Editing appearance attributes

You’ll start by changing the appearance of artwork using the Appearance panel.

1. With the cake stand selected, in the Appearance panel, click the black Fill box in the fill attribute row as many times as needed until the Swatches panel appears. Select the swatch named “Aqua” to apply it to the fill.

   Note

   You may need to click the Fill box more than once to open the Swatches panel. The first click of the Fill box selects the Fill row in the panel, and the next click shows the Swatches panel.

   

2. Press the Escape key to hide the Swatches panel.

3. Click the words “2 pt” in the pink Stroke row to show the Stroke Weight option. Change the stroke weight to 0 to remove it (the Stroke Weight field will be blank).

   

   So far, everything you’ve changed could have been done in the Properties panel. Now you’ll explore something unique to the Appearance panel—hiding an effect (not deleting it).

4. Click the visibility column () to the left of the Drop Shadow attribute name in the Appearance panel. I dragged the bottom of the Appearance panel down to make it taller in the figures.

   Tip

   In the Appearance panel, you can drag an attribute row, such as Drop Shadow, to the Delete Selected Item button () to delete it, or you can select the attribute row and click the Delete Selected Item button.

   Tip

   You can view all hidden attributes (attributes you have turned off) by choosing Show All Hidden Attributes from the Appearance panel menu ().

   

   Appearance attributes can be temporarily hidden or deleted so that they are no longer applied to the selected artwork.

5. With the Drop Shadow row selected (click to the right of the link “Drop Shadow” if it isn’t selected), click the Delete Selected Item button () at the bottom of the panel to completely remove the shadow, rather than just turning off the visibility. Leave the shape selected.

   

Adding another fill to content

Artwork and text in Illustrator can have more than one stroke and fill applied. This can be a great way to add interest to design elements like shapes and paths, and adding multiple strokes and fills to text can be a great way to make your text pop.

Next you’ll add another fill to the cake stand to add texture over the color fill.

1. With the cake stand shape still selected, in the Appearance panel, click the Add New Fill button () at the bottom of the Appearance panel.

   

   A second Fill row is added to the Appearance panel. By default, new fill or stroke attribute rows are added directly above a selected attribute row or, if no attribute rows are selected, at the top of the Appearance panel list.

2. Click the bottom (original) aqua Fill box in the fill attribute row a few times until the Swatches panel appears. Click the pattern swatch named “6 lpi 10%” to change the fill.

   

3. Press the Escape key to hide the Swatches panel.

   The pattern doesn’t show in the selected artwork because the second fill you added in the first step is covering the “6 lpi 10%” fill. The two fills are stacked on top of each other.

4. Click the eye icon () to the left of the top aqua fill row to hide it.

   

   You should now see the pattern fill in the shape. In the next section, you’ll reorder the attribute rows in the Appearance panel so the pattern is on top of the color fill.

5. Click where the eye icon was to the left of the top fill attribute row to make it visible again.

6. Choose Select > Deselect, and then choose File > Save.

Adding multiple strokes and fills to text

Aside from adding multiple strokes and fills to artwork, you can also do the same for text. The text remains editable, and you can use a number of effects to achieve the look that you want. Now you’ll take the “BIRTHDAY BASH!” text and make it pop with a few strokes and fills.

1. Select the Type tool (), and select the text “BIRTHDAY BASH!”

   

   Notice that “Type: No Appearance” appears at the top of the Appearance panel. This is referring to the type object, not the text within. You will also see the word “Characters.” Formatting for the text (not the type object) is listed below the word “Characters.” You should see the stroke (none) and the fill (pink).

   Also notice that you cannot add another stroke or fill to the text since the Add New Stroke and Add New Fill buttons are dimmed at the bottom of the panel. To add new strokes or fills to text, you need to select the type object, not the text within.

   Tip

   You could also click Type: No Appearance at the top of the Appearance panel to select the type object (not the text within).

2. Select the Selection tool (). The type object will now be selected (not the text).

3. Click the Add New Fill button () at the bottom of the Appearance panel to add a fill and a stroke above the word “Characters.”

   

   The new black fill is covering the original pink fill of the text. If you were to double-click the word “Characters” in the Appearance panel, you would select the text and see the formatting options for it (fill, stroke, etc.).

4. Click the fill attribute row to select it, if it’s not already selected. Click the black Fill box, and select the pattern swatch named 0 to 50% Dot Gradation.

