Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphics editor developed and marketed by Adobe Systems.

Using the tools

The first time you start Illustrator, the toolbox appears on the left side of the screen. The tools in the toolbox let you create, select, and manipulate objects in Illustrator. When you select most tools, the mouse pointer matches the tool's icon. For example, choosing the paintbrush tool changes the pointer to a paintbrush. You can also change a tool pointer to a precision pointer, such as a cross hair , for greater precision when aligning or working with detailed artwork. To move the toolbox: Drag the toolbox by the top bar. To show or hide the toolbox: To show or hide the toolbox, choose Window > Tools. When the toolbox is showing, a check mark appears before the name. To display hidden tools on-screen: 1. Press a tool in the toolbox that has hidden tools underneath it. (Tools that have hidden tools are identified by a triangle in the lower right corner.) 2. When the toolbar of hidden tools appears, hold down the mouse button and drag to the arrow at the end of the toolbar. The toolbar detaches from the toolbox. To close a detached toolbar: Click the close box. To change the pointer to a precision pointer: Do one of the following: While the tool is selected, press Caps Lock on the keyboard. Choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows and Mac OS 9) or Illustrator > Preferences > General (Mac OS X), select Use Precise Cursors, and click OK.

Using palettes
Adobe Illustrator includes a number of palettes to help you monitor and modify your work. By default, these palettes appear stacked together in several groups. You can also dock palettes so that you can move them together.

The selection tool (V) The direct-selection The group-selection tool selects entire objects. tool (A) selects points selects objects and groups or path segments within groups. within objects. The direct-select lasso The lasso tool selects The pen tool (P) draws tool (Q) selects points entire objects. straight and curved lines to or path segments within create objects. objects. The delete-anchorpoint tool (-) deletes anchor points from paths. The convert-anchor- The type tool (T) creates point tool (Shift+C) individual type and type changes smooth containers and lets you enter points to corner points and edit type. and vice versa. The vertical type tool creates vertical type and vertical type containers and lets you enter and edit vertical type. The vertical area-type tool changes closed paths to vertical type containers and lets you enter and edit type within them.

The magic wand tool (Y) selects objects of similar attributes.

The add-anchor- point tool (+) adds anchor points to paths.

The area type tool changes closed paths to type containers and lets you enter and edit type within them. The vertical path-type tool changes paths to vertical type paths and lets you enter and edit type on them.

The path-type tool changes paths to type paths, and lets you enter and edit type on them.

The line segment tool The arc tool draws The spiral tool draws (\) draws individual individual concave or clockwise and straight line segments. convex curve counterclockwise spirals. segments. The polar grid tool draws circular chart grids.

The rectangular grid tool draws rectangular grids.

The rectangle tool (M) The rounded- rectangle tool The ellipse tool (L) draws squares and draws squares and rectangles draws circles and ovals. rectangles. with rounded corners. The flare tool creates lensflare or solar-flare-like The paintbrush tool (B) draws freehand and

The polygon tool draws The star tool draws regular, multi-sided stars.

shapes.

effects.

calligraphic lines, as well as art and patterns on paths. The rotate tool (R) rotates objects around a fixed point.

The pencil tool (N) draws and edits freehand lines. The reflect tool (O) flips objects over a fixed axis.

The smooth tool The erase tool erases paths smooths bezier paths. and anchor points from the artwork.

The twist tool twirls The scale tool (S) resizes The shear tool skews objects around a fixed objects around a fixed point. objects around a fixed point. point. The twirl tool creates The pucker tool deflates swirling distortions within an an object. object.

The reshape tool The warp tool smooths or changes a (Shift+R) molds path while retaining the objects with the path's overall shape. movement of the cursor (like molding clay, for example).

The bloat tool inflates The scallop tool adds The crystallize tool adds an object. many curved details to many spiked details to the the outline of an outline of an object. object. The free transform tool The symbol sprayer The symbol shifter tool (E) scales, rotates, or tool (Shift+S) places moves symbol instances. skews a selection. multiple symbol instances as a set on the artboard. The symbol sizer tool resizes symbol instances. The symbol spinner tool rotates symbol instances. The symbol stainer tool colorizes symbol instances.

The wrinkle tool adds wrinkle-like details to the outline of an object.

