How to Use Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator is an advanced graphic design software used for creating vector graphics for print and web purposes. Developed alongside Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator has become the go-to tool for designing logos, illustrations, comic books, fonts, and much more. Mytour will guide you through the basics of using Adobe Illustrator.

Open Adobe Illustrator. The application can usually be found in the Windows Start menu or the Applications folder on a Mac.

Click on Create new (Create New). If you don't see this option, press Ctrl+N (Windows) or ⌘ Cmd+N (Mac) to create a new project.

Select the Print (Print) or Web. If you're creating a project for printing, click Print at the top of the New Document window. If you want to design graphics for the web, select Web instead.

Choose the document size. There are various pre-set document sizes to choose from. We also have the option to create a custom artboard size by adjusting values in the right panel.

• All customization options for document size, resolution, orientation, and color mode are available in the right column.
• If you want to specify the resolution for a print document, you can select it from the "Raster Effects" menu in the right-hand panel.

Click on Create (Create) to open your new document. The document is now created, and we can start familiarizing ourselves with the most commonly used tools in Illustrator.

Click and hold on the Shape tool. This tool, represented by a rectangle icon, can be found in the vertical toolbar on the left side of the screen. A menu with various shape options will appear.

• Repeat this step whenever you want to switch between different shape tools.

Click on the Rectangle Tool (Rectangle Tool). This tool allows you to draw both squares and rectangles.

Click on the canvas and drag in any direction. A rectangle will appear as you drag your mouse.

• If you want to create a perfect square, continue dragging until a pink diagonal line appears, indicating that all four sides of the square are equal.

Click and hold on the Shape tool and select the Polygon Tool (Polygon Tool). This tool lets you specify the number of sides for your geometric shape.

Click on the canvas to enter the number of sides. Once you click on the canvas, a dialog box will appear. Enter the desired number of sides for your shape.

• For example, if you want to draw an octagon, enter 8.

Click and drag on the canvas to draw a shape. Just like when drawing a rectangle, drag outward until the desired shape size is achieved.

• You can also create circles and stars using this menu, just like drawing rectangles and octagons.

Click and hold on the Pen tool option in the toolbar. This pen icon is located on the right side of the screen. A list of different pen options will appear.

• The Pen tool is used to create lines that are either straight or curved. Unlike using a real pen (or a digital brush tool), you draw straight and curved lines with the Pen tool by creating small segments connected by anchor points.

Click on the Pen Tool. This is the first option in the tool menu.

Click at the point where you want to start the line. We will begin by drawing a series of straight lines. This action will add an anchor point (similar to a dot or small square) to the canvas. Do not drag the mouse as you would when actually drawing; simply click on the point.

Click on the location where you want the segment to end. The line will now appear.

• If you see directional lines appear around the segment, it means you accidentally dragged the tool instead of clicking to create a new anchor point.

Click on additional anchor points to add more segments. The closest anchor point you click will be displayed as a filled square, while previous points will remain hollow.

Close the path (or leave it open). Once you have completed your path or specific shape, several options will be available for proceeding with the next task:

• If you want to close the shape, hover over the first anchor point you created and click the small dot next to the pen cursor. The shape will now be selected and editable just like an object created with the Shape tool.
• If you don't want to close the path, simply select another tool or press Ctrl (PC) or ⌘ Cmd (Mac) while clicking on an empty area within the canvas.

Click and hold on the new point to start the curve. If you have deselected the Pen tool, return and select it again. Do not release the mouse button after clicking on the canvas.

Drag the cursor to set the curve's slope. To proceed, simply drag the mouse towards the direction you want the segment to curve. Release the mouse once the curve has been set.

Click and hold on the end point of the segment. Do not release your mouse just yet.

Create an S or C shaped curve. The direction in which you drag the mouse will depend on the type of curve you want to create:

• Drag the mouse in the opposite direction of the previous segment to create a C-shaped curve (arc).
• Drag the mouse in the same direction as the previous segment to create an S-shaped curve.

Add a curved segment. Click and hold on the new point to add the next segment, then drag the mouse in the direction you want the straight segment to curve (just like the previous step). Continue adding curved segments until you have completed the path.

Close the path (or leave it open). Just like with straight segments, you can close a curved path or leave it open as you prefer.

Click on the Selection tool (Selection) with the arrow icon at the top of the vertical toolbar on the left side of the workspace. This tool is used to select and interact with existing objects in the drawing area.

• You can use this method to manipulate shapes, lines, and text added to your document.

Click on the object you want to edit. Once selected, the object will be surrounded by a border with handles.

• To select multiple objects at once, hold down the ⇧ Shift key while clicking each object.

Drag any handle on the outside to resize the object to your desired dimensions. As you drag the handle, the object will resize in that direction.

• Hold down the ⇧ Shift key to maintain proportions if you don’t want the shape distorted.

Drag the object from the center point to move it. This is the basic method for moving an object. You can also use the arrow keys on your keyboard.

• To move selected objects by a specific distance, click on the Object menu, choose Transform, and then click Move to open the dialog box. Enter the desired position and click OK.
• Alternatively, you can cut and paste. Go to the Edit menu at the top, select Cut to remove the selected object and copy it to the clipboard. Then, click on the Edit menu again and choose Paste to insert the object into another document.

Add color to the selected object. Double-click on the Fill box in the Properties panel (usually located at the bottom right of the workspace) to bring up the color palette, then click on the color you want to fill the selected object.

• To change the border color around the object, double-click on the Stroke box in the Properties panel and select your desired color.

Nhập hình ảnh mà bạn muốn vector hóa. Một trong những công dụng phổ biến nhất của Illustrator là tạo ảnh vector dựa trên hình từ những ứng dụng khác (chẳng hạn như hình minh họa vẽ tay được quét hoặc tạo ra trong Photoshop). Ảnh vector có thể được thu phóng theo bất kỳ kích thước nào mà không làm biến dạng hình ảnh nên rất phù hợp với tài liệu in. Để nhập tập tin ảnh, bạn cần:

• Nhấp vào trình đơn File ở trên cùng.
• Nhấp vào Place.
• Chọn ảnh mà bạn muốn chỉnh sửa.

Nhấp vào công cụ Selection với biểu tượng mũi tên ở phía trên cùng thanh công cụ bên trái.

Nhấp vào trình đơn Window ở đầu màn hình (Mac) hoặc cửa sổ ứng dụng (PC).

Nhấp vào Image Trace trong trình đơn. Bảng điều khiển Image sẽ được thêm vào không gian làm việc.

Check the "Preview" box located at the bottom left of the Image Trace panel.

Choose the desired color mode from the "Mode" dropdown menu. This menu can also be found in the Image Trace panel.

• For example, if the image is in black and white, select Black and White from the dropdown. If the image is in grayscale, select Grayscale, and so on.

Adjust the slider to set the color level. The slider will be labeled Color, Grayscale, or Threshold. The preview image will automatically update to reflect the adjustments.

Click on Advanced on the Image Trace panel to access additional options. In this section, you can:

• Adjust the "Paths" slider to make the image appear sharper.
• Move the "Corners" slider to refine the image’s edges, making them more defined (without making them too thin or uneven).
• Use the "Noise" slider to minimize the number of excess pixels in the final image.

Click on Trace at the bottom of the Image Trace panel. The image will be outlined based on the settings you’ve applied.

Save the image as a vector graphic file by following these steps:

• Click on the File menu.
• Select Save As.
• Choose the save location and enter a file name.
• Select Illustrator (*.AI) if you want to save the image as an Illustrator file, or SVG (*.SVG) for a web-friendly vector format.
• Click Save.