Hot Adobe Illustrator How-Tos « Adobe Illustrator

How To: Create a golden award badge in Illustrator

Did your child come home upset that they didn't get a gold star in class today? Well, now you can make them their own award. Watch and learn how to make a golden award badge. Be creative and make silver and bronze too! Perfect for teachers and parents.

How To: Create a metal chain in Illustrator

This tutorial shows you how to use a pattern brush to create an interlocking metal chain. To do this, you will have to create a new custom brush.

How To: Create a text based logo in Adobe Illustrator 5

Take a regular font, type the name of your business or website into a text box, and then follow along with this tutorial. Break it apart and manipulate the layers so you can end up with a classy and eye catching logo.

How To: Create anime or manga style eyes in Adobe Illustrator 5

This tutorial shows you an easy way to create anime or manga style eyes in Adobe Illustrator 5. Even if you're not into anime, following this tutorial will nevertheless show you how to master several of the basic tools in Adobe Creative Suite 5.

How To: Create diagrams and flowcharts in Adobe Illustrator 5

If you need to make some diagrams for a school project or a flowchart for a business proposal, you can easily use Adobe Illustrator 5, part of the Creative Suite package, to create them. This tutorial shows you a few ways to create your own customized diagrams.

How To: Redraw a pixelated image into a high quality vector image in Adobe Illustrator

If you're a graphic designer, you've probably dealt with clients who sent you the wrong files, like JPG and BMP "source" files. You need to the EPS vector files, but they don't know what that is, and they don't care. They want that image or logo they sent you blown up to poster size for a billboard or something.

How To: Create a cartoon cloud in Illustrator

A great free video training from tasktutorial on how to create a cartoon cloud in Adobe Illustrator. All the project files are available to download for free at the Adobe website. First create a background: select the rectangle tool then create a new layer and draw a rectangle across the canvas. Now select the path, go to gradient and edit the it a bit until it's a shade of blue. Lock the gradient and create a new layer. Select white fill color and 2 point black stroke and draw a few oval sha...

How To: Use the Gradient Mesh Tool in Adobe Illustrator for Vector Portraits

Illustrator's gradient mesh tool is a powerful one for vector artists... if you know how to use it. This tool can help create beautiful and vivid mesh-based vector portraits, as long as your skills are up to par. If not, try out some of the beginner tutorials on WonderHowTo for using the mesh gradient tool in Adobe Illustrator, then move onto mastery...

How To: Create sparkles in Illustrator

Want to create some cool effects in illustrator? Create a new layer. Draw the ellipse tool and add radial gradient, then go to transparency and select screen. Then create the star tool and deselect stroke. Drag and place the star shape on ellipse and group them. Then duplicate that layer to make multiple sparkles on different layers. Resize other sparkles by holding down shift key. One can change colors of other sparkles. This will help you in making a good background.

How To: Use the Auto Trace tool in Adobe Illustrator CS4 or CS5

Looking for a quick guide on how to use the Auto Trace tool when working in Adobe Illustrator CS4 or CS5? This clip will teach you what you need to know. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular vector graphics editing software or a seasoned professional just looking to better acquaint yourself with the program and its various features and filters, you're sure to be well served by this video tutorial. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, watch this free video guide.

How To: Create a cool blend text effect in Illustrator

In this tutorial, we learn how to create a cool blend text effect in Illustrator. First, open up Illustrator and draw a path, then change the color to black. After this, click on the line and type in your desired text. Increase the font size to 36 points, then select the red color. After this, copy your path and select the duplicate button. Now, move the duplicated path and change the background color to yellow. Now, scale the path and resize, then place on to of the red path. When finished, ...

How To: Convert Illustrator files to Graphtec GSD format

This tutorial shows you how to convert Illustrator files to the Graphtec GSD format for use with ROBO Master software. Convert Illustrator files to Graphtec GSD format.

How To: Create a glass bar in Photoshop

This video will show you have to make a glass bar in Photoshop. Adobe Photoshop is a great program for manipulating photo and adding interesting effects to your pictures. The glass bar is distinctive because of it’s colored shading.

How To: Use Adobe Illustrator to make a croqui template

If you are looking for an easy way to make croquis, but don't have the skills to draw it by hand, then try the next best thing: the computer. Using the software program, Adobe Illustrator, you can make a great looking croqui template that can be used over and over again with no problems. This is perfect for making designs of clothing and usually when drawn, they feature a fully drawn and finished character, meaning next time you'll have to draw another one from scratch. So check out the tutor...

