Getting to know the toolbar

The toolbar on the left side of the workspace contains tools for selecting, drawing and painting, editing, and viewing, as well as the Fill and Stroke boxes, drawing modes, and screen modes. As you work through the lessons, you’ll learn about the specific function of many of these tools.

1. Move the pointer over the Selection tool () in the toolbar. Notice that the name (Selection Tool) and keyboard shortcut (V) are displayed in a tool tip.

   

2. Move the pointer over the Direct Selection tool (). Press and hold until a tools menu appears, then release the mouse button. Click the Group Selection tool () in the menu to select it.

   Any tool in the toolbar that displays a small triangle contains additional tools that can be selected in this way.

   

   Tip

   You can also select hidden tools by pressing the Option key (macOS) or the Alt key (Windows) and clicking the tool in the toolbar. Each click selects the next hidden tool in the tool sequence.

3. Press and hold the Rectangle tool () to reveal more tools. Click the arrow at the right edge of the hidden tools panel to separate the tools from the toolbar as a separate floating panel of tools, so you can access them easily.

   

4. Click the Close button (X) in the upper-left corner (macOS) or upper-right corner (Windows) of the floating tool panel to close it. The tools return to the toolbar.

   

   Next, you’ll learn how to resize and float the toolbar. In the figures in this lesson, the toolbar is a single column by default. As I said before, you may initially see a double-column toolbar, depending on your screen resolution and workspace, and that’s okay.

5. Click the double arrow in the upper-left corner of the toolbar to either expand the single column into two columns or collapse the two columns into one (depending on your screen resolution).

   

6. Click the same double arrow again to collapse (or expand) the toolbar.

   Tip

   You can click the double arrow at the top of the toolbar or double-click the title bar at the top of the toolbar to switch between two columns and one column.
   
   When the toolbar is floating, be careful not to click the X or it will close! If you close it, choose Window > Toolbars > Basic to reopen it.

7. Drag the toolbar into the workspace by the dark gray title bar at the top of the toolbar or by the dashed line beneath the title bar. The toolbar is now floating in the workspace.

   

8. Drag the toolbar to the left side of the Application window using either the solid bar at the top of the toolbar or the dashed line just below the solid bar.

   When the pointer reaches the left edge, a translucent blue border, called the drop zone, appears. Release the mouse button to dock the toolbar neatly into the side of the workspace.

   

Finding more tools

In Illustrator, the default set of tools that appears in the toolbar does not include every available tool. As you make your way through this book, you’ll explore other tools that you’ll need to know how to access. In this section, you’ll see how to access these other tools.

1. Click Edit Toolbar () at the bottom of the toolbar on the left.

   

   A panel appears that shows all of the available tools. The tools that appear dimmed (you can’t select them) are already in the default toolbar. You can drag any of the remaining tools into the toolbar, where you can then select and use them.

2. Move the pointer over a tool that is dimmed, like the Selection tool, at the top of the tools list (you may need to scroll up).

   The tool is highlighted in the toolbar. If you hover the pointer over a tool like the Ellipse tool, which is nested within the Rectangle tool, the Rectangle tool will highlight, showing you where it is.

   

3. Scroll in the list of tools until you see the Shaper tool (). To add it to the toolbar, drag the Shaper tool onto the Rectangle tool. When a highlight appears around the Rectangle tool and a plus (+) appears next to the pointer, release the mouse to add the Shaper tool.

   

4. Press the Escape key to hide the extra tools.

   The Shaper tool will now be in the toolbar until you remove it or reset the toolbar. Next, you’ll remove the Shaper tool. Later in the lessons, you will add tools to learn more about them.

   Tip

   After clicking Edit Toolbar, you can reset the toolbar by clicking the panel menu icon () and choosing Reset.

5. Click Edit Toolbar () at the bottom of the toolbar again to show the panel of extra tools. Drag the Shaper tool onto the panel. When a minus shows next to the pointer (), release the mouse to remove the Shaper tool from the toolbar.

