Adobe Illustrator CS6 Tutorial

G ETTI NG S TA RT ED
Adobe Illustrator CS6 is an illustration program that can be used for print, multimedia and
online graphics. Whether you plan to design or illustrate multimedia artwork Illustrator
offers all the tools needed to produce professional and quality results for even a beginner. This
tutorial will take you through some of the basic uses of Illustrator CS6.

TABLE O F C O NTENTS
In this tutorial, you will learn the following:

1. Getting Started Pg. 3

2. Setting Up the Document Pg. 4

3. Toolbox Pg. 5

4. Toolbox Description Pg. 5

5. Working with Layers Pg. 10

6. Making Selections Pg. 11

7. Creating Basic Shapes Pg. 12

8. Inserting and Formatting Text Pg. 13

9. Typing on a Path Pg. 14

10. Placing Images Pg. 14

11. Working with Objects Pg. 15

12. Arranging Pg. 15

13. Grouping Pg. 16

14. Locking Pg. 16

15. Applying Transparencies Pg.17

16. Applying Styles, Effects and Appearances Pg. 17

17. Working with Symbols Pg. 19

18. Saving Pg. 19

2
 1 . G ETT I NG S TA RTED
1. Begin by opening Adobe Illustrator CS6.
On a PC, click Start > Programs > Adobe > Illustrator CS6, or click on the Illustrator short
cut on the desktop.

On a Mac, click Macintosh HD > Applications > Adobe Illustrator CS6 , or click the
Illustrator icon in the Dock. (Figure 1)

Figure 1. Navigation to Illustrator CS6 on a Mac.

2 . S E TTI NG U P THE DO C U M ENT

Setting up your document correctly from the start will make your job much easier as you work
through your project. This will require some advanced planning. For example, if your inal output
will be a brochure, you may need to set up your document to be horizontal and double-sided. See Figure
2 for an example of opening a new document on a Mac.

Figure 2. Opening a new document in Illustrator.

3
 2. S ETTI NG UP T HE DO C U M ENT C O NT.
1. To create a new document, click File > New. This will open the Document Setup
dialog box. Here you will be able to set up the correct page size and orientation for your
document. Options include, but are not limited to:

Page Size: Choose a page size from the menu, or type values for width and height.
Page size represents the inal size you want after bleeds or trimming other marks outside
the page. There are presets for common sizes such as letter, legal and tabloid. To change
unit size from points to inches, click on the units drop down and choose inches.

Orientation: Click the Portrait (tall) or Landscape (wide) icons. These icons interact
dynamically with the dimensions you enter in Page Size. When Height is the larger value,
the Portrait icon is selected. When Width is the larger value, the Landscape icon is
selected. Clicking the opposite icon switches the Height and Width values.

Document Proile: Choose a proile that will best it your project. For example, when
making a graphic for a brochure, choose Print. When making a graphic for Web, choose
Web. Each document proile has the appropriate presets for your project.

2. When you have entered all of your document settings, click OK.

NOTE: If you enter incorrect information in the Document Setup dialog box, or if you need to
adjust any of this information while you are working, you can make changes any time by clicking
File > Document Setup > More Options.

3 . TOO LB OX

If you used Adobe PageMaker or Adobe InDesign before you should be familiar with the
toolbox in Illustrator CS6 as it shares some of the tools from these applications. If you are a novice user
of Adobe products you should keep in mind that you might not need to use all the tools. In this tutorial,
only the basic tools will be discussed in depth.

Figure 3. Tools in Illustrator. 4

 3 . TOO L B OX C O NT.
Some tools in the toolbox have additional tools linked to them. These tools have small gray
triangles in the right-hand corner. To view the additional tools click and hold down on any tool
that has a gray triangle in the corner. (Figure 4)

Figure 4. Extra Tools in Illustrator.

If you need to use some of the additional tools often, you can tear off the additional tools into
their own toolbar. To Tearoff additional tools, do the following:

1. Click and hold on the tool you want to see the additional tools for.
2. While holding down your mouse button drag your mouse to the end of the tools to the button
with the gray triangle.
3. Let go of the mouse button to make the additional tools and new toolbar (Figure 5).

Figure 5. Sub-Toolbar in Illustrator.

4 . TO O LBOX DES C RI P T I O N

Selection tool
The most commonly used tool, which selects text and graphic frames and allows you to work
with an object using its bounding box.

Direct Selection tool

Selects the contents of a frame, such as a placed graphic; allows you to work directly with
editable objects, such as paths, rectangles, or type that has been converted to a text outline.

Group Selection tool

Selects a group of points all at once, such as the four points of rectangle.

Magic Wand tool

Selects all objects in a document with the same or similar ill color, stroke weight, stroke color,
opacity, or blending mode. By specifying the Color Range, or Tolerance, you can control what
the Magic Wand tool selects.

Lasso tool
Selects objects, anchor points, or path segments by being dragged around all or part of the object.
5
Click here to download full PDF material