Adobe Illustrator

Quick Start/ Cheat Sheet

New Document

Name your document. Change units of measurement from points to inches, enter

desirable size in unit field. Enter one or two artboards. No bleeds at this time.

Go to Essential for drop down menu to save and name your own work space.

TOOLS

Fill & Stroke/ bottom of tool bar

Click on fill or stroke to bring forward /to change color.

Click on red diagonal to neutralize fill and or stroke.

Pen Tool

point-to-point click to get a stroke.

Brush Tool

Window to brush palette / go to brush Libraries for /Artistic /Artistic Paintbrush/Artistic

Calligraphic/Artistic Watercolor.

Floating Pallet

Click on Line tool and or rectangle tool to get floating pallet/while the mouse

is being held down move to the right to get to the tear off position/ to get

Floating pallet.

Navigation Tool

Select navigation tool under window to manage vie of page.

Shapes
Click on star shape/ to change star points/while holding down mouse click on

up arrow on keyboard; same for all other shapes.

Type Tool

“T” for Type / click for blinking curser

Window/go to type/character for fonts size & font selection.

Type to create outline

Symbol Tool/ Spray Can

Window to Symbol Palette/ Symbol Libraries /Artistic Texture or Grime Vector Pack

Symbol Pallet/Break Link to change color of symbol.

Create own symbol/ drag design to palette /name new symbol/delete

original, use spray tool.

Graphic Styles

Window to Graphic Styles/ Graphic Styles Libraries /3D Effect/Artistic Effect

Additive/image effect/

Gradient

Window to Gradient/ gradient tool in tool bar/Radial and linear gradient/drag color

swatches to gradient bar.

To change gradient colors/ gradient tool for more effects.

Clipping Mask

Neutral Position/ no fill no stroke/red diagonal in fill and stroke/draw box corner to

corner/Select all/ object clipping mask make/ go immediately to black arrow to deselect.

Color Swatches/Pantone

Window to swatch libraries/ Color book/to Pantone Solid Coated

Effects/3D filter

Effect to 3D to Extrude/ be sure to check preview box/extrude letter forms and more

six squares, etc.

Effects/Drop Shadow

Effect stylized drop shadow/ Y and X axis/ Blur/ Opacity