254 Tips for Creating Shapes ✦ Create a shape from the center out by holding down the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) key while dragging. Hold down Alt+Shift (Windows) or Option+Shift (Mac) to pull a constrained shape out from the center. Figure 4-7: Use the Shift key to constrain a shape while you create it. ✦ When entering values in a shape dialog box, you can click either the Width or Height text to match the other value. In Figure 4-8, we entered the value 4 in the Height text box and then clicked the word Width to make the values match. Figure 4-8: Match values easily. ✦ When creating a star or polygon shape by clicking and dragging, if you keep the mouse button down, you can then press the up- or down-arrow key to interactively add points or sides to your shape. Creating advanced shapes At times, it may be wise to use advanced tools in Illustrator to create unique shapes. The Pathfinder panel is an incredible tool you can use to combine, knock out (eliminate one shape from another), and even create shapes from other intersected shapes. You use the Pathfinder panel, shown in Figure 4-9, to combine objects into new shapes. To use the Pathfinder panel, choose Window➪Pathfinder. 27_607466-bk03ch04.indd 25427_607466-bk03ch04.indd 254 5/24/10 11:56 PM5/24/10 11:56 PM Book III Chapter 4 Creating Basic Shapes 255 Tips for Creating Shapes Figure 4-9: Combine objects into new shapes. Across the top row of the Pathfinder panel are the Shape modes, which let you control the interaction between selected shapes. You can choose from the Shape modes listed in Table 4-2. Table 4-2 Shape Modes Button Mode What You Can Do with It Add to Shape Area Unite the selected shape into one. Subtract from Shape Area Cut out the topmost shape from the underlying shape. Intersect Shape Areas Use the area of the topmost shape to clip the underlying shape as a mask would. Exclude Overlapping Shape Areas Use the area of the shape to invert the underlying shape, turning filled regions into holes and vice versa. If you like the result from using Exclude Overlapping Shapes mode, you can also create a similar effect by selecting several shapes and choosing Object➪Compound Path➪Make. This command “punches” the topmost shapes from the bottom shape. The shapes remain separate so that you can still adjust them, which is help- ful if you like to tweak your artwork (but it drives some people crazy). You can turn the result of using the Shape Mode buttons into one shape by either clicking the Expand button after selecting Shape mode or holding down the Alt key (Windows) or Option key (Mac) when clicking a Shape Mode button. 27_607466-bk03ch04.indd 25527_607466-bk03ch04.indd 255 5/24/10 11:56 PM5/24/10 11:56 PM 256 Tips for Creating Shapes Using the Pathfinders Pathfinders are the buttons at the bottom of the Pathfinder panel that let you create new shapes from overlapping objects. Table 4-3 summarizes what each Pathfinder does. Table 4-3 The Pathfinders Button Mode What You Can Do with It Divide Divide all shapes into their own, individual shapes. This tool is quite useful tool when you’re trying to create custom shapes. Trim Remove the part of a filled object that’s hidden. Merge Remove the part of a filled object that’s hidden. Also, remove any strokes and merge any adjoining or overlapping objects filled with the same color. Crop Delete all parts of the artwork that fall outside the boundary of the topmost object. You can also remove any strokes. If you want strokes to remain when using this feature, select them and choose Object➪Path➪Outline Stroke. Outline Divide an object into its shape’s line segments, or edges, useful for preparing artwork that needs a trap for overprinting objects. Minus Back Delete an object that’s in the back of frontmost object. Using the Shape Builder tool New in Illustrator CS5, you can intuitively combine, edit, and fill shapes on your artboard. Follow these steps to create your own unique shape using the Shape Builder tool: 1. Create several overlapping shapes. 2. Select the shapes that you want to combine. 3. Select the Shape Builder tool and then click and drag across the selected shapes, as shown on the left in Figure 4-10. The selected shapes are combined into one shape, as shown on the right in Figure 4-10. 27_607466-bk03ch04.indd 25627_607466-bk03ch04.indd 256 5/24/10 11:56 PM5/24/10 11:56 PM Book III Chapter 4 Creating Basic Shapes 257 Tips for Creating Shapes Figure 4-10: Create several shapes in order to use the Shape Builder tool. The Shape Builder tool also enables merging objects, breaking overlap- ping shapes, subtracting areas, and more. 4. Create another shape that overlaps your new combined shape. 