Adobe Illustrator: Level 1
To meet the demands of individuals and organizations for flexible, reusable, and easily modified visual content, Adobe Systems has created a cadre of applications that collectively provide a scalable, end-to-end solution for nearly every type of visual design project one can contemplate. Called Creative Cloud®, the collection of applications perform specialized design tasks while interoperating among each other to deliver content.
Training at a glance
Level
Beginner
Duration
1 Day
Experience
0 years: Basic Computing
Average Salary
$59,345
Labs
Yes
Level
Beginner
Duration
1 Day
Experience
0 years: Basic Computing
Average Salary
$59,345
Labs
Yes
Training Details
This class includes a thorough review of the Illustrator interface including how to use tools and panels, and how to customize and save workspaces. You will learn how to set up documents and save document presets, use multiple artboards, and navigate and zoom in and out as needed as you create illustrations.
You will also learn to use the selection and drawing tools to create basic shapes and paths, and then combine them to create more complex drawings. A thorough understanding of how to use type in illustrator includes point and area type, as well as the use of styles, and creating type on a path. The class also includes a lesson on the layers panel, and how to organize the elements of your design, and use layers for creating multiple versions of a layout.
Lesson 1: Getting to Know the Work Area
- Introducing Adobe Illustrator
- Starting Illustrator and opening a file
- Exploring the workspace
- Getting to know the Tools panel
- Working with the Properties panel
- Working with panels
- Docking panels
- Switching workspaces
- Saving a workspace
- Using panel and context menus
- Changing the view of artwork
- Using view commands
- Using the Zoom tool
- Scrolling through a document
- Viewing artwork
- Navigating artboards
- Using the Artboards panel
- Arranging multiple documents
- Finding resources for using Illustrator
Lesson 2: Techniques for Selecting Artwork
- Starting the lesson
- Selecting objects
- Using the Selection tool
- Using the Direct Selection tool
- Creating selections with a marquee
- Hiding and locking objects
- Selecting similar objects
- Selecting in Outline mode
- Aligning objects
- Aligning objects to each other
- Aligning to a key object
- Aligning anchor points
- Distributing objects
- Aligning to the artboard
- Working with groups
- Grouping items
- Editing a group in Isolation mode
- Creating a nested group
- Exploring object arrangement
- Arranging objects
- Selecting objects behind
Lesson 3: Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard
- Starting the lesson
- Creating a new document
- Working with basic shapes
- Creating and editing rectangles
- Rounding corners
- Working with the Rounded Rectangle tool
- Creating and editing ellipses
- Changing stroke width and alignment
- Creating and editing a circle
- Creating polygons
- Editing the polygons
- Creating a star
- Drawing lines
- Working with drawing modes
- Using the Draw Inside mode
- Working with Draw Behind mode
- Finishing up
Lesson 4: Editing and Combining Shapes and Paths
- Starting the lesson
- Editing paths and shapes
- Cutting with the Scissors tool
- Joining paths
- Cutting with the Knife tool
- Outlining strokes
- Using the Eraser tool
Lesson 5: Transforming Artwork
- Starting the lesson
- Working with artboards
- Adding artboards to a document
- Editing artboards
- Aligning artboards
- Renaming artboards
- Reordering artboards
- Working with rulers and guides
- Creating guides
- Editing the ruler origin
- Transforming content
- Working with the Bounding Box
- Positioning artwork using the Properties panel
- Scaling objects
- Reflecting objects
- Rotating objects
- Distorting objects with effects
- Transforming with the Free Transform tool
- Shearing objects
Lesson 6: Creating an Illustration with the Drawing Tools
- Starting the lesson
- An intro to drawing with the Pen tool
- Selecting paths
- Drawing straight lines with the Pen tool
- Introducing curved paths
- Drawing a curve with the Pen tool
- Drawing a series of curves with the Pen tool
- Converting smooth points to corner points
- Rounding corner points
- Editing paths and points
- Deleting and adding anchor points
- Converting between smooth points and corner points
- Working with the Anchor Point tool
- Creating a dashed line
- Adding arrowheads to a path
- Working with the Pencil tool
- Drawing freeform paths with the Pencil tool
- Drawing straight segments with the Pencil tool
- Joining with the Join tool
Lesson 7: Using Color to Enhance Signage
- Starting the lesson
- Exploring color modes
- Working with color
- Applying an existing color
- Creating a custom color
- Saving a color as a swatch
- Creating a copy of a swatch
- Editing a global swatch
- Editing a non-global swatch
- Using the Color Picker to create color
- Using Illustrator swatch libraries
- Adding a spot color
Lesson 8: Adding Type to a Poster
- Starting the lesson
- Adding type to the poster
- Adding text at a point
- Adding area type
- Working with Auto Sizing
- Converting between area type and point type
- Importing a plain-text file
- Threading text
- Formatting type
- Changing font family and font style
- Fixing missing fonts
- Changing font size
- Changing font color
- Changing additional character formatting
- Changing paragraph formatting
- Working with Glyphs
- Modifying text with the Touch Type tool
- Resizing and reshaping type objects
- Sampling text formatting
- Wrapping text
- Working with type on a path
- Creating type on a path
- Creating type on a closed path
- Creating text outlines
- Finishing up
Lesson 9: Organizing Your Artwork with Layers
- Starting the lesson
- Understanding layers
- Creating layers and sublayers
- Creating new layers
- Creating sublayers
- Editing layers and objects
- Locating layers
- Moving content between layers
- Viewing layers
- Reordering layers
- Changing layer order
Lesson 10: Exporting Assets
- Exporting artboards and assets
- Exporting artboards
Basic computer and file management skills are required for Core Skills level Adobe courses. Students should know how to: locate, copy and open files; create folders; arrange, re-size, minimize, and maximize application windows; start and exit programs; manage use of multiple programs simultaneously; and switch between open programs.
This course is appropriate for beginners and for anyone who is self taught on the basics of Illustrator. Quite often even experienced users find they benefit from a Core Skills: Level 1 class to fill in the gaps in their knowledge. However, if you feel that you are already familiar with the content covered in the Level 1 course, you can view the Level 2 course outline through the link in Follow-On Courses below.
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