Illustrator advanced

Overview
A two day course designed to give more experienced users an insight into more advanced techniques and features of the application, to explore some graphic effects and to create ready for print documents.

Prerequisites
Advanced knowledge of the application and good knowledge of the professional printing process, web design or motion graphics.

Course Content File Management With Adobe Bridge

• Understanding the interface
• Previewing files in different modes
• Rating and labelling
• Assigning Keywords
• Batch Rename
• Synchronising Adobe's Colour Workspace

Workflow

• Creating and managing custom Guides
• Working with Views
• Understanding Smart Guides
• Creating Illustrator Templates

Modifying Objects

• Appearance Palette
• Compound Shapes
• Working with the Pathfinder to:
• Divide, trim, merge, crop and outline object
• Creating Groups

Envelopes

• Applying Warp and Mash Envelopes
• Expanding and releasing
• Edit Envelope contents
• Creating custom Envelope shapes

Masks

• Creating and applying Masks
• Modifying and updating mask content

Working With Colour

• Understanding Illustrators Swatches
• Creating Gradient and Pattern Swatches
• Working with Color Guide
• Creating Live Paint Objects
• Loading Pantone Libraries
• Saving and exporting Swatches
• Working with Gradient Mashes

Brushes

• Creating Calligraphic-, Art-, Pattern-, and Scatter Brushes
• Modifying the brush options
• Updating and applying Brush Presets

Graphic Styles

• Understanding Illustrators Graphic Styles
• Creating and applying Graphic Styles
• Loading and saving Graphic Style Presets

Effects & Filters

• Understanding Illustrator's Filter and Effects menu
• Distort & Transform
• Stylize
• Effect Gallery

Working With Layers

• Creating and understanding Layers
• Selecting and arranging Layers
• Duplicating Layer content
• Applying Layer Options
• Releasing and flattening Layers

Text In Illustrator

• Creating and threading multiple text containers
• Modifying threaded text
• Modifying Area Type Options
• Type flow into a shape
• Text on a Path Options
• Using Text Wrap and options
• Using Character-, and Paragraph Styles
• Special characters with the Glyph Palette
• Setting up Hyphenations and Justifications
• Customizing Tabs

Print

• Setting up for professional printing
• Understanding transparency flattening
• Creating Crop Marks
• Page Tiling
• Exporting Multiple Page PDF
• Using the Area Crop Tool to export pre-defined areas
• Setting up the Document Raster Effect Setting

Working With Bitmaps

• Placing images
• Understanding the Link Palette
• Converting bitmap into vector graphics using Live Trace
• Using bitmap filter

3D

• Understanding Illustrator's 3D Effects
• Rotate, Bevel & Extrude and revolve objects
• Mapping artwork onto objects

Automating Tasks

• Creating and recoding Actions
• Creating Droplets
• Running a Batch
• Loading and saving Action Sets

Keyboard Shortcuts Questions & Answers