8 tips to use Adobe Illustrator to help you design faster

Adobe Illustrator is the best graphic design software for both professionals and amateurs. However, using Illustrator is a bit complicated. It has too many things to do and many ways to accomplish them. So if you're a newcomer, it's hard to know where to start.

The good news is that Adobe Illustrator has countless simple ways, even automating complex tasks. Here are some basic Adobe Illustrator tips and tricks to help you design faster.

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1. Apply multiple strokes to an object

Adobe Illustrator is a program that works on vector graphics that have strokes (borders) and fills (center colors). If you're new to Illustrator, you might not realize that objects have a lot of borders and colors.

For example, the image of the round pepper board looks like it is made up of many composite objects. In fact, it is just a single object. A yellow circle in the center and red, blue, black and white strokes.

Here's how to do it:

Draw a circle, diameter about 80px. Set the fill to the center in yellow, the red border is 40pt wide. Click on the dotted line below the Stroke option and choose Align Stroke to Outside in the Align Stroke .

Now open the Appearance panel via the Window menu, or press Shift + F6 . Select the border and click Duplicate Selected Item . This creates a copy above the existing border.

Select the border below for the original border above and fill the blue border with size 80pt.

Repeat the above procedure but change the color and add a 40pt border each time. With the last border, just add 2pt more.

Adobe Illustrator has many other options. You can combine gradient and texture center colors, add effects, change the opacity of elements ... You can also change the position of the borders on this image to see how the effect changes by dragging. and drop them into the desired position.

Once you get used to this feature, you will find it easier to combine many elements to create simple objects.

2. How to use patterns and textures easily

Creating decorative motifs is often time-consuming if you do it manually. This task can be completed in seconds if you use the Blend Tool.

With the Blend Tool , you can repeat the object multiple times, transform a shape or create smooth gradients between different colors. And actually mastering it is not difficult.

To start, draw 2 objects on the canvas. Double click on the Blend Tool to open the options dialog. Select Specified Steps in the Spacing box and enter the number of times you want to duplicate the object.

Another option is Specified Distance . It helps you set the distance between each repeating object in pixels, and Smooth Color to smoothly blend two different colors.

Click OK . Then with the Blend Tool selected, click on the first object on the canvas, then the second object. The spaces are automatically filled in.

The Blend Tool works with almost any object, including text and with few exceptions. Try it and see what you get.

3. Hide parts of the object with masks

Learning how to use masks will save you a lot of time. Clipping mask in Adobe Illustrator is the mask for the object underneath it. Only content placed directly below the mask will show, the rest will be hidden.

Mask allows you to combine patterns, textures and gradients with shapes and text very quickly in a way that does not destroy the original.

Select the object you want to mask, open it on the canvas. Now draw a new shape above it. Make sure both are on the same layer.

Use the Selection Tool to select both objects. In the Quick Actions panel on the right, click Make Clipping Mask .

You can reposition the mask or masked object at any time.

To create masks from multiple objects, you need to combine them first. Select all the objects you want to include, then go to Object> Compound Path> Make . This will turn them into a single image.

Select the new compound path and add the following object. From the Quick Actions panel , choose Make Clipping Mask to complete this job.

4. How to create complex shapes

Shaping is an integral part of using Adobe Illustrator, but designing complex shapes is always a little difficult. This problem has now been solved with the best recent Illustrator additions, the Shape Builder Tool .

The Shape Builder Tool divides groups of selected objects into parts wherever they have their cross-section. All you need to do is select the part you want and remove in the shape.

Here is a simple illustrative example:

Draw a few shapes, then use the Selection Tool to select all of them.

Click Shape Builder Tool .

When you move the mouse pointer over the selected object, you will see that each "part" is shaded. Click and drag over the entire part you want to add to the shape.

You can create more than one complex shape from any group. Just drag and drop the part you need.

To remove unnecessary parts, hold Alt and click inside them.

5. Draw freehand shapes

An even faster way to construct an object or an object is to draw them by hand.

The Shaper Tool is capable of recognizing certain gestures. Draw a rough circle, triangle, rectangle ... with a mouse or pen. Adobe Illustrator will then turn them into perfect shapes.

But that's not all. You can use the Shaper Tool to combine doodles:

• You can quickly draw inside a picture to remove its center color.
• Doodle inside, then move to the border to completely erase that shape.
• Or scribble a few strokes inside, then draw a continuous line through the connected shapes to combine them into a single shape.

Although less accurate than the other options available, the Shaper Tool is still a quick, efficient and quality way to sketch. It is especially useful if you use a graphic drawing board.

6. Draw inside the image

Adobe Illustrator has 3 Draw modes. They all allow you to control the position and how the tool draws on the canvas. You will find them via a small button below the toolbar on the left corner of the screen.

The default setting is always Draw Normal . In this mode, you can draw anywhere on the canvas.

Select the object and set Draw Inside in Draw mode . Now whatever you add to the image will only show if it is within that object's limits. This is an effective mask shortcut, very useful when designing icons, buttons or small details.

The Draw Outside option gives the opposite result of Draw Inside. It allows you to isolate and protect certain parts of the image without having to worry about rearranging layers.

7. Select the object with the same properties

When you want to reduce the size of a certain object's border or change the blue shape to something a bit different, you usually use the Selection tool , select the entire object to edit, then make changes. desire?

However, on large or complex documents, finding all the same objects, with the same border thickness ... is really not easy at all.

Luckily, you don't need to do it yourself because you already have the Same option .

Select the object whose properties you are looking for. Then go to Select> Same> select search properties . It could be Fill Color, Stroke Weight, Blending Mode or any other option.

When you click, all objects with the same properties will be selected.

8. Quick color conversion

When experimenting with colors or palettes, you often feel the need to change all the shades of a color alternately. You can do it quickly with the Recolor Artwork tool .

First, select the object whose color you want to change. You can choose an object. If you want more, use Same as above to select all of the same colored center or border color. Alternatively, you can press Ctrl + A or Cmd + A to select everything on the page.

Next, click the Recolor Artwork button in the Options Bar at the top of the screen.

The selected object color will appear in Current Colors . Double click the box below New to select a new color to change them to.

If you're designing a logo, web illustration or something like that, hit the Harmony Rules menu at the top of the window to see a range of preset color schemes based on your current selection. These colors update in real time, so keep clicking them until you find the right combination.

Now you can work faster on Adobe Illustrator

Do not be afraid to overcome the initial difficulties, the more you understand Adobe Illustrator, the easier it is to design products and work faster and more efficiently. You can apply the above Adobe Illustrator tips and tricks for logo design, business cards, and more.

Hope the article is helpful to you!