Adobe Illustrator Training

Introduction to Adobe Illustrator CS4 Training Class Overview

This Adobe Illustrator training course introduces students to the basics of Illustrator. It is packed with hands-on exercises so that students can learn by doing.

Introduction to Adobe Illustrator CS4 Training Class Goals

• Get to know the Adobe Illustrator CS4 work area
• Learn to use the selection and shape tools in Illustrator CS4
• Learn to transform objects
• Learn to effectively use the pen tool
• Learn to work with colors and painting
• Learn about type in Illustrator CS4
• Learn to work with layers
• Learn to blend shapes
• Learn to work with the brush tool

Introduction to Adobe Illustrator CS4 Training Class Outline

1 .Adobe Illustrator CS4 Jumpstart

• Creating the background
• Taking advantage of graphic styles
• One object, multiple fills and strokes
• Saving a graphic style
• Creating a symbol from the circle art
• Creating the text logo
• Applying the graphic style to the text logo
• Warping the text logo
• Using the Color Guide
• Incorporating an image into your artwork
• Erasing vector paths and shapes
• Creating a 3-D object

2.  Getting to Know the Workspace

• Opening Illustrator
• Choosing a workspace
• Opening a file
• The document window
• Switching screen modes
• Changing your view
• Preview versus Outlines
• Zooming and scrolling
• Scrolling with the Hand tool
• Changing views with the Navigator panel
• Panels and workspaces
• The Tools panel
• Using tools and panels
• The Control panel
• Moving the Control panel
• Panel groups and the dock
• Custom workspaces
• Saving workspaces
• Using the Manage Workspaces dialog box
• Customizing keyboard shortcuts
• Custom shortcuts
• Saving shortcut sets
• Deleting shortcut sets

3. Illustrator CS4 Essentials

• Using the shape tools
• Repositioning and visually resizing the rectangle
• Finding or changing the shape’s dimensions using the Transform panel
• Rotating and shearing using the Transform panel
• Constraining a shape
• Entering exact dimensions
• Selecting artwork
• Helpful keyboard shortcuts for selections
• The selection tools
• Isolation mode
• Using shape and transform tools to create artwork
• Using the transform tools
• Adding a fill color
• Entering a shape size in the Transform panel
• Viewing in Outline view
• Rotating the shape
• Changing the color of the triangles
• Using layers when building an illustration
• Creating a new blank layer
• Cutting and pasting objects
• Creating bubbles
• Cloning the bubble group
• Repeating a resize transform
• Moving objects from one layer to another

4. Adding Color

• Basics of the Appearance panel
• Fills and strokes
• Saving swatches
• Global colors
• Saving a set of colors as a group
• Using the Color Guide panel
• Coloring objects
• Live Paint
• Live Color
• Creating a gradient swatch
• Creating a pattern swatch
• Loading Pantone colors
• Applying spot colors to the logo

5. Working with the Drawing Tools

• Working with the Pen tool
• Drawing straight lines
• Drawing curved lines
• Drawing hinged curves
• Drawing curved lines to straight lines
• Drawing straight lines to curved lines
• Tracing images
• Placing an image as a template
• Other drawing tools
• Using the Line Segment and Arc tools
• Using the Pencil, Smooth, and Path Eraser tools
• Using the Eraser tool
• Editing existing paths
• Adding and removing points
• Refining a curve
• Cutting and joining paths
• Working with Live Trace
• Using the tracing presets
• Understanding tracing options
• Expanding Live Traced artwork
• Working with Live Paint
• Creating a Live Paint group
• Setting Gap Detection options
• Using the Live Paint Bucket tool
• Using the Live Paint Selection tool

6. Working with and Formatting Text

• Formatting type
• Paragraph formatting
• Formatting imported type
• Paragraph and character styles
• Text wrap
• Advanced techniques with text
• Text on a path
• Warping text
• Text in a shape
• Creating outlines
• Check spelling
• Find and Replace

Introduction to Adobe Illustrator CS4 Training Class Prerequisites

Experience with basic software programs such as Microsoft Word