Getting Started with Illustrator CC

Master the direct selection tool to grab anchor points, paths, and direction lines to tweak curves, while toggling with control or command between white and black arrow tools.

Master Illustrator's lasso tool for freehand selections, add with shift, subtract with alt, deselect by clicking away, and compare with line mode for complex artwork and stacking order limits.

Explore how vector artwork in Illustrator relies on paths and anchor points, differentiate open versus closed paths, and work with freehand pencil tool strokes using the white arrow tool.

Master precise vector transformations in Illustrator using micro positioning with arrow keys and numeric scale options, then rotate, transform, preview, and reset the bounding box.

Learn to apply and customize strokes in Illustrator by adjusting stroke weight, cap and corner options, and stroke alignment (center, inside, outside) for precise vector artwork.

Explore Illustrator's built-in swatch libraries, including ancient, baroque, and impressionism palettes, plus pantalone color books, and apply fills or strokes using the swatches panel.

Mix and save custom colors in Illustrator by using the color panel and swatches, then apply the saved swatch to multiple tentacles via replace fills.

Learn to create, customize, and save gradients in Illustrator CC, using the gradient panel, color stops, and the gradient tool to apply linear or radial fills to objects.

Learn to fill objects with patterns in illustrator cc by using pattern swatches, exploring libraries, and applying halftone and animal skin patterns to shapes.

Copy fills and strokes across multiple Illustrator objects using the eyedropper tool, enabling quick transfer of gradients, patterns, transparency, and other properties.

Explore how to use the area type options dialog box in Illustrator to control text frames, adjusting width, height, columns, gutter, and offset with live preview.

Explore Illustrator layers and the layers panel to organize artwork, toggle visibility, and manage stacking order. Create, rename, and move objects across layers to control document composition.

Explore the pathfinder panel in Illustrator to combine, cut, intersect, and exclude shapes, and experiment with shape modes to create custom forms and temporary welds.

Explore how to apply illustrator's vector and raster effects to shapes and text, including pucker and bloat, roughen, drop shadows, 3d extrude and bevel, warp.

Learn how to save Illustrator artwork in vector and raster formats using save as for AI and export for PNG, JPEG, or TIFF, with options like color model and resolution.