Adobe ILLUSTRATOR 6.0 User manual

List of topics

Menu commands

Toolbar

Index

How to use this guide

Basic concepts

Viewing and setting up documents

Drawing

Moving and aligning objects

Modifying shapes and applying

special effects

Painting

Creating custom colors, gradients,

and patterns

Using layers

Using type

Using graphs

Importing and exporting artwork

Printing documents

Producing color separations

Error messages and troubleshooting

What’s new in 6.0

List of topics

Basic Concepts

Bitmap images and vector graphics

Opening documents

Saving documents

Setting preferences

Using the toolbox and the plug-ins

toolbox

Using the status bar

Using the Shortcuts palette

Correcting mistakes

Reverting to an earlier version of

your document

Using plug-in modules

Bitmap images and vector graphics

Computer graphics fall into two main

categories—

bitmap images

and

vector

graphics

. Understanding the difference

between these two types of graphics is

useful when you’re creating and editing

digital illustrations. (For more informa-

tion on using these formats with Illus-

trator, see About graphic ﬁle formats.)

See also

Bitmap vs. Vector graphics

jump to art

Bitmap images

Bitmap images, such as those created

in Adobe Photoshop, consist of a grid,

bitmap

, of small squares, known as

pixels

. For example, a bicycle tire in a

bitmap image is made up of a collection

of pixels in that location, with each pixel

part of a mosaic that together gives the

appearance of a tire. When working with

bitmap images, you edit pixels rather

than objects or shapes.

Bitmap images are best used for work-

ing with continuous-tone graphics, such

as photographs or images created in

painting programs. Bitmap images

are set at a ﬁxed resolution—they are

resolution dependent. This means that

objects can appear jagged and lose

detail if they are scanned or created at a

low resolution (for example, at 72 pixels

per inch) and then enlarged or printed at

a higher resolution.

jump to art

Vector graphics

Vector graphics, such as those created

in Adobe Illustrator, are made up of lines

and curves deﬁned by mathematical

objects called

vectors

. For example, a

bicycle tire in a vector graphic is made

up of a mathematical deﬁnition of a cir-

cle ﬁlled with a speciﬁc color and set at

a speciﬁc location. When you move,

resize, or change the color of the tire,

the program changes the mathematical

deﬁnition of the shape or location of the

tire, or the tire’s color.

Vector-based programs are best for type

(especially small type) and drawings

that require crisp, clear lines regardless

of the size to which they are scaled.

Graphics created in vector-based pro-

grams such as Illustrator always appear

at the maximum resolution of the moni-

tor or printer on which they are output—

they are resolution independent.

jump to art

Vector

Bitmap vs. Vector graphics

Click on artwork to jump to information on that format.

4:1 zoom

16:1 zoom

4:1 zoom

16:1 zoom

Bitmap

Opening documents

When you start Adobe Illustrator, the

program automatically opens a new

document. You can also create a new

document at any time, once Illustrator is

running. In either case, a new document

appears with the name

Untitled art

in its

title bar.

You can open existing documents as

well as create new ones. An existing

document appears with its name dis-

played in the title bar.

See also

Opening and placing artwork.

To open a new document:

Choose File

New from the Illustrator

menu bar.

To open an existing document:

Choose File

Open.

Select the name of the document you

want to open, and click Open.

Saving documents

You can save a document under its

current name, location, and ﬁle format

by using the Save command. If you are

saving the document for the ﬁrst time,

the Save dialog box appears, enabling

you to specify how and where you want

to save the document.

By using the Save As command, you can

save a copy of a document under a dif-

ferent name, location, or ﬁle format. For

information on saving a document in a

different ﬁle format or with a special

preview option, see Exporting artwork.

To save a file:

Choose File

Save or File

Save As.

If you choose the Save As command, or

if the document has not been saved

before, choose any of the following

options:

•

Select the folder in which you want to

save the document.

•

Create a new folder by clicking New.

•

Enter the name of the document in the

Save This Document As text box.

•

From the Format pop-up menu,

choose the ﬁle format in which you

want to save the document.

If you save the document in EPS for-

mat, you can add Fetch® information.

Fetch

is a program that searches for and

retrieves ﬁles based on information

about the ﬁle. Choose any of the follow-

ing options:

•

Select the Include Document Thumb-

nail option to create a thumbnail pre-

view for the ﬁle when viewed by Fetch.

•

Enter the author’s name in the Author

text box.

•

Enter any search keywords, separated

by commas, in the Keywords text box.

•

Enter any identifying information

about the document in the Description

text box.

Click Save.

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