Class # 2: Adobe Illustrator Basics (Part : 1 )

Hello there kiddies :>. My routine has been weirdly changed. you might be noticing I blog often at night time now. Apologies for this, I will be tuning my routine soon. Lately, I've just been too over whelmed by taking care of 6 cats together. I am just waiting for them to grow bigger so that I can give them to my friends and family who want to adopt my cats. I will be giving at least two cats for adoption.

So, last week I shared my little story of getting into "Graphic Designing" and basics of graphic designing. I hope by now you must be clear about the difference between Vector and Raster graphics?. If not then I recommend you to go through my previous class again right here.

Today I will be teaching you basics of Adobe Illustrator and also the details of the advantage this software can give you:

Question from Previous Class: Is Text used in Adobe Illustrator Raster or Vector?

Answer: Text is always vector since it's not made with pixels. Anything you will create in Vector based software will be Vector in nature.

Shortcuts Of Adobe Illustrator:

The first very important thing which will be noticed when you will say , go work for a company as a graphic designer is the amount of time and efficiency level you will put into doing their work. So for example, a company asks you to design a logo for them. You open the Adobe Illustrator, go into "file tab", select "New" and then open new page. Similarly, for every single little command you go into "Tabs" for selecting options. This will not only waste your time but also make things inefficient for your work.  Rule # 1: Every professional graphic designer should learn shortcuts by heart. This will not only save plenty of your time, but also create a very professional image of yours in work environment.

Here are some most commonly used shortcuts which can come handy from time to time:

1. New File (Ctrl +N)
2. Open File (Ctrl + O)
3. Save File (Ctrl + S)
4. Undo (Ctrl + Z)
5. Redo (Ctrl+ Shift+ Z)
6. Lock Object (Ctrl + 2)
7. Unlock Object (Ctrl + Alt + 2)
8. Hide Object (Ctrl +3)
9. Show All (Ctrl + Alt + 3)
10. Group (Ctrl + G)
11. Ungroup ( Ctrl + Shift + G)
12. Duplicate (Ctrl + D)
13. Duplicate and Paste Object (Ctrl + C + F + D)
14. Copy Object (Ctrl + C), (Alt + Left Click of Mouse and Drag Object)
15. Magnify In ( Ctrl plus +)
16. Magnify Out ( Ctrl plus -)
17. Paste (Ctrl + V)
18. Paste In Front (Ctrl + F)
19. Paste In Back (Ctrl + B)
20. Eye Dropper Tool ( I )
21. Send To Back ( Ctrl + { )
22. Bring To Front (Ctrl + } )

I am sure there must be 100 more shortcuts in Adobe Illustrator, but these are the basic shortcuts which you should know. Learn these by heart and practice them everyday to be able to get your work done more efficiently.

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Question: Are all shortcuts same in Adobe Pack?

Answer:  No, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Indesign have totally different shortcuts. Some of them are similar though like say magnifying In or out. But not all of the shortcuts are same.

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Color Modes:

There are two types of color modes in Adobe Illustrator:

1. RGB : Red, Green, Blue.
2. CMYK: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black

RGB colors are primary in nature and are set for photographs and electronic media. Whereas, CMYK are secondary colors commonly used in print media.

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Uses of Adobe Illustrator in Print and Electronic Media:

1. Print Media: Magazines, newspapers, banners, pamphlets, catalogs, comics, books, visiting cards, printable artwork etc.
2. Electronic Media: Photography, mobile/websites apps, website banners/templates/ads, TV ad, graphics, digital art etc.

Note:

Print media work is always done in "Inches". When you create new file there is an option which allows you to choose units for your file. Always select the option "Inches". 

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Your homework for next class is to learn and practice all these shortcuts. Be able to differentiate between print & electronic media along with color modes. Do not get confused by which color mode is used for what media.

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Hope this might help you in some way kids :>.

Any questions you have email me at: saoirsechic@gmail.com

I will answer in next class ;>.

xo,

saoirse