   Note

   Why would I name a swatch 0 to 50% Dot Gradation? Actually, I didn’t. That pattern swatch can be found in Illustrator by default (Window > Swatch Libraries > Patterns > Basic Graphics > Basic Graphics_Dots).

   

5. Press the Escape key to hide the swatches.

   At this point, I am going to stop instructing you to close panels, hoping that this is becoming habit.

   When you apply a fill to a text object, an extra stroke with no color is also applied. You don’t have to use it.

6. If necessary, click the disclosure triangle () to the left of the fill row to show other properties, like Opacity. Click the word “Opacity,” which is indented below the fill row, to show the Transparency panel, and change Opacity to 40%.

   

   Each appearance row (stroke, fill) has its own opacity that you can adjust. The bottom Opacity appearance row in the panel affects the transparency for the entire selected object. Next you’ll add two strokes to the text using the Appearance panel. This is another great way to achieve unique design effects with a single object.

7. Click the Stroke box () a few times in the Appearance panel to show the swatches. Select the white swatch.

8. Ensure that the Stroke Weight is 1 pt.

   

9. Click the Add New Stroke button () at the bottom of the Appearance panel.

   

   A second stroke, which is a copy of the original, is now added to the text. This is a great way to add interest to your designs without having to make copies of shapes and put them on top of each other to add multiple strokes and fills.

10. With the new (top) stroke attribute row selected, select the swatch named Orange to apply it.

    

11. Ensure that the Stroke Weight is 1 pt.

12. Click the word “Stroke” in the same attribute row to open the Stroke panel. Click the Round Join option () in the Corner section of the panel to slightly round the corners of the stroke. Press Return or Enter to accept the value and hide the Stroke panel. Leave the type object selected.

    

    Clicking underlined words in the Appearance panel, as in the Properties panel, shows more formatting options—usually a panel such as the Swatches or Stroke panel. Appearance attributes, such as Fill or Stroke, can have other options, such as Opacity or an effect applied to only that attribute. These additional options are listed as a subset under the attribute row and can be shown or hidden by clicking the disclosure triangle () on the left end of the attribute row.

Reordering appearance attributes

The ordering of the appearance attribute rows can greatly change how your artwork looks. In the Appearance panel, fills and strokes are listed in stacking order—top to bottom in the panel correlates to front to back in the artwork. You can reorder attribute rows in a way similar to dragging layers in the Layers panel to rearrange the stacking order. Next you’ll change the appearance of artwork by reordering attributes in the Appearance panel.

1. With the text still selected, press Command and + (macOS) or Ctrl and + (Windows) to zoom in.

   Note

   You can drag the bottom of the Appearance panel to make it taller.

2. In the Appearance panel, click the eye icon to the left of the white Stroke row to hide it temporarily. You can also click the arrows to the left of all Stroke and Fill rows to hide the Opacity for each.

3. Drag the orange stroke row in the Appearance panel down below the word “Characters.” When a line appears below the word “Characters,” release the mouse button to see the result.

   

   The orange stroke is now behind all fills and the white stroke. The word “Characters” represents where the stroke and fill (the pink color) of the text (not the text object) sits in the stacking order.

4. Click where the eye icon () was for the white stroke row to show it again.

5. Select the Selection tool (), and click to select the cake stand you edited earlier.

6. In the Appearance panel, drag the aqua Fill row down below the pattern Fill row, and release.

   

   Moving the aqua fill attribute below the pattern fill attribute changes the look of the artwork. The pattern fill is now on top of the solid color fill.

7. Choose Select > Deselect, and then choose File > Save.

Applying an effect

Effects are applied using the Properties panel, the Effect menu, and the Appearance panel, and they can be applied to objects, groups, or layers. In this section, you’ll apply a drop shadow to the brush handles and make it more transparent.

1. Choose View > Fit Artboard In Window.

2. With the Selection tool () selected, click the green scalloped shape above the cake stand. Shift-click the cake stand to select it as well.

3. Click the Group button in the Properties panel to group them.

4. Click the Add New Effect button () at the bottom of the Appearance panel, or click the Choose An Effect button () in the Appearance section of the Properties panel. Choose Stylize > Drop Shadow from the Illustrator Effects section of the menu that appears.

