Adobe
Illustrator

This course teaches students step-by-step the key techniques for working in Illustrator CC. The 15 project-based lessons show users the key techniques for realizing your creative potential with Adobe Illustrator CC. Following hands-on step-by-step projects, users create logos, illustrations, posters, and more.
Explore the Essentials workspace that makes learning Illustrator even easier. Learn how to use the Shaper tool and Live Shapes along with dynamic symbols to streamline graphics creation. Create website assets and export them in multiple formats to support modern responsive web designs. From exacting illustration to free-form painting, you’ll build a solid foundation in Illustrator as you progress through the lessons.

A QUICK TOUR OF ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR (2021 RELEASE)

• Starting the lesson
• Creating a new document
• Drawing a shape
• Editing shapes
• Applying and editing color
• Editing strokes
• Working with layers
• Creating shapes using the Shape Builder tool
• Working with type
• Warping text
• Creating with the Curvature tool
• Creating and editing a gradient
• Creating symbols
• Editing symbols
• Working with effects
• Aligning artwork

 

1 GETTING TO KNOW THE WORK AREA

• Introducing Adobe Illustrator
• Opening an Illustrator file
• Exploring the workspace
• Getting to know the toolbar
• Finding more tools
• Working with the Properties panel
• Working with panels
• Moving and docking panels
• Switching workspaces
• Saving a workspace
• Using panel and context menus
• Changing the view of artwork
• Using view commands
• Using the Zoom tool
• Panning in a document
• Viewing artwork
• Navigating multiple artboards
• Using the Artboards panel
• Panning with the Navigator panel Images
• Arranging multiple documents

2 TECHNIQUES FOR SELECTING ARTWORK

• Starting the lesson
• Selecting objects
• Using the Selection tool
• Selecting and editing with the Direct Selection tool
• Selecting with a marquee
• Hiding and locking objects
• Unlocking objects you’ve locked
• Selecting similar objects
• Selecting in Outline mode
• Aligning objects
• Aligning objects to each other
• Aligning to a key object
• Distributing objects
• Aligning anchor points
• Aligning to the artboard
• Working with groups
• Grouping items
• Editing a group in Isolation mode
• Creating a nested group
• Exploring object arrangement
• Arranging objects
• Selecting objects behind

 

3 USING SHAPES TO CREATE ARTWORK FOR A POSTCARD

• Starting the lesson
• Creating a new document
• Working with basic shapes
• Creating rectangles
• Editing rectangles
• Rounding corners
• Rounding individual corners
• Creating and editing ellipses
• Creating and editing circles
• Changing stroke width and alignment
• Creating a polygon
• Editing the polygon
• Creating a star
• Editing the star
• Drawing lines
• Using Image Trace to convert raster images into editable vector art
• Cleaning up traced artwork
• Working with drawing modes
• Placing artwork
• Using Draw Inside mode
• Editing content drawn inside
• Working with Draw Behind mode
• Finishing up

4 EDITING AND COMBINING SHAPES AND PATHS

• Starting the lesson
• Editing paths and shapes
• Cutting with the Scissors tool
• Joining paths
• Cutting with the Knife tool
• Cutting in a straight line with the Knife tool
• Outlining strokes
• Using the Eraser tool
• Erasing in a straight line
• Assemble the first dinosaur
• Creating a compound path
• Combining shapes
• Start by creating shapes
• Working with the Shape Builder tool
• Assemble the second dinosaur
• Combining objects using Pathfinder effects
• Understanding shape modes
• Reshaping a path
• Using the Width tool
• Assemble the last dinosaur

 

5 TRANSFORMING ARTWORK

• Starting the lesson
• Working with artboards
• Adding artboards to a document
• Editing artboards
• Copying artboards between documents
• Aligning and arranging artboards
• Setting options for artboards
• Reordering artboards
• Working with rulers and guides
• Creating guides
• Editing the ruler origin
• Transforming content
• Working with the bounding box
• Positioning artwork using the Properties panel
• Scaling objects
• Reflecting objects
• Rotating objects
• Transforming with the Free Transform tool
• Shearing objects
• Positioning the bicyclist
• Using Puppet Warp

6 USING THE BASIC DRAWING TOOLS

• Starting the lesson
• Creating with the Curvature tool
• Drawing paths with the Curvature tool
• Drawing a river path
• Editing a path with the Curvature tool
• Creating corners with the Curvature tool
• Creating dashed lines
• Drawing with the Pencil tool
• Drawing paths with the Pencil tool
• Drawing straight lines with the Pencil tool
• Joining with the Join tool
• Adding arrowheads to paths

 

7 DRAWING WITH THE PEN TOOL

• Starting the lesson
• Understanding curved paths
• An introduction to drawing with the Pen tool
• Getting started with the Pen tool
• Selecting and editing paths
• Drawing straight lines with the Pen tool
• Starting with curved paths
• Drawing a curve with the Pen tool
• Drawing a series of curves with the Pen tool
• Converting smooth points to corner points
• Combining curves and straight lines
• Creating artwork with the Pen tool
• Drawing the swan
• Editing paths and points
• Deleting and adding anchor points
• Converting between smooth points and corner points
• Working with the Anchor Point tool

