Blend Options and Menu

While your blend is selected, you can access blend options under the menu Object ➤ Blend. Refer to Figure 6-6.

Make: If you have not already clicked with the Blend tool on the two selected objects, then you can use this menu option instead to create your blend.

Release: If you need to cancel the blend and return to the two separate shapes, but still want the blend spine, then use the option to temporarily break the blend. You can use Edit ➤ Undo (Ctrl/CMD+Z) or the History panel if you need to go back to the current blend. Refer to Figure 6-7.

Blend Options: Once a blend has been created, you can then go into the Blend Options dialog box and set how you want the blend to appear. You can also access this dialog box when you press Alt/Option and click on the second object or any part of the selected blend with the Blend tool. It can also be accessed from the Properties panel’s Quick Actions while the blend is selected. Refer to Figure 6-8.

With the Preview checkbox enabled, you can set the spacing to the following:

• Smooth Color: Used to create a graduated blend of color, very much like a gradient but made of many paths. It automatically calculates how many steps are required to get this effect for a smooth blend. Refer to Figure 6-9.

• Specified Steps: This can be set to a range of 1–1000 steps and gives a similar gradation. Fewer steps are good if you want to see some spacing or viewable transition between the steps. For example, if I set the steps to 5, then we will see five transition steps between the square and the triangle in both shape stroke and color. Refer to Figure 6-10.

• Specified Distance: This sets a distance between each of the transitions to create a distance based on units of increments, in this case inches. If I set the spacing to a higher number like 0.25 inches and click or tab outside the text box, you can see the spacing more clearly. Refer to Figure 6-11 and Figure 6-12.

• Orientation: Can be used with all three spacing settings. Currently, in these examples, the default is set to Align to Page. Refer to Figure 6-13.

The other option is to set it to Align to Path. This is more apparent if the path or blend’s spine is curved. Refer to Figure 6-14.

To curve the spine, click OK to commit your blend options. Refer to Figure 6-15.

Then, with the Direct Selection tool, select one end of the spine; in this case, the triangle. Refer to Figure 6-16.

Then, select the Anchor Point tool. Click and drag one end of the spine; this causes the spine to arc. Refer to Figure 6-17.

You can then move the point or adjust the handles again with the Direct Selection tool. Refer to Figure 6-18.

You can now see, if you return to the Blend Options dialog box, how it affects the orientation of the spine if set it back to Align to Page. Refer to Figure 6-19.

Click OK to exit the Blend Options dialog box to confirm the change. Refer to Figure 6-15.

Additional Options in the Object ➤ Blend Menu

Expand: This expands all shapes on the spine into separate distinct objects that are no longer editable as part of the blend spine. They are now part of a grouped object. Refer to Figure 6-20.

If you need to remove individual parts, you can choose Object ➤ Ungroup and then select the individual shapes or paths with your Selection tool. Refer to Figure 6-21.

In this case, I used Edit ➤ Undo a few times so that I returned to the blend state with the spine. Refer to Figure 6-22.

Replace Spine: A spine can be replaced or altered if you add another path created with the Pen or Line Segment tools. For example, while the blend is selected, with the Selection tool Shift + Click on another path. Then choose Object ➤ Blend ➤ Replace Spine. Refer to Figure 6-23.

The spine is now replaced with the new path.

Reverse Spine: This allows you to reverse the order of the paths so that now the triangle starts on the right and the square is on the left, like a horizontal flip. Refer to Figure 6-24.

Reverse Front to Back: In this example, this moves the square in front and triangle to the back, as though the square has now been pasted in front. Refer to Figure 6-25.

To undo this, you can choose Reverse Front to Back again. Refer to Figure 6-26.

Scaling Blends

The entire blend can be scaled using the Selection tool and the bounding box handles. However, if you want to scale just one end of the blend, select that object first with your Group Selection tool, and then select the Selection tool and move, scale, or rotate that object. Refer to Figure 6-27.

Likewise, while that object is selected, you can update the fill color, stroke color, and other attributes using the Control panel, which could include stroke weight, variable width profile, brush definition, opacity, and graphic style. Refer to Figure 6-28.

We will explore opacity and transparency in more detail in Chapter 8.

Blending Complex Group Objects

So far, as we can see, blending can be easily done between basic paths and shapes, and you can create a relatively smooth blend. However, when working with grouped objects (Object ➤ Group) that are complex, this can become more complicated. Refer to Figure 6-30.

