Adobe Illustrator CC Basics

Vocabulary coverage of Adobe Illustrator CC basics including tools, document management, and object manipulation.

Adobe Illustrator CC

A vector-based image editing program used to create scalable vector art for projects in both print and web.

Vector-based imaging

A methodology where an image can be scaled infinitely without any distortion or pixelation, allowing for flexible artwork sizes.

Artboards

The region in Illustrator where artwork is created; multiple artboards can exist in one document to represent separate pages or pieces of art.

Hand Tool (H)

A navigation tool used to move the document around the window; it can be temporarily accessed while using other tools by holding down the space bar.

Zoom Tool (Z)

A tool used to zoom in and out of a document; it defaults to zooming in, but holding the Alt key changes the cursor to a minus sign for zooming out.

Artboard Tool (Shift + O)

A tool used to edit artboards after creation, allowing the user to rename them, change dimensions, or manually move them on the screen.

Rectangle Tool

A tool used to create boxes by clicking and dragging or by double-clicking the screen to enter specific width and height dimensions.

Fill

The color or property applied to the internal area of a shape or path.

Stroke

The outline or line segment of a shape; parameters such as color, line width, opacity, and style can be adjusted.

Paintbrush Tool

A tool used for painting lines directly on the artboard; it often uses preset styles such as the default 5pt. Round brush.

Paths

The line segments that make up the overall structure or skeleton of the artwork.

Anchor points

The joints within a path, such as the corners of a rectangle, that connect line segments together.

Pen Tool

A tool used to draw custom paths by setting points and drawing straight or curved lines to create original artwork objects.

Direct Selection Tool

A tool used to select and move individual anchor points within a path to adjust the shape of an object.

Selection Tool

A tool used to select entire objects or text boxes to move them around the artboard or adjust overall proportions.

Type Tool

A tool that places a cursor on the artboard allowing the user to create and edit text.

Create Outlines

A command (Type > Create Outlines) that converts text into individual paths, allowing for graphic manipulation but preventing further text editing.

Ungroup

A command (Object > Ungroup) used to separate grouped elements, such as individual letters after they have been converted to outlines.

Rotate tool

A tool used to click and rotate an object or letter from its center or a specified point.

Use Artboards

A checkbox in the Export dialog (File > Export…) that ensures only contents within artboard boundaries are exported as part of the image.