5. Using the Selection tool, select both shapes. 6. Select the Shape Builder tool again. 7. Hold down the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) key and click and drag across the newly added shape, as shown in Figure 4-11. It is subtracted from the underlying shape. Figure 4-11: Use the Shape Builder tool to subtract from another shape. Coloring fills and strokes is easier now, too. When you’re finished making your shape, you can use the hidden Live Paint Bucket tool to intuitively fill your shape with color. 27_607466-bk03ch04.indd 25727_607466-bk03ch04.indd 257 5/24/10 11:56 PM5/24/10 11:56 PM 258 Book III: Illustrator CS5 27_607466-bk03ch04.indd 25827_607466-bk03ch04.indd 258 5/24/10 11:56 PM5/24/10 11:56 PM www.zshareall.com Chapter 5: Using the Pen Tool and Placing Images In This Chapter ✓ Familiarizing yourself with the Pen tool ✓ Creating paths, closed shapes, and curves ✓ Using the hidden Pen tools ✓ Tracing some artwork ✓ Placing images in Illustrator CS5 ✓ Working with Layer Comps Y ou’ve seen illustrations that you know are made from paths, but how do you make your own? In this chapter, we show you how to use the Pen tool to create paths and closed shapes. Using the Pen tool requires a little more coordination than do other Illustrator tools. Fortunately, Adobe Illustrator CS5 includes new features to help make using the Pen tool a little easier. After you master the Pen tool, the possibili- ties for creating illustrations are unlimited. Read this chapter to build your skills using the most popular feature in graphical software: the Bézier curve. Pen Tool Fundamentals You can use the Pen tool to create all sorts of elements, such as straight lines, curves, and closed shapes, which you can then incorporate into illustrations: ✦ Bézier curve: Originally developed by Pierre Bézier in the 1970s for CAD/CAM operations, the Bézier curve (shown in Figure 5-1) became the underpinnings of the entire Adobe PostScript drawing model. A Bézier curve is one that you can control the depth and size of by using direction lines. ✦ Anchor point: You can use anchor points to control the shape of a path or object. Anchor points are created automatically when using shape tools. You can manually create anchor points by clicking from point to point with the Pen tool. 28_607466-bk03ch05.indd 25928_607466-bk03ch05.indd 259 5/25/10 9:16 AM5/25/10 9:16 AM 260 Pen Tool Fundamentals Figure 5-1: Bézier curves are controlled by direction lines. ✦ Direction line: These lines are essentially the handles you use on curved points to adjust the depth and angle of curved paths. ✦ Closed shape: When a path is created, it becomes a closed shape when the start point joins the endpoint. ✦ Simple path: A path consists of one or more straight or curved seg- ments. Anchor points mark the endpoints of the path segments. In the next section, we show you how to control the anchor points. Creating a straight line A basic function of the Pen tool is to create a simple path. You can create a simple, straight line with the Pen tool by following these steps: 1. Press D or click the small black-and-white color swatches at the bottom of the Tools panel. You revert to the default colors of a black stroke and a white fill. With black as a stroke, you can see your path clearly. The trick of pressing D to change the foreground and background colors to the default of black and white also works in Photoshop and InDesign. 2. Click the Fill swatch, at the bottom of the Tools panel, to ensure that the Fill swatch is in front of the Stroke swatch, and then press the for- ward slash (/) key to change the fill to None. 3. Open a new blank page and select the Pen tool. Notice that when you move the mouse over the artboard, the Pen cursor appears with an X beside it, indicating that you’re creating the first anchor point of a path. 4. Click the artboard to create the first anchor point of a line. The X disappears. Avoid dragging the mouse or you’ll end up creating a curve rather than a straight segment. 28_607466-bk03ch05.indd 26028_607466-bk03ch05.indd 260 5/25/10 9:16 AM5/25/10 9:16 AM Book III Chapter 5 Using the Pen Tool and Placing Images 261 Pen Tool Fundamentals 5. Click anywhere else on the document to create the ending anchor point of the line. Illustrator creates a path between the two anchor points. Essentially, the path looks like a line segment with an anchor point at each end (see Figure 5-2). Figure 5-2: A path connected by two anchor points. To make a correction to a line you created with the Pen tool (as described in the preceding step list), follow these steps: 1. Choose Select➪Deselect to make sure that no objects are selected. 