Here, we can see an example of two grouped faces of some girls, which I modified originally from the EmojiOne Color font. You can find these in my file blend_tool_examples1.ai. Save a copy if you want to edit the file.

One Girl has blue eyes and the other has brown, but otherwise they are the same in scale and shape.

After both are selected with the Selection tool and then the Blend tool, I click on each, then in the Blend Options dialog box set the Spacing field to Specified Steps and 2; we can see a blend of color between the eyes. Refer to Figure 6-31.

Upon exiting the dialog box, if you change the hair color using the Group Selection tool and then the Selection tool, and use the Control panel to set a new fill color, you will see gradual change in hair color as well. Refer to Figure 6-32.

I can also use the Group Selection tool and click a few times on one of the girls until I select all parts of the group. Then, I can use the Selection tool and, while holding down the Shift key, scale her using the upper right bounding box handle. Refer to Figure 6-33.

Simple group blends like this work very well, as the similarities between the two grouped shapes are close. Illustrator must do very few calculations to create a blend.

However, when you try to work between two very different grouped objects, like this girl and a cat, the results of the path blend can be quite unexpected, though it can provide ideas of how to blend colors. Refer to Figure 6-34.

In this case, it would be better, rather than using the Blend tool, to ungroup a copy of your grouped objects. Then, move around the paths you want to use to create the morphed character you envision, and adjust the colors to suit using the Control panel. Then, use the Selection tool to marquee around the illustration, and from the menu choose Object ➤ Group. Refer to Figure 6-35.

We’ll explore this kind of complex blend issue further later in the chapter when we look at Wolf Girl and Photoshop.

Other things that can complicate blends could include the use of patterns or gradients. Refer to Figure 6-36.

In the case of patterns, no blend occurs between a solid shape and a patterned shape. However, with a simple gradient a smooth color transition can occur. But with a more complex gradient, additional blend steps are required. We will need a different set of tools if we want to blend patterns and gradients.

We’ll explore how to build and blend patterns and solid colors in Chapter 7, and multiple gradients in Chapter 8.

As mentioned, you can look at some of these examples in my file, blend_tool_examples1.ai.

What Is a Symbol?

If I wanted to create two more trees in a row, I could select the tree with the Selection tool and then Alt/Option-drag multiple copies. However, if I want to make minor changes to all the trees, such as the arrangement of branches or the orientation of the shadow, to make a global change to all trees, I would have to select parts of each of the trees and modify the colors one at a time. Or I could delete the other two trees and make changes to one tree and then Alt/Option-drag out the trees again with the Selection tool, but this takes up a lot of time. Refer to Figure 6-38.

A better way to globally edit objects is to turn them into symbols.

A symbol is a collection of paths or grouped objects that you can reuse in your document multiple times, which reduces file size. These files are linked to the Symbols panel.

Symbols Panel

In this case, make sure that your Symbols panel is visible on the screen. Refer to Figure 6-39.

Now, with the Selection tool, select your grouped object of the tree and click the New Symbol button at the bottom of the panel. Refer to Figure 6-40.

Symbol Options

This opens the Symbol Options dialog box. Refer to Figure 6-41.

In the options, you can rename the symbol to “Trees.”

Other options you can set are as follows:

• Export Type: Either Movie Clip or Graphic. However, in Illustrator this makes no difference, as this is specifically if you use the symbol in an application like Adobe Animate (formerly Flash). So, in this case, I leave it at the Movie Clip setting. Refer to Figure 6-42.

• Symbol Type: Symbols come in two kinds, either dynamic or static. Refer to Figure 6-43.

In the Symbols panel, the current symbols are all static. However, if they were dynamic, they would have a plus symbol in the preview icon. Refer to Figure 6-44.

So, what is the difference between the two, and which should you choose?

• Static Symbols: Like a grouped object, they allow you to move, scale, rotate, reflect, and shear. However, you can do that to the instance of the symbol on the Artboard without affecting the original file stored in the panel. However, the colors of the symbol’s fill and stroke are locked and cannot be edited, unless you use the Control panel to edit the original “master” or parent symbol, which we will look at in the next section. Refer to Figure 6-45.

Note

You cannot alter or distort the perspective of a symbol using the Free Transform tool mentioned in Chapter 3 with the Perspective and Free Distort options, as this would alter the structure. In this case, when attempted, the action is canceled and the symbol remains undistorted.

