Adobe Illustrator Help Using Help Using Help | Contents | Index Back 1 Using Help About online Help Adobe Systems, Inc. provides complete documentation in the Adobe PDF Help system. The Help system includes information on all the tools, commands, and features for both Windows and Mac OS. The PDF format is designed for easy navigation online, and support for third-party screen readers compatible with Windows. The Help can also be printed as a desktop reference. Navigating in Help The Help will open in an Acrobat window with the bookmark pane open. If the bookmark pane is not open choose Window > Bookmarks. You can also navigate using the navigation bar, the index, or search the document. At the top and bottom of each page is a navigation bar. Click Using Help to return to this introduction. Clicking Contents, or Index will take you to that section. The Next Page and the Previous Page arrows let you move through the pages sequentially. Click Back to return to the last page you viewed. You can also use the navigation arrows in the Acrobat toolbar. Using bookmarks, the table of contents, the index, and Find The contents of Help are shown as bookmarks in the bookmark pane. To view subtopics, click the plus sign next to a bookmark. Each bookmark is a hyperlink to the associated section of the Help document. To go to the information, click its bookmark. As the information is displayed in the document pane, its bookmark is highlighted. You can turn highlighting on or off by selecting the Highlight Current Bookmark option from the bookmark pane menu. To find a topic using the table of contents: 1 Click Contents in the navigation bar at the top or bottom of any page. 2 Click a topic on the Contents page to move to the first page of that topic. 3 In the bookmark pane, expand the topic to see its subtopics. To find a topic using the index: 1 Click Index in the navigation bar at the top or bottom of any page. 2 Click the appropriate letter at the top of the page. You can also expand the Index bookmark, and click the letter in the bookmark pane. 3 Locate your entry, and click the page number link to view the information. 4 To view multiple entries, click Back to return to the same place in the index. Using Help | Contents | Index Back 1 Adobe Illustrator Help Using Help Using Help | Contents | Index Back 2 To find a topic using the Find command: 1 Choose Edit > Find. 2 Enter a word or a phrase in the text box, and click OK. Acrobat will search the document, starting from the current page, and display the first occurrence of the word or phrase you are searching for. 3 To find the next occurrence, choose Edit > Find Again. Printing the Help file Although the Help has been optimized for on-screen viewing, you can print pages you select, or the entire file. To print, choose Print from the File menu, or click the printer icon in the Acrobat toolbar. Using Help | Contents | Index Back 2 Adobe Illustrator Help Contents Using Help | Contents | Index Back 3 Contents Looking at the Work Area 4 Setting Up Artwork in Illustrator 25 Drawing 47 Working with Objects 91 Transforming and Distorting Shapes 113 Applying Color 152 Producing Consistent Color 174 Using Transparency, Gradients, and Patterns 191 Using Layers 215 Using Appearance Attributes, Styles, and Effects 228 Working with Bitmap Images 237 Using Type 250 Creating Templates for Data-Driven Graphics 285 Preparing Graphics for the Web 292 Saving and Exporting 320 Printing 332 Producing Color Separations 345 Automating Tasks 364 Using Graphs 375 Macintosh Shortcuts 395 Windows Shortcuts 399 Legal Notices 403 Using Help | Contents | Index Back 3 Adobe Illustrator Help Looking at the Work Area Using Help | Contents | Index Back 4 Looking at the Work Area 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. Showing and hiding palettes You can display and hide palettes as you work. Using Help | Contents | Index Back 4 Adobe Illustrator Help Looking at the Work Area Using Help | Contents | Index Back 5 To show or hide a palette: Do one of the following: · · · Choose Window > (window name). A check mark appears before a window that is currently open. Press Tab to hide or show all palettes and the toolbox. Press Shift+Tab to hide or show all palettes except for the toolbox. Changing the palette display You can rearrange your palettes to make better use of your work area by using the following techniques: · · · · · · · · To make a palette appear at the front of its group, click the palette's tab. To move an entire palette group, drag its title bar. To rearrange or separate a palette group, drag a palette's tab. Dragging a palette outside of an existing group creates a new palette window. To move a palette to another group, drag the palette's tab to that group. To dock palettes so that you can move them together, drag a palette's tab to the bottom of another palette. To move an entire docked palette group, drag its title bar. To display a palette menu, position the pointer on the triangle corner of the palette and hold down the mouse button. in the upper right To change the size of a resizable palette, drag the lower right corner of the palette (Windows) or drag the size box at the lower right corner of the palette (Mac OS). To collapse a group to the palette titles only, click the minimize/maximize box (Windows) or click the zoom box (Mac OS). You can still open the palette menu from a collapsed palette. To cycle through the available sizes for a palette--the default size, size with hidden options showing, size as resized by dragging, and palette titles only--double-click the palette's tab. For