2. Select the Direct Selection tool from the Tools panel. Notice the helpful feature that enlarges the anchor point when you pass over it with the Direct Selection tool. 3. Click an anchor to select one point on the line. Notice that the selected anchor point is solid and the other is hollow. Solid indicates that the anchor point you clicked is active whereas hollow is inactive. 4. Click and drag the anchor point with the Direct Selection tool. The selected anchor point moves, changing the direction of the path while not affecting the other anchor point. Use the Direct Selection tool (press A to use the keyboard shortcut to select the Direct Selection tool) to make corrections to paths. Make sure that only the anchor point you want to change is active. If the entire path is selected, all anchor points are solid. If only one anchor point is selected, all but that one point will be hollow. Creating a constrained straight line In this section, we show you how to create a real straight line — one that’s on multiples of a 45-degree angle. Illustrator makes it easy; just follow these steps: 28_607466-bk03ch05.indd 26128_607466-bk03ch05.indd 261 5/25/10 9:16 AM5/25/10 9:16 AM 262 Pen Tool Fundamentals 1. Select the Pen tool and click the artboard anywhere to place an anchor point. 2. Hold down the Shift key and click another location to place the ending anchor point. Notice that when you’re holding down the Shift key, the line snaps to a multiple of 45 degrees. Release the mouse button before you release the Shift key or else the line pops out of alignment. Creating a curve In this section, you see how to use the Bézier path to create a curved segment. We don’t guarantee that you’ll love this process — not at first, anyway. But after you know how to use a Bézier path, you’ll likely find it useful. To create a Bézier path, follow these steps: 1. Starting with a blank artboard, select the Pen tool and click the art- board anywhere to place the first anchor point. 2. Click someplace else to place the ending anchor point — don’t let go of the mouse button — and then drag the cursor until a direction line appears. If you look closely, you see that anchor points are square and that direc- tion lines have circles at the end, as shown in Figure 5-3. Figure 5-3: Click and drag with the Pen tool to create a curved path. 3. Drag the direction line closer to the anchor point to flatten the curve; drag farther away from the anchor point to increase the curve, as shown in Figure 5-4. 4. When you’re happy with the curve, release the mouse button. 28_607466-bk03ch05.indd 26228_607466-bk03ch05.indd 262 5/25/10 9:16 AM5/25/10 9:16 AM Book III Chapter 5 Using the Pen Tool and Placing Images 263 Pen Tool Fundamentals Figure 5-4: Adding curve to the curve. You’ve created an open path, or a path that doesn’t form a closed shape. We show you in the next section how to reconnect to the starting point of the path to make a closed shape. To alter a curved segment after you create it, follow these steps: 1. Choose Select➪Deselect to ensure that no objects are selected. 2. Choose the Direct Selection tool and click the last anchor point cre- ated. If the direction lines aren’t already visible, they appear. If you have difficulty selecting the anchor point, drag a marquee around it with the Direct Selection tool. 3. Click precisely at the end of one of the direction lines; drag the direc- tion line to change the curve. Reconnecting to an existing path Creating one segment is fine if you want just a line or an arch. But if you want to create a shape, you need to add more anchor points to the original segment. If you want to fill your shape with a color or a gradient, you need to close it, which means that you need to eventually return to the starting anchor point. To add segments to your path and create a closed shape, follow these steps: 1. Create a segment (straight or curved). We show you how in the preceding sections of this chapter. You can continue from this point, clicking and adding anchor points until you eventually close the shape. For this example, you deselect the path so that you can discover how to continue adding to paths that have already been created. Knowing how to edit existing paths is extremely helpful when you need to make adjustments to artwork. 2. With the Pen tool selected, move the cursor over an end anchor point on the deselected path. 28_607466-bk03ch05.indd 26328_607466-bk03ch05.indd 263 5/25/10 9:16 AM5/25/10 9:16 AM [...]