8 USING COLOR TO ENHANCE ARTWORK

• Starting the lesson
• Exploring color modes
• Working with color
• Applying an existing color
• Creating a custom color
• Saving a color as a swatch
• Creating a copy of a swatch
• Editing a global swatch
• Editing a nonglobal swatch
• Using the Color Picker to create color
• Using Illustrator swatch libraries
• Adding a spot color
• Creating and saving a tint of a color
• Converting colors
• Copying appearance attributes
• Creating a color group
• Using the Color Guide panel for creative inspiration
• Applying colors from the Color Guide panel
• Using Recolor Artwork to edit colors in artwork
• Recoloring artwork
• Working with Live Paint
• Creating a Live Paint group
• Painting with the Live Paint Bucket tool
• Modifying a Live Paint group

 

9 ADDING TYPE TO A PROJECT

• Starting the lesson
• Adding type
• Adding text at a point
• Adding area type
• Converting between area type and point type
• Importing a plain-text file
• Threading text
• Formatting type
• Changing font family and font style
• Activating Adobe Fonts
• Applying fonts to text in Illustrator
• Fixing missing fonts Images
• Changing font size
• Changing text color
• Changing additional character formatting
• Changing paragraph formatting
• Working with glyphs Images
• Vertically aligning area type
• Using glyph snapping
• Resizing and reshaping type objects
• Creating columns of text
• Reshaping type objects
• Sampling text formatting
• Creating and applying text styles
• Creating and applying a paragraph style
• Practicing paragraph styles
• Editing a paragraph style
• Creating and applying a character style
• Editing a character style
• Wrapping text
• Warping text
• Reshaping text with a preset envelope warp
• Editing the envelope warp
• Working with type on a path
• Creating text outlines

10 ORGANIZING YOUR ARTWORK WITH LAYERS

• Starting the lesson
• Understanding layers
• Creating layers and sublayers
• Creating new layers
• Creating a sublayer
• Editing layers and objects
• Finding content in the Layers panel
• Moving content between layers
• Viewing layer content differently
• Reordering layers and content
• Locking and hiding layers
• Duplicating layer content
• Pasting layers
• Applying appearance attributes to a layer
• Creating a clipping mask

 

11 GRADIENTS, BLENDS, AND PATTERNS

• Starting the lesson
• Working with gradients
• Applying a linear gradient to a fill
• Editing a gradient
• Saving a gradient as a swatch
• Adjusting a linear gradient fill
• Applying a linear gradient to a stroke
• Editing a gradient on a stroke
• Applying a radial gradient to artwork
• Editing the colors in the radial gradient
• Adjusting the radial gradient
• Applying gradients to multiple objects
• Adding transparency to gradients
• Applying a freeform gradient
• Editing a freeform gradient in Points mode
• Applying color stops in Lines mode
• Working with blended objects
• Creating a blend with specified steps
• Modifying a blend
• Creating and editing a smooth color blend
• Creating patterns
• Applying an existing pattern
• Creating your own pattern
• Applying your pattern
• Editing your pattern

12 USING BRUSHES TO CREATE AN AD

• Starting the lesson
• Working with brushes
• Using Calligraphic brushes
• Applying a Calligraphic brush to artwork
• Editing a brush
• Drawing with the Paintbrush tool
• Editing paths with the Paintbrush tool
• Removing a brush stroke
• Using Art brushes
• Applying an existing Art brush
• Creating an Art brush
• Editing an Art brush
• Using Pattern brushes
• Creating a Pattern brush
• Applying a Pattern brush
• Editing the Pattern brush
• Using Bristle brushes
• Changing Bristle brush options
• Painting with a Bristle brush
• Grouping Bristle brush paths
• Working with the Blob Brush tool
• Drawing with the Blob Brush tool
• Editing with the Eraser tool

 

13 EXPLORING CREATIVE USES OF EFFECTS AND GRAPHIC STYLES

• Starting the lesson
• Using the Appearance panel
• Editing appearance attributes
• Adding another fill to content
• Adding multiple strokes and fills to text
• Reordering appearance attributes
• Using live effects
• Applying an effect
• Editing an effect
• Styling text with a Warp effect
• Temporarily disabling effects to make edits
• Applying other effects
• Applying a Photoshop effect
• Working with 3D effects Images
• Using graphic styles
• Applying an existing graphic style
• Creating and applying a graphic style
• Updating a graphic style
• Applying a graphic style to a layer
• Scaling strokes and effects

14 CREATING ARTWORK FOR A T-SHIRT

• Starting the lesson
• Working with symbols
• Using default Illustrator symbol libraries
• Editing a symbol
• Working with dynamic symbols
• Creating a symbol
• Breaking a link to a symbol
• Replacing symbols
• Working with Creative Cloud libraries
• Adding assets to a Creative Cloud library
• Using library assets
• Updating a library asset
• Working with global editing

 

15 PLACING AND WORKING WITH IMAGES

• Starting the lesson
• Combining artwork
• Placing image files
• Placing an image
• Transforming a placed image
• Cropping an image
• Placing a Photoshop document
• Placing multiple images
• Masking images
• Applying a simple mask to an image
• Editing a clipping path (mask)
• Masking with a shape
• Masking an object with text
• Finishing the masked text
• Creating an opacity mask
• Editing an opacity mask
• Working with image links
• Finding link information
• Embedding and unembedding images
• Replacing an image

16 SHARING PROJECTS

• Starting the lesson
• Packaging a file
• Creating a PDF
• Creating pixel-perfect drawings
• Previewing artwork in Pixel Preview
• Aligning new artwork to the pixel grid
• Aligning existing artwork to the pixel grid
• Exporting artboards and assets
• Exporting artboards
• Exporting assets