Basics

• Differences between vector and pixel graphics
• Anatomy of a path

Configuring the desktop and navigating in documents

• Selecting the right color space
• Create a new document
• The Illustrator desktop
• Create your own tool control panels
• Navigate in the document
• Navigating in the timeline
• Rotate view
• Customize workspace
• Creating and changing artboards
• Using view modes
• Save documents
• Save web files
• Excursus: Choosing the right file size

Draw and transform geometric and free forms

• Interactive shapes and stars
• Select elements
• Locking and unlocking
• Edit identical objects
• Popular mistakes when selecting
• Bounding box and free-transform tool
• Using other transform tools
• Create lines and grids
• Draw free forms
• Creating shapes with the drawing pen
• Drawing pencil practice
• Edit, connect and simplify paths

Combine and edit paths

• Punch holes and combine paths
• Combine basic shapes with the shape creation tool
• Using Pathfinder functions
• Using the interactive painting tool
• Common mistakes when combining
• Designing transitions
• Shape objects intuitively
• Changing shapes creatively
• Breaking the stacking sequence with interlacing

Position and align objects precisely

• Insert auxiliary lines
• Common mistakes when using auxiliary lines
• Activate intelligent auxiliary lines
• Perform exact transformations using the control panel
• Align or distribute objects
• Align objects to the pixel grid
• Arrange objects regularly with the repeat function

Organize objects in the document hierarchically

• Changing the stacking order of objects
• Organize objects in layers
• Group elements
• Copying and pasting objects
• Change display with appearance properties
• Convert appearance to paths
• Define symbols

Working with colors and gradients on contours and surfaces

• Color for surfaces and contours
• Apply colors with the swatches panel
• Use color field libraries as inspiration
• Common mistakes when using colors
• Assigning color gradients and editing gradient colors
• Create freehand gradients
• Using color gradients in a contour
• Edit contours
• Convert contours into paths
• Create pattern
• Recolor image material
• Excursus: Recoloring with AI

Setting texts and designing with texts

• Create text
• Formatting texts with the touch type text tool
• Create area and path text
• Common errors: Text cannot be set or edited as desired
• Filter fonts and assign a font
• Excursus: Finding out the font with Retype
• Formatting text characters
• Formatting text paragraphs, lists
• Converting text into paths and post-processing

Create and use brushes yourself

• Draw naturally with the colored pencil and brush tool
• Basic information on brush tips
• Common mistakes when handling brushes
• Create