About Adobe Illustrator

Illustrator is a vector drawing program. It is often used to draw illustrations, cartoons, diagrams, charts and logos. Unlike bitmap images that stores information in a grid of dots (called pixels), Illustrator uses mathematical equations to draw out the shapes. This makes vector graphics scalable without the loss of resolution.

Advantages of vector graphics

Scalable without resolution loss
Lines are crisp and sharp at any sizes
Print at high resolution
Smaller file size Good for drawing illustrations


Disadvantages of vector graphics

Drawings tend to look flat and cartoon
Hard to produce photo realistic drawings

Common Uses for Illustrator

1. Designing Logos



2. Drawing Maps


3. Drawing Illustrations



These are some samples that you can imagine what are the purpose of Adobe Illustrator for. Its not just that, in fact there are alot of other task that require this software to works with i.e Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Flash, etc. The artworks created by this software can be saved to PSD format also can be converted (File > Export) to any image format you prefer.

Note :

The graphics created with Adobe Illustrator are called vector image.
To share the artworks (these vector images), with others who don't have the software, can be save to PDF format and other people can preview with Adobe Reader (or any PDF reader).

Next we will getting start to use.

Illustrator is a vector drawing program. It is often used to draw illustrations, cartoons, diagrams, charts and logos. Unlike bitmap images that stores information in a grid of dots, Illustrator uses mathematical equations to draw out the shapes. This makes vector graphics scalable without the loss of resolution.

Advantages of vector graphics

• Scalable without resolution loss
• Lines are crisp and sharp at any sizes
• Print at high resolution
• Smaller file size
• Good for drawing illustrations

Disadvantages of vector graphics

• Drawings tend to look flat and cartoon
• Hard to produce photo realistic drawings

Common Uses for Illustrator

1. Designing Logos


2. Drawing Maps


3. Drawing Illustrations


4. Artworks & Designs

Next step we'll go through the interface of Adobe Illustrator CS3. Hopefully you're already understand the purpose of Adobe Illustrator and the different compared to Adobe Photoshop.

As a new user for Adobe Illustrator, you might be wondering how to setting up the layout for your specific jobs. So here I'll show how to set the layout for A4 size paper with 3 panels & 2 folds Pamphlet Design. Some user hardly calculate the length of the paper size, 297mm divide by 3 to get the equals size. Well follow this steps..

1. Create New document and choose A4 paper size with landscape orientation. (You can set stroke's color or simply no color)

2. Activate the smart guides - View > Smart Guides (Ctrl+U)

Click the images to see full size

3. Move your mouse to one of the corner of the A4 size artboard (e.g. top left). Automatically the smart guides will show the intersect (in blue).

Click the images to see full size

4. Click at the 'intersect point' hold and drag your mouse until it touch the bottom of your artboard, and smart guides will show the page (in blue), release mouse.

Click the images to see full size

5. Now you have 1 panel box, next steps just Copy this box and simply Paste in Front.


6. Ready to move the second panel box using Group Selection Tools to move from 1 anchor point to another anchor point.


7. Remember the second panel box is ontop of the first panel box (because you paste in front), just use this Group Selection Tools (white arrow with plus) and click from top left anchor point to top right anchor point.


8. Smart Guides made it easy & accurate touch.


9. Repeat the steps 5 - 8, (Copy the second box & Paste in Front to get the third panel box). Then move the third panel box, anchor to anchor.



10. Select all the 3 panels and use the Free Transform Tool (keyboard E).


11. Ready to transform all the panels at once. Click the middle point of the right side, (your mouse will change to left & right arrow).


12. ...and drag it until it touched the artboard, (smart guides will show 'page').


13. Now your 3 panels are equally divided into 1 sheet of A4 size artboard (paper).


Well, you're ready to do your design job. But I suggest you to rename the current layer with a name such as background or layer 0 and create another layer to works on.

Before you proceed with your design job, I recommends you to save this document as your A4 size 3 panels 2 folds template.. easier for next job.