Layers Magazine » Illustrator http://www.layersmagazine.com The How-To Magazine for Everything Adobe. Quick tips and tutorials for the entire Adobe Creative Suite. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:26:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Changing the “Proportions” of a Color Group http://www.layersmagazine.com/changing-the-proportions-of-a-color-group-2.html http://www.layersmagazine.com/changing-the-proportions-of-a-color-group-2.html#comments Tue, 04 Sep 2007 15:00:54 +0000 Jeff Witchel http://www.layersmagazine.com/changing-the-proportions-of-a-color-group-2.html When you double-click on a Color Group folder in the Swatches panel, the Live Color dialog will open, showing a color wheel in the Edit mode. If you click-and-drag on the Base Color (the larger color circle), all of the other colors will move around the color wheel, maintaining their distance from each other as well as their distance from the center of the wheel. Is there a way to change the relative positions of individual colors within this Color Group? Sure! Click the Link button to the lower right of the color wheel and you’ll be able to click on any of the colors within the group and move it around the wheel without any effect on the other colors in the Group. When you’re satisfied with the look of the altered Color Group, click the Link button again to make all the colors move around the wheel as a unit. You can save the Color Group with its new colors by clicking on the Save button (disk icon) above and to the right of the color wheel. To save this arrangement of colors as a New Color Group, click the “Folder” button instead. In this way, you won’t lose your original Color Group.

Tip provided by Jeff Witchel, Certified Adobe® Training Provider.

]]> http://www.layersmagazine.com/changing-the-proportions-of-a-color-group-2.html/feed 1 Are the Steps in a Blend Adjustable? http://www.layersmagazine.com/are-the-steps-in-a-blend-adjustable.html http://www.layersmagazine.com/are-the-steps-in-a-blend-adjustable.html#comments Wed, 29 Aug 2007 20:29:15 +0000 Jeff Witchel http://www.layersmagazine.com/are-the-steps-in-a-blend-adjustable.html You’ve just created a Blend between two shapes by selecting both objects, then switching to your Blend tool and clicking once on each of the two objects. You were hoping for a Blend with six transitional Steps, but ended up with a smooth Blend between the objects. Is there a way to change the number of Steps without starting over again?

One of the nice things about Blends, in CS2 or CS3, is that they act like Effects, which can be very easily changed at any time. To alter the number of Steps in a Blend, select the Blend with the Selection tool (V) and go to Object > Blend > Blend Options. In the dialog that opens, press the button in the Spacing section and choose Specified Steps from the pop-up menu. Type in the desired number of Steps and press OK.

Tip provided by Jeff Witchel, Certified Adobe® Training Provider.

]]> http://www.layersmagazine.com/are-the-steps-in-a-blend-adjustable.html/feed 0 Make Your Colors Sing in Perfect Harmony http://www.layersmagazine.com/make-your-colors-sing-in-perfect-harmony.html http://www.layersmagazine.com/make-your-colors-sing-in-perfect-harmony.html#comments Mon, 27 Aug 2007 20:24:39 +0000 Jeff Witchel http://www.layersmagazine.com/make-your-colors-sing-in-perfect-harmony.html Color Guide), and your selected color will be shown as the Base Color. Using this color as a starting point, you can set up harmonious Color [...]]]> Start with any color that you create in the Color panel or select from the Swatches panel. Then look in the new CS3 panel called Color Guide (Window > Color Guide), and your selected color will be shown as the Base Color. Using this color as a starting point, you can set up harmonious Color Groups in seconds. All you need to do is select the “rules” for your Color Group setup under the Harmony Rules pop-up menu (just under the Options menu in the upper right of the panel). This will pick the perfect colors to go with your Base Color instantly. To save the resulting colors as a Color Group, look under the palette’s Options menu and select “Save Colors as Swatches.” What I love about this feature is that anyone; from a color expert who’s totally familiar with the large number of preset rules to a novice who’s color challenged, can easily make their colors sing in perfect harmony.

Tip provided by Jeff Witchel, Certified Adobe® Training Provider.

]]> http://www.layersmagazine.com/make-your-colors-sing-in-perfect-harmony.html/feed 0 Changing the “Proportions” of a Color Group http://www.layersmagazine.com/changing-the-proportions-of-a-color-group.html http://www.layersmagazine.com/changing-the-proportions-of-a-color-group.html#comments Thu, 23 Aug 2007 20:19:36 +0000 Jeff Witchel http://www.layersmagazine.com/changing-the-proportions-of-a-color-group.html When you double-click on a Color Group folder in the Swatches panel, the Live Color dialog will open, showing a color wheel in the Edit mode. If you click-and-drag on the Base Color (the larger color circle), all of the other colors will move around the color wheel, maintaining their distance from each other as well as their distance from the center of the wheel. Is there a way to change the relative positions of individual colors within this Color Group? Sure! Click the Link button to the lower right of the color wheel and you’ll be able to click on any of the colors within the group and move it around the wheel without any effect on the other colors in the Group. When you’re satisfied with the look of the altered Color Group, click the Link button again to make all the colors move around the wheel as a unit. You can save the Color Group with its new colors by clicking on the Save button (disk icon) above and to the right of the color wheel. To save this arrangement of colors as a New Color Group, click the “Folder” button instead. In this way, you won’t lose your original Color Group.