   

5. In the Drop Shadow dialog box that opens, select Preview and change the following options:

   • Mode: Multiply (the default setting)

   • Opacity: 20%

   • X Offset: 0 in

   • Y Offset: 0.03 in (you’ll need to type this value in)

   • Blur: 0.03 in (you’ll need to type this value in)

   • Color: Selected

6. Click OK.

   

   Since the drop shadow is applied to the group, it appears around the perimeter of the group, not on each object independently. If you look in the Appearance panel right now, you’ll see the word “Group” at the top and the Drop Shadow effect applied. The word “Contents” refers to the content within the group. Each object in a group can have its own appearance properties.

   

7. Choose File > Save.

Editing an effect

Effects are live and can be edited after being applied to an object. You can edit the effect in the Properties panel or Appearance panel by selecting the object with the effect applied and then clicking the effect’s name, or in the Appearance panel, double-clicking the attribute row. This displays the dialog box for that effect. Changes you make to the effect update in the artwork. In this section, you will apply a shadow to the “BIRTHDAY BASH!” text, but with a twist. You’ll apply it to one of the strokes, not the whole object.

1. Click the “BIRTHDAY BASH!” text.

   Tip

   If you were to choose Effect > Drop Shadow, the Drop Shadow dialog box would appear, allowing you to make changes before applying the effect.

2. In the Appearance panel, select the white Stroke row so the effect you apply is only applied to that appearance.

3. Choose Effect > Apply Drop Shadow. If you need, click the arrow to the left of word Stroke in the white stroke row to see the Drop Shadow.

   

   The Apply Drop Shadow menu item applies the last used effect with the same options set.

4. In the Appearance panel, click the text “Drop Shadow” beneath the white Stroke row to edit the effect options.

5. In the Drop Shadow dialog box, select Preview to see the changes. Change the Opacity to 40%, the X Offset and Y Offset to 0.01, and the Blur to 0.02 in. Click OK. Leave the text object selected.

   

Styling text with a Warp effect

Text can have all sorts of effects applied, including warp, as you saw in Lesson 9. The difference between the warp you applied in Lesson 9 and the Warp effect you are about to apply, is that this one is an effect and can be turned on and off, edited, or removed easily. Next you will use the Warp effect to warp the “BIRTHDAY BASH!” text.

1. In the Appearance panel, click the word “Type” at the top of the panel. It’s highlighted in the following figure.

   Tip

   You can also click the Choose An Effect button () at the bottom of the Appearance panel.

   Clicking “Type” targets the text, not just the stroke. The more you apply effects, the more you realize how much flexibility you have when applying them.

2. With the text still selected, click the Choose An Effect button () in the Appearance section of the Properties panel. Choose Warp > Rise from the menu.

   This is another way to apply an effect to content and will be handy if you have the Appearance panel open.

   

3. In the Warp Options dialog box, select Preview to see the changes. Try choosing styles from the Style menu and then choose Arc Upper. Set Bend to 15%.

4. Try adjusting the Horizontal and Vertical Distortion sliders to see the effect. Make sure that the Distortion values are returned to 0 and then click OK. Leave the text selected.

   

Temporarily disabling effects to make edits

You can edit text with a Warp effect applied, but sometimes it’s easier to turn off the effect, make the change to the text, and then turn the effect back on.

1. With the text selected, click the visibility icon () to the left of the “Warp: Arc Upper” row in the Appearance panel to temporarily turn off the effect.

   Notice that the text is no longer warped on the artboard.

   

2. Select the Type tool () in the toolbar, and change the text to BIRTHDAY PARTY.

   

   Tip

   If your text is too wide, you can select it and change the font size, making it a bit smaller.

3. Select the Selection tool () in the toolbar. This selects the type object, not the text.

4. Click the visibility column to the left of the Warp: Arc Upper row in the Appearance panel to turn on visibility for the effect.

   The text is once again warped, but since the text changed, the amount of warp may need to be different due to the overall size of the text.

   

5. In the Appearance panel, click the underlined Warp: Arc Upper text to edit the effect. In the Warp Options dialog box, change Bend to 30%. Click OK.

   You may need to drag the text down onto the cake.

6. Choose Select > Deselect, and then choose File > Save.

Applying other effects

Next, you’ll apply a few other effects to finish parts of the artwork. Know that you can apply multiple effects to the same objects to get the appearance you are after.

Now you’ll add a creative stroke to the candle at the top of the cake and give the orange stroke on the “BIRTHDAY PARTY” text some depth and perspective.

