If you need to crop a photo, Adobe Illustrator really is NOT the best program to do that. You can do it but it’s best to use Photoshop instead. However, if you need to crop your vector artwork or an embedded image, or simply have no other options, there are several ways you can do … Read more
Curving text is one of those things people want to use Adobe Illustrator for, since that is the app specifically intended to work with curves. And there are indeed many ways to curve text there for all sorts of scenarios. Type on a Path Not the simplest to use, but the most direct and customizable … Read more
Tracing is a way convert a raster image into a vector image. Raster images consist of pixels and are good at storing rich details and complex textures of real-world pictures. But as you zoom in or resize the image those pixels start to show as square blocks or blurred spots. Vector images on the other … Read more
Layers in Illustrator can be confusing as they are not as straightforward as say in Photoshop or any other programs. What you might understand as a ‘layer’ can be something else in Illustrator’s terminology. But let’s just cut through that and review some of the most common ways you may achieve your goal. Layers Panel … Read more
By default, Illustrator’s background is shown as white, which doesn’t allow you to see whether some of your objects themselves have white background or transparent. And unlike in Photoshop, there is no background layer that you can turn off or delete to see transparency. You would have to check by placing something with a color … Read more
Patterns are special types of fills, alongside with solid colors and gradients, that consist of repeating objects. They can be made out of any objects an are stored as swatches on the Swatches panel or as separate libraries. Make a Pattern Create new document of any size or designate an area in your existing one … Read more
Outlining text can actually mean two different things: creating (or converting to) outlines before sending off for print or making your text look outlined. Creating Outlines A common requirement before submitting your files for printing is converting your text to outlines. This is actually easily achieved in one step. Select your text and go to … Read more
There is actually a surprising amount of ways to combine, group or merge objects together in Adobe Illustrator which can lead to confusion. But there is a couple of very common, quick and easy, and the rest we will clear up if you need them. Grouping The number one method of combining objects is simple … Read more
Gradient is a blend between two or more colors or different levels of transparency and the Gradient Tool is a way to fill with and edit gradients with relative ease, directly on the objects. Gradient Fill Select or create an object. It might be easier to begin with the Rectangle (M) or Ellipse Tool (L). … Read more
Clipping mask is a vector shape used to hide the visibility of objects in Illustrator. You can use it to clip the visibility of any object or combination of objects up to the entire artwork. Make Clipping Mask To make a new clipping mask do the following: Create or copy and paste any shape you … Read more