The symbol scruncher tool moves symbol instances away from each other.

The symbol screener tool applies opacity to symbol instances.

The symbol styler tool The column graph applies the selected tool (J) positions style to symbol columns vertically. instances.

The stacked column graph The bar graph tool tool stacks columns on top of positions columns one another. horizontally.

The stacked bar graph The line graph tool The area graph tool The scatter graph tool tool stacks columns and shows the trend of one emphasizes totals as well as plots data as paired sets positions them or more subjects over changes in values. of x and y coordinates. horizontally. time.

The pie graph tool creates a circle graph with wedges showing relative percentages of the compared values.

The radar graph tool The mesh tool (U) creates uses a circle to and edits meshes and mesh compare sets of values envelopes. at given points in time or in particular categories.

The gradient tool (G) adjusts the beginning and ending points and angle of gradients within objects.

The eyedropper tool (I) The paint bucket tool The measure tool measures samples color or type (K) fills objects with the distance between two attributes from objects. the current paint or points. type attributes. The auto trace tool traces the outlines of objects in raster images. The knife tool cuts objects and paths. The slice tool The slice select tool selects (Shift+K) creates Web Web slices. slices.

The blend tool (W) creates a blend between the color and shape of multiple objects. The scissors tool (C) cuts paths at specified points.

The hand tool (H) moves the Illustrator artboard within the illustration window.

The page tool adjusts the page grid to control where artwork appears on the printed page.

The zoom tool (Z) increases and decreases the view magnification in the illustration window.

Computer graphics fall into two main categories--vector graphics and bitmap images. Understanding the difference between the two helps as you create, edit, and import artwork. In Illustrator the type of graphic image can have important effects on your workflow. For example, some file formats only support bitmap images and others only vector graphics. Graphic image types are particularly important when importing or exporting graphic images to and from Illustrator. Linked bitmap images cannot be edited in Illustrator. Graphic formats also affect how commands and filters can be applied to images; some filters in Illustrator will only work with bitmap images.

Vector graphics
Drawing programs such as Adobe Illustrator create vector graphics, made of lines and curves defined by mathematical objects called vectors. Vectors describe graphics according to their geometric characteristics. For example, a bicycle tire in a vector graphic is made up of a mathematical definition of a circle drawn with a certain radius, set at a specific location, and filled with a specific color. You can move, resize, or change the color of the tire without losing the quality of the graphic. A vector graphic is resolution-independent--that is, it can be scaled to any size and printed on any output device at any resolution without losing its detail or clarity. As a result, vector graphics are the best choice for type (especially small type) and bold graphics that must retain crisp lines when scaled to various sizes--for example, logos.

Because computer monitors represent images by displaying them on a grid, both vector and bitmap images are displayed as pixels on-screen.

Bitmap images
Paint and image-editing software, such as Adobe Photoshop, generate bitmap images, also called raster images. The images use a grid (also known as a bitmap or raster) of small squares, known as pixels, to represent graphics. Each pixel in a bitmap image has a specific location and color value assigned to it. For example, a bicycle tire in a bitmap image is made up of a collection of pixels in that location, with each pixel part of a mosaic that gives the appearance of a tire. When working with bitmap images, you edit pixels rather than objects or shapes. Bitmap images are the most common electronic medium for continuous-tone images, such as photographs or images created in painting programs, because they can represent subtle gradations of shades and color. Bitmap images are resolution dependent--that is, they represent a fixed number of pixels. As a result, they can appear jagged and lose detail if they are scaled on-screen or if they are printed at a higher resolution than they were created for.

About resolution in bitmap images

Resolution is the number of dots or pixels per linear unit used to reproduce artwork and images. Output devices display images as groups of pixels. The resolution of vector graphics, such as Illustrator artwork, depends on the device used to display the artwork. The resolution of bitmap images, such as digital photographs, depends on both the display device and the inherent resolution of the bitmap image. Pixel dimensions The number of pixels along the height and width of a bitmap image. The display size of an image onscreen is determined by the pixel dimensions of the image plus the size and setting of the monitor. The file size of an image is proportional to its pixel dimensions. A typical 21-inch monitor displays 1152 pixels horizontally and 870 vertically. An image with pixel dimensions of 1152 by 870 would fill this small screen. Image resolution The number of pixels displayed per unit of printed length in an image, usually measured in pixels per inch (ppi). An image with a high resolution contains more, and therefore smaller, pixels than an image of the same printed dimensions with a low resolution. For example, a 1-inch-by-1-inch image with a resolution of 72 ppi contains a total of 5184 pixels (72 pixels wide x 72 pixels high = 5184). The same 1-inch-by-1-inch image with a resolution of 300 ppi would contain a total of 90,000 pixels.

