Hot Adobe Illustrator How-Tos « Adobe Illustrator

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: 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: 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: 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: Create perspective text in Illustrator

Give your type some perspective in Illustrator, and with much more control than the shear tool. Create perspective text in Illustrator.

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: Create a film strip icon in Adobe Illustrator CS4

Remember film? With Adobe Illustrator, it's easy to make an old-timey film strip icon perfect for a video application. This clip will show you how it's done. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular vector graphics editor program or a seasoned graphic arts professional looking to better acquaint yourself with the new features and functions of this particular iteration of the application, you're sure to benefit from this free software tutorial. For more information, watch this designer's guide.

How To: Warp text for interesting effects in Illustrator

In this video you will learn how to Warp your text into any shape or design you want. This is a really handy effect for applying logos or designs to images of clothing. Using this effect you can warp your text to the wrinkles in your fabric and make it really look like it was there all along.

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: 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 falling leaf animation in Illustrator

Ah, falling leaves: They remind of the beauty of nature, fall, and the changing of seasons. And if you've ever walked alongside a row of oaks on the street it seems as if their leaves fall to some unknown, hidden perfect orchestration.

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: 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 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: Place and crop images with Adobe Illustrator

If you're using Adobe Illustrator CS4, you know that cropping an image can be less than a simple task. This how-to walks you through the steps, not only showing how to place and move the image, but also how to crop it to the desired sized. Unlike Photoshop which allows you to work directly with pixels, Illustrator treats all images as whole objects. SO, watch this video and end the frustration that Adobe Illustrator can bring when you're cropping an image.

How To: Use the Manual Trace tool in Adobe Illustrator CS5

In this clip, you'll learn how to use the Manual Trace tool when, for example, desiging a book cover in Illustrator CS5. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular vector graphics editor or just looking to pick up a few new tips and tricks, you're sure to enjoy this free video software tutorial. Take a look.

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: Create and apply custom symbols in Adobe Illustrator CS5

In this clip, you'll learn how to make use of the Symbol 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: 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: 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 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: 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: Use the Gradient Tool in Adobe Illustrator CS4 or CS5

Scouring the web for a quick primer on how to create vector-based gradients within 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 vid...

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: Use the crop tool in Illustrator CS3 to export & print

This video shows you how to create multiple crop areas in an Illustrator image. You learn how to use crop area presets to define areas for print or export, and how to manage crop area options. Check out this video created by Mordy Golding now! Use the crop tool in Illustrator CS3 to export & print.

How To: Trace over a human eye in Adobe Illustrator with a rotoscoping technique

If you love Adobe Illustrator and are looking for an interesting and creative way really to bring the life out of your pictures, this video has an interesting twist. If you remember the movie, "A Scanner Darkly" and the art style that they used, it was quite impressive and unique and called rotoscoping. In this video Karl Gude goes into great lengths showing you his method of tracing the picture and then adding the right colors all the way to the finished product.

How To: Create a cool text style in Illustrator

Are you bored with the similar font styles? Open Adobe Illustrator, click the text tool. Select Arial font, bold & italic and a size of 48. Type some text and give its fill color-white and stroke color-black. Duplicate the layer text by going into layers. Then change the duplicated path's color to black. Then create a new background with some different color and keep it below all layers. You can change the opacity of the text for a shadow effect. This will help in bringing innovative presenta...

How To: Convert a sketch to a vector drawing with Illustrator

This video shows you how to convert a hand-drawn sketch to a vector drawing using the Live Trace Tool in Illustrator CS3. You learn how to manage tracing options, fill in gaps, and convert a Live Trace object to traditional Illustrator shapes or a Live Paint group. Check out this video by Matthew Richmond now! Convert a sketch to a vector drawing with Illustrator.

How To: Use Adobe Illustrator with a Wacom tablet

Every good illustrator knows the advantage of using a Wacom tablet with Adobe Illustrator. When you plug in a Wacom tablet it doesn't automatically set your tools to be pressure sensitive. Terry White will show you how to set your brushes to really take advantage of your new tablet.

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 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: Create a Twisted Wire in Illustrator

This Illustrator tutorial shows you a way to make a double helix or twisted wire. Using Illustrator and the powerful pattern brush, Bert takes us through the steps from a wavy line to a realistic wire effect or double helix.

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: Place images inside text with Illustrator

Placing images inside text is nothing new. However, the old way involved converting the text to outlines first and thereby making the text uneditable. In this video you'll learn how to fill your text with an image while maintaining complete edit-ability of the text using Illustrator CS2.

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: 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: Use the Warp tool in Adobe Illustrator CS4 or CS5

In this clip, you'll learn how to distort and otherwise distress an image with the Warp 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 glossy sphere in Illustrator

Do you want to add some 3D effects in your 2D designs? Open illustrator and draw an oval tool holding shift key. Then draw an ellipse with a different color and place it on the oval. Take blend tool,then click on ellipse shape and then oval one for a gradient effect. Draw another oval with a gradient and give it screen. Your glossy sphere is ready. Adding gloss, specular highlights as well as shadows adds some realism to one's art work.

How To: Make a leaf using vector graphics in Adobe Illustrator 5

This tutorial starts with a blank project and shows you how to use vector graphics to create a simple leaf in Adobe Illustrator 5. Master many of the basics, such as the pen tool, gradients and path finder, whth this easy tutorial.