How To: Create a road in Illustrator

Illustrator denotes how to create a road. First select the pen and draw a path. Now go to stroke. It depend 130. Deselect dash line. Now move our path a little bit upper. Now select our path. Now duplicate of our path several times. Now turn off the new layers. Focus on our first path. Turn on the second path. Change the stroke weight value to 125 and change the color to gray. Now go to the next path. Select our path and change the stroke weight value to 115 and leave the black color. Now go ...

How To: Create a lens flare in Illustrator

Ever wondered about the flare hitting your eyes from reflective surfaces (vehicle mirrors)? Let's create one. Open Adobe Illustrator with an image and embed it. Take the flare tool from tool palette. Draw the first shape and then second shape. To change settings, go to flare options. You can change the brightness, opacity and diameter of the flare which will add life to the image(open sky). This will help bring out some cool effects as well as realism to the image.

How To: Make swooshes & swirls in Illustrator

The first thing to do is open a new document with Adobe Illustrator. Inside the document, make a box, width 200 pt, height 20 pt. Click the bottom right corner with your mouse and hit delete. Then hold down the top right with shift, and tap the down arrow once. Then, click bottom left point, hold shift, join the objects by half. Go to brushes pallet and create a new brush. Click the spiral tool. Use the up and down with the mouse to select range you would like. Select the art brush, and click...

How To: Use the Pixel Preview mode in Adobe Illustrator CS5

In this clip, you'll learn how to use the Pixel Preview feature when working in Adobe Illustrator CS5. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular vector graphics editor or a seasoned graphic arts professional interested in better acquainting yourself with the new features and functions of Illustrator CS5, you're sure to benefit from this free software tutorial. For more information, and to get started using this trick in your own Illustrator projects, watch this video guide.

How To: Use the Eraser, Scissors and Knife tools in Adobe Illustrator

This is a quick little tutorial that will show you how to use these three versatile tools in Adobe Illustrator. They all involve getting rid of some part of the image you're working with, but each one goes about it in a different way. To get the most out of your Illustrator project, you'll need to be aware of the differences between these tools so you make sure that you always use the right one for the job at hand.

How To: Create a photo realistic mesh shape in Illustrator

This software tutorial shows you how to create a photorealistic mesh shape in Illustrator. You should have a good understanding of Adobe Illustrator since the tutorial is visual only with no text or verbal instruction. If you want to use the mesh shape tool in Illustrator to give your objects realism, this tutorial will help.

How To: Use vector smart objects in Illustrator

Using a Vector Smart Object made in Illustrator allows you to keep your type layer fully editable and updating automatically from Photoshop. Use vector smart objects in Illustrator.

How To: Use the Perspective tool in Adobe illustrator CS4 or CS5

In this clip, you'll learn how to use and work with the Perspective tool when doing design work in Adobe Illustrator CS4 or CS5. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular vector graphics editing software or a seasoned professional just looking to better acquaint yourself with the program and its various features and filters, you're sure to be well served by this video tutorial. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, watch this free video guide.

How To: Design a 1960's retro poster in Adobe Illustrator

Embrace the current retro revival in fashion and design by creating this cool midcentury-chic poster. You can create this psychedelic wavy pattern for a band poster, a movie, or just as a piece of art to hang up on your wall.

How To: Change your default settings for Illustrator

Tired of readjusting your settings everytime you start a project? In this video tutorial Dave Cross shows you how to make and save changes to the default settings of your design menus in Illustrator. Change your default settings for Illustrator.

How To: Create a navigation bar in Illustrator

First thing you need to do this is to select rectangle tool and make a shape and select the gradient fill and change the angle of gradient to 90 degree. Now color and resize it as showing in the video. Now type your navigation texts like blog, contact, gallery etc. Now size your text for your rectangle shape. Now set the texts in the bar and resize your bar.

How To: Create a brushed metal effect in Illustrator

Using Illustrator's Gradient Editor and Graphic Styles, you can create a brushed metal effect that you can apply to any shape or text. Create a brushed metal effect in Illustrator.

How To: Slice and export an Illustrator file in Illustrator

In this Illustrator CS2 video tutorial you will learn to slice and export an Illustrator file for the web. You'll see it's the same procedure in Photoshop. Remember to select PNG or GIF file formats if you want to reserve transparency layers when exporting images. Make sure to hit "play tutorial" in the top left corner of the video to start the video. There is no sound, so you'll need to watch the pop-up directions. Slice and export an Illustrator file in Illustrator.