• Dynamic Symbols: These allow you to do the same scaling and moving as a static symbol. However, you can also edit the individual colors on the symbol on the Artboard, using the Direct Selection tool. You can use the Toolbars and Swatches panels to select and swap solid colors, gradients, and patterns in the fills and strokes if the path in the symbol already has a stroke. Refer to Figure 6-46.

However, the original parent symbol structure will remain intact in the Symbols panel, and its colors will not be edited. Refer to Figure 6-47.

Note

Symbols, whether static or dynamic, can also have additional live effects from the Effects menu applied. We will look at that in more detail in Chapter 11.

In this case, I will keep my symbol as static, as I am just going to be focused on scaling the symbol with the Blend tool. Refer to Figure 6-48.

• You can also set the registration or reference point for the symbol. In this case, I leave it at the center.

• Enable Guides for 9-Slice Scaling refers to when working in Animate with graphic or movie clip symbols; it does not apply to this book. However, if you need more details on that topic or symbols in general, you can refer to the following link: https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/symbols.html. See “Use 9-slice Scaling.” Refer to Figure 6-49.

Click OK to exit the dialog box. The symbol should now be added to the panel. Refer to Figure 6-50.

Selected symbols in the Symbols panel can do the following:

• Be placed on the Artboard as an instance using either the menu or the right-pointing arrow icon. You can also Alt/Option-drag your symbol while it is on the Artboard to create a copy of an instance. Refer to Figure 6-50 and Figure 6-51.

• Be unlinked using the Link icon with a slash, or in the menu use Break Link to Symbol. Broken symbols will often also break their grouped state. Refer to Figure 6-50 and Figure 6-52.

• Be set to static. If you made a mistake and need to set the symbol to static, you can use the Symbol panel list icon or menu and choose Symbol Options. Refer to Figure 6-50 and Figure 6-53.

• Be duplicated. The selected symbol in the Symbols panel can be duplicated if you click on the New Symbol button while nothing else is selected on the Artboard. Or, using the panel’s menu, choose Duplicate Symbol. Refer to Figure 6-50 and Figure 6-54.

• Be deleted by clicking on the Delete (trash can) icon. Click Yes or No to any message to delete. However, if a symbol is already on the Artboard, you may get the following warning message. And you must choose whether to Expand Instance (Unlink), Delete Instances on the Artboard, or Cancel the Delete. Refer to Figure 6-50 and Figure 6-55.

You can also use the panel’s menu and choose Delete Symbol.

• Additional symbols can be acquired from the Symbol Library menu on the left, or from the panel’s menu. Refer to Figure 6-50 and Figure 6-56.

All the layers and sublayers of the path are stored within the symbol. You can access them at any time by double-clicking on the symbol in the panel, from the menu choosing Edit Symbol, or by double-clicking on the selected symbol on the Artboard. To remain within the boundaries of the picture, click OK to the message about symbol definition and how any edits will be applied to all symbol instances and enter Symbol Editing mode. This can be seen in the Layers panel. Refer to Figure 6-57.

Tip

If upon entering your symbol you find that any of your object paths are ungrouped you can enter the symbol and Object ➤ Group the selected paths so that when you break the symbol it does not become ungrouped.

After you make any change to the symbol you can exit this mode by clicking on the arrow on the left below the rulers. Refer to Figure 6-58.

Symbols Control Panel

Above the selected symbol is the Control panel. Whether the symbol is static or dynamic, it is the same except for the Object Type name that identifies it. Refer to Figure 6-59.

For both static and dynamic symbols, you can edit the following:

The symbol in this example is identified as a movie clip (gear icon), which would be useful to know if you planned to later use the symbol in Adobe Animate. Refer to Figure 6-60.

Instance Name: You can name each symbol on your Artboard if you need to keep track of them. However, in this case you can leave the text box blank; it is an instance of the parent symbol Trees. Refer to Figure 6-61.

You can also enter Symbol Editing mode by clicking on the Edit Symbol button.

To turn the symbol back into a grouped object, you can break it from the Symbols panel by choosing Break Link, or as mentioned earlier you can do so from the link icon on the Symbols panel. Refer to Figure 6-62.

If you have scaled the static symbol or changed the color appearance of the dynamic symbol, you can reset it to the original setting by clicking the Reset button. Refer to Figure 6-63.

Replace: Allows you to change the symbol instance to another in the Symbols panel if there is another available. Refer to Figure 6-64.

The previous selected parent symbol is then updated with the changes without entering Symbol Editing mode.