Tip provided by Jeff Witchel, Certified Adobe® Training Provider.

]]> http://www.layersmagazine.com/changing-the-proportions-of-a-color-group.html/feed 0 Get the Most of Out of Your Screen Area http://www.layersmagazine.com/get-the-most-of-out-of-your-screen-area.html http://www.layersmagazine.com/get-the-most-of-out-of-your-screen-area.html#comments Tue, 21 Aug 2007 20:17:46 +0000 Jeff Witchel http://www.layersmagazine.com/get-the-most-of-out-of-your-screen-area.html The new interface goes a long way in providing artists with a lot more open screen real estate to work within. But wouldn’t it be great if there was a way to make the document window re-size automatically as you change from Icon View panels to the wider Panel View? Or how about when you switch from a two column to a one column Tools panel by clicking the double arrows at the top of the panel? That’s what Maximized Screen Mode is all about. To optimize your document window’s size, press the button at the very bottom of the Tools panel and choose Maximized Screen Mode from the pop-up menu. Now nothing will get in the way of your efficient workflow.

Tip provided by Jeff Witchel, Certified Adobe® Training Provider.

]]> http://www.layersmagazine.com/get-the-most-of-out-of-your-screen-area.html/feed 0 Two Ways to Work with the Eraser Tool http://www.layersmagazine.com/two-ways-to-work-with-the-eraser-tool.html http://www.layersmagazine.com/two-ways-to-work-with-the-eraser-tool.html#comments Fri, 17 Aug 2007 20:08:42 +0000 Jeff Witchel http://www.layersmagazine.com/two-ways-to-work-with-the-eraser-tool.html In playing with the new Eraser tool, I discovered that there’s actually two totally different ways to use it. The first way is to select any objects that you’d like to erase. Switch to your Eraser tool, and click-drag over the objects, and only the selected object will be erased. The second way is to select nothing and click-drag over any objects and the Eraser will erase the parts of the objects it runs over. To get more “selective” in what gets erased without selecting any objects, you can also Lock objects (Object > Lock > Selection) or Lock Layers and they will remain untouched.

Tip provided by Jeff Witchel, Certified Adobe® Training Provider.

]]> http://www.layersmagazine.com/two-ways-to-work-with-the-eraser-tool.html/feed 0 What’s Up with My Layers Panel http://www.layersmagazine.com/what%e2%80%99s-up-with-my-layers-panel.html http://www.layersmagazine.com/what%e2%80%99s-up-with-my-layers-panel.html#comments Wed, 15 Aug 2007 20:02:50 +0000 Jeff Witchel http://www.layersmagazine.com/what%e2%80%99s-up-with-my-layers-panel.html The very first question I got from a student about Illustrator CS3 was about Isolation Mode, which can be used to isolate a group or sublayer to make it easier to edit in a complex design. If you haven’t tried it, do the following to give it a shot. Select a group with your Selection tool (V) that is partially hidden by other groups. Click the “Isolate Selected Group” button located between the Brush and Style sections in the Control panel. This puts the group into Isolation, which locks and ghosts all objects outside the group. It also temporarily brings this group to the front, making it easy to edit any of the group’s objects using the Group Selection tool or the Direct Selection tool (A).

It’s a great feature, which led to my student’s question. He asked, “While trying out Isolation Mode, my Layers panel only displays the Isolated Group. Is this a bug?” After a second of pondering the answer I said, “Not at all. Because Isolation Mode temporarily displays the isolated objects in front, showing anything in the Layers panel but the isolated group would be confusing.” To exit Isolation Mode, double-click outside the isolated objects, and the Layers panel with return to normal.

Tip provided by Jeff Witchel, Certified Adobe® Training Provider.

]]> http://www.layersmagazine.com/what%e2%80%99s-up-with-my-layers-panel.html/feed 0 Adobe Labs Experimentation http://www.layersmagazine.com/adobe-labs-experimentation.html http://www.layersmagazine.com/adobe-labs-experimentation.html#comments Tue, 07 Aug 2007 15:32:10 +0000 Jeff Witchel http://www.layersmagazine.com/adobe-labs-experimentation.html Adobe Labs. In Illustrator, there are two Adobe Lab panels (palettes). The first, called “knowhow,” offers instant help in using all the tools in the Tools panel. This contextual panel includes [...]]]> If you want an opportunity to play with new emerging technologies, Illustrator CS3 offers a portal to the future under the Window menu > Adobe Labs. In Illustrator, there are two Adobe Lab panels (palettes). The first, called “knowhow,” offers instant help in using all the tools in the Tools panel. This contextual panel includes a description of what a selected tool does, key commands associated with that tool, a button to change the tool’s options, and another button to find out more information in Adobe Help Viewer.

