Illustrator® CS4 Bible

Chapter 15. Working with Graphic Styles and Effects

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Working with graphic styles

• Using the Appearance panel

• Working with effects

• Experiencing the new Scribble effect

Probably some of the most amazing illustrations you see in Illustrator come from using graphic styles and effects. Graphic styles can increase your productivity with any type of repeating symbol or set of attributes that you use daily. Set as a style, you can use it over and over again.

Those of you looking to create special effects, look no further. In this chapter, you discover when to use effects.

Along with effects, you also see a variety of artwork that combines effects with graphic styles.

Understanding How Graphic Styles Work

Graphic styles have brought Illustrator to the front of the pack in illustration software. Graphic styles give you the ability to save all of an object's attributes in a panel. You can use the Graphic Styles panel to quickly add the attributes, such as transparency, effects, strokes, and fills, to another object. Creating a style is pretty darn easy. Simply create the look you want on an object. Then, with your object selected, choose New Graphic Style from the Graphic Styles panel's popup menu. That's it! Now you can use that style anytime you want. It seems like a breeze, but before diving headfirst into the Graphic Styles panel, first check out the Appearance panel.

The Appearance panel houses all the information about a selected object. The information includes the stroke information, ...