Because they use more pixels to represent each unit of area, higher-resolution images usually reproduce more detail and subtler color transitions than lower-resolution images when printed. However, increasing the resolution of an image scanned or created at a lower resolution only spreads the original pixel information across a greater number of pixels and rarely improves image quality. To determine the image resolution to use, consider the medium of final distribution for the image. If you're producing an image for online display, the image resolution only needs to match the typical monitor resolution (72 or 96 ppi). However, using too low a resolution for a printed image results in pixelation--output with large, coarse-looking pixels. Using too high a resolution (pixels smaller than what the output device can produce) increases the file size and slows the printing of the image. Note: The Printing & Export panel of the Document Setup dialog box lets you define the output resolution for vector drawings. In Illustrator, output resolution refers to the number of line segments the PostScript interpreter uses to approximate a curve (it is not the same as image resolution). (See Changing the path output resolution.) Monitor resolution The number of pixels or dots displayed per unit of length on the monitor, usually measured in dots per inch (dpi). Monitor resolution depends on the size of the monitor plus its pixel setting. A PC or Mac OS monitor can range from 60 to 133 dpi. Understanding monitor resolution helps explain why the display size of an image on-screen often differs from its printed size. Printer resolution The number of ink dots per inch (dpi) produced by an imagesetter or laser printer. For best results, use an image resolution that is proportional to, but not the same as, printer resolution. Most laser printers have output resolutions of 600 dpi to 1200 dpi and produce good results with images from 72 ppi to 185 ppi. High-end imagesetters can print at 1200 dpi or higher and produce good results with images from 200 ppi to 350 ppi. Screen frequency The number of printer dots or halftone cells per inch used to print grayscale images or color separations. Also known as screen ruling or line screen, screen frequency is measured in lines per inch (lpi)--or lines of cells per inch in a halftone screen. The relationship between image resolution and screen frequency determines the quality of detail in the printed image. To produce a halftone image of the highest quality, you generally use an image resolution that is from 1.5 to at most 2 times the screen frequency. But with some images and output devices, a lower resolution can produce good results. Note: Some imagesetters and 600-dpi laser printers use screening technologies other than halftoning. If you are printing an image on a nonhalftone printer, consult your service provider or your printer documentation for the recommended image resolutions.

About the work area

In Adobe Illustrator, the work area occupies the entire space within the Illustrator window and includes more than just the printable page containing your artwork. The printable and non-printable areas are represented by a series of solid and dotted lines between the outermost edge of the window and the printable area of the page. Imageable area The imageable area is bounded by the innermost dotted lines and represents the portion of the page on which the selected printer can print. Many printers cannot print to the edge of the paper. Nonimageable area The nonimageable area is between the two sets of dotted lines representing any nonprintable margin of the page.

About paths
A path is made up of one or more straight or curved segments. The beginning and end of each segment is marked by anchor points, which work like pins holding wire in place. You change the shape of a path by editing its anchor points. You can control curves by dragging the direction points at the end of direction lines that appear at anchor points. A path is either open, like an arc, or closed, like a circle. For an open path, the starting and ending anchor points for the path are called endpoints.

Components of a path A. Selected (solid) endpoint B. Selected anchor point C. Curved path segment D. Direction line E. Direction point Paths can have two kinds of anchor points--corner points and smooth points. At a corner point, a path abruptly changes direction. At a smooth point, path segments are connected as a continuous curve. You can draw a path using any combination of corner and smooth points. If you draw the wrong kind of point, you can always change it.

Points on a path A. Four corner points B. Four smooth points C. Combination of corner and smooth points A corner point can connect any two straight or curved segments, while a smooth point always connects two curved segments.

A corner point can connect both straight segments and curved segments.