... in Figure 5- 5 is a result of adding several linked anchor points Figure 5- 5: Adding anchor points to create a shape 6 When you return to the first anchor point, move the cursor over it and click when the close icon (a small, hollow circle) appears, as shown in Figure 5- 6 The shape now has no end points Figure 5- 6: Click when the close path icon appears Controlling curves After you feel comfortable creating... unless you’re tweaking text for a more customized look ✦ Baseline: The line that type sits on The baseline doesn’t include descenders, type that extends down, like lowercase y and g You adjust the baseline for trademark signs or mathematical formulas, as shown in Figure 6- 14 Figure 6- 14: Adjust the baseline for superscript Book III Chapter 6 Table 6-1 Keyboard Shortcuts for Type Command Windows Mac... shown in Figure 5- 7c Creating a corner point To change the direction of a path from being a curve to a corner, you have to create a corner point, shown on the right in Figure 5- 8 A corner point has no direction lines and allows for a sharp directional change in a path Using the Pen Tool and Placing Images Figure 5- 7: Creating a controlled Bézier curve 266 The Hidden Pen Tools Figure 5- 8: Smooth versus...2 64 Pen Tool Fundamentals 3 Click when you see the Pen icon with a forward slash to connect your next segment The forward slash indicates that you’re connecting to this path 4 Click someplace else to create the next anchor point in the path; drag the mouse if you want to create a curved segment 5 Click to place additional anchor points, dragging as... anchor point 268 The Hidden Pen Tools Hide Handles for Multiple Selected Anchor Points Figure 5- 10: Control panel tools for easy editing Convert Selected Anchor Points to Smooth Connect Selected End Points Cut Path at Selected Anchor Points Convert Selected Remove Selected Anchor Points Anchor Points to Corner Selected Anchor Points Coordinates Show Handles for Multiple Selected Anchor Points Using the... Figure 5- 11 Figure 5- 11: The Eraser tool deletes sections of a path By double-clicking the Eraser tool, you can define the diameter, angle, and roundness of your eraser (see Figure 5- 12) If you’re using a drawing tablet, you can even set Wacom tablet interaction parameters, such as Pressure and Tilt If you want to erase more than a single selected object, use Isolation mode to segregate grouped objects for. .. or edit your image After you click Place, a template layer is automatically created for you, and another layer is waiting for you to create your path The newly created top layer resembles a piece of tracing paper that has been placed on top of the scanned image 4 Re-create the image by tracing over it with the Pen tool 5 When you’re done, turn off the visibility of the placed image by clicking the Visibility... the line of type goes on forever (even beyond the end of the Scratch area) until you press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac) to start a new line of text This excess length is fine if you just need short lines of text for callouts or captions, for example, but it doesn’t work well if you’re creating a label or anything else that has large amounts of copy Working with Type 2 75 Many new users click and... height of the text area with the handles Need an exact size for a text area? With the Type tool selected, drag to create a text area of any size Then choose Window➪Transform to view the Transform panel Type an exact width measurement in the W text field and an exact height measurement in the H text field Dealing with text overflow Watch out for excess text! If you create a text area that’s too small... Width text field and 4 25 pt is in the Height text field 4 In the Columns area, enter the number of columns you want to create in the Number text field, the span distance in the Span text field, and the gutter space in the Gutter text field The span specifies the height of individual rows and the width of individual columns The gutter is the space between columns and is automatically set for you, but you . color. 27_60 746 6-bk03ch 04. indd 257 27_60 746 6-bk03ch 04. indd 257 5/ 24/ 10 11 :56 PM5/ 24/ 10 11 :56 PM 258 Book III: Illustrator CS5 27_60 746 6-bk03ch 04. indd 258 27_60 746 6-bk03ch 04. indd 258 5/ 24/ 10 11 :56 PM5/ 24/ 10. visible. 28_60 746 6-bk03ch 05. indd 27128_60 746 6-bk03ch 05. indd 271 5/ 25/ 10 9:16 AM5/ 25/ 10 9:16 AM 272 Book III: Illustrator CS5 28_60 746 6-bk03ch 05. indd 27228_60 746 6-bk03ch 05. indd 272 5/ 25/ 10 9:16 AM5/ 25/ 10. key (Mac) when clicking a Shape Mode button. 27_60 746 6-bk03ch 04. indd 255 27_60 746 6-bk03ch 04. indd 255 5/ 24/ 10 11 :56 PM5/ 24/ 10 11 :56 PM 256 Tips for Creating Shapes Using the Pathfinders Pathfinders