Getting Started

Adobe^® Illustrator^® CS5 is the industry-standard illustration application for print, multimedia, and online graphics. Whether you are a designer or a technical illustrator producing artwork for print publishing, an artist producing multimedia graphics, or a creator of web pages or online content, Adobe Illustrator offers you the tools you need to get professional-quality results.

About Classroom in a Book

Adobe Illustrator CS5 Classroom in a Book^® is part of the official training series for Adobe graphics and publishing software developed with the support of Adobe product experts.

The lessons are designed so that you can learn at your own pace. If you’re new to Adobe Illustrator, you’ll learn the fundamentals you need to master to put the application to work. If you are an experienced user, you’ll find that Classroom in a Book teaches many advanced features, including tips and techniques for using the latest version of Adobe Illustrator.

Although each lesson provides step-by-step instructions for creating a specific project, there’s room for exploration and experimentation. You can follow the book from start to finish, or do only the lessons that correspond to your interests and needs. Each lesson concludes with a review section summarizing what you’ve covered.

Prerequisites

Before beginning to use Adobe Illustrator CS5 Classroom in a Book, you should have working knowledge of your computer and its operating system. Make sure that you know how to use the mouse and standard menus and commands, and also how to open, save, and close files. If you need to review these techniques, see the printed or online documentation for your Windows or Mac OS.

Installing the program

Before you begin using Adobe Illustrator CS5 Classroom in a Book, make sure that your system is set up correctly and that you’ve installed the required software and hardware.

The Adobe Illustrator CS5 software is not included on the Classroom in a Book CD; you must purchase the software separately. For complete instructions on installing the software, see the Adobe Illustrator Read Me file on the application DVD or on the web at www.adobe.com/support.

Fonts used in this book

The Classroom in a Book lesson files use the fonts that come with Adobe Illustrator CS5 and install with the product for your convenience. These fonts are installed in the following locations:

• Windows: [startup drive]WindowsFonts

• Mac OS X: [startup drive]/Library/Fonts/

For more information about fonts and installation, see the Adobe Illustrator CS5 Read Me file on the application DVD or on the web at www.adobe.com/support.

Copying the Classroom in a Book files

The Classroom in a Book CD includes folders containing all the electronic files for the lessons. Each lesson has its own folder. You must install these folders on your hard disk to use the files for the lessons. To save room on your hard disk, you can install the folder for each lesson as you need it.

To install the Classroom in a Book files

1. Insert the Classroom in a Book CD into your CD-ROM drive.

2. Do one of the following:

• Copy the entire Lessons folder onto your hard disk.

• Copy only the specific lesson folder that you need onto your hard disk.

Restoring default preferences

The preferences file controls how command settings appear on your screen when you open the Adobe Illustrator program. Each time you quit Adobe Illustrator, the position of the panels and certain command settings are recorded in different preference files. If you want to restore the tools and settings to their original default settings, you can delete the current Adobe Illustrator CS5 preferences file. Adobe Illustrator creates a new preferences file, if one doesn’t already exist, the next time you start the program and save a file.

You must restore the default preferences for Illustrator before you begin each lesson. This ensures that the tools and panels function as described in this book. When you have finished the book, you can restore your saved settings.

To save current Illustrator preferences

1. Exit Adobe Illustrator CS5.

2. Locate the AIPrefs (Windows) or Adobe Illustrator Prefs (Mac OS) file, as follows.

• (Windows XP) The AIPrefs file is located in the folder [startup drive]Documents and Settings[username]Application DataAdobeAdobe Illustrator CS5 Settingsen_US*.

*Folder name may be different depending on the language version you have installed.

• (Windows Vista or Windows 7) The AIPrefs file is located in the folder [startup drive]Users[username]AppDataRoamingAdobeAdobe Illustrator CS5 Settingsen_US*.

• (Mac OS X) The Adobe Illustrator Prefs file is located in the folder [startup drive]/Users/[username]/Library/Preferences/Adobe Illustrator CS5 Settings/en_US*.

If you can’t find the file, you either haven’t started Adobe Illustrator CS5 yet or you have moved the preferences file. The preferences file is created after you quit the program the first time and is updated thereafter.

3. Copy the file and save it to another folder on your hard disk.

4. Start Adobe Illustrator CS5.

To delete current Illustrator preferences

1. Exit Adobe Illustrator CS5.

2. Locate the AIPrefs (Windows) or Adobe Illustrator Prefs (Mac OS) file, as follows.

• (Windows XP) The AIPrefs file is located in the folder [startup drive]Documents and Settings[username]Application DataAdobeAdobe Illustrator CS5 Settingsen_US*.

*Folder name may be different depending on the language version you have installed.