Drawing with the pen tool

Use the pen tool to draw a path that you can't draw using the simpler drawing tools. The pen tool lets you create straight lines and smooth, flowing curves with great precision

Drawing flares
The flare tool creates flare objects with a bright center, a halo, and rays and rings. Use this tool to create an effect similar to a lens flare in a photograph. Flares include a center handle and an end handle. Use the handles to position the flare and its rings. The center handle is in the bright center of the flare--the flare path begins from this point.

Drawing line and arc segments

Use the line and arc segment tools to quickly and easily create individual lines and arcs by dragging. The Line and Arc Segment dialog boxes display the values of the last segment created. You can reset to the default values in the dialog box by pressing Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and clicking Reset. To draw a line segment:

1. Select the line segment tool , click where you want the line to begin, and drag to where you want the line to end. 2. As you drag, do any of the following: Press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) to extend the line from both sides of the origin point. Press the spacebar to move the line as you draw. Press `(grave accent) to create multiple line segments as you move the mouse. Press ~ (tilde) to constrain multiple lines to 45 angles. Press Shift to constrain a single line to 45. To draw a line segment by specifying properties: 1. 2. 3. 4. Select the line segment tool, and click where you want to place the segment. In the Line Segment dialog box, enter the length and angle you want. Select Fill Line if you want the line to use the current fill color (otherwise the fill is set to none). Click OK.

To draw an arc segment: 1. Select the arc segment tool , click where you want the arc to begin, and drag to create an arc. 2. As you drag, do any of the following: Press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) to extend the arc from both sides of the origin point. Press the spacebar to move the arc as you draw. Press `(grave accent) to create multiple arc segments as you move the mouse. Press C to switch between an open and closed arc. Press F to flip the arc, keeping the origin point constant. Press Up Arrow or Down Arrow to increase or decrease the arc's angle. To draw an arc segment by specifying properties: 1. 2. 3. 4. Select the arc segment tool, and click where you want to place the segment. In the Arc Segment dialog box, enter the options you want. Select Fill Line if you want the line to use the current fill color (otherwise the fill is set to none). Click OK.

Working with symbols

A symbol is an art object that you store in the Symbols palette and reuse in a document. For example, if you create a symbol from a flower, you can then add instances of that symbol multiple times to your artwork without actually adding the complex art multiple times. Each symbol instance is linked to the symbol in the palette. If you use the same artwork multiple times within a document, symbols can save time and greatly reduce file size. Symbols also provide excellent support for SWF and SVG export. After you create a symbol, you can edit the symbol's instances on the artboard and, if you want, redefine the original symbol with the edits. Symbolism tools let you add and manipulate multiple symbol instances at once

Creating brushes
You can create each of the four types of brushes in the Brushes palette. All brushes must be made up of simple open and closed path vectors. Brushes cannot have gradients, blends, other brush strokes, mesh objects, bitmap images, graphs, placed files, or masks. Art brushes and pattern brushes cannot include type. However, to achieve a brush stroke effect with type, create an outline of the type and then create a brush with the outline. (See Modifying letterforms as graphic objects.)

Selecting objects
Before you can modify an object, you need to distinguish it from the objects around it. You do that by selecting the object with a selection tool or command. Once you've selected an object, or a part of an object, you can edit it by moving or copying, deleting, or adjusting paths. Note: You can drag to move an object you have just selected with the selection, direct-selection, and group-selection tools, but not with the lasso or direct-lasso tools.

Moving, copying, and deleting objects

You can move objects in your artwork by cutting them from one spot and pasting them into another, by dragging them, and by using the arrow keys, the Move dialog box, and the Transform Each dialog box. Dragging also enables you to copy objects between open Illustrator files and Photoshop files. Note: You can also move objects using the Transform palette. (See Using the Transform palette.) To set general preferences that affect how objects move: 1. Choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows and Mac OS 9) or Illustrator > Preferences > General (Mac OS X). 2. Choose options for Preferences: Enter an angle between 0 and 360 degrees in the Constrain Angle text box to rotate the x and y axes. The rotation of the axes determines how drawing and movement are constrained when you hold down Shift. (See Rotating the x and y axes.) Select Transform Pattern Tiles to specify whether you want to transform any patterns within objects when you apply a transformation such as scaling, rotating, or shearing. (See Creating and working with patterns.) Deselect Use Area Select to select objects underneath filled objects by clicking an anchor point or path segment (in Preview view). (See Selecting filled objects.) 3. Click OK. Note: Smart Guides preferences also affect how objects move.