Returning to the Control Panel Options

Opacity: Has a range of 0–100%; lets you set the opacity for the symbol instance. This does not affect the original parent symbol. Refer to Figure 6-66.

Recolor Artwork: Whether a static or a dynamic symbol, this option does affect the original parent symbol and not just the instance. If recoloring is something you want to do to just the instance, then make sure to use your Symbols panel menu first to change the symbol to dynamic, and then use the Direct Selection tool to color individual parts. Otherwise, Edit ➤ Undo right away if you recolored the original parent symbol artwork by mistake. Refer to Figure 6-67.

Align: When two or more symbols are selected on the Artboard, you can use the Align options or the Align panel, as you did in Chapter 2 for two or more paths and shapes. Refer to Figure 6-68.

Symbol Registration Point: This is the point that you set earlier in the Symbol Options panel, to center. Refer to Figure 6-69.

As with paths, shapes, and other grouped objects, you can set the symbol’s X and Y coordinate values, as well as its width and height. You can constrain width and height proportions with the Link icon. All the numbers are based on the registration point. Refer to Figure 6-69.

You can access additional transform options by clicking on the X or Y in the Control panel or from the Properties panel. Refer to Figure 6-70.

Additional options include rotate, shear, flip horizontally, or flip vertically.

Symbols are saved within your document’s Symbols panel, but they can also be moved to other documents, as you can copy and paste from one AI file to the next or open the AI file directly from the Symbols panel menu. Refer to Figure 6-72.

We will look more at editing and working with symbols and their related tools in Chapters 11, 12, and 13.

Apply the Blending Tool to the Symbol

With the Selection tool, select the Trees symbol on the left side of the Artboard and then click on the Place Symbol icon to create another tree. Refer to Figure 6-73.

Drag this tree over to the right and scale it to a smaller size. Hold down the Shift key to make the tree proportionate. Refer to Figure 6-74.

Now, using the Selection tool, Shift + Click on both trees. Then, select the Blend tool and click on both trees, one at a time. Refer to Figure 6-75.

This will create a transition tree between the two trees. Now all the trees are linked by the blend. You can update all the trees at the same time when you double-click on the symbol, either in the Symbols panel once or on the Artboard a few times to navigate through the blend to the symbol. Commit the change upon exiting Symbol Editing mode by clicking on the left-pointing arrow a few times. Refer to Figure 6-76.

With this knowledge, we can now start to plant the bushes on the farm in the next project. Save your work on this file, and you can view my example in tree_blend_symbol_final.ai.

Adding Posts and Bushes as Symbols

First, in regard to the posts, after I created the post and its shadow in Chapter 3, I made sure to group them together. Then, while they were selected in the Symbols panel, I clicked on the New Symbol button. Refer to Figure 6-80.

In the Symbol Options dialog box, I gave it the name “Post,” left the Export Type field set as Movie Clip, set the Symbol Type field to Static, and left the Registration Point field set at Center. I kept the Enabled Guides for 9-Slice Scaling checkbox disabled. Refer to Figure 6-81.

I clicked OK to convert the post on the layer to a symbol. I then Alt/Option-dragged the posts to create three other copies of the post symbol. Moving them into place, the nearest one goes off the Artboard. Refer to Figure 6-82.

At this point, I Shift + Clicked three of the symbol posts with my Selection tool. And because I wanted to slightly alter their shadows from the parent symbol, from the Symbols menu I clicked the Break Link to Symbol icon. Refer to Figure 6-83 and Figure 6-84.

Then, I used my Direct Selection tool and clicked on the ends of the shadow lines to alter them. In this case, I adjusted the angle of the two posts on the Artboard on the right. The one shadow off the artboard will never be seen. Refer to Figure 6-85.

I then, with my Selection tool, clicked on each post and shadow that was not a symbol and used Object ➤ Group to group them again, as you can see. Currently, in the file only one post is a symbol on the Artboard. Refer to Figure 6-86.

That’s OK in this example as there are only four posts and they are not difficult to update; breaking them from the symbol is not an issue. However, when it comes to the bushes, we do not want to spend a lot of time updating each one, so using symbols for them is a better option.

In this example, after I created a bush with the shadow, as you saw in Chapter 3, I then (as I did with the post) selected all the parts of the bush with my Selection tool (marquee-drag around the bush) and grouped the object as one unit. While this unit was selected, in the Symbols panel, I clicked New Symbol to add it to the panel. Refer to Figure 6-87.

I called this new symbol “Bush” in the dialog box and used the same settings for a static symbol that I used for the post and clicked OK. Refer to Figure 6-88.

