Adobe Illustrator CS4: Introduction for Beginners

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Course Overview

Illustrator CS4 - Getting Started is a blended learning course that combines 1 days of instructor led classroom based Illustrator training with hours of additional online learning content covering a range of Illustrator topics suitable for beginners.

The classroom based modules can either be completed at our fully equipped London training centre or at your own facility, whilst the online modules combine high quality flash video presentations backed up with instructor led course discussion forums, exercises files, real world samples, and loads more.

Course Outline

General Interface

• How the panels work
• docking
• panel groups
• document tabbing
• Creating/Saving workspaces
• The Application bar
• N-up display
• Canvas rotation
• Basic shortcuts

Using the Appearance Panel

• Hide/Show attributes
• Editing multiple object characteristics
• Same appearance attribute
• Copy and paste attributes

Setting up your document

• New Document Settings
• Multiple artboards
• Creating a Custom Workspace
• Defaults

Creating shapes Part One

• Using the pen tool
• Drawing from scratch
• Editing a selected shape
• Corners
• Drawing basic Shapes with the Shape Tools
• Drawing paths with the Pencil Tool
• Creating shapes from letters
• Editing Objects
• Manipulating Objects - Transformations

Colour

• Colour and Kuler
• Swatches
• Gradients
• Transparency
• Stroke/Fill

Creating Shapes Part Two

• Pathfinder commands
• Duplicating Objects
• Repeating transformations
• Applying Graphic Styles
• Blob Brush tool

Layers

• Layers and sub-layers
• When to use them
• Layer options
• What to do with layers when exporting

Using Type

• Apply Gradients to Type
• Type in a shape
• Type on a Path
• Apply an Envelope to Type

Using graphics

• Placing a Graphic
• LiveTrace - Basics
• Expanding a LiveTraced graphic
• Editing the resuting expansion

Symbols - basics

• What is a Symbol
• How to use the Symbol sprayer tool
• Basic symbol manipulations
• Symbol libraries

Illustrator Effects - Basics

• Distort and Trasnform
• Stylize
• Warp

Tool options and Smart Guides

• Tool options
• Smart guides and Smart Guide preferences
• Gradient Controls

Managing Assets with Adobe Bridge for Illustrator

• Exploring the Adobe Bridge Environment
• Applying Metadata and Keywords

Illustrator Skins for Flex

• Designing a skin
• Exporting and using within Flex

Using Illustrator for Flash Example

• Creating a simple Illustration
• Setting up the layers properly
• Setting up the symbols
• Exporting to Flash
• Using the file within flash
• Finished result

Creating an Interactive PDF

• Creating Buttons for a pdf
• Creating Links for a pdf
• Exporting to PDF and viewing within Acrobat