To set keyboard preferences that affect how objects move: 1. Choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows and Mac OS 9) or Illustrator > Preferences > General (Mac OS X). 2. In the Keyboard Increment text box, enter the distance you want each press of an arrow key to move a selection, and then click OK. To move or copy an object by pasting: 1. Select one or more objects that you want to cut or copy. 2. Choose Edit > Cut or Edit > Copy. Note: To copy a bitmap version of the selected object onto the Clipboard for pasting into Adobe Photoshop, choose Edit > Copy. (See Using the Clipboard to copy artwork.) 3. To paste an object into another file, open the file and choose one of the following commands: Edit > Paste to paste the objects into the center of the active window. Edit > Paste in Front to paste the object directly in front of the selected object. Edit > Paste in Back to paste the object directly in back of the selected object. Note: The Paste in Front and Paste in Back commands paste the object in the same position on the new file's artboard as in the original file. To move an object or a copy of an object by dragging: 1. Select the object. You can also select multiple objects. 2. Position the pointer on an anchor point or path segment of the selected object. In Preview view, you can click anywhere on the object when the Use Area Select option is selected in General Preferences. 3. Drag the object to its new location. Shift-drag to constrain the object to multiples of 45 degrees. You can use the Snap to Point command in the View menu to have the cursor snap to an anchor point or guide when you drag an object within 2 pixels of the anchor point or guide. Snap to Point is turned on when a check mark appears by the menu command. To drag a copy of the object, press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you drag. Note: You can use this technique to drag copies of objects between Illustrator and Photoshop files. (See Using the drag-and-drop feature to copy artwork.) To move an object by using the arrow keys: 1. Select the object. 2. Press the arrow key for the direction in which you want to move the object. The distance the object moves each time you press an arrow key is determined by the value specified in the Keyboard Increment text box in the General Preferences dialog box. The default distance is 1 point (1/72 of an inch, or .3528 millimeter).

To move a selection with the free transform tool: 1. With the selection tool , select one or more objects to move. 2. Select the free transform tool . 3. Drag any part of the selection (but not a handle). To move or copy an object a specified distance and direction: 1. Select the object. 2. Choose Object > Transform > Move.

When an object is selected, you can also double-click the selection tool--or press Enter or Return--to open the Move dialog box. The Move dialog box displays the results of the last move or measure operation using the unit of measure set in the Units & Undo Preferences dialog box. 3. Do one of the following: Enter the horizontal and vertical distances that you want the object to move. Positive values move the object up and to the right of the x axis; negative values move the object down and to the left. Enter the distance and angle for the move. The angle you enter is calculated in degrees from the x axis. Positive angles specify a counterclockwise move; negative angles specify a clockwise move. You can also enter values between 180 and 360 degrees; these values are converted to their corresponding negative values (for example, a value of 270 is converted to -90).

Saving, editing, and loading selections

Using the commands in the Select menu, you can save, edit, and load selections for reuse in your artwork. To save a selection: 1. Select one or more objects on the artboard, and choose Select > Save Selection. 2. In the Save Selection dialog box, enter a name in the Name text box, and click OK. The new selection name appears in the Select menu. To delete a saved selection or change its name: 1. Choose Select > Edit Selection. 2. Select the selection you want to edit, do one of the following, and then click OK: Type a new name in the Name field. Click Delete to remove the selection from the list.

Locking and hiding objects

You can use the Lock and Hide commands to isolate parts of your artwork on which you do not want to work. Once an object is locked or hidden, it cannot be selected or modified in any way. These features are useful when you are working on objects that overlap. In addition, the Hide command makes objects temporarily invisible, and so may speed performance when you work on large or complex artwork. Locked objects remain locked when files are closed and reopened. However, hidden objects reappear when files are reopened. To lock or hide artwork: Choose from the following options:

To lock objects, select the objects and choose Object > Lock > Selection. To lock all objects above the selected object, choose Object > Lock > All Artwork Above. To lock all objects on other layers, choose Object > Lock > Other Layers. To hide a selected object, select the objects and choose Object > Hide > Selection. To hide all objects on other layers, choose Object > Hide > All Artwork Above. To lock all objects on other layers, choose Object > Lock > Other Layers.