Then, using the Selection tool bounding box handles and the Shift key, I scaled the bush, making it a bit larger so that it appears closer to the viewer. Refer to Figure 6-88.

Then I Alt/Option-dragged out a copy and put it at the end of the row of the field. In the Control panel, I clicked the Reset button so that the scale of the most distant tree would be smaller and appear farther away. Refer to Figure 6-89.

Now, on your own, using the symbols I have supplied, you need to create a blend for this row on the Bushes layer. Refer to Figure 6-90.

Creating the Row with the Blend Tool

With the Selection tool, Shift + Click to select both bush symbol instances. Then, with the Blend tool, click on both bushes, one at a time—first the one in the distance, and then the closer bush. Refer to Figure 6-91.

This creates a row of bushes that gradually get larger as they get closer.

I will adjust the number of bushes by entering the Blend Options dialog box and setting the Spacing option to Specified Steps with a setting of 9 and an orientation of Align to Page. Refer to Figure 6-92.

Then click OK to exit. This adds two more bushes to the row, making them more compact and evenly spaced. Refer to Figure 6-93.

Use Edit ➤ Undo if you expanded the blend by mistake, and then keep the blend spine active.

Adding More Blend Rows

Now that you know how to create one row, you can create more rows. I did that in my example Landscape1_4_final.ai, which you can refer to later.

In this case, while the blend is selected with the Selection tool, Alt/Option-drag the blend onto the next row to line it up with the next post. Refer to Figure 6-95.

However, the bushes farthest away are too high on the horizon.

That’s OK, as you can fix it. Click off the Artboard to deselect the blend. Refer to Figure 6-96.

With your Direct Selection tool, select the bush farthest away. Then, switch to the Selection tool and drag the bush downward so that it sits on the row. Refer to Figure 6-97.

This causes all the other bushes in the blend to move along with it and adjust.

At this point, you may notice that the bushes’ shadows are overlapping the other bushes. Again, select the blend with the Selection tool and choose from the main menu Object ➤ Arrange ➤ Send to Back. Refer to Figure 6-98.

This places the shadow behind the row closest to you. Refer to Figure 6-99.

As you move your rows farther away from you, make sure to scale the symbols so the bushes get gradually smaller. However, it OK if some are slightly higher as it is a slightly hilly field, and the ground is uneven. Select a single bush on one end with the Direct Selection tool, and then with the Selection tool you can use the bounding box handles to scale the bushes as required.

You can see my example, Landscape1_4_final.ai.

I have on the Bushes layer. I have a total of six blended rows, as the last row in the field was too far away and I did not add any bushes to it. Refer to Figure 6-100.

Make sure as you add the blended rows moving away from you, that you Object ➤ Arrange ➤ Send to Back each one. That way, the bushes and their shadows will be behind the posts as well.

Later, you can select symbols at the end of each row if you need to move them with your Direct Selection tool. Refer to Figure 6-101.

Next, with your Selection tool, scale using the bounding box handles. Refer to Figure 6-101.

Add Additional Bushes on Another Layer

In my example, on the Mountains and Foreground layer, I added a few more bush symbols, but not as part of any blend. I dragged them out of my Symbols panel onto the Artboard, and with the Selection tool I moved them across my closest row, near the gray foreground the girl is standing on. There are four bushes. Refer to Figure 6-102.

To make them appear just below the gray foreground area, I selected the gray area with my Selection tool and chose Object ➤ Arrange ➤ Bring to Front. Refer to Figure 6-103.

You could scale these bushes if you wanted to, or leave them small, as not all the bushes would be planted at the same time.

Editing All Symbol Instances

Remember: Now that the bushes are all the same symbol, you could double-click on the symbol in the Symbols panel and make alterations, such as to a color on a selected path. Use the Control panel in Symbol Editing mode and then exit, using the arrow below the rulers, and all the bushes will update at the same time.

Refer to Figure 6-104.

Use Edit ➤ Undo a few times or use the History panel if you need to undo those steps, but don’t delete the symbol in the process. If that happens, then use Edit ➤ Redo or Shift + Ctrl/CMD+Z, or find the correct state in the History panel.

See the earlier note about what to do if you need to group your paths while in Symbol Editing mode before breaking symbols for your own projects.

Then, lock your layers in the Layers panel.

Save your document at this point. Refer to Figure 6-105.

In the next chapter, we will start adjusting the foreground so that it has a bit more texture.