Adobe Illustrator CS6 Essentials Online Course

Course Overview
With this Adobe Illustrator CS6 Essentials Training Course, host Brian Maffitt delivers a definitive introduction to Adobe's venerable graphics workhorse. Discover the essential tools and powerful features that make Illustrator a favorite among design professionals.

You'll learn essential keyboard shortcuts, techniques for streamlining your workflow, and tips that Brian has learned after decades of working with the program.

By the time you are done watching this series you will have a deep understanding of the fundamental functionality of Illustrator, especially with features (such as the pen tool and Adobe's Type Engine) that are universal to other Adobe applications. In addition, you will understand WHY you would use Illustrator, instead of Photoshop or InDesign, to solve specific design problems.

Example Video

ILLUSTRATOR INTERFACE & SETUP (38 min)

Opening Documents
Working with Multiple Documents
Zooming & Panning
Exploring the Menus & the Toolbar
Exploring the Panels
Vector vs. Raster & Working with Different File Types
Setting UI Brightness

DOCUMENT SETUP & ARTBOARDS (30 min)

Creating a New Document & Setting Preferences
Introducing the Artboard Tool
Working in a Video Preset
Setting Up Multiple Artboards
Using Multiple Artboards
Overlapping Artboards

CREATING OBJECTS (34 min)

Locking a Selection, Enabling Smart Guides & Setting Up the Ruler
Drawing a Rectangle & Using Keyboard Shortcuts
Drawing a Rounded Rectangle & an Ellipse
Drawing a Polygon, a Star & a Flare
Drawing Lines, Arcs, Spirals & Grids
Editing Shapes with the Direct Selection Tool

THE ADOBE PEN TOOL (36 min)

The Pen Tool Explained
Pen Tool Basics
Drawing Shapes with Bezier Points
Adding, Deleting & Converting Anchor Points
Using Bezier Controls to Draw a Heart Shape
Tracing an Image with the Pen Tool

GROUPS, LAYERS & TRANSFORMATIONS (43 min)

Understanding Object Hierarchy
Changing Object Stacking Order
Grouping Objects
Performing Basic Transformations
Transform Strokes, the Transform Panel & Transform Multiple Objects
Using the Transform Each Command & Isolation Mode
Using the Transform Tools & Resizing the Artboard & Its Content

COLORS & COLOR SPACES (29 min)

Basic Fills & Strokes
The Color Panel & the Eyedropper Tool
RGB vs. CMYK
Color Spaces & Adjusting the Appearance of Black

SWATCHES, GRADIENTS & PATTERNS (38 min)

The Swatches Panel
Loading a Swatch Library
The Basics of Gradients
Saving & Editing Gradients
Gradient Recommendations
Creating & Working with Patterns

STROKES, EFFECTS & APPEARANCE (39 min)

Stroking a Path via the Control Panel
Using the Stroke Panel
Modifying Corner Type, Stroke Alignment & Corner Limit
Using the Appearance Panel & the Offset Path Command
Using the Appearance Panel to Recreate Artwork
Applying a Gradient Stroke, Editing Effects, Saving & Applying Graphic Styles

AUTOMATING SHAPES & COLORS (37 min)

Using the Shape Builder Tool
Recoloring Artwork Automatically
Aligning, Distributing & Averaging Shapes
Using the Blend Tool
Using the Transform Again Command
The Pathfinder Panel
Creating a Gear

THE ADOBE TYPE ENGINE (55:49 min)

Working with Point Text
Area Text vs. Point Text
Using the Character Panel
Using Keyboard Shortcuts in the Character Panel
Styling Document Text
Adjusting Leading with Keyboard Shortcuts
Fine Text Adjustments & Placing Area Text
Flowing & Formatting Area Text
Type on a Path & the Glyphs Panel

SAVING & SHARING YOUR WORK (22:57 min)

Saving Your Files
Exporting & Creating PDFs for Print
Setting Basic Printing Options
Using the Save for Web Command & Making Art Pixel-Perfect

Learn anytime, anywhere, at home or on the go.

Length of Subscription: 12 Months Online On-Demand Access
Running Time: 6.7 Hours
Platform: Windows & MAC OS
Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Project Files: Included