1. With the Selection tool () selected, drag across the two birthday candles (30) to select the candle flames and numbers. Drag them up so they are sitting on top of the text.

   

2. Choose Select > Deselect.

3. Click the birthday candle (3) at the top of the cake.

4. Change the yellow stroke in the Appearance panel to pink so it’s easier to see.

   

5. With the stroke attribute row selected, in the Appearance panel, click the Add New Effect button () at the bottom of the panel, and choose Path > Offset Path to apply it to the pink stroke only.

   

6. In the Offset Path dialog box, change Offset to -0.03 in, select Preview, and then click OK.

   

7. Change the pink stroke in the Appearance panel back to yellow.

   Now you’ll add depth to the “BIRTHDAY PARTY” text.

8. With the Selection tool selected, click the “BIRTHDAY PARTY” text.

9. In the Appearance panel, click the orange stroke row to select it.

   The effect you apply will now affect only the selected stroke. I dragged the bottom of the Appearance panel down to see more.

   

10. In the Appearance panel, click the Add New Effect button () at the bottom of the panel, and choose Distort & Transform > Transform.

    

11. In the Transform Effect dialog box, select Preview and change the following:

    • Horizontal Move: 0.01 in

    • Vertical Move: 0.01 in

    • Copies: 5

12. Click OK.

    The Transform effect, in this case, will copy the stroke 5 times and move those copies to the right and down.

    

13. In the Appearance panel, click the disclosure triangle () to the left of the word “Stroke” for the orange stroke to toggle it open (if it’s not already open).

    Notice that the Transform effect is a subset of Stroke. This indicates that the Transform effect is applied to only that stroke.

    

14. Choose Select > Deselect, and then choose File > Save.

Working with 3D and Materials

To learn about other working with 3D and Materials, check out the video Working with 3D Effects, which is part of the Web Edition. For more information, see the “Web Edition” section of “Getting Started” at the beginning of the book.

Applying an existing graphic style

You can apply graphic styles to your artwork from graphic style libraries that come with Illustrator. Next, you’ll explore a built-in graphic style and apply it to the purple shadow shape below the cake stand.

1. Choose Window > Graphic Styles. Click the Graphic Styles Libraries Menu button () at the bottom of the panel, and choose 3D Effects.

   

2. With the Selection tool (), click to select the purple “shadow” ellipse below the cake stand (see the following figure).

3. Click the 3D Effect 4 thumbnail and then click the 3D Effect 11 thumbnail in the 3D Effects panel.

   

   You should now see the two additional graphic styles, 3D Effect 4 and 3D Effect 11, shown in the Graphic Styles panel. Both graphic styles are added to the Graphic Styles panel for the active document only.

   

4. Close the 3D Effects panel.

   When you clicked the first style (3D Effect 4), appearance attributes from that style were applied to the selected artwork. Clicking the second style (3D Effect 11) replaced the appearance attributes of the first style with the new attributes.

   

5. With the artwork still selected, click the Appearance panel tab to see the appearance of the selected artwork.

   You may need to scroll in the panel, but notice Path: 3D Effect 11 at the top of the panel list. This indicates that the graphic style named “3D Effect 11” is applied.

   Tip

   You can right-click a graphic style thumbnail in the Graphic Styles panel to show a preview of the graphic style on the selected artwork. Previewing a graphic style is a great way to see how it will affect the selected object, without actually applying it.

6. Click the Graphic Styles panel tab to show the panel again.

Creating and applying a graphic style

Now you’ll create a new graphic style from the number 3 candle and apply that graphic style to the number 0 candle.

1. With the Selection tool () selected, click the number 3 candle on top of the cake.

   

   Tip

   When you make a graphic style by selecting an object, you can then either drag the object directly into the Graphic Styles panel or, in the Appearance panel, drag the appearance thumbnail at the top of the listing into the Graphic Styles panel.

2. Click the New Graphic Style button () at the bottom of the Graphic Styles panel.

   The appearance attributes from the selected candle are saved as a graphic style.

   

3. In the Graphic Styles panel, double-click the new graphic style thumbnail. In the Graphic Style Options dialog box, name the new style Candle. Click OK.

4. Click the Appearance panel tab, and at the top of the Appearance panel you’ll see “Path: Candle.”

   This indicates that a graphic style named “Candle” is applied to the selected artwork.

   

   Note

   You could also have grouped the candles together and applied the graphic style to the group. If you ever were to ungroup the candles, the graphic style would be removed because it was applied to the group.

