Core_Computer Studies :

Selecting Objects, using stroke and fill.

In Adobe Illustrator because you are working with a vector graphic program you need to select each object as you want to work with it. In other words you need to distinguish it from the objects around it. You do that by selecting the object with one of the selection tools. Once you've selected an object, or a part of an object, you can edit it by moving or copying, deleting, or adjusting paths. You can select a single object or multiple objects.

The left arrow in the tool box - the selection tool lets you select entire objects or an entire path by selecting any spot on the path. You can also drag across a section of a document in order to select a number of paths.

.

The right arrow in the tool box called the direct-selection tool lets you select individual anchor points or segments on a path and displays all direction lines on a path for adjusting. Because Illustrator only works on the object you have selected it is also useful to know how to deselect.

To deselect everything in the document, choose Edit > Deselect All.

To deselect part of a selection, hold down the Shift key and click or drag over the path or segment you want to deselect.

Modifying your shape in Illustrator using the direct selection tool:

You can modify and change your shape using the direct selection tool. Before you draw and modify curved lines with the direct selection or pen tool, it is important to know about anchor points on curves.

To Reshape a segment:

Choose the direct selection tool.

Click on an anchor point while holding down the command key-notice that the arrow turns white. Click on the end of the direction point and holding the mouse button down drag.

Deleting parts of the paths: In order to simplify the image you may need to delete parts of the path. Using the selection tool you can select a path and then delete using the delete key.

Stroke and Fill

To Stroke a selected object in Illustrator:

Click on the stoke box and then click on the colour box. Use the Fill and Stroke boxes in the toolbox to manipulate an object's fill and stroke. To switch between fill and stroke as the active selection, use the bent arrow.

Below the Fill and Stroke boxes are the Colour, Gradient, and None buttons. You use these buttons to change the selected fill or stroke to a colour or gradient, or to remove the fill or stroke from the selected object.

Default fill and stroke

The Stroke Palette:

Click the Stroke box in the toolbox to select the object's stroke. Choose Window > Show Stroke.

To specify a stroke weight, enter the desired weight in the Weight text box.

The stroke weight determines the thickness of the stroke, in points. In other words to speak in plain language rather than computer speak the stroke weight menu is where you can change the width of the line.

It is in the same palette that you can find other stroke options.

...

To edit the fill in a selected object in Illustrator:

To edit the fill or stroke colour using the Colour palette:

Click the stroke or fill square in the toolbox to select the object's stroke or fill. The Colour palette is used to edit colours -either colours that you create or colours that you have selected from the Swatches palette, from an object, or from a colour library.

To change the colour you will find your colour palette under the windows menu Choose Window > Show Colour.

You can do the following:

Position the pointer over the colour bar (as in Photoshop the pointer turns into the eyedropper), and click. Or you can use the sliders to change the colour values.

You can also enter numeric values in the text boxes next to the colour sliders.

...

.

Note to remember : Out of Gamut

You may stumble across this yourself with some coloured objects every now and then an exclamation point inside a triangle appears next to the colour box in the Colours palette this indicates that you have chosen an out-of-gamut colour.

In non computer speak that means, you are working with a colour that cannot be printed. You can see it on screen but not on paper. :- (

This is fine if you are working on images for a web site but often you want to print your work. The closest printable colour equivalent appears next to the triangle.

Remember that the best way to work is to use the RGB colour palette for screen and the CMYK colour palette for print.

These notes are written for students who undertake the Core Computer course at School of Art, Australian National University. Students of the course should feel free to contact any member of staff with comments questions and general suggestions..

< Home Index > < Staff Contact > < Class groups > < Assessment >

< Basics Module > < Photoshop 1 Module> < Photoshop 2 Module> < Illustrator Module > <3D Module > < Web Design Module >

< Terms and Jargon > < Online Resources >