   

Working with the Properties panel

When you start Illustrator for the first time and open a document, you’ll see the Properties panel on the right side of the workspace. The Properties panel displays properties for the active document when nothing is selected. It also displays appearance properties for content you select. It’s a panel you’ll be using quite a bit; it puts all of the most commonly used options in one place.

1. Select the Selection tool () in the toolbar, and look in the Properties panel on the right.

   

   At the top of the Properties panel, you will see “No Selection.” This is the Selection Indicator, which is a great place to see what type of content is selected (if any). With nothing selected in the document, the Properties panel shows the current document properties as well as program preferences.

2. Move the pointer into the green water shape in the artwork, and click to select it.

   

   In the Properties panel, you should now see appearance options for the selected artwork, which is a path, as indicated by “Path” at the top of the panel. You can change the size, position, color, and much more for the selected artwork.

3. Click the underlined word “Opacity” in the Properties panel to open the Transparency panel.

   Words that are underlined in the Properties panel will show more options when you click them.

   

4. Press Escape to hide the Transparency panel, if it’s showing.

5. Choose Select > Deselect to deselect the path.

   The Properties panel once again shows document properties and program preferences when nothing is selected.

Working with panels

Panels like the Properties panel give you quick access to many of the tools and options that make modifying artwork easier. All of the panels available in Illustrator are listed alphabetically in the Window menu. Next, you’ll experiment with hiding, opening, and closing panels.

1. Click the Layers panel tab to the right of the Properties panel tab.

   

   The Layers panel is grouped with two other panels—the Properties panel and the Libraries panel. They are all part of the same panel group.

   

2. Click the double arrow at the top of the dock to collapse the panels.

   You can use this method of collapsing the panels to create a larger area for working on your document. You’ll learn more about docking in the next section.

3. Drag the left edge of the docked panels to the right until the panel text disappears.

   

   This hides the panel names and collapses the panel dock to icons only. To open a panel that is collapsed as an icon, you can click a panel icon.

4. Click the double arrow again to expand the panels.

   

5. Choose Window > Workspace > Reset Essentials to reset the workspace.

   You’ll learn more about resetting and switching workspaces in the section “Switching workspaces.”

Moving and docking panels

Panels in Illustrator can be moved around in the workspace and organized to match your working needs. Next, you’ll open a new panel and dock it with the default panels on the right side of the workspace.

1. Click the Window menu at the top of the screen to see all of the panels available in Illustrator. Choose Align from the Window menu to open the Align panel and the other panels grouped with it by default.

   Panels you open that do not appear in the default workspace are free-floating. That means they are not docked and can be moved around. You can dock free-floating panels on the right or left side of the workspace.

2. Drag the Align panel group by the title bar above the panel names to move the group closer to the docked panels on the right.

   Next, you’ll dock the Align panel with the Properties panel group.

   

3. Drag the Align panel by the panel tab onto the Properties, Layers, and Libraries panel tabs on the right. When a blue highlight appears around the entire panel dock, release the mouse button to dock the panel in the group.

   When dragging a panel to the dock on the right, if you see a blue line above the docked panel tabs before releasing, you’ll create a new panel group rather than docking the panel with the existing panel group.

   

4. Click the X at the top of the Transform and Pathfinder panel group, which is free-floating, to close it.

   Aside from adding panels to the dock on the right, you can also remove them.

   

5. Drag the Align panel by the panel tab, to the left, away from the dock of panels, and release the mouse button.

   

6. Click the X at the top of the Align panel to close it.

7. Click the Libraries panel tab on the right to show that panel, if the panel isn’t already showing.

Switching workspaces

As you’ve seen, you can customize the parts of the default Essentials workspace, like the toolbar and panels. As you make changes, like opening and closing panels and changing their position (among other things), you can save that particular arrangement as a workspace—and switch between them while you work.

