You just created some truly awesome vector art in Illustrator. NOW WHAT?

Of course, you will need to save the file(s) so that you can use, send, and edit your artwork down the line. But before hitting that save button, you will need to make some important choices. This is a basic rundown of things to consider when saving your work in Adobe Illustrator.

First, let’s look at the Save commands essential to saving an Illustrator document. The basic Save commands are found in the File menu. You will see that right off the bat you have several choices as to which Save command best suits your needs. The basic Save choices are:

Save - This is the quickest of the Save commands, but it is only applicable to files that have already been saved (thus, have an exsisting name and location). This will overwrite the previous document with any changes made since being opened. The overwritten file will be saved in the exact location from which it was opened. Because the name, file type, and location are already known, you will not be asked to specify any options when using the Save command.

Save As - Use when saving a file for the first time, or if you want to change the file format and/or location of an existing file. You will be required to specify several options, including file name, file type, save location and program version. Because the Save As command is used something like 90% of saves, we will go over it’s use in more detail below (see figure 2a & 2b).

Save a Copy - Very similar to Save As, this command is used to simply save a new copy of the current document in a different location than the original file. This function is useful when you will be using different versions of the same artwork for different medium (ie. print and web).

Save a Template - Allows you to save a file as a template, to be used again and again as the starting point for documents that share common design elements.

Save a Version - Used to save a version of a file to a Version Cue Workspace. For more information on Version Cue, you can visit http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/versioncue/.

Save for Web - As the name implies, this command is used to save Illustrator vector art that is intended to be used on the Web. Here you can save your vector artwork as raster images, such as JPGs and GIFs. For some very useful information on the differences between the various image file types, and when they should be used, check out Raffi’s blog titled “.gifs, .tifs and .jpgs…oh my!”.

(Only the choices applicable to the current file will be available for selection. Those that do not apply will be grayed out on the list, like Save a Version in figure 1.)

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‘SAVE AS’ IN MORE DETAIL
Referring to the image below (figure 2a), we will go through the initial options presented when using the Save As command.
1. Save Location - Indicate where you want the file to be saved. You can choose to save the file to a location on your hard drive, a network server location or a storage device connected to the computer.2. File name - Create a unique name for the file. The portion of the file name that appears after the dot is the file type extension and will be determined once a selection is made on the following option (3).3. File Format - Select a file type from the list of Illustrator’s “native formats”. Saving as a native file format will preserve the Illustrator vector data and allow for editing. In figure 1a, the pull down list of file format option can be found by following the gray arrow. Before choosing a file format, a brief description of each of the native formats is necessary.

Illustrator Document (.ai) - Standard Illustrator format. Totally editable in Illustrator but not an acceptable format to be used in most other programs or applications.

Illustrator EPS (.eps) - Encapsulated PostScript. Very useful because it can be imported into most software packages (including raster programs) but maintains the vector data.

Illustrator Template (.ait) - Useful if the layout/basic design of the file will be used repeatedly as the framework for other documents.

Illustrator PDF (.pdf) - Portable Document Format. Allows the artwork to be viewed by anoyone with the standard (and free) Acrobat Reader application installed on their computer.

SVG (.svg) - Scalable Vector Graphics. High quality graphics, useful when the artwork is being used as part of an interactive Web project. The drawback is that the file size is very large (which poses problems in Web files).

SVG Compressed (.svgz) - A compressed version of a standard SVG file, reducing the file size by 50%-80%. However, the vector art will no longer be editable.

4. Save Button - Once you have selected a save location, named the file and selected the appropriate file type hit the Save button. This will open the next dialogue box, Illustrator Options, which can be seen in figure 2b.

1. Illustrator Version - If you are using a later version of Adopbe Illustrator to create a file and need to be able to open and edit the file on an earlier version of the program, you will need to “save the document down” in order to do so. Select the lowest version for which the file needs to be readable from the drop down list, keeping in mind that the lower version of Illustrator may not have all of the tools and functions required to render all of the fancy filters and effects you may have used to create your file. Only save the file down if necessary for editing purposes. If you just want to be able to view a file on a computer with an older version of AI, save a copy of the file as a PDF for viewing.

2. Fonts - Indicate at what point a font used in the document should be embedded within the file (which will increase the file size). For example, the setting in figure 2b is for 100%, meaning that every character in a font set would have to be used somewhere in the document in order for me to reuire that the font be embedded.

3. Options - Tidbits of info about how you would like the file saved. A quick review of these options:

Create PDF Compatible File - Check this box if you want to be able to use your Illustrator file in conjunction with othe Adobe programs.

Include Linked Files - Embeds any files linked to the document.

Use Compression - Compresses the document data. Deselect if you are experiencing slow save times.

Embed ICC Profiles - For color managed files.

4. Transparency - Indicates how to handle transparency when saving. Only applicable to files saved to AI 9 or earlier.

5. Errors - Illustrator will alert you to any potential problem with the selctions you have made for the save.

Once all of the appropriate selection have been made, Click on the OK button to save the file to the location you have chosen.

How should I save my files?

A tutorial for beginner level users of Photoshop.
In this tutorial I am using Photoshop CS2, a.k.a. Photoshop 9.0.2.

What a great question that is… “How should I save my files?” A more important question is “How will I be using my file?” and from there, you will know how to save it.

When saving files in Photoshop, there are many file type options. Here are some quick ways to know when to use different types:

- If your are saving your work for further Photoshop editing, save as a psd. This will maintain all of your Photoshop layers and effects. You may want to get in the habit of saving a psd first, and then the other file type you might need, in case the file needs to be altered in the future.

- If you are saving your file for use on the INTERNET, a GIF is good for line art, such as simple logos and charts, and JPG is better for files with lots of color variants, such as photos. A GIF allows only 256 colors, a jpg allows for thousands. JPG is also widely used by digital cameras. GIF and JPG files do NOT support layers when saved. Photoshop has a “Save for web” function I recommend for web files. If I should blog about that next, let me know.

- If you are saving your file for EMAIL, see above. For both of these options, a low resolution file is needed, not a high resolution file (click to read more on that here).

- If you are saving your work to share with someone who is putting your image files in a different graphics program or can’t seem to open files you send them, use a TIFF (also, TIF). These files were designed to be universally shared. TIF files DO support layers when saved. TIFF is a raster image format supported by virtually all paint, image-editing, and page-layout applications.

- If you have a text heavy document, like a brochure, or a form to fill out, save as a pdf. (But I might ask why you are using Photoshop for this file in the first place.) A pdf has the option to be high resolution, so people can later print it and the clarity will be maintained, or low resolution, for quick proofs or online sharing. PDF files CAN support layers when saved, depending on the settings you use when saving.

- If you need the file to have a transparent background, so you can put it on another background color, save as a gif.

- If you have a massive file to save - either in size or file size, choose Large Document Format (PSB) for documents of any pixel size and any file size. (All Photoshop features are preserved in PSB files.) Currently, PSB files are supported only by Photoshop CS. Photoshop Raw supports documents of any pixel dimension or file size, but does not support layers. TIFF Supports files up to 4 GB in size.

- GIFs can be saved as high resolution. They support RGB, Indexed Color, Grayscale, or Bitmap modes.

- JPGs can be saved as high resolution for print. CMYK, RGB, and grayscale images can be saved as JPGs.

What about PNG?
JPGs use compression — images are compressed to take up less memory space. Compression also leads to loss of quality. The more you compress an image, the more the quality continues to degrade. Every time you open a JPG, make a minor change, and save it, the JPG is compressed yet again. The more you work with a JPG, the worse it gets. This shows up as pixelation, overall fuzziness, random pixels are added. Also, gif creation is patented and a free option was needed. To solve these problems, a new image format was created call PNG (Portable Network Graphics, pronounced “ping.”)

PNG images are supported by web browsers and do allow for transparent backgrounds, however they tend to get fuzzy on internet explorer, which is the most commonly used web browser today, so I don’t save web files as PNGs.

PNGs do not allow for animation. If you need some slight movement, use an animated gif. An Animated gif resaved as a jpg or png will lose its animation. You can use the Save As command in Photoshop to save RGB, Indexed Color, Grayscale, and Bitmap mode images in PNG format.

What’s a BMP?
BMP stands for bitmapped graphics format. Wikipedia explains it as “used internally by the Microsoft Windows and OS/2 graphics subsystem, and used commonly as a simple graphics file format on those platforms… BMP files are usually not compressed, so they are typically much larger than compressed image file formats for the same image. As such, BMPs are generally unsuitable for transferring images on the Internet or other slow or capacity-limited media.”

A commerical printer may ask for an EPS file. Typically, these are created in vector programs, but Photoshop can save as an EPS. Virtually all page-layout, word-processing, and graphics applications accept imported EPS files. DCS format is a version of EPS that lets you save color separations of CMYK or multichannel files.

The Targa (TGA) format supports images of any dimensions with between 1 and 32 bits of color. It is designed for Truevision hardware. HUH? I don’t know either…

Wikipedia has a great chart comparing file types and what they support here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_graphics_file_formats

Brushes are just one of the many types of tools that Adobe Illustrator has in its arsenal that allows users to customize and stylize their digital designs. There are four distinct varieties of brushes in the Illustrator tool belt; Calligraphic Brushes, Scatter Brushes, Art Brushes and Pattern Brushes.

Of the four brush types, the one I find myself using most often is the Art Brush. An Art Brush creates a solid brush stroke that stretches from point to point along a path. Creating your very own art brush is easy in Illustrator, and is a great way to customize your artwork. For the purpose of this demonstration, we will start with something very simple.

Using your Ellipse Tool, create an ellipse the size and color of your choice.

Grab the Convert Anchor Point Tool from your tool box. This tool will convert curved edges to points, and points to curved edges.

With your shape selected, click on the two anchor points on either rounded edge of the ellipse. The sides should now come to a point, as seen to the right.

Now, select the altered ellipse and use the transform handles to flatten the shape to the width that you want your brush stroke.

Once your brush stroke is to your liking, you will simply select the shape and drag it into the Brushes Palette. If your Brushes Palette window is not visible, you will need to open it by going to Window > Brushes.

When the New Brush dialougue box appears, select New Art Brush.

You will then be given some Art Brush Options that will determine the color and movement of your brush. For this simple brush, we will set the direction of the brush stroke to the right and indicate no colorization.

(If you will want to change or adjust the color of your brush strokes, you will want to set your colorization method to one of the other options, like Tints and Shades. You can then adjust the brush color by selecting the brush stroke and changing the stroke color in your tool box.)

Once you hit OK, your new Art Brush will be available for use in your Brushes Palette. It can be applied as a stroke to lines, shapes, text…you name it. To test your brush, grab your pen tool and draw a line with some curves or zig zags.

With the line selected, click on your new brush in the Brushes Palette.

Now you can add style and flair to your illustrations with your own custome brushes!

Anyone who uses Adobe Illustrator with any frequency will at some point come to realize that there is almost always more than one way to execute an action while working in the program. Much of the time, the method you use to generate a desired event is a matter of personal preference. There are some cases, however, in which two paths to the same apparent result will produce very different results “behind the scenes”. One such case in Illustrator is the use of the Effect and Filter tools. These two menus can be found in the main Illustrator menu bar across the the top, and provide a wide array of snazzy visual effects and custom styles that can be applied to obejcts. Although the two menus seem to contain many of the same actions, their use will bring about distinct outcomes.

Effect: Applying an effect will change the appearance of an object, but the structure of the object will remain intact. Object filters can be edited or removed using the Appearance Palette.

Filter: Applying a filter will actually alter the structure of the object to fit the specifications of the filter. Once applied, the filter cannot be edited or removed.

SAMPLE: You will see that I started with two identical circles. A Pucker Effect of -50 was applied to the circle on the left. I then applied a Pucker Filter of -50 to the shape on the right. In preview mode the two shapes appear to again be identical. However, when each shape is is selected, the frames show us that behind the scenes they are no longer the same. The shape on the left (Effect applied) has maintained the original shape. The effect can be changed or deleted in the Appearance Palette, as shown. The shape on the right (Filter applied) is now structurally different than the original ellipse.

If you know that you will need to alter the paths of the object once the visual element is applied, then using the Filter can be more functional because it eliminates the need for expanding or outlining. But, in general, it is usually more practical to use the Effect tools, so that the option for editing and removing is left open.

Restoring Color to Areas of a photo Blown white by Flash

A tutorial for intermediate level users of Photoshop.
 One of the problems we face when taking photos with a flash, or even in bright sunlight, can be that color can be washed (blown) from some areas.

Original photo, with color blown from cheeks. (Her cheeks have lost their skin tone and appear white)

This is the result we want - natural sun highlights on cheeks, but not blown.

These are the color values for the cheeks. Much too white! The flash has hit the areas and blown the color to some extent.

I have a technique for putting the color back into photos that were blown white by flash. It’s not the only way, but it can help with some difficult images.

1. I’d use the lasso tool in this instance, to select the face, like this.

2. Feather the edge, as appropriate. That means, low radius for low res image like this one (5 pixels works) but you’d use a higher setting for an image at higher resolution.

    To do this: Right Click on the selection, select Feather. Enter the appropriate setting. Click OK.

3. Bring up Levels (ctrl-L). We’re going to change the white point to fix this area.

4. There are three eyedroppers at the bottom right of the dialog box. Double-click the white dropper. This will display the Color Picker.

5. In this case, I then clicked on a skin tone that was closer to what I wanted.

    To do this: Hold the mouse pointer over the photo instead of the color picker and the eyedropper tool comes up, allowing you to take a color sample from the photo itself.

But the cheeks should be lighter, so once you have the color, you want to choose a lighter tone. Make sure “Only Web Colors” is NOT checked on the bottom left corner of the color picker.

6.  This is the color we’re going to set as the white point. So now you just click OK.

7. The color picker will close, but Levels is still open. You also still have the white eyedropper active. (If you don’t, then click it again.)

8. With the eyedropper, click in the lightest area of the cheeks.

9. This will blend the cheeks nicely into the rest of the image, giving them natural color.

 

Sometimes, in a portrait for example, you don’t need to select the face area to do this, but in this image we didn’t want to set the other white items - crown or the pearl earring - to flesh color, so selecting was necessary.

10. The program will ask you whether you want the new color to be the new white point. You really don’t, so remember to check it next time you open Levels.

Christine Frey is an instructor at Eclectic Academy (http://www.eclecticacademy.com)