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APPLICATIONS
AND FILE FORMATS
motion-graphics applications (Flash and After Effects) and with video applications (Premiere Pro, Encore, Soundbooth). In this chapter you’ve been all over Illustrator’s many spe- cific creative options. Here is a look at the overall interface.
In earlier days of computer graphics practitioners recognized two distinct types of illustration software: Raster-Based pro- grams (including Adobe Photoshop, Corel Painter, Microsoft Paint, Paint Shop Pro, and others) and Vector-Based programs (Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw, Macromedia Freehand, and others). But the distinc- tions have started to blur, and the largest applications move nimbly between vectors and bitmaps.
Corel Graphics Suite
A new form of illustration software is making a space for itself. Online draw- ing communities offer free software and a place to create and share works online in real time. Sites to visit include Digital Doodle, Groupboard, iScribble.net, and MyDrawing.com.
CorelDraw runs on Windows PCs
and differentiates itself from other applications as a graphics suite with specialized applications for vector ed- iting (CorelDRAW), for raster creation and editing (Corel PHOTO-PAINT), for image capture (Corel CAPTURE), for converting raster images to vector ones (Corel Power TRACE), and for working with RAW file format (Pixman- tec RawShooter Essentials). Some digital illustrators find Corel easier to use than Illustrator.
Corel Graphic Suite. The Toolbar and Tool Box are what everyone expects today with software interface. The Property Bar provides detail and control over the different functions. It’s easy to use. The Drawing Window is larger than the Drawing Area, which lets you see the edges of images you are drawing. The Toolbox is a floating bar with tools for creating, refining, and modifying objects in the drawing. Docker is a window containing available commands and set- tings relevant to a specific tool or task. Beside it on the far right are tools tabs and a distinctive Color Palette. The Document Navigation controls sit at the bottom of the interface.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention 3D rendering. This missing universe ranges from animated cartoons to architectural drawings to magazine illustration to Hol- lywood special effects. At the moment, these fields seem a pretty far reach for someone making personal media. But chances are it won’t be long before three- dimensional drawing becomes one more item in the digital tool set we all use.
Adobe Illustrator. The Tools Palette operates much like the one in Photoshop. So does the Option Bar, as it provides refined choices for the tool that is active. The Document Window contains the Art Board, which is the actual area in which you create illustrations or work with type. The Guides, shown here, can help when you are doing multiple versions of something. On the right side are Panels with title bars. Note that Illustrator has both Layers and Sublayers. The latter are unique to this application.
.ai (Adobe Illustrator)
Adobe’s Illustrator CS3
.eps (Encapsulated Post Script)
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CHAPTER 4: ILLUSTRATION
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Illustrator has seen many incarna- tions. As part of Adobe’s creative suite, it is well integrated with Pho- toshop and InDesign, with Adobe’s
EPS pertains to fonts and is editable in Photoshop. When it was first imple- mented, this file format was used exclusively with Apple Macintosh. It signifies a PostScript document.
AI is the “native” file format that saves levels, paths, and other working elements of a project. When working in Illustrator, this is your “source,” so you will want to label and save it with care.