Throughout this course, you've probably heard me refer to the word path every once in a while when I'm talking about artwork that you see out in my artboard. In this movie, I'm going to be explaining exactly what paths are and why they're so important to your workflow inside of Illustrator. I've got this document open here which is called paths_anchors, and I've built this document to give you a better understanding of exactly what paths and anchor points are. Now we'll cover anchor points in another movie, but for now, let's worry about what paths are. Think of paths just like the word sounds.
It's a path, a path that you could walk down, a path you travel down. Your artwork travels down this path and uses it to make up the artwork itself. A path is nothing more than the straight line that you see here in between these two ends. The two end points are known as anchor points. Like I said, we'll get to those a little bit later. When you think of artwork inside of Illustrator, you have to think of paths because all vector artwork that's built inside of Adobe Illustrator is made up of paths. This is not to say the stuff that goes inside the path.
This is merely the stuff on the outside, the skeleton of the path, if you will. Paths are nothing more than the line segments that make up the overall structure of the artwork that you create, whereas the fills and the strokes and the effects and everything else that you pile on top of it, is just like clothing that goes over a skeleton. It doesn't matter if you're drawing out a basic rectangle or drawing out a vector portrait of somebody. Either way you cut it, you're always utilizing paths to do so. Anything you create inside of Illustrator is a path. For instance, if I draw a rectangle, that's a path, a path with multiple anchor points in it.
If I draw out a straight line, that too is a path. If I happen to come up and grab a circle, that's also a path. As I said, a path is nothing more than a skeleton that you throw things on top of to make it look like something. Basically when you jump into Outline Mode by hitting Command+Y or Ctrl+Y on your keyboard, you're actually seeing the underlying path structure of whatever artwork you have on screen. For instance, you see these two squares that I have filled right here on the artboard. If I were to jump into Outline Mode with Command+Y or Ctrl+Y, you would see the underlying path is nothing more than the square.
It doesn't actually encompass the fill at all. If I hit Command+Y or Ctrl+Y again, it switches back to show me the actual appearance of that path. So as we move forward throughout this course, anytime you hear me use the word path, I'm referring to the overall structure of whatever piece of artwork I happen to be working with. When I talk about the fills and the strokes and everything else, that's just clothing on top of the skeleton.
Author
Released
5/7/2012- Understanding vector graphics
- Creating and setting up files for print or web destinations
- Selecting and transforming objects on the page
- Creating spot colors
- Applying fills, strokes, and gradients to artwork
- Adjusting appearances and effects
- Working with anchor points and paths
- Drawing with the Pen tool
- Creating text
- Managing layers
- Creating and using symbols
- Printing, saving, and exporting artwork
Skill Level Beginner
Duration
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Q: Where can I learn more about graphic design?
A: Discover more on this topic by visiting graphic design on lynda.com.
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What is Illustrator?1m 15s
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Introduction
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Welcome55s
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Using the exercise files1m 19s
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1. Getting Started
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Setting preferences9m 24s
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Touring the interface9m 41s
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Exploring the panels6m 54s
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2. Working with Documents
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Creating files for print4m 42s
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Creating files for the web3m 36s
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Managing multiple documents3m 25s
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Navigating within a document5m 21s
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Using preview modes3m 10s
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Locking and hiding artwork3m 43s
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Creating and using artboards7m 44s
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3. Selecting and Transforming Objects
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Using the Magic Wand tool5m 45s
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Using the Lasso tool4m 9s
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Grouping objects3m 7s
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Using isolation mode4m 48s
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Resizing your artwork3m 55s
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Rotating objects2m 10s
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4. Working with Color
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RGB vs. CMYK1m 46s
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Creating spot colors3m 40s
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Using the swatch groups2m 33s
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Working with color libraries3m 17s
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Importing swatches4m 4s
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Using the Color Guide panel3m 51s
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5. Working with Fills and Strokes
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Working with fills4m 58s
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Working with strokes8m 46s
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Using width profiles3m 31s
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Outlining strokes3m 51s
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6. Working with Paths
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Understanding paths2m 41s
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Understanding anchor points4m 20s
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7. Creating Shapes
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Understanding drawing modes4m 23s
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Creating compound paths5m 15s
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Creating compound shapes4m 11s
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8. Don't Be Afraid of the Pen Tool
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Exploring the Pen tool2m 39s
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Drawing straight lines5m 12s
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Drawing simple curves5m 23s
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Your keyboard is your friend2m 14s
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9. Using Type in Illustrator
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Adjusting your type settings4m 10s
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Creating point and area text3m 36s
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Basic text editing2m 14s
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Creating threaded text4m 59s
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Using the type panels9m 48s
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Creating text on a path5m 11s
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Converting text into paths1m 43s
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10. Adjusting Appearance
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Applying multiple fills3m 1s
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Applying multiple strokes4m 20s
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11. Working with Layers
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Exploring the Layers panel4m 18s
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Creating and editing layers3m 27s
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Using the Layers panel menu2m 42s
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12. Working with Images
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Exploring the Image Trace panel12m 14s
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Tracing photographs8m 6s
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Tracing line art4m 33s
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Converting pixels to paths3m 49s
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13. Creating and Using Symbols
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What are symbols?2m 45s
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Using prebuilt symbols3m 3s
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Creating new symbols3m 50s
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Breaking the symbol link3m 19s
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Redefining symbols2m 5s
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14. Drawing in Perspective
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Defining a perspective grid4m 29s
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Applying artwork to the grid3m 51s
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15. Printing, Saving, and Exporting
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Printing your artwork6m 16s
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Saving your artwork2m 2s
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Saving templates4m 19s
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Creating PDF files5m 23s
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Saving for the web4m 46s
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Conclusion
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Next steps56s
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Video: Understanding paths