Adobe Illustrator
First let us start off by talking about Graphic Design and what exactly this class is about!
Graphic Design is a visual communication art, meaning artists create digital works of art to communicate ideas. Graphic artists use all types of skills such as typography, photography, iconography, and illustration to create art. In this class we will be learning the basics of two industry standard programs which are Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. You will learn beginner Graphic Designer skills such as 2D vector creation and photo editing and manipulation.
What do Graphic Designers make and what kind of job could I get with a background in Graphic Design?
Graphic Designers are basically responsible for any visual advertisement art that you see out in the world. They make everything from album covers, movie posters, clothing logos and labels, video games, cereal boxes, magazine covers, billboards, etc. With a background as a graphic designer, you can work for literally any company in their marketing department making art to visually communicate an idea, whether it be a band, game, movie, clothing brand, food, etc. If you get really good at Graphic Design, you can also freelance and sell your artwork to clients you want to work with.
So what is Adobe Illustrator exactly?
Adobe Illustrator is a digital art program that works as a vector graphics editor and design program. It is one of the best vector based programs on the market used widely by Graphic Designers. It is a good introduction into the world of 2D graphics.
Graphic Designers are basically responsible for any visual advertisement art that you see out in the world. They make everything from album covers, movie posters, clothing logos and labels, video games, cereal boxes, magazine covers, billboards, etc. With a background as a graphic designer, you can work for literally any company in their marketing department making art to visually communicate an idea, whether it be a band, game, movie, clothing brand, food, etc. If you get really good at Graphic Design, you can also freelance and sell your artwork to clients you want to work with.
So what is Adobe Illustrator exactly?
Adobe Illustrator is a digital art program that works as a vector graphics editor and design program. It is one of the best vector based programs on the market used widely by Graphic Designers. It is a good introduction into the world of 2D graphics.
You keep using the word Vector, what exactly does that mean?
Vectors are graphics made of points, lines, curves, and shapes that are based on mathematical formulas. This means that no matter how large or small you make an image, it will always have an excellent and clear resolution (sharpness or quality of an image). This means if you create an awesome piece of art work in Illustrator, you can print it on either a business card or a road side billboard and it will have the same image quality without becoming pixelated (those little squares you see when you resize an image that isn't a vector).
Vectors are graphics made of points, lines, curves, and shapes that are based on mathematical formulas. This means that no matter how large or small you make an image, it will always have an excellent and clear resolution (sharpness or quality of an image). This means if you create an awesome piece of art work in Illustrator, you can print it on either a business card or a road side billboard and it will have the same image quality without becoming pixelated (those little squares you see when you resize an image that isn't a vector).
Opening, Exporting, and Saving Files in Illustrator
Before we begin learning all the tools to create art in Illustrator, it is important to understand how to open new documents as well as how to export or save your work.
Opening a new document in Illustrator:
Step 1: Begin by opening up the Adobe Illustrator program. Once the program opens, you will see a "Create New" button on the left side of your screen.
Opening a new document in Illustrator:
Step 1: Begin by opening up the Adobe Illustrator program. Once the program opens, you will see a "Create New" button on the left side of your screen.
Before we begin learning all the tools to create art in Illustrator, it is important to understand how to open new documents as well as how to export or save your work.
Opening a new document in Illustrator:
Step 1: Begin by opening up the Adobe Illustrator program. Once the program opens, you will see a "Create New" button on the left side of your screen.
Opening a new document in Illustrator:
Step 1: Begin by opening up the Adobe Illustrator program. Once the program opens, you will see a "Create New" button on the left side of your screen.
Saving a Document:
Step 1: Documents in Illustrator are saved as .ai files. It is a file type specific to Illustrator and can only be opened up in Illustrator. If you ever professionally print art, this is the file type you will want to send to the printers. To save the document, go up to the top left of Illustrator and choose the "File" tab and then "Save As"
Step 1: Documents in Illustrator are saved as .ai files. It is a file type specific to Illustrator and can only be opened up in Illustrator. If you ever professionally print art, this is the file type you will want to send to the printers. To save the document, go up to the top left of Illustrator and choose the "File" tab and then "Save As"
Step 2: Once you click "Save As" a new dialog box should open up. Name your document if you didn't name it when you opened a new document or if you want to change the name. Choose a location to save it to. I recommend saving it to a desktop or folder and then backing it up in Google Drive by following the how to save in Drive steps on the Google Drive page. Make sure the "Save As Type" is set to "Adobe Illustrator .ai" and then click "Save".
Step 3: Once you hit "Save" a new dialog box will appear. You don't need to change anything on this box, just hit "OK" and your file will save.
Exporting a Document:
Step 1: Sometimes programs can't recognize a file type, therefore you have to export the file. Exporting a file changes the file type. In this case it can convert a file from a .ai to other file types such as .jpg (low resolution ideal for internet use only), .png (medium resolution), or .tiff (highest resolution after the original .ai file). This is important because you may want to post your art on social media or send it in an email. **Tip: I recommend a .png if you are posting on Instagram or other social media platforms. **Tip 2: You can not edit a file once it has been exported so make sure you always have a copy of the .ai original file.
To export the document, go up to the top left of Illustrator and choose the "File" tab, "Export", and then "Export As".
Step 1: Sometimes programs can't recognize a file type, therefore you have to export the file. Exporting a file changes the file type. In this case it can convert a file from a .ai to other file types such as .jpg (low resolution ideal for internet use only), .png (medium resolution), or .tiff (highest resolution after the original .ai file). This is important because you may want to post your art on social media or send it in an email. **Tip: I recommend a .png if you are posting on Instagram or other social media platforms. **Tip 2: You can not edit a file once it has been exported so make sure you always have a copy of the .ai original file.
To export the document, go up to the top left of Illustrator and choose the "File" tab, "Export", and then "Export As".
Step 2: Once you click "Export As" a new dialog box should open up. Name your document if you didn't name it when you opened a new document or if you want to change the name. Choose a location to save it to. I recommend saving it to a desktop or folder and then backing it up in Google Drive by following the how to save in Drive steps on the Google Drive page. Choose what the "Save As Type" is by clicking on the drop down box (I recommend .jpg, .png, or .tiff). For this example I will choose .jpg and then click "Export".
Step 3: Once you hit "Export" a new dialog box will appear. What options are in the dialog box depend on what file type you are exporting as. I will be using a .jpg for this example. The only two things in this dialog box that you should worry about changing are the "Image Quality" and the "Resolution". The other options are things you can learn about in Advanced Digital Art. You can increase the quality that your image is saved at by moving the "Quality" slider which will also increase the file size, however your image will look better as a higher number versus a lower number. You can also adjust the "Resolution". More than likely it will be set at the default "Screen Size" of 72ppi which is what most internet images are. In a professional setting 300 is the ideal resolution, but you can choose whichever size you would like for now. Click "OK" after adjusting your settings and your file will export.