Illustrator comes with a host of other workspaces that are tailored to a variety of tasks. Next, you’ll switch workspaces and learn about some new panels.

1. Click the workspace switcher in the Application bar above the docked panels to change the workspace. See the first part of the following figure.

   You’ll see a number of workspaces listed, each with a specific purpose, that will open panels and arrange the workspace according to each type of work.

2. Choose Layout from the workspace switcher menu to change workspaces.

   

   You’ll notice a few major changes in the workspace. One of the biggest is the Control panel, which is now docked at the top of the workspace, just above the Document window (it’s circled in the following figure). Similar to the Properties panel, it offers quick access to options, commands, and other panels relevant to the currently selected content.

   

   Also, notice all of the collapsed panel icons on the right side of the workspace. In workspaces, you can create groups of panels that are stacked on top of others. That way, a lot more panels are showing.

3. Choose Essentials from the workspace switcher above the docked panels to switch back to the Essentials workspace.

   

4. Choose Reset Essentials from the workspace switcher in the Application bar.

   When you choose a previous workspace to switch to, it remembers any changes you made, like selecting the Libraries panel. To completely reset a workspace to its default settings, the Essentials workspace in this case, you’ll want to reset it.

Saving a workspace

So far, you’ve reset the workspace and chosen a different workspace. You can also arrange the panels the way you like and save your own custom workspace. Next, you’ll dock a new panel and create your own workspace.

1. Choose Window > Artboards to open the Artboards panel group.

   

   Tip

   To delete workspaces you create, choose Window > Workspace > Manage Workspaces. Select the workspace name, and click the Delete Workspace button.

   Tip

   To change a saved workspace, reset the panels as you’d like them to appear and then choose Window > Workspace > New Workspace. In the New Workspace dialog box, name the workspace with a new, unused name. If you name a new workspace with a name that’s already in use, a message appears in the dialog box warning that you will overwrite an existing workspace with the same name if you click OK.

2. Drag the Artboards panel by the panel tab onto the Properties panel tab at the top of the docked panels on the right. When a blue highlight appears around the entire panel dock, release the mouse button to dock the Artboards panel and add it to the existing panel group.

3. Click the X at the top of the free-floating Asset Export panel to close it.

   

4. Choose Window > Workspace > New Workspace. Change its name to My Workspace in the New Workspace dialog box, and click OK.

   Choosing Window > Workspace is just another method for choosing a workspace. The name of the workspace could be anything, as long as it makes sense to you. The workspace named “My Workspace” is now saved with Illustrator until you remove it.

5. Choose Window > Workspace > Essentials, and then choose Window > Workspace > Reset Essentials.

   Notice that the panels return to their default positions.

6. Choose Window > Workspace > My Workspace. Toggle between the two workspaces using the Window > Workspace command, and return to the Essentials workspace before starting the next exercise.

Using panel and context menus

Most panels in Illustrator have more options available in a panel menu, found by clicking the panel menu icon ( or ) in the upper-right corner of a panel. These additional options can be used to change the panel display, add or change panel content, and more. Next, you’ll change the display of the Swatches panel using its panel menu.

1. With the Selection tool () selected in the toolbar on the left, click the green water shape in the background of the artwork again.

2. Click the Fill color box, to the left of the word “Fill,” in the Properties panel.

   

3. In the panel that appears, called the Swatches panel, make sure that the Swatches option () is selected. Click the panel menu icon () in the upper-right corner, and choose Small List View from the panel menu.

   

   This displays the swatch names, together with thumbnails. Because the options in the panel menu apply only to the active panel, only the Swatches panel view is affected.

4. Click the same panel menu icon () in the panel showing, and choose Small Thumbnail View to return the swatches to their original view.

   In addition to the panel menus, context-sensitive menus display commands relevant to the active tool, selection, or panel. Usually the commands in a context menu are available in another part of the workspace, but using a context menu can save you time.

