If you are a web designer or a designer who produces paper media, it is worth learning how to use
Illustrator
. However, Illustrator is said to be difficult to use, and it is true that it is even more difficult to use than other design tools. However, if you can master it, you will be able to differentiate yourself from other designers.
In this article, we will provide an overview of Illustrator and explain in detail what you can do with Illustrator. We will also introduce how to use Illustrator, so please refer to it.
What is Illustrator?
First, let’s start with an overview of Illustrator. Illustrator is a graphic design tool provided by Adobe. Illustrator is a tool often used by web designers and print media designers, and is good at creating logos and shapes.
Illustrator is often abbreviated as “Illustrator”. Adobe also offers a service called Adobe Creative Cloud Illustrator that allows you to use various applications in a subscription format. Illustrator is also included, and it is possible to use various tools together with Illustrator.
From now on, when creating web designs or designs for paper media, it would be a good idea to use Adobe Creative Cloud Illustrator.
What exactly can you do with Illustrator?
So far, we have provided an overview of Illustrator. From here, I will specifically introduce what you can do with Illustrator.
- logo creation
- creating a picture
- Creating shapes
Let’s look at each in turn.
logo creation
Illustrator allows you to create
. We can create not only simple
logos
but also full-fledged
logos
. Specifically, you can create a logo by adding text or coloring to the base image.
creating a picture
Illustrator also allows you to create pictures. You can create pictures using your computer’s mouse, or you can use Illustrator’s pen tool function. Also, by combining shapes, you can create pictures that can be used for corporate promotional materials and flyers.
Creating shapes
Finally, you can also create shapes in Illustrator. Creating shapes is probably the most used tool in Illustrator. You can create various shapes such as rectangles, circles, and star shapes, and by finely adjusting the values, you can flexibly change the shape of the shape.
Difference between Illustrator and Photoshop
So far, we have explained what you can do with Illustrator. However, many people may not know the difference between it and Photoshop, which is also provided by Adobe. Photoshop’s main function is to correct and repair images. In other words, it is not a software whose main purpose is to draw pictures like Illustrator.
So, is Photoshop an auxiliary software? That’s not the case. It is a software that is good at processing things that already exist. Therefore, if you prepare a base image or illustration, you can use Photoshop to finely adjust the colors and create a more attractive image. On the other hand, Illustrator allows you to create designs such as logos and flyers from scratch.
Therefore, there are cases where logos and flyers created in Illustrator are finely adjusted in Photoshop. There is no doubt that the use of each will produce a synergistic effect.
How to use Illustrator
From here, we will explain the basic usage of Illustrator. If you understand what is explained here, you will be able to perform basic operations in Illustrator without any problems.
- File operations
- Toolbar operation
- image manipulation
- add color
- Outlining
I will explain each in turn.
File operations
First, we will explain how to open and save files on Illustrator. Open Illustrator and click on the “File” item at the top of the management screen. From here, open the image or illustration that will be the basis of your design. After completing corrections and creation in Illustrator, click “Save” from the file tab to complete saving. Illustrator also has an auto-save function, so if you’re worried about forgetting to save, we recommend turning it on.
Toolbar operation
The Illustrator toolbar is a feature that allows you to perform various Illustrator tasks. Examples include drawing and painting. The toolbar is located under “Window” in the menu bar of the administration screen.
Also, the toolbar is characterized by having two types: a basic toolbar and a detailed toolbar. The basic toolbar is a bar that contains Illustrator’s basic functions, and the advanced toolbar is a bar that contains more difficult tools in addition to the basic toolbar.
If you are new to Illustrator, you should first learn about the basic toolbar.
image manipulation
Illustrator allows you to embed images using a feature called image manipulation. Select “File” from the menu bar on the management screen and click “Deployment”. After clicking the placement, a checkbox called “Link” will be displayed. If you uncheck the link, you can refer to the image in Illustrator.
On the other hand, if you check the link, you are only referring to the link, so if there is no link, you will not be able to embed it. However, if you check the link, Illustrator will run faster, so if you don’t need to embed it, check it.
add color
Select “Color” from “Window” on the menu bar to display the color panel in Illustrator. Use this when you want to add color to an image or correct the color of an image.
Outlining
Illustrator also allows you to create outlines. Outlining refers to a function that replaces fonts with object information. By replacing it with object information, you can prevent characters from being converted without permission even if a specific font is not installed on a specific computer. To create an outline, simply click “Create Outline” from Format.
Useful functions of Illustrator
So far, we have explained how to use Illustrator, but there are other useful functions as well.
- shortcut
- appearance
- guide
We will introduce each useful function in turn.
shortcut
First, shortcut keys are a useful feature that everyone should learn. Especially if you are a designer, remember the shortcut key for the “hide” function. The shortcut key for “hide” is ctl+3 on Windows and command+3 on Mac.
Using the hide function, you can hide any part of an image or illustration. This saves you the trouble of clicking on unnecessary parts, allowing you to make corrections more efficiently.
appearance
Appearance is a function that can be applied to objects later. You can also add color and effects to the lines. This is a useful feature that advanced Illustrator users will definitely use.
guide
Illustrator has the advantage of being intuitive to use, but on the other hand, the position can often shift or you may end up clicking in the wrong place. Guide is a feature that prevents such mistakes. By pulling the guide, you can fix the position appropriately, preventing misalignment and accidental clicks.
summary
In this article, we have explained about Illustrator. With Illustrator, you can do a variety of things such as creating logos, flyers, and shapes, and it’s no exaggeration to say that all you need is Illustrator to complete your design creation. When designing logos, flyers, etc., you can create designs from scratch.
Photoshop, on the other hand, is not good at designing from 0 to 1. Therefore, by fine-tuning logos and flyers created in Illustrator using Photoshop provided by Adobe, a synergistic effect will occur and the range of designs will expand.
However, it is a little more difficult than Photoshop, so you may have a hard time getting used to its operations. Therefore, why not use this article as a reference to master the basics of how to use Illustrator, such as shortcut commands and editing methods.