How To: Create a Helix in Adobe Illustrator

This is a 3 part tutorial. Be sure to click on Chapters 2 & 3 to get the full tutorial. In Part 1 of this 3 part Adobe Illustrator tutorial series, Vincent Rosati explains how to use the free transform tool to take the first step in creating a helix with AI.

How To: Use the Eye Drop and Ruler tools in Adobe Illustrator CS4 or CS5

In this clip, you'll learn how to use the Eye Drop and Ruler tools when doing design work in Adobe Illustrator CS4 or CS5. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular vector graphics editing software or a seasoned professional just looking to better acquaint yourself with the program and its various features and filters, you're sure to be well served by this video tutorial. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, watch this free video guide.

How To: Improve your text by using Illustrator text effects

In this video, we learn how to do basic text effects in Adobe Illustrator. First, open up Adobe Illustrator and make a new document. Now, type in your desired text and change your font to one that you prefer. To make your text turn into a radiant, you will click "file" then "type" then "create outline". Now you will click on your text then click your radiant swatch. Then, go to "gradient" and adjust your colors to which you prefer. You can now put a stroke on it using the "stroke" tool and ch...

How To: Create your own fonts & types in Illustrator

In this tutorial, user CollegeTut shows you how to customize the shapes of various fonts and text, essentially creating your own custom fonts, by converting the text of any font to outlines and then editing those outlines (bezier paths/strokes). You can modify the points on the path to create different shapes for the letters in your text, or you can manipulate the strokes of the text. You'll create some cool text effects such as text that looks like it's made of bricks, by converting the stro...

How To: Trace an image in Adobe Illustrator 5 without using live trace

This tutorial shows you how to use vector graphics to trace images in Adobe Illustrator 5 without using live trace. Do a manual trace, which will give you a little more creative control over the image you're working on in Creative Suite 5.

How To: Vectorize graphics in Adobe Illustrator

Vectorizing your graphics will help improve the quality of your content. Task Tutorial helps you out in this Illustrator tutorial by showing you how to take a crappy jpeg image (a logo), clean it up and turn it into a vector graphic.

How To: Convert an image to mosaic in Illustrator

Illustrator is a great tool for creating individual artwork. Creative and clever, it has many functions, one of which is mosaic. If you want to make your illustration or design appear to have a myriad of tiny 'squares' like a Roman mosaic, this guy can help you do it. The short clip explains clearly how to bring the chosen effect to your design. You can see on screen exactly how to do it, so you're not left in the dark, searching every menu for the right tool.

How To: Create simple silhouettes in Illustrator CS4

Creating a silhouette from a photo is nothing new, but with Illustrator CS4’s new Blob Brush tool, it has become a lot easier. Corey demonstrates how to use the Blog Brush tool to create a silhouette, and how to create some quick background effects using the Gradient Mesh tool.

How To: Draw two point perspective

In this video, we learn how to draw two point perspective. Start off with a horizontal line on your paper. After this, draw a small point on the line where your drawing will focus to. From here, you will start to draw lines coming out of this. Next, you will design the rest of the picture around the main focal point you started out with. Add in lines to create lots of detail and make sure to use shading to show depth. Erase any background lines you don't need. Then when you are finished, you ...

How To: Create 8-bit style pixel art using Adobe Illustrator

Copy the popular, retro-style 8-bit pixel art. You can use Adobe Illustrator to create this simple sort of art. This tutorial shows you how to set up your document and how to begin illustrating your project to get that old school feel for your artwork.

How To: Use the area type tool in Illustrator

If you want to be serious about using Adobe Illustrator, then learning how to use type is an essential part of your skill set. Type can help you with a wide range of assignments, from designing logos to image building and much more. There are a number of settings and functions when using Type, so it's important to know all of the options that are available to you. This video tutorial will teach you how to use the area type tool in Illustrator.

How To: Use the Lasso and Magic Wand tools in Adobe Illustrator CS4 or CS5

In this clip, you'll learn how to make use of the regular Brush tool when doing design work in Adobe Illustrator CS4 or CS5. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular vector graphics editing software or a seasoned professional just looking to better acquaint yourself with the program and its various features and filters, you're sure to be well served by this video tutorial. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, watch this free video guide.

How To: Create a new pattern brush in Illustrator

Pattern brushes in Illustrator can create additional interest and a custom look to shapes in Photoshop. Follow the steps in this tutorial to learn how to create new pattern brushes in Illustrator. In a series of steps creating different shapes aligned in different patterns, the create new brush command can duplicate those patterns as a brush stroke. The end effect allows us to create different designs quickly that can then be used for logos, art projects, and many other things.