Note: You can lock or hide entire objects only. Selecting part of an object (anchor points or segments) and locking or hiding it affects the entire object. To unlock all objects: Choose Object > Unlock All. All previously locked objects are unlocked and selected. Any previously selected objects are deselected. To show all objects: Choose Object > Show All. All previously hidden objects are shown. Any previously selected objects are selected. To unlock or show all objects within a selected group: 1. Select an unlocked and visible element within a group. 2. Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and choose either Object > Unlock All or Object > Show All.

Grouping and ungrouping objects

You can combine several objects into a group so that the objects are treated as a single unit. You can then move or transform a number of objects without affecting their individual positions or attributes.

For example, you might group the objects in a logo design so that you can move and scale the logo as one unit. Groups can also be nested--that is, they can be grouped within other objects or groups to form larger groups. To group or ungroup objects: 1. Select the objects to be grouped or ungrouped. Selecting part of an object and grouping it will group the entire object. 2. Choose either Object > Group or Object > Ungroup.

Transforming selected objects

You can transform selected objects--that is, change their size, shape, and orientation by selecting one or more objects and then applying various transformation actions on them. For example, you can change the angle of an object by rotating it. To transform an object, you can use the free transform tool, individual transformation tools, or the Transform palette: Use the free transform tool to rotate, scale, reflect, shear, and distort objects quickly. Use the transformation tools to change the size, shape, and orientation of selected objects. The transformation tools are the rotate tool, scale tool, reflect tool, and shear tool. You can also use individual transform dialog boxes to specify numeric values, to preview the transformation before applying it, and to select other transformation options. Use the Transform palette to modify selected objects by changing information in the palette

Modifying shapes with filters and effects

Illustrator provides a variety of filters and effects for changing an object's shape and path direction. Using these commands as filters alters the original object's shape, whereas applying them as effects just changes the appearance of the object without altering the underlying structure of the object. For more information, see Using effects.

Blending shapes
The Adobe Illustrator blend tool and the Make Blend command let you create a series of intermediate objects and colors between two or more selected objects. You can blend between two open paths (such as two different lines), between two closed paths (such as a circle and a square), between gradients, or between other blends. Depending on the way you paint the objects you are blending, you can produce airbrush effects such as complex shading, highlighting, and contouring. The Blend filters can also be used to blend colors between filled objects.

You can edit blends that you created by moving, resizing, deleting, or adding objects. After you make editing changes, the artwork is automatically reblended.

Cutting objects
The Divide Objects Below command in the Object menu and the knife tool in the toolbox cut objects in a designated shape. The Divide Objects Below command lets you use a selected object as a cookie cutter or stencil to cut through other objects. It discards the original selection. The knife tool cuts objects along a freehand path you draw with the tool, dividing objects into their component filled faces (a face is an area undivided by a line segment). To cut objects by using the Divide Objects Below command: 1. Select the object to use as a cutter, and position it so that it touches the object to cut. (To retain the original selection, save a copy elsewhere in your document.) The object cuts any filled object that it's touching. 2. To cut the object, choose Object > Path > Divide Objects Below. The shapes that result are ungrouped and selected. To cut objects by using the knife tool: 1. Select the knife tool . 2. Do one of the following: To cut in a curved path, drag the pointer over the object. To cut in a straight path, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you click on the artboard with the knife tool. Then drag.

Applying color by dragging and dropping

An easy way to paint an object is to drag a color directly from the Fill box or Stroke box in the toolbox, the Color palette, or the Gradient palette and drop the color onto the object, or to drag a swatch from the Swatches palette and drop it on an object. Dragging and dropping lets you paint objects without first selecting them. You can also drag and drop colors from the Swatches palette to the Fill box or Stroke box in the toolbox, the Color palette, or the Gradient palette. When you drag, the color is applied to either the object's fill or stroke, depending on whether the Fill box or Stroke box is currently selected. (For example, if you drag a red color to an unselected object when the stroke box in the toolbox is selected, the object's stroke is painted red.)