• (Windows Vista or Windows 7) The AIPrefs file is located in the folder [startup drive]Users[username]AppDataRoamingAdobeAdobe Illustrator CS5 Settingsen_US*.

• (Mac OS X) The Adobe Illustrator Prefs file is located in the folder [startup drive]/Users/[username]/Library/Preferences/Adobe Illustrator CS5 Settings/en_US*.

3. Delete the preferences file.

4. Start Adobe Illustrator CS5.

To restore saved preferences after completing the lessons

1. Exit Adobe Illustrator CS5.

2. Delete the current preferences file. Find the original preferences file that you saved and move it to the Adobe Illustrator CS5 Settings folder.

Additional resources

Adobe Illustrator CS5 Classroom in a Book is not meant to replace documentation that comes with the program or to be a comprehensive reference for every feature. Only the commands and options used in the lessons are explained in this book. For comprehensive information about program features and tutorials refer to these resources:

Adobe Community Help: Community Help brings together active Adobe product users, Adobe product team members, authors, and experts to give you the most useful, relevant, and up-to-date information about Adobe products. Whether you’re looking for a code sample or an answer to a problem, have a question about the software, or want to share a useful tip or recipe, you’ll benefit from Community Help. Search results will show you not only content from Adobe, but also from the community.

With Adobe Community Help you can:

• Access up-to-date definitive reference content online and offline

• Find the most relevant content contributed by experts from the Adobe community, on and off Adobe.com

• Comment on, rate, and contribute to content in the Adobe community

• Download Help content directly to your desktop for offline use

• Find related content with dynamic search and navigation tools

To access Community Help: If you have any Adobe CS5 product, then you already have the Community Help application. To invoke Help, choose Help > Illustrator Help. This companion application lets you search and browse Adobe and community content, plus you can comment on and rate any article just like you would in the browser. However, you can also download Adobe Help and language reference content for use offline. You can also subscribe to new content updates (which can be automatically downloaded) so that you’ll always have the most up-to-date content for your Adobe product at all times. You can download the application from www.adobe.com/support/chc/index.html

Adobe content is updated based on community feedback and contributions. You can contribute in several ways: add comments to content or forums, including links to web content; publish your own content using Community Publishing; or contribute Cookbook Recipes. Find out how to contribute: www.adobe.com/community/publishing/download.html

See http://community.adobe.com/help/profile/faq.html for answers to frequently asked questions about Community Help.

Adobe Illustrator Help and Support: www.adobe.com/support/Illustrator where you can find and browse Help and Support content on adobe.com.

Adobe TV: http://tv.adobe.com is an online video resource for expert instruction and inspiration about Adobe products, including a How To channel to get you started with your product.

Adobe Design Center: www.adobe.com/designcenter offers thoughtful articles on design and design issues, a gallery showcasing the work of top-notch designers, tutorials, and more.

Adobe Developer Connection: www.adobe.com/devnet is your source for technical articles, code samples, and how-to videos that cover Adobe developer products and technologies.

Resources for educators: www.adobe.com/education includes three free curriculums that use an integrated approach to teaching Adobe software and can be used to prepare for the Adobe Certified Associate exams.

Also check out these useful links:

Adobe Forums: http://forums.adobe.com lets you tap into peer-to-peer discussions, questions and answers on Adobe products.

Adobe Marketplace & Exchange: www.adobe.com/cfusion/exchange is a central resource for finding tools, services, extensions, code samples and more to supplement and extend your Adobe products.

Adobe Illustrator CS5 product home page: www.adobe.com/products/Illustrator

Adobe Labs: http://labs.adobe.com gives you access to early builds of cutting-edge technology, as well as forums where you can interact with both the Adobe development teams building that technology and other like-minded members of the community.

Adobe certification

The Adobe training and certification programs are designed to help Adobe customers improve and promote their product-proficiency skills. There are four levels of certification:

• Adobe Certified Associate (ACA)

• Adobe Certified Expert (ACE)

• Adobe Certified Instructor (ACI)

• Adobe Authorized Training Center (AATC)

The Adobe Certified Associate (ACA) credential certifies that individuals have the entry-level skills to plan, design, build, and maintain effective communications using different forms of digital media.

The Adobe Certified Expert program is a way for expert users to upgrade their credentials. You can use Adobe certification as a catalyst for getting a raise, finding a job, or promoting your expertise.

If you are an ACE-level instructor, the Adobe Certified Instructor program takes your skills to the next level and gives you access to a wide range of Adobe resources.

Adobe Authorized Training Centers offer instructor-led courses and training on Adobe products, employing only Adobe Certified Instructors. A directory of AATCs is available at http://partners.adobe.com.

For information on the Adobe Certified programs, visit www.adobe.com/support/certification/main.html.