5. With the Selection tool, click the number 0 candle. In the Graphic Styles panel, click the graphic style named “Candle” to apply the styling.

   Leave the candle selected.

   

Updating a graphic style

You can also update a graphic style, and all artwork with that style applied will update as well. If you edit the appearance of artwork that a graphic style is applied to, the graphic style is overridden, and the artwork will not update when the graphic style is updated.

1. With the candle still selected, look in the Graphic Styles panel; you will see that the Candle graphic style thumbnail is highlighted (it has a border around it), indicating that it’s applied.

2. Click the Appearance panel tab.

   

3. With the candle selected, in the orange Fill row in the Appearance panel, click the Fill color box a few times to open the Swatches panel. Select the swatch named “Aqua.” Press the Escape key to hide the swatches.

   Notice that the “Path: Candle” text at the top of the Appearance panel is now just “Compound Path,” telling you that the graphic style is no longer applied to the selected artwork.

   

4. Click the Graphic Styles panel tab to see that the Candle graphic style no longer has a highlight (border) around it, which means that the graphic style is no longer applied.

   

   Tip

   You can also update a graphic style by selecting the graphic style you want to replace. Then you select artwork (or target an item in the Layers panel) that has the attributes you want to use, and choose Redefine Graphic Style “Style name” from the Appearance panel menu.

5. Press the Option (macOS) or Alt (Windows) key, and drag the selected shape on top of the Candle graphic style thumbnail in the Graphic Styles panel. Release the mouse button, and then release the modifier key when the thumbnail is highlighted.

   

   Both candles now look the same since the Candle graphic style was applied to both objects.

6. Choose Select > Deselect and then choose File > Save.

   

7. Click the Appearance panel tab. You should see “No Selection: Candle” at the top of the panel (you may need to scroll up).

Applying a graphic style to a layer

When a graphic style is applied to a layer, everything on that layer has that same style applied. Now you’ll apply a drop shadow graphic style to the layer named Cake, which will apply the style to every object currently on that layer and anything you add later. Instead of applying the graphic style to each part of the cake, you are applying a graphic style this way to save time and effort.

1. Click the Layers panel tab on the right to show the Layers panel. Click the target icon () for the Cake layer.

   This selects the layer content (three rectangles that are the cake layers) and targets the layer for any appearance attributes.

   

2. Click the Graphic Styles panel tab, and then click the graphic style named Drop Shadow to apply the style to the layer and all its contents.

   

   The target icon in the Layers panel for the Cake layer () is now shaded. Also, in the Graphic Styles panel, graphic style thumbnails that show a small box with a red slash () indicate that the graphic style does not contain a stroke or fill. It may just be a drop shadow or outer glow, for instance.

   

3. Click the Appearance panel tab, and you should see, with all of the artwork on the Cake layer still selected, the words “Layer: Drop Shadow.” You can close the Appearance panel group.

   

   This is telling you that the layer target icon is selected in the Layers panel and that the Drop Shadow graphic style is applied to that layer.

Scaling strokes and effects

In Illustrator, by default, when scaling (resizing) content, any strokes and effects that are applied do not change. For instance, suppose you scale a circle with a 2-pt stroke from small to the size of the artboard. The shape may change size, but the stroke will remain 2 points by default. That can change the appearance of scaled artwork in a way that you didn’t intend, so you’ll need to watch out for that when transforming artwork. Next you’ll make white path on the cake larger.

1. Choose Select > Deselect, if necessary.

2. Choose View > Fit Artboard In Window, if necessary.

3. Click the white curvy lines on the aqua cake base (the scalloped shape).

4. In the Properties panel (Window > Properties), notice the stroke weight of 1 pt.

   

5. Click More Options () in the Transform section of the Properties panel, and select Scale Strokes & Effects at the bottom of the panel that appears. Press the Escape key to hide the options.

   Without this option selected, scaling the artwork will not affect the stroke weights or effects when it is scaled. You are selecting this option, so the artwork will scale larger and not remain the same stroke weight.

   

6. Pressing the Shift key, drag the lower-right corner of the path to make it larger. Drag until it’s the width of the green scalloped shape it’s on. Release the mouse button and then the key.

   

   After scaling the artwork, if you look in the Properties panel, see that the stroke weight has gotten bigger.

7. Choose Select > Deselect.

   

8. Choose File > Save, and then choose File > Close.