Adobe® Illustrator® CS4 Classroom in a Book®

Adobe® Illustrator® CS4 Classroom in a Book®

by Adobe Creative Team
Released November 2008
Publisher(s): Adobe Press
ISBN: 9780321618337

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Book description

This title includes additional digital media when purchased in print format. For this digital book edition, media content may not be included. Contact the publisher's customer service directly for assistance.

The fastest, easiest, most comprehensive way to learn Adobe Illustrator CS4

Adobe Illustrator CS4 Classroom in a Book contains 15 lessons. The book covers the basics of learning Illustrator and provides countless tips and techniques to help you become more productive with the program. You can follow the book from start to finish or choose only those lessons that interest you.

Learn how to create artwork for illustrations, logos, stationery, page layouts, posters, and integrate with Adobe Flash® movies, Adobe InDesign® layouts, and more!

“The Classroom in a Book series is by far the best training material on the market. Everything you need to master the software is included: clear explanations of each lesson, step-by-step instructions, and the project files for the students.”
—Barbara Binder, Adobe Certified Instructor, Rocky Mountain Training

Classroom in a Book®, the best-selling series of hands-on software training workbooks, helps you learn the features of Adobe software quickly and easily. Classroom in a Book offers what no other book or training program does—an official training series from Adobe Systems Incorporated, developed with the support of Adobe product experts.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. What’s on the Disc
    1. Lesson files ... and so much more
  3. Getting started
    1. About Classroom in a Book
    2. Prerequisites
    3. Installing the program
    4. Fonts used in this book
    5. Copying the Classroom in a Book files
      1. To install the Classroom in a Book files
    6. Restoring default preferences
      1. To save current Illustrator preferences
      2. To delete current Illustrator preferences
      3. To restore saved preferences after completing the lessons
    7. Additional resources
    8. Adobe certification
  4. What’s New in Adobe Illustrator CS4
    1. Workspace improvements
    2. Multiple artboards
    3. Smart guides
    4. Gradient enhancements
    5. Transparency in gradients
    6. The Blob Brush tool
    7. In-panel appearance editing
    8. Enriched Graphic Styles panel
  5. A Quick Tour of Adobe Illustrator CS4
    1. Getting started
      1. Working with multiple artboards
      2. Working with alignment and smart guides
      3. Working with the Blob Brush tool
      4. Placing Adobe Photoshop images in Illustrator CS4
      5. Using Live Trace
      6. Using Live Paint
      7. Working with color groups and Edit Color/Recolor Artwork
      8. Working with type
      9. Using the Appearance panel
      10. Saving the appearance as a graphic style
      11. Applying warp to the text
      12. Creating and editing a gradient
      13. Working with symbols
      14. Creating a clipping mask
  6. 1. Getting to Know the Work Area
    1. Getting started
    2. Understanding the workspace
      1. Working with the Tools panel
      2. The Control panel
      3. Working with panels
      4. Using panel menus
      5. Resetting and saving your workspace
    3. Changing the view of artwork
      1. Viewing artwork
      2. Using the view commands
      3. Using the Zoom tool
      4. Scrolling through a document
      5. Navigating multiple artboards
      6. Arranging documents
      7. Document groups
      8. Using the Navigator panel
    4. Finding Resources for using Illustrator
      1. Searching for a topic in Help
    5. Checking for updates
    6. Exploring on your own
    7. Review questions
    8. Review answers
  7. 2. Selecting and Aligning
    1. Getting started
      1. Using the Selection tool
      2. Using the Direct Selection tool
      3. Creating selections with a marquee
      4. Creating selections with the Magic Wand tool
      5. Grouping items
      6. Adding to a group
      7. Working in isolation mode
      8. Selecting similar objects
      9. Applying selection techniques
      10. Advanced selection techniques
      11. Aligning objects
      12. Aligning to a key object
      13. Aligning points
      14. Distributing objects
      15. Aligning to the artboard
    2. Exploring on your own
    3. Review questions
    4. Review answers
  8. 3. Creating and Editing Shapes
    1. Getting started
    2. Creating a document with multiple artboards
    3. Working with basic shapes
      1. Accessing the basic shape tools
      2. Creating with shapes
      3. Outlining strokes
      4. Working with line segments
