Week 2
Class Week 2: A Cube
If you’ve stumbled upon this site from Google or the ATCO homepage: This section of ATCO posts the class notes from my Creative Suite Tutorial class, which is taught through the Department of Art, Art History and Design at the University of Notre Dame.
Some terms:
- AI: Adobe Illustrator
- PS: Photoshop
- ID: InDesign
- Shortcut keys appear after certain tools and functions. For example: The Pen Tool (P). Every time you use a shortcut key, an angel gets its wings.
- Throughout this course I will refer to things being “optically” and “mechanically” perfect. Optically means that it “looks right,” even if the result is slightly off. Mechanically perfect means that the computer is making the necessary calculations to ensure that your page elements are positioned or sized perfectly.
First things first: What are the CS Applications used for?
Illustrator
Illustrator (AI) is for vector illustration. Use AI for creating logos, some charts and graphs, and basically all illustration needs. AI documents can be placed into InDesign as linked files. Illustrator is NOT for working with images or for setting large areas of type.
Illustrator is capable of setting type, but its type controls are primitive compared to InDesign. Only use type in AI for very short passages, some headline instances, or where you want to treat type elements as graphic elements with more freestyle scaling.
For example, in really big poster applications, sometimes it’s easier to set major headline type in Illustrator because the resizing controls are easier to use: just grab the corner handle, hold down SHIFT to constrain proportions and drag to make the type larger).
Photoshop
Photoshop is for working with images and creating graphics for screen applications and the web where pixel resolution issues affect how the image shows up on screen. Setting type in Photoshop is an extraordinarily bad idea and will result in the immediate revocation of your license to practice graphic design.
InDesign
InDesign is for setting type and for compiling and organizing large documents. Books, brochures, magazines, PDF for screen (etc) should all be set in ID. As a general rule, use ID for all areas of copy longer then a few words. ID’s type controls are more powerful then Illustrator. Images created in Photoshop and illustrations created in Illustrator can be placed into InDesign. InDesign takes PS and AI files as well as text provided from Word (or a similar application) and handles the assembly of those components into larger projects like books.
Illustrator: The Basics
Workspace
The AI workspace is very similar to the other CS3 applications. The default work space is made up of (what I call) the Options Bar on the top of the screen, Palettes/Panels on the right of the screen, and the Tools panel on the left of the screen which defaults to a single column of icons and can be toggled to a two column view for smaller screens.
Panels are collapsible screen elements that represent frequently used options from the pull down menus at the top of the screen. They have traditionally been called Pallettes, but I have it on good authority that, starting with CS4 the name will be officially changed to Panels, so that’s what we’ll call them. We use panels because they are quicker and therefore more efficient then using the pull-down menus to access options.
Customizing a workspace
“Workspace” refers to all of the elements of a screen view and their positions relative to each other. Over time, you’ll notice that you use some panels more then others, and that of the panels you use, the ones that you use most frequently need to be most conveniently located. Eventually you’ll figure out an optimum configuration for how you work, at which point you can save your workspace by using the pull-down menu Window>Workspace>Save Workspace.
Your workspace will be saved as a file in the Illustrator application folder under Presets>Workspaces. If you wish, you can copy this file to your flash drive and reload it at any computer you are working on by dragging the file back into the “Workspaces” folder on the new machine.
File Types
.eps
In order to appear well-informed, you can memorize that this stands for “encapsulated post-script file,” if you want. EPS is a file format that preserves vector information when it is saved from Illustrator. It is possible to create raster EPS in applications like Photoshop, so it is not always a guarantee that the vector information will be included. EPS is a great method for saving out logo files for use in many different applications. EPS can not be opened on machines that do not have Illustrator or Photoshop (or a similar application) loaded, so clients will frequently call you to complain that EPS files you have provided are “broken.” They aren’t.
.ai
This is the standard file type for Illustrator and represents a solid, versatile file format that is completely compatible with InDesign and can also be opened in Photoshop and rasterized (if necessary). Unless I specifically have to provide a vector file to a client or vendor using other, non Adobe applications, I save all of my Illustrator work in .ai format.
Legacy .eps
It’s sometimes necessary to save an .eps file for use on older versions of Illustrator. AI 10.0 is a very popular old version of Illustrator for some reason. When taking a file from a newer version of Illustrator to an older (or Legacy) version, this is the file type to save as.
(“Portable Document Format” for those looking to appear informed). PDFs can be produced in all three CS applications, and are perfect for sending proofs to clients because they can be opened and viewed on just about everything more powerful then a solar powered calculator. In AI, PDFs can be saved right from the Save As (Shift+Cmd+S) window by changing the file type in the “Format” pull down menu.
“Save” and “Save as”
This is consistent across all three CS apps.
Save (Cmd+S)
Makes a note of changes since the last time the document was saved and updates the existing file accordingly.
Save As (Shift+Cmd+S)
Save as replaces the existing file with a brand new file as if you were saving it for the first time. It’s a good idea to Save As every so often, especially after several hours of work. Save As is also where you would specify a new file format if you were, for example, switching from AI to EPS or PDF.
What Are Vectors?
A vector file is a graphic file created from the mathematical interaction of points and curves that represent the outside boundaries of shapes. Vectors are infinitely scalable (most of the time) because they are not created with pixels so there is no information to resample as they get larger.
This actually isn’t that complicated a concept. The relationship between two or three (or thousands of) points in a vector file will always be the same no matter how large is the file gets. The computer doesn’t have to add new pixels every time the file gets larger, it just redraws the line between the points, so there is no way to lose resolution. A properly formatted vector file will look the same on a billboard as it does on a postage stamp.
Raster vs. Vector
Vector files are a collection of points and the lines and curves that connect them. Raster files are large grids containing sometimes millions of individual bites of information called pixels. Pixels are tiny squares that carry a one color and (if necessary) on level of transparency. The interaction of these squares create the illusion of tones and shades in raster images. We’ll get into this in more depth when we cover Photoshop later in the semester, but for the time being, here’s the general rule: Vector for logos and illustrations and graphics that don’t contain photographic elements. Raster for everything else.
Drawing a Cube
Creating a New Document
Go to File>New or hit Cmd+N to create a new document. Your cube project (if I recall correctly has to be handed in mounted on foamcore and cut to a specific (square) size. If that’s the case, you can save yourself some time at the very end of the project, by setting up your New Document with these custom settings at the beginning of the process. Enter in the values for the required (final) printout in height and width in the New Document dialogue box. Landscape/Portrait orientation (the buttons to the right of the dimensions field with the little person icon inside a vertical and horizontal rectangle) are not important in this case because both dimensions should be the same. You’ll be printing this file (not displaying it on screen), so make sure Color Mode is set to CMYK under the “Advanced” tab. (This can be changed later if you forget, by selecting Document Color Mode under the File Menu). Whatever you enter into the “Name” field will be the default file name for the document when you eventually save it. This also, of course, can be changed later as needed. Click “Okay,” when you’re finished.
The Pen Tool (P) (Drawing Straight Vectors)
Click once with the pen tool (P) to set your first point. Click somewhere else in the screen to draw a straight line between the two points. This is as basic as vector creation can get. What you’ve created, obviously, is a set of two points joined by a line (or vector).
Hitting Enter (number keypad: Return is on the keyboard) once, OR selecting another tool at this point will close off this set of points. Hit enter and, with the pen still selected create three new points elsewhere in the document. Notice how these new points are not connected to the original set of points that you drew.
In more complex illustrations there is sometimes the need to create multiple, unconnected lines. Hitting Enter tells AI that you are done with one line and ready to begin another, unconnected line.
The Arrows
The first two tools in the tool bar are a black arrow and a white arrow. They’re technically called (respectively) the Selection Tool (V) and the Direct Selection Tool (A) but I call them the “Black Arrow” and the “White Arrow.”
The Black Arrow
The Black Arrow is used to select shapes (which are groups of connected points). Using this tool, clicking on any area of a shape or set of grouped shapes will select the entire shape. Drawing a box around multiple shapes will select everything that is inside the entirely or partly inside the box. Holding down Shift while clicking will allow you select multiple shapes or groups of shapes one at a time.
The White Arrow
The White Arrow (A) is used to select individual points or vectors. Selecting a shape with the white arrow will cause all of the points in the shape to turn white. (White points are unselected points). Points can be selected by clicking on them. Selected points will change color. As with the Black Arrow, holding down Shift will allow you select multiple points one at a time. Drawing a box with the white arrow will select all of the points inside that box.
For Both Arrow Tools
Holding down Shift while clicking on elements already selected will deselect them. This goes for shapes and individual points. Sometimes it’s more efficient to draw selection boxes to get everything you want to select and then deselect the elements you don’t need afterward.
Arrow Tricks
Group
Select two or more shapes with the Black Arrow and hit Cmd+G to group them. Shift+Cmd+G to ungroup. Grouping lets you treat the grouped objects as one page element. You can move them around, or copy them or resize them (or a number of other things) without changing their size and position relative to each other.
Constrain
You can click on any shape, group or point and drag it around the screen to reposition it. Holding down Shift while you drag constrains the shape’s movement to horizontal, vertical or 45 degree angle movement. Try it. It’s easier to see then it is to explain.
Alt Copy
You will use this every time you open Illustrator for the rest of your natural life. Hold down Alt to click and drag a duplicate of the target element. Instead of dragging your shape around the screen, in other words, you drag a copy of the shape around the screen and the original stays in position. This is very cool.
To a certain extent, your cube project will be judged by how perfectly you preserve the proportions and position of the elements that make up your cube. The same angles and line lengths, for example. Using Alt Copy (especially with the Alt Copy +Shift variation below) is a brainless way to ensure that all three of the vertical line segments in your cube are precisely the same. (Because they will be exact copys, created with constrained alignment). You can even use the align tools, discussed below, to make sure the spacing between the lines is mechanically perfect.
Alt Copy + Shift
Hold down Shift+Alt while clicking and dragging to make a perfect copy of the selected element that is horizontally, vertically or 45 degree diagonally aligned with the original. (This is even cooler).
Cmd+D
This repeats the last transformation. Use Alt Copy to drag a copy of a shape, and then use Cmd+D to make the same copy several times. Each newly copied element will be equally spaced based on the new position of the original copy. (Again…try this. It will be easier to see then to explain).
Reflect Horizontal/Vertical
Exactly like it sounds. You can select this option from Object>Transform>Reflect. Clicking “Okay” reflects the selected object. Clicking “Copy” makes a copy of the object first and then reflects the copy, making a mirror image. Complicated objects that have bi-lateral symatry, (like a face, for example) can be created by drawing one half of the object and then copying and reflecting the copy.
Average
If you have a perfectly vertical or perfectly horizontal line, and you move one of the points out of alignment with the White Arrow, it is (basically) impossible to put that point back into alignment by eyeballs alone. When this happens, select both end points of the line and hit Option+Cmd+J to Average the points. Select Horizontal or Vertical and all of the selected points will collapse to the same horizontal or vertical line. You will probably find a use for this when building your cube in order to ensure that all of the edge points are mechanically aligned.
Snap to Point
Turn this on under the View menu in the menu bar. With this option turned on, as you drag a selected point that you have activated with the White Arrow it will “snap” to other points in the workspace as it gets closer to them. When a point snaps, you know that it is mechanically aligned to the same X and Y coordinates as the other point. This is important, but I’ll explain it under the next bullet.
Joining Points
Even if points appear to be perfectly aligned, they will still be treated as elements of two separate shapes until they are “joined.” Two points that are “snapped” together will be come one new point connecting one whole shape after they are joined. Two points that are not mechanically aligned before they are joined will result in a third (straight) line segment connecting them. This is true even if it “looks right” (in other words, you can’t always see the new line segment). To make sure the points are mechanically aligned and to avoid this issue entirely, average the points vertically AND horizontally first.
To join points, select the points to be joined and hit Cmd+J. Indicate “corner” or “smooth” in the dialogue box based on if the shape you are creating is a curve or a hard, angled point between two line segments.
Align
The Align panel is one of the most powerful tools in AI. Once you understand how it works, you will have it open so frequently that it may as well be a permanent edition to your customized workspace. The Align panel takes selected elements and snaps them into mechanical alignment. It’s possible to align elements by right, left, bottom or top edges as well as the center point.
Let’s look at top-align as an example of the tool. With a bunch of elements selected, pressing the top align button will snap all of the selected element so that they top most point of each element aligns with the top-most point of the element that has the greatest Y position on the page, if that makes sense. (In other words, the highest point on the page). This is how all of the “edge” align tools work too (top, bottom, left and right). I am 98% sure that the two centerline align tools (vertical and horizontal) snap the selected elements to the median point between the highest and lowest (or farthest right and farthest left) center points of the selected elements. (Don’t quote me on this).
Grouped elements are treated as one element by the align tool with their own center point for the entire group.
The distribute tools are pretty cool too. They’re on the bottom part of the Align panel and they snap objects so that the each selected object is positioned an equal distance from the objects next to it. Distribute commands do not “align” the objects, they only adjust the space between the objects. Use them with the align tools to mechanically align and distributed selected elements.