5. Choose Select > Deselect so the water shape is no longer selected.

   

   Tip

   If you move the pointer over the tab or title bar for a panel and right-click, you can close a panel or a panel group from the context menu that appears.

6. Move the pointer over the dark gray area surrounding the artwork. Then, right-click to show a context menu with specific options.

   The context-sensitive menu you see may contain different commands, depending on what the pointer is positioned over.

Adjusting the brightness of the user interface

As with Adobe InDesign and Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator supports a brightness adjustment for the application user interface. This is a program-wide preference setting that allows you to choose a brightness setting from four preset levels.

To edit the user-interface brightness, you can choose Illustrator > Preferences > User Interface (macOS) or Edit > Preferences > User Interface (Windows).

Using view commands

View commands are found in the View menu and are an easy way to enlarge or reduce the view of artwork.

1. Choose View > Zoom In, twice, to enlarge the display of the artwork.

   Using the viewing tools and commands affects only the display of the artwork, not the actual size of the artwork. Each time you choose a Zoom option, the view of the artwork is resized to the closest preset zoom level. The preset zoom levels appear in a menu in the lower-left corner of the Document window, identified by a down arrow next to a percentage.

2. Click one of the fish in the water to select it. Choose View > Zoom In.

   

   If you have artwork selected, using the View > Zoom In view command will zoom in to what is selected.

3. Choose View > Fit Artboard In Window.

   

   By choosing View > Fit Artboard In Window or by using the keyboard shortcut Command+0 (macOS) or Ctrl+0 (Windows), the entire artboard (page) is centered in the Document window.

4. Choose Select > Deselect so the fish is no longer selected.

Using the Zoom tool

In addition to the View menu options, you can use the Zoom tool () to magnify and reduce the view of artwork to predefined magnification levels.

1. Select the Zoom tool () in the toolbar and then move the pointer into the Document window.

   Notice that a plus sign (+) appears at the center of the Zoom tool pointer.

2. Move the Zoom tool pointer over the text “Keep it Reel” and click once.

   

   The artwork is displayed at a higher magnification, depending on your screen resolution. Notice that where you clicked is now in the center of the Document window.

3. Click two more times on the text. The view is increased again, and you’ll notice that the area where you clicked is magnified.

4. With the Zoom tool still selected, hold down the Option (macOS) or Alt (Windows) key. A minus sign (–) appears at the center of the Zoom tool pointer. With the Option or Alt key pressed, click the artwork twice to reduce the view of the artwork.

   

   Using the Zoom tool, you can also drag in the document to zoom in and out. By default, if your computer meets the system requirements for GPU performance and it’s enabled, zooming is animated. To find out if your computer meets the system requirements, see the sidebar titled “GPU Performance” following this section.

5. Choose View > Fit Artboard In Window.

   Tip

   With the Zoom tool selected, if you move the pointer into the Document window and press the mouse button for a few seconds, you can zoom in using the animated zoom. This will only work if your computer meets the system requirements for GPU Performance and it’s enabled.

   Note

   In certain versions of macOS, the keyboard shortcuts for the Zoom tool () open Spotlight or the Finder. If you decide to use these shortcuts in Illustrator, you may want to turn off or change those keyboard shortcuts in macOS System Preferences.

6. With the Zoom tool still selected, press and drag from the left side of the document to the right to zoom in. The zooming is animated. Drag from right to left to zoom out.

   

   If your computer does not meet the system requirements for GPU Performance, you will instead draw a dotted rectangle, called a marquee, when dragging with the Zoom tool.

7. Choose View > Fit Artboard In Window to fit the artboard in the Document window.

   The Zoom tool is used frequently during the editing process to enlarge and reduce the view of artwork. Because of this, Illustrator allows you to select the Zoom tool using the keyboard at any time without first deselecting any other tool you may be using.

   • To access the Zoom tool using your keyboard, press spacebar+Command (macOS) or Ctrl+spacebar (Windows).