Tip provided by Jeff Witchel, Certified Adobe® Training Provider.

]]> http://www.layersmagazine.com/adobe-labs-experimentation.html/feed 0 To Set Up a Document for a Cell Phone, Ring Up Device Central. http://www.layersmagazine.com/to-set-up-a-document-for-a-cell-phone-ring-up-device-central.html http://www.layersmagazine.com/to-set-up-a-document-for-a-cell-phone-ring-up-device-central.html#comments Fri, 03 Aug 2007 15:43:17 +0000 Jeff Witchel http://www.layersmagazine.com/to-set-up-a-document-for-a-cell-phone-ring-up-device-central.html If you needed to create graphics to be displayed on a particular cell phone, how would you set up your Illustrator CS3 document with all the right specifications? You could call the manufacturer and hope the right person answers your call with all the right answers. But imagine if you had to design these graphics for all the popular phone models made by all the major cell manufacturers. That could take weeks of research.

In CS3, you can simply go to File > New and in the New Document window that opens, select “Mobile and Devices” from the New Document Profile pop-up menu. Press the Device Central button that appears and this new CS3 application will open, allowing you to choose from among the wide range of devices under the New Document tab of the window. To set up a document for a particular model, double-click on the “AI” screen to the left of the phone pictures. This will automatically open a new Illustrator document with all the correct document settings for that model.

Tip provided by Jeff Witchel, Certified Adobe® Training Provider.

]]> http://www.layersmagazine.com/to-set-up-a-document-for-a-cell-phone-ring-up-device-central.html/feed 0 What’s the Point? http://www.layersmagazine.com/what%e2%80%99s-the-point.html http://www.layersmagazine.com/what%e2%80%99s-the-point.html#comments Tue, 03 Jul 2007 14:34:22 +0000 Jeff Witchel http://www.layersmagazine.com/what%e2%80%99s-the-point.html Even though Illustrator CS3 has only been out a short time, I already got my first call with a question from a former student. He said, “I’m having a problem with CS3. As I move my Direct Selection tool (A) over unselected objects in my design, these little squares keep popping up. What are they about? I thought it might have something to do with Smart Guides, but turning them off (View > Smart Guides) did nothing to stop these pop-up squares.”

I answered, “This is not a problem at all. It’s a new Direct Selection tool feature in Illustrator CS3. As you roll over an anchor point in an unselected path, a little square pops up to let you know your mouse is over an anchor point. This makes it a lot easier to select an individual point in an unselected path. If you’d like to turn this feature off (and I’m not sure why anyone would), go to your Application menu (Edit on PC) > Preferences > ‘Selection and Anchor display’ and uncheck ‘Highlight anchors on mouse over’.”

Tip provided by Jeff Witchel, Certified Adobe® Training Provider.

]]> http://www.layersmagazine.com/what%e2%80%99s-the-point.html/feed 0 Custom Control of the Control Panel http://www.layersmagazine.com/custom-control-of-the-control-panel.html http://www.layersmagazine.com/custom-control-of-the-control-panel.html#comments Thu, 21 Jun 2007 14:10:21 +0000 Jeff Witchel http://www.layersmagazine.com/custom-control-of-the-control-panel.html With all the new features in Illustrator CS3, there are more commands than ever in the Control panel. Because it’s contextual, the commands available in the Control panel may be totally different depending on what object is selected, and what tool is being used. If you’re finding the large number of commands available slightly overwhelming, you can totally customize the panel to best meet your needs. To do so, look under the options menu of the panel and simply uncheck all commands that you don’t want to be available. You can also alter the panel’s commands to work best on certain kinds of projects. For instance, if you’re working on an illustration for print media that will not involve type formatting or Flash-related features, you could turn off those features in the options menu and then save your panel options as part of a Custom Workspace (Help > Workspace > New) for your illustration projects.

Tip provided by Jeff Witchel, Certified Adobe® Training Provider.

]]> http://www.layersmagazine.com/custom-control-of-the-control-panel.html/feed 0 Quick, Get In Control of Selecting Similar Objects http://www.layersmagazine.com/quick-get-in-control-of-selecting-similar-objects.html http://www.layersmagazine.com/quick-get-in-control-of-selecting-similar-objects.html#comments Mon, 11 Jun 2007 15:43:43 +0000 Jeff Witchel http://www.layersmagazine.com/quick-get-in-control-of-selecting-similar-objects.html In working with complex designs that contain lots of objects, it’s important to be able to select similar objects quickly and easily. That’s why Select Similar Objects has been added to the Control panel. If you draw some simple shapes, some of which share the same Stroke attributes, others the same Fill color, and others the same Opacity, you’ll see how it works. Select any one of the objects and then click on the Select Similar Objects pop-up menu just to the right of the Opacity section in the Control panel. As soon as you select the search attributes from the menu, all objects that share those attributes will be selected. Select another object and click on the Select Similar Objects button and the same selection options will be applied for this different object. That’s quick and easy!

Tip provided by Jeff Witchel, Certified Adobe® Training Provider.

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