Using the Color Picker

You can use the Color Picker to select the fill or stroke color by choosing from a color spectrum or by defining colors numerically. In addition, you can select colors based on the HSB, RGB, and CMYK color models (see Color modes and models), or enter a hexadecimal value to specify a color. To display the Color Picker: Do one of the following:

Double-click the fill or stroke color selection box in the toolbox. Double-click the active color selection box in the Color palette

Applying color
When you create an object or when you want to change the paint attributes of an existing object in Illustrator, you use a combination of the Fill and Stroke boxes in the toolbox, the Color palette, the Gradient palette, and the Swatches palette. To apply colors to artwork: 1. Select an object's fill or stroke using one of the following: Select the object and then click the Fill or Stroke box in the toolbox. (See Applying color using the toolbox.) Click the Color button in the toolbox, or choose Window > Color. (For information about the toolbox, see Applying color using the toolbox.) Select the object, and click the Fill or Stroke box in the Color palette. 2. Apply a color to the selected fill or stroke, or a gradient to a fill, using one of the following: In the Color palette, mix a color using the Grayscale, RGB, Web Safe RGB, HSB, or CMYK sliders, or select a color from the color bar. (See Using the Color palette.)

Hold down the Shift key, and click on the color bar to cycle through the Grayscale, RGB, Web Safe RGB, HSB, or CMYK sliders. Double-click the Fill or Stroke box in the toolbox to display the Adobe Color Picker. You can then pick a color in the Color Picker dialog box. (See Using the Color Picker.) Choose Window > Swatches, and select a predefined color or gradient. (See Using the Swatches palette.) Choose Window > Swatch Libraries, and select a predefined color library. (See Using the Swatch Libraries command.) Drag a color or gradient to the artwork. (See Applying color by dragging and dropping.) Use the paint bucket or eyedropper tool to copy attributes between objects. (See Copying attributes between objects.) If you are stroking the object or path, choose line attributes. (See Using the Stroke palette.)

Applying color using the toolbox

Use the Fill and Stroke boxes in the toolbox to select an object's fill and stroke, to swap the fill color with the stroke color, and to return the fill and stroke to their default colors.

To switch between fill and stroke as the active selection, press x on the keyboard. To swap the fill and stroke colors of a selected object, press Shift+x. Below the Fill and Stroke boxes are the Color, Gradient, and None buttons. You use these buttons to change the selected fill or stroke to a color, to change a fill to a gradient, or to remove the fill or stroke from the selected object. To change fill or stroke attributes using the toolbox: 1. Select an object using any selection tool. 2. Do one of the following: Click the Swap Fill and Stroke button , or press Shift+x to swap colors between the fill and the stroke. Click the Default Fill and Stroke button to return to the default color settings (white fill and black stroke). Click the Color button to change the currently selected stroke or fill to the last-selected solid color in the Color palette. Click the Gradient button to change the currently selected fill to the last-selected gradient in the Gradient palette. Click the None button to remove the object's fill or stroke. Double-click the Fill or Stroke button to choose a color with the Color Picker. See Using the Color Picker.

Use keyboard shortcuts to switch to Color, Gradient, or None: Press < to change the selection to a color; > to change the selection to a gradient; and / to change to None.

About gradients, meshes, and blends

Depending on the effect you want, you can use different methods to apply blends or color gradients to objects. To apply a graduated blend of colors as you would apply any other color, create a gradient fill using the Gradient palette or the gradient tool. Applying a gradient in this way does not transform the object. Creating a gradient fill is a good way to create a smooth color gradation across one or more objects. In contrast, the mesh tool transforms a path object (or a bitmap image) into a single, multicolored object. Once an object is transformed into a mesh, you can create smooth shifts in color and precisely adjust and manipulate the color by moving and adjusting the mesh lines. The mesh tool provides the most precise method for shifting colors within a single object.

You can create blends of colors, opacities, and shapes between objects using the Blend command or the blend tool. You can select the beginning and ending shapes, opacities, and colors, and have Illustrator create the intermediate steps to create the final blend.