   • To access the Zoom Out tool using your keyboard, press spacebar+Command+Option (macOS) or Ctrl+Alt+spacebar (Windows).

Panning in a document

In Illustrator, you can use the Hand tool () to pan to different areas of a document. Using the Hand tool allows you to push the document around much like you would a piece of paper on your desk. This can be a useful way to move around in a document with a lot of artboards or when you are zoomed in. In this section, you’ll access the Hand tool a few different ways.

1. Press and hold on the Zoom tool in the toolbar and select the Hand tool ().

2. Press and drag down in the Document window. As you drag, the artboard and artwork on it moves with the hand.

   As with the Zoom tool (), you can select the Hand tool with a keyboard shortcut without first deselecting the active tool.

3. Click any other tool except the Type tool () in the toolbar, and move the pointer into the Document window. Hold down the spacebar on the keyboard to temporarily select the Hand tool, and then drag to bring the artwork back into the center of your view. Release the spacebar.

   Note

   The spacebar shortcut for the Hand tool () does not work when the Type tool () is active and the cursor is in text. To access the Hand tool when the cursor is in text, press the Option (macOS) or Alt (Windows) key.

4. Choose View > Fit Artboard In Window.

Viewing artwork

When you open a file, it is automatically displayed in Preview mode, which shows how the artwork will print. Illustrator offers other ways of viewing your artwork, such as outlined and rasterized. Next, you’ll take a look at the different methods for viewing artwork and understand why you might view artwork each of these ways.

When you’re working with large or complex illustrations, you may want to view only the outlines, or paths, of objects in your artwork so that the screen doesn’t have to redraw the artwork each time you make a change. This is called Outline mode. Outline mode can also be helpful for selecting objects, as you will see in Lesson 2, “Techniques for Selecting Artwork.”

1. Choose View > Outline.

   Only the outlines of objects are displayed. You can use this view to find and select objects that might not be visible in Preview mode.

2. With Outline mode still active, choose View > Preview (or GPU Preview) to see all the attributes of the artwork again.

   

   Note

   When switching between viewing modes, visual changes may not be readily apparent. Zooming in and out (View > Zoom In and View > Zoom Out) may help you see the differences more easily.

3. Choose View > Overprint Preview to view any lines or shapes that are set to overprint.

   This view is helpful for those in the print industry who need to see how inks interact when set to overprint. Overprinting allows the color of artwork to print on top of the color of artwork underneath. For this example, the arms of the person in the boat are made semi-transparent or see-through when Overprint Preview is on.

   

4. Choose View > Pixel Preview.

   When you turn on Pixel preview, Overprint preview is turned off. Pixel preview can be used to see how the artwork will look when it is rasterized and viewed onscreen in a web browser. Note the “jagged” edge on some of the artwork. An arrow is pointing to it in the figure.

5. Choose 300% from the zoom level menu in the lower-left corner of the application window to more easily see the edges of the artwork.

6. Choose View > Pixel Preview to turn off Pixel preview.

7. Choose View > Fit Artboard In Window to make sure that the artboard is fit in the Document window, and leave the document open.

Using the Artboards panel

Another method for navigating multiple artboards is to use the Artboards panel. The Artboards panel lists all artboards currently in the document and allows you to navigate between artboards, rename artboards, add or delete artboards, edit artboard settings, and more. Next, you’ll open the Artboards panel and navigate the document.

1. Choose Window > Artboards to open the Artboards panel.

   Note

   Double-clicking the artboard name in the Artboards panel allows you to change the name of the artboard. Clicking the artboard icon ( or ) to the right of the artboard name in the panel allows you to edit artboard options.

2. Double-click the number 1 that appears to the left of the name “Artboard 1” in the Artboards panel. The artboard named Artboard 1 is now fit in the Document window.

   

3. Double-click the number 2 to the left of the name “Artboard 2” in the Artboards panel to show the second artboard in the Document window.

   

4. Click the X at the top of the Artboards panel group to close it.