maximum performance, hide all palettes except those that are necessary for your work. Note: A few palettes, such as the Color palette, cannot be resized by dragging. · · Using Help | Contents | Index Back 5 Adobe Illustrator Help Looking at the Work Area Using Help | Contents | Index Back 6 Toolbox overview (1 of 5) The selection tool (V) selects entire objects. The direct-selection tool (A) selects points or path segments within objects. The groupselection tool selects objects and groups within groups. The magic wand tool (Y) selects objects of similar attributes. The direct-select lasso tool (Q) selects points or path segments within objects. The lasso tool selects entire objects. The pen tool (P) draws straight and curved lines to create objects. The add-anchorpoint tool (+) adds anchor points to paths. The delete-anchorpoint tool (-) deletes anchor points from paths. The convertanchor-point tool (Shift+C) changes smooth points to corner points and vice versa. The type tool (T) creates individual type and type containers and lets you enter and edit type. The area type tool changes closed paths to type containers and lets you enter and edit type within them. Using Help | Contents | Index Back 6 Adobe Illustrator Help Looking at the Work Area Using Help | Contents | Index Back 7 The path-type tool changes paths to type paths, and lets you enter and edit type on them. The vertical type tool creates vertical type and vertical type containers and lets you enter and edit vertical type. The vertical areatype tool changes closed paths to vertical type containers and lets you enter and edit type within them. The vertical pathtype tool changes paths to vertical type paths and lets you enter and edit type on them. Toolbox overview (2 of 5) The line tool (\) draws individual straight line segments. The arc tool draws individual concave or convex curve segments. The spiral tool draws clockwise and counterclockwise spirals. The grid tool draws rectangular grids. The polar grid tool draws circular chart grids. The rectangle tool (M) draws squares and rectangles. The roundedrectangle tool draws squares and rectangles with rounded corners. The ellipse tool (L) draws circles and ovals. Using Help | Contents | Index Back 7 Adobe Illustrator Help Looking at the Work Area Using Help | Contents | Index Back 8 The polygon tool draws regular, multisided shapes. The star tool draws stars The flare tool creates lens-flare or solar-flare-like effects. The paintbrush tool (B) draws freehand and calligraphic lines, as well as art and patterns on paths. The pencil tool (N) draws and edits freehand lines. The smooth tool smooths bezier paths. The erase tool erases paths and anchor points from the artwork. The rotate tool (R) rotates objects around a fixed point. Toolbox overview (3 of 5) The reflect tool (O) flips objects over a fixed axis. The twist tool twirls objects around a fixed point. The scale tool (S) resizes objects around a fixed point. The shear tool skews objects around a fixed point. Using Help | Contents | Index Back 8 Adobe Illustrator Help Looking at the Work Area Using Help | Contents | Index Back 9 The reshape tool smooths or changes a path while retaining the path's overall shape. The warp tool (Shift+R) molds objects with the movement of the cursor (like molding clay, for example). The twirl tool creates swirling distortions within an object. The pucker tool deflates an object. The bloat tool inflates an object. The scallop tool adds many curved details to the outline of an object. The crystallize tool adds many spiked details to the outline of an object. The wrinkle tool adds wrinkle-like details to the outline of an object. The free transform tool (E) scales, rotates, or skews a selection. The symbol sprayer tool (Shift+S) places multiple symbol instances as a set on the artboard. The symbol shifter tool moves symbol instances. The symbol scruncher tool moves symbol instances away from each other. Using Help | Contents | Index Back 9 Adobe Illustrator Help Looking at the Work Area Using Help | Contents | Index Back 10 Toolbox overview (4 of 5) The symbol sizer tool resizes symbol instances. The symbol spinner tool rotates symbol instances. The symbol stainer tool colorizes symbol instances. The symbol screener tool applies opacity to symbol instances. The symbol styler tool applies the selected style to symbol instances. The column graph tool (J) positions columns vertically. The stacked column graph tool stacks columns on top of one another. The bar graph tool positions columns horizontally. The stacked bar graph tool stacks columns and positions them horizontally. The line graph tool shows the trend of one or more subjects over time. The area graph tool emphasizes totals as well as changes in values. The scatter graph tool plots data as paired sets of x and y coordinates. Using Help | Contents | Index Back 10 Adobe Illustrator Help Looking at the Work Area Using Help | Contents | Index Back 11 The pie graph tool creates a circle graph with wedges showing relative percentages of the compared values. The radar graph tool uses a circle to compare sets of values at given points in time or in particular categories. The mesh tool (U) creates and edits meshes and mesh envelopes. The gradient tool (G) adjusts the beginning and ending points and angle of gradients within objects. Toolbox overview (5 of 5) The eyedropper tool (I) samples color or type attributes from objects. The paint bucket tool (K) fills objects with the current paint or type attributes. The measure tool measures the distance between two points. The blend t ...