      5. Joining paths
      6. Using the Eraser tool
    4. Combining objects
      1. Working with Pathfinder effects
      2. Working with shape modes
    5. Using Live Trace to create shapes
    6. Exploring on your own
    7. Review questions
    8. Review answers
  9. 4. Transforming Objects
    1. Getting started
    2. Working with artboards
      1. Adding artboards to the document
      2. Editing artboards
    3. Transforming content
      1. Working with rulers and guides
      2. Scaling objects
      3. Reflecting objects
      4. Rotating objects
      5. Distorting objects
      6. Shearing objects
    4. Positioning objects precisely
    5. Changing the perspective
      1. Using the Free Distort effect
      2. Making multiple transformations
    6. Exploring on your own
    7. Review questions
    8. Review answers
  10. 5. Drawing with the Pen and Pencil Tools
    1. Getting started
    2. Creating straight lines
    3. Creating curved paths
      1. Building a curve
      2. Converting curved points to corner points
    4. Creating the apple illustration
      1. Creating the arrow
      2. Splitting a path
      3. Adding arrowheads
    5. Drawing curves
      1. Selecting a curve
      2. Drawing the leaf
      3. Drawing different kinds of curves
      4. Convert between smooth points and corner points
      5. Drawing the apple shape
      6. Editing curves
      7. Deleting and adding anchor points
      8. Drawing with the Pencil tool
      9. Editing with the Pencil tool
    6. Finishing the apple illustration
      1. Assembling the parts
      2. Painting the artwork
    7. Exploring on your own
    8. Review questions
    9. Review answers
  11. 6. Color and Painting
    1. Getting started
    2. Understanding color
      1. Color modes
      2. Understanding the color controls
    3. Creating color
      1. Building and saving a custom color
      2. Editing a swatch
      3. Using Illustrator swatch libraries
      4. Creating a spot color
      5. Using the Color Picker
      6. Creating and saving a tint of a color
      7. Copying attributes
      8. Creating color groups
      9. Working with the Color Guide panel
      10. Editing a color group
      11. Editing colors in artwork
      12. Working with the Kuler panel
      13. Assigning colors to your artwork
      14. Adjusting colors
    4. Painting with gradients and patterns
      1. Using patterns
      2. Creating your own pattern
      3. Applying a pattern
      4. Editing a pattern
    5. Working with Live Paint
      1. Editing Live Paint regions
    6. Exploring on your own
    7. Review questions
    8. Review answers
  12. 7. Working with Type
    1. Getting started
    2. Working with type
      1. Creating point type
      2. Creating area type
      3. Importing a plain text file
      4. Creating columns of text
    3. Understanding text flow
      1. Working with overflow text and text reflow
      2. Threading text
      3. Resizing type objects
    4. Formatting type
      1. Changing the font size
      2. Changing the font color
      3. Changing additional text attributes
      4. Changing paragraph attributes
    5. Saving and using styles
      1. Creating and using a paragraph style
      2. Creating and using a character style
      3. Sampling text
      4. Reshaping text with an envelope warp
      5. Wrapping text around an object
      6. Creating text on paths and shapes
      7. Creating text outlines
    6. Exploring on your own
    7. Review questions
    8. Review answers
  13. 8. Working with Layers
    1. Getting started
    2. Creating layers
      1. Moving objects and layers
    3. Locking layers
    4. Viewing layers
    5. Pasting layers
    6. Creating clipping masks
    7. Merging layers
    8. Applying appearance attributes to layers
      1. Isolating layers
    9. Exploring on your own
    10. Review questions
    11. Review answers
  14. 9. Blending Shapes and Colors
    1. Getting started
    2. Working with gradients
      1. Creating and applying a linear gradient
      2. Adjusting the direction and angle of a gradient blend
      3. Creating a radial gradient
      4. Changing colors and adjusting the gradient
      5. Applying gradients to multiple objects
      6. Adding transparency to gradients
    3. Working with blended objects
      1. Creating a blend with specified steps
      2. Modifying the blend
      3. Creating smooth color blends
    4. Exploring on your own
    5. Review questions
    6. Review answers
  15. 10. Working with Brushes
    1. Getting started
    2. Working with the Blob Brush tool
      1. Drawing with the Blob Brush tool
      2. Editing with the Blob Brush and Eraser tools
      3. Merge paths with the Blob Brush tool
    3. Working with brushes
      1. Using Art brushes
      2. Drawing with the Paintbrush tool
      3. Editing paths with the Paintbrush tool
    4. Using Scatter brushes
      1. Changing brush options
      2. Applying a Scatter brush to paths
    5. Changing the color attributes of brushes
      1. Changing the brush color using Hue Shift colorization
      2. Changing the brush color using Tints colorization
    6. Using a fill color with brushes
    7. Using Calligraphic brushes
    8. Using Pattern brushes
    9. Creating brushes
      1. Creating swatches for a Pattern brush
      2. Creating a Pattern brush from swatches
      3. Painting with the Pattern brush
    10. Applying the Scribble effect
    11. Exploring on your own
      1. The Blob Brush tool
      2. Applying brushes
      3. Creating brushes
    12. Review questions
    13. Review answers
  16. 11. Applying Effects
    1. Getting started
      1. Using live effects
      2. Applying an effect
      3. Editing an effect
    2. Creating a banner logo with the Warp effect
      1. Creating the logotype
      2. Stylizing the banner and logotype
    3. Creating the 3D cylinder
      1. Using the 3D Extrude & Bevel effect
      2. Applying a symbol as mapped artwork
      3. Creating a revolved object
      4. Changing the lighting
      5. Mapping a Photoshop image
      6. Adjusting the lighting
    4. Exploring on your own
    5. Review questions
    6. Review answers
  17. 12. Applying Appearance Attributes and Graphic Styles
    1. Getting started
    2. Using appearance attributes
      1. Editing and adding appearance attributes
      2. Reordering appearance attributes
      3. Adding an additional stroke and fill
      4. Using graphic styles
      5. Creating and saving a graphic style
      6. Applying a graphic style to an object
      7. Applying a graphic style to a layer
      8. Applying existing graphic styles
      9. Adding to an existing graphic style
      10. Applying an appearance to a layer
      11. Copying, applying, and removing graphic styles
    3. Exploring on your own
    4. Review questions
    5. Review answers
  18. 13. Working with Symbols
    1. Getting started
    2. Working with symbols
      1. Using Illustrator symbol libraries
      2. Creating symbols
      3. Spraying symbol instances
      4. Editing symbol sets using the symbolism tools
      5. Editing symbols
      6. Updating a symbol
      7. Breaking a link to a symbol
      8. Replacing symbols
    3. Storing and retrieving artwork in the Symbols panel
    4. Mapping a symbol to 3D artwork
    5. Symbols and Flash integration
    6. Exploring on your own
    7. Review questions
    8. Review answers
  19. 14. Combining Illustrator CS4 Graphics with Other Adobe Applications
    1. Getting started
      1. Working with Adobe Bridge
    2. Combining artwork
    3. Vector versus bitmap graphics
    4. Editing the artboard
    5. Placing an Adobe Photoshop file
      1. About layer comps
      2. Editing and duplicating a placed image
      3. Applying color edits to a placed image
    6. Masking an image
      1. Applying a clipping mask to an image
      2. Creating compound paths and opacity masks
      3. Editing an imported mask
    7. Sampling colors in placed images
    8. Replacing a placed image
    9. Exporting a layered file to Adobe Photoshop
    10. Placing Illustrator files in Adobe InDesign
    11. Integrating Illustrator and Adobe Flash
    12. Creating Illustrator files for Adobe Flex
    13. Exploring on your own
    14. Review questions
    15. Review answers
  20. 15. Output
    1. Getting started
    2. Understanding the printing process
    3. Understanding printing devices
      1. Halftone screens
      2. Screen frequency
      3. Output device resolution
    4. About color
      1. RGB color model
      2. CMYK color model
      3. Spot colors
    5. What is color management?
      1. Setting up color management in Illustrator
    6. Soft-proofing colors
    7. Color separations
      1. Previewing color separations
      2. Printing color separations
      3. Specifying the bleed area
      4. Separating colors
      5. Specifying the screen frequency
    8. Working with two-color illustrations
      1. Separating spot colors
    9. Understanding trapping
    10. Overprinting objects
    11. Saving and exporting artwork
      1. Using the Document Info panel
      2. Saving a file with transparency
      3. Saving in the EPS format
      4. Printing transparent artwork
      5. Saving as Adobe PDF
    12. Review questions
    13. Review answers
  21. Production Notes
    1. Images
    2. Typefaces used
    3. Team credits
  22. Contributors

Product information

  • Title: Adobe® Illustrator® CS4 Classroom in a Book®
  • Author(s): Adobe Creative Team
  • Release date: November 2008
  • Publisher(s): Adobe Press
  • ISBN: 9780321618337