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SCALING AND
MANIPULATIONS
When an object is enlarged or reduced in size, it’s called scaling. Vector illustrations permit a variety of manipulations to an object by changing some points and paths but not others.
asymmetrical resizing
The vector-based architecture of Illustrator makes it an ace at many forms of manipulation. A quick preview of yet more possibilities follows below. Because the Adobe sisters have such a strong family resemblance, the following will also provide a review of Photoshop’s similar capabilities in the bitmap domain.
When you enlarge its length and width in different amounts, a vector illustration will become distorted.
scaling up and down
Scaling up and down refers to increasing and reducing the size of an object.
shearing
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CHAPTER 4: ILLUSTRATION
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When you click on a vector image, a set of sizing points ap- pears at the corners and midway on each side of the bond- ing box. These eight locations, also termed handles, can be click-dragged to do the resizing. To preserve the proportions precisely, you must hold down the shift key as you drag one of the handles.
This sample will remind you that vector graphics read well when either enlarged or reduced. It’s smart to build an object in a larger size than you will need because when you shrink it down there is elegant, crisp detail. In the second version top row, the tomato has been scaled down without holding down the shift key and as a result its dimensions have changed. A slightly lopsided tomato is a tomato you can love. Jamie Kruse
Shearing involves slanting an object by a matter of degrees along the horizontal or vertical axis.
The various distortions of the pencil illustration shown provide a sampling of resizing without holding down the shift key. To resize the enire shape, even if asymmetrically, make sure you have selected all the shapes and lines that make up the image.
A single shape can be resized in ways that make the original object almost impossible to distinguish. Jamie Kruse
rotations and reflections
When you rotate an object, you pivot the object around a central point. A reflection results when you flip an object.
A full rotation is 180 degrees but partial rotations create greater visual interest precisely because of their imbalance. Reflections provide another secret weapon for designers.
The four pieces of birthday cake demonstrate rotation options. Jamie Kruse
A single slice of a complex object can be built, multiplied, and rearranged. Note too that a section of an object can be flipped along a straight line.
Shearing is valuable when working with letterforms and logos. Although type was the topic of Chapter 3, please note that Illustrator is often employed in the custom-styling of words, logos, and type layout. The example here just happens to show a pair of geometric forms that might
read as a house or as an arrow.
A shear angle of 45 degrees Jamie Kruse