Book description
Adobe Illustrator is the gold standard for creating exciting, color-rich artwork for print, the Web, or even mobile devices. Whether you're stepping up to Illustrator CS4 or tackling Illustrator for the first time, you'll find Illustrator CS4 For Dummies is the perfect partner.
This full-color guide gives you the scoop on the newest tools, tips on color control and path editing, ways to organize graphics, and how to get your work into print or on the Web. You've heard Illustrator is a bit complicated? That's why you need this friendly For Dummies book! It shows you how to:
Manage Illustrator CS4's many tools, commands, and palettes
Decide when to choose RGB over CMYK and how to get perfect color when printing
Compare path and pixel documents, adjust points on a path, and learn to use the versatile Pen and Pencil tools
Use the Character and Paragraph palettes and get creative with type on a path
Work in pixel preview mode, create Web-specific vector graphics, and use Flash with Illustrator
Set up your pages for printing and work with separations, or save files in Web-friendly formats
Create basic shapes, straight lines, and precise curves, then bring it all together into eye-popping artwork
Organize with the Layers palette, tweak color, and make the most of styles and effects
Use Illustrator together with other elements of the Adobe Creative Suite
With plain-English instructions and colorful examples of what you can achieve, Illustrator CS4 For Dummies will make you an Illustrator pro in no time.
Table of contents
- Copyright
- About the Author
- Author's Acknowledgments
- Publisher's Acknowledgments
- Introduction
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I. Driving People Crazy — Illustrator's Bum Rap
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1. Introducing the World of Illustrator
- 1.1. From Humble Origins to Master of the Graphics Universe
- 1.2. Starting Up Illustrator and Revving It a Little
- 1.3. Exploring the Illustrator Workspace
- 1.4. Defining the Document Area
- 1.5. Opening Existing Documents
- 1.6. Viewing Illustrator Documents
- 1.7. Using Templates
- 1.8. Saving Illustrator Documents
- 1.9. Changing Your Mind
- 1.10. Printing Illustrator Documents
- 1.11. Closing Documents and Quitting Illustrator
- 2. Following the Righteous Path
- 3. Doing Everyday Things with Illustrator
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1. Introducing the World of Illustrator
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II. Drawing and Coloring Your Artwork
- 4. Shaping Up, Basically
- 5. Getting Your Fill of Fills and Strokes
- 6. Selecting and Editing Paths
- 7. Wielding the Mighty Pen Tool
- 8. Creating Straight and Curved Lines without the Pen Tool
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9. Creating Magnificent Brushstrokes
- 9.1. Brushing Where No Stroke Has Gone Before
- 9.2. Creating a New Brush
- 9.3. Working with the Different Brush Types
- 10. Extreme Fills and Strokes
- 11. Effectively Keeping Up Appearances, with Style(s)
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III. Taking Your Paths to Obedience School
- 12. Pushing, Pulling, Poking, and Prodding
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13. Organizing Efficiently
- 13.1. Stacking Illustrator Artwork
- 13.2. Managing the Mess
- 13.3. Imposing Slavish Conformity with Groups
- 13.4. Lining Up
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IV. Practically Speaking: Type, Print, and Files
- 14. Introducing Letters and Such (Type 101)
- 15. Printing Your Masterpiece
- 16. Moving Files Into and Out of Illustrator
- 17. Putting Your Art on the Web
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V. The Part of Tens
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18. Ten Production-Enhancing Tips
- 18.1. Punching Holes
- 18.2. Use Photoshop Effects in Illustrator!
- 18.3. When White Isn't Nothing
- 18.4. Expanding to Get to the Root of the Artwork
- 18.5. Quick! Hide!
- 18.6. Taking a Tip from Illustrator
- 18.7. Changing Your Units Whenever You Want
- 18.8. Reusing Your Brushes, Swatches, and Libraries
- 18.9. Avoiding Russian Dolls
- 18.10. Selecting Type When You Want
- 19. Ten (Or So) Ways to Customize Illustrator
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18. Ten Production-Enhancing Tips
- BC-1. Taking Images Out of the Realm of Reality
Product information
- Title: Illustrator® CS4 For Dummies®
- Author(s):
- Release date: November 2009
- Publisher(s): For Dummies
- ISBN: 9780470396568
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