MCA_Digital Foundations: Day 1_In_Class_Introduction to Mac and Adobe Illustrator

Mac Shortcuts

What is Adobe Illustrator?

Adobe Illustrator is a program used by both artists and graphic designers to create vector images. These images will then be used for company logos, promotional uses or even personal work, both in print and digital form. So what is Adobe Illustrator used for? It is typically used to create illustrations, charts, graphs, logos, diagrams, cartoons of real photographs, and more. While the program may be difficult to understand initially, the final product will be well worth the learning curve. Files can be exported from Illustrator to Photoshop and Indesign for layout and publication and even transferred into motion platforms like AfterEffects for animation or Premiere for use in video graphics and film production.

All this week we will be working in Illustrator, which is a VECTOR based program.

The word "Pixel" is a term that was created out of the two words, "picture" and "element." You will hear

Raster / Bitmap Images

Raster images' dimensions are measured in pixels. Because raster images cannot be enlarged without losing quality, different suppliers have specific size requirements for their processes; they require a specific pixel resolution: a specific amount of pixels within each inch. The amount of pixels within each inch in the image represents the image pixel resolution or ppi (pixels per inch).

How large a raster image can be printed - and maintain quality - depends on 2 things:

the pixel dimension of the image (e.g. 6824 pixels wide by 2345 pixels high)
the pixel resolution: pixels-per-inch (ppi) required by the particular printer

Some offset printers (paper printing) require a minimum of 300 ppi
Some screen printers (cloth printing) require a minimum of 240 ppi
Large format printers (banners, billboards) vary a lot because it also depends on the distance from which the sign is going to be viewed - could be as low as 20 or more than 200

For all intensive purposes, most artists and photographers will save images in a couple different qualities for usage.

300 dpi is a good quality print image
72 dpi is a good quality image to be used for the web.

How to determine what size your raster image must be, for good quality printing:

Multiply the resolution required by the area to be printed. Examples:

If a printer requires a minimum of 300 ppi and you want to print an image in an area that is 5 inches wide, multiply 300 pixels x 5 inches (300 x 5 = 1500). Your image must be at least 1500 pixels wide.

If a printer requires a minimum of 240 ppi and you want to print an image in an area that is 12 inches wide, multiply 240 pixels x 12 inches (240 x 12 = 2880). Your image must be at least 2880 pixels wide.

Can you enlarge the pixel dimension and resolution of a raster image?

Raster images have a certain amount of pixels within each inch. A 72 ppi image has 72 pixels in every inch. A 300 ppi image has 300 pixels per inch. Usually the higher the ppi, the higher the quality. When you are required to provide a high resolution image file, the file must have been created or scanned at both the dimension and the resolution required. E.G. if you need to print an image at 2 inches wide and 300 ppi is required, your image must be created/scanned at a minimum of 600 pixels (2in x 300dpi).

Vector Graphics

Vector graphics are made of mathematical calculations that form objects or lines - they do not use pixels therefore they are resolution-independent.

Vector graphics can be enlarged and printed at ANY SIZE!

Instead of pixels, vector graphics use objects and lines (shapes) to represent images. Vector graphics can be scaled to any size without losing quality.

Some Vector programs have two different views; preview/normal view which displays the image as we normally would see it and an outline/wireframe view which displays the outline of every object in the file. This vector outline/wireframe is important to some companies like engraving & vinyl-cut signs because it guides the equipment they use to create their products.

Now that we have gone over that. Let's dig into illustrator and check things out. Here is a list of shortcuts that will help you with Adobe Illustrator.

We will begin by taking a brief tour through shapes in

illustrator.

Here is a brief tutorial for you to review you should you need while you are working on your designs.

WEEK 1: ASSIGNMENT

IN CLASS:

Create a new folder on your desktop
1. To create a new folder on your computer, navigate to the place where you want your new folder to reside (for instance, the Desktop), and from the menu, choose File > New Folder. Most computer users typically store folders in the Documents folder or on the Desktop. As soon as you create a new folder, the operating system temporarily names it untitled folder. As long as you do not click outside of the folder name, the name area remains highlighted in blue, and is ready for you to type a new name. Name the folder "lastname_firstname_FD170" and press the Return key. (If you have clicked outside of the box and seem to be stuck with an "unnamed folder," click on the folder to highlight, then click again and you will be able to name the folder.)

Create a new file in Adobe Illustrator

Launch the Application

1. In Mac OS, move the mouse to the bottom of the screen so that it appears over the dock. The dock displays icons that are buttons which launch various applications in one click. Click on the Illustrator icon once and the application will open. If the icon is not in the dock, you can find the application in Finder/ Applications / Adobe Illustrator or Finder > Menu > Go >Applications >Adobe Illustrator. In Windows OS it is in Start > Programs > Adobe > Adobe Illustrator CC.

Define a new file

2. Open Adobe Illustrator. To create a new document click File > New....

Notice the settings. Illustrator has default settings for many different formats that you might be creating work for specifically. For this assignment, choose print, and then "letter" to open an 8.5 x 11 document

The blank page and your tools
Look around your new document and notice the interface elements. In the center is an Artboard. Analog layouts were created inside the area defined by cropmarks drawn on a board, which was referred to as the Artboard. Illustrator reproduces the analog experience through metaphor. On the left side of the document area is the Tools panel. Like an artist’s or designer’s toolbox, the Tools panel holds pens, pencils, brushes, shape tools, and so on.

On the right are more panels. Take notice of the Color panel. Painters mix together individual paint colors on a palette. In Illustrator, as in the other Adobe Creative Suite applications, you create colors by virtually mixing colors in a panel (read more about this in Chapter 5). The tools and panel can be moved around the screen, and they can be hidden or shown based on the amount of workspace on the monitor.

3. Show the Layers panel by clicking Window > Layers, then hide the Layers panel by pressing the layers icon on the right side toolbar. Alternately, any panel can be shown or hidden by selecting its name from the Window menu.

After quitting and then re-opening a program, panels will assume the same locations as when the application was last closed. This can be a time-saver on a personal computer, but it can be an annoyance in a classroom or lab when the previous user's custom panel configuration appears confusing. Most applications have basic or default workspaces. Reset the workspace layout in Illustrator by clicking Window > Workspace > [Essential] or by using the pull-down menu on the Application bar. Before starting each of the exercises, set the workspace to the essential or basic settings so that your set-up is consistent with the settings we used while writing this book.

Create a dynamic composition from an image: for this first project we will be using Egon Shiele. You will be using the rectangle tool to create the entire composition.