Tips for Working in Adobe Illustrator

Today, I’m sharing a translated article from the blog of the photo bank Shutterstock. Adobe Illustrator is a powerful software with millions of features, and mastering all of its functionality is nearly impossible. Fortunately, you don’t need to know every detail to create interesting and high-quality illustrations.

However, I can offer a few simple tips to make working in Illustrator easier in today’s overview. If you’re not a beginner with Adobe Illustrator, there might not be anything new for you here, but I believe this material will be useful for beginner illustrators.

Let’s get started!

10 Tips for Simplifying Work in Adobe Illustrator

Keyboard Shortcuts to the Rescue

This is a very simple trick when working in Adobe Illustrator, but it doesn’t make it any less important. Keyboard shortcuts or combinations help you spend much less time.

You don’t need to memorize all of them but think about which commands you use most frequently and learn those. You can also remember single-letter commands to call up the tools you need, saving even more time.

For example, the letter “V” calls up the “Selection” tool, and simply pressing the “A” key allows you to use the “Direct Selection” tool immediately. Similarly, “R” is for the “Rotate” tool, and “Shift + E” is for the “Eraser”.

Copying in Place (Local Copy)

Copying and pasting are probably the most used commands in Adobe Illustrator. The only issue is that sometimes you need to paste an object in the same place. You can use the “Paste in Front” and “Paste in Back” commands in the “Edit” menu.

This way, your object will appear exactly where it’s needed. The keyboard shortcuts are Command (Mac OS)/Ctrl (Windows) + F to place above the selected area or copied object and Command (Mac OS)/Ctrl (Windows) + B to place below.

You can also use the “Rotate” tool. Select your object, double-click on the tool to bring up its menu, select the angle “0”, and press copy. Your duplicate will appear in the same place.

Using Alt and Shift Intensively

Two of the most used keys on the keyboard are Alt and Shift. Try selecting an object and moving it. Now hold down Alt. Your tool has changed, and now you are creating a copy of the object.

Let’s try again, but with the Shift key held down, and you’ll see that the object moves strictly horizontally or vertically. If you hold down both keys, you can make a copy of the object positioned strictly vertically or horizontally.

Using Smart Guides

The “Align” tool is useful, but it doesn’t do everything. Smart Guides take care of the rest. To enable them, go to “View > Smart Guides” or press Command/Ctrl + U.

Once enabled, you’ll see glowing lines around your object and pop-up labels like path, anchor point, and center. Try overlaying one path on top of another. Smart Guides will show where these objects intersect.

Try aligning two circles at the center using guides. To do this, place the first object, holding it by the “center” to the “center” of the second object.

Understanding Transparency in Adobe Illustrator

The “Flatten Transparency” command lets you see how the file will look without transparency. The “Outline Stroke” command separates the stroke from the fill without breaking them apart (it keeps them in a group).

To separate the stroke from the fill, use Flatten transparency. Go to the “Object > Flatten Transparency” menu. Ensure the raster/vector balance is set to 100.

You can also use this option to break down brush strokes, blends, and warp effects.

Grouping in Adobe Illustrator

The “Group” command is mainly used to group objects. But it’s also a powerful tool for moving objects.

If there are several overlapping objects on the artboard and you need to place a new path between them, try using the “Group” command.

First, place the path in the background (Object > Arrange > Send to Back). Leave it selected, then (while holding down Shift) select the object directly under which you want to place this new path and group these two objects (Object > Group or Command/Ctrl + G). This moves our new path just below the required old one.

This way, you can combine objects on different layers, moving them as needed.

Repeat Transformation in Adobe Illustrator

The “Transform Again” command (Object > Transform > Transform Again) is used to repeat the last action. This is very convenient when you need to create equal intervals.

To do this, first copy the desired path: hold down the Alt key, drag it, and then apply the “Transform Again” command (Command/Ctrl + D) to the copy. This places the next copy at the same distance.

This command can also be used to repeat the Scaling or Rotating effect.

Blends in Adobe Illustrator

Most designers use the “Blend” command (Object > Blend > Make) for gradient transitions. But this command can also be used to create outlines. Start by drawing a circle and a square some distance apart. Next, you need to set the number of steps in the blend.

Go to Object > Blend > Blend Options. In the dialog menu, select “Specified Steps” and set the number of steps. Four is just the right amount.

Now, select our two paths and go to Object > Blend > Make. The command will create several paths that are a cross between a circle and a square.

You can then use the “Flatten Transparency” command to get editable paths.

Working with Text in Adobe Illustrator

When I first started using Illustrator, I would select the “Text” tool and start typing. This would result in text on a single straight line, which is not very convenient to work with. Although this method is still popular, there is another way.

You can create an area for text in advance using the “Text in Box” tool or by initially creating a path in which the text will fit and then using the “Text” tool.

Working with text in an area is much easier, and it will save you a lot of hassle.

From Star to Triangle

With the “Star” tool, you can create many more shapes than just the traditional star.

Draw a star, but don’t release the mouse button, and use the up and down arrows to add or remove anchor points. For example, pressing the down arrow will give you a triangle.

Before releasing the mouse button, try pressing Shift as well. This will place the triangle parallel to the page.

Now that you’ve read these tips and tricks, try using them in your work with Adobe Illustrator, and don’t be afraid to experiment — no one will punish you for it!

The effect will be noticeable quite quickly, especially if you sell illustrations through stock photo sites online.

Original article by: Cory Thorman
Source: buzz.shutterstock.com/vectors/10-tricks-for-adobe-illustrator

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