About transparency
In Illustrator, you can add transparency to your artwork in a variety of ways. You can vary the degree of transparency of an object, a group of objects, or a layer from 100% opacity (completely solid) to 0% opacity (completely transparent). When you decrease an object's opacity, the underlying artwork becomes visible through the surface of the object. Using commands in the Transparency palette, you can also create special effects, such as knocking out underlying colors, or creating graduated transparencies or blends. For example, you can use the Knockout option in the Transparency palette to have an overlapping stroke knock out the color of the underlying fill. Filled circle and overlying stroke without Knockout Group option (left) and with Knockout Group option applied (right). Transparency is such an integral part of Illustrator that it's possible to add transparency to your artwork without realizing it. For example, applying effects and styles may introduce transparency into your artwork. It's important to be aware of when you're using transparency because you need set some extra options when printing and saving transparent artwork. (See Printing and saving transparent artwork.)

About appearance attributes, styles, and effects

Appearance attributes are properties that affect the look of an object without altering its underlying structure. If you apply an appearance attribute to an object and later edit or remove that attribute, it does not change the underlying object or any other attributes applied to the object. Fills, strokes, transparency, and effects are all types of appearance attributes. A style is a named set of appearance attributes. The Styles palette lets you store and apply a set of appearance attributes to objects, groups, and layers. This gives you a fast and consistent way to change the look of artwork in documents. If the style is replaced (that is, if any appearance attributes that make up the style are changed and the new attributes are saved as that style), all objects with that style change to the new appearance. Effects are a type of appearance attribute and are listed under the Effect menu. Most effects have the same function and name as commands found elsewhere in the application. However, Effect menu commands do not change the underlying object, only its appearance. You can distort, rasterize, and modify any path using any number of effects, but the original size, anchor points, and shape of the path never changes--only the way it looks. The underlying object remains editable, and an effect's parameters can be changed at any time.

Working with gradient fills

A gradient fill is a graduated blend between two or more colors or tints of the same color. Gradient colors can be assigned as CMYK process color, RGB process color, or a spot color. When a gradient is printed or separated, mixed-mode gradient colors are all converted to CMYK process color. (See Printing gradients, mesh objects, and color blends.)

About using type in Illustrator

No matter which language version you are using, Adobe Illustrator provides a wide range of multinational language features--from spell-checking and hyphenation support for numerous European languages to advanced typography features for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean (CJK) text. Note: Your operating system must support the languages in which you wish to work. Consult your system software manufacturer for more information. The range of type tools in Illustrator make it easy to flow text into shapes and place type along a path in your artwork, such as along a circle or irregular path that you create. To enhance your designs, you can also paint type with colors and patterns, apply effects and styles, or transform type into entirely new shapes. You can enter type or import type into your artwork from another application. Adobe Illustrator imports and exports vertical text files, such as MS Word or RTF, as horizontal. Vertical text is imported into Illustrator horizontally, and vertical text is exported from Illustrator horizontally.

Changing text orientation

You can change the direction of individual characters as well as the flow of an entire block of text using the Character palette or the Text Orientation command.

About working with bitmap images

You can do the following with bitmap images: Place an image into a file. (See Placing files.) Use the Links palette to see information about the image. (See Managing linked and embedded images.) Trace images using the auto trace tool. (See Tracing artwork.) Create bitmap artwork with a transparent background using the Rasterize command. By using the Transparent option in the Rasterize dialog box, you create an alpha channel (as in the Adobe

Photoshop application). The transparent background also provides superior anti-aliasing of the rasterized artwork than does using a clipping mask to mask the background. Create a clipping mask in the Rasterize dialog box to make the background appear transparent. (See Working with clipping masks.) Use the Rasterize dialog box to convert vector objects (including paths and text objects) into an image, and choose other options for the image. You can also change the color model for the image by reselecting Rasterize and changing the color. (See Changing vector graphics into bitmap images.) Colorize 1-bit images. (See Colorizing 1-bit images.) Use bitmap filters and filter effects. (See Choosing a filter or filter effect.) Use the Object Mosaic filter to convert the pixels to a collection of colored squares. Then you can use Illustrator tools. (See Using the Object Mosaic filter.) Apply the Photo Crosshatch filter, which gives a photographic image the appearance of a pen drawing. (See Using the Photo Crosshatch filter.)