useful while designing or creating any graphic in Adobe Illustrator. Offset path tool can be use in different ways. Sometimes when creating a stroke around an object, increasing the size/dimension does not work every time.
In simple language, offset path is a way to duplicate an object or stroke by giving it a specific path.
- Object > Path > Offset Path
10. Snap to Grid / Pixel Grid
Grid is very useful in Illustrator. When active it appears to at the back of the artboard.
- To display or hide the grid, View > Show Grid or View > Hide Grid.
- To snap objects to: gridlines, View > Snap
- To Grid, choice the object you want to change, and drag it to the wanted site.
Just like guidelines in ruler, the grid don’t appear on the final, it can be hidden when not needed and appear when needed. The Grid is useful while aligning an object or text.
So, these are some top interesting things that every designer should know while attaining Adobe Illustrator courses training.
Author Introduction: This blog is written by Gutteea Deepak who is one of our brilliant students, pursuing Graphic Master Plus course from our institute. This blog is a part of his Adobe Illustrator’s final Project. You can read more such blogs related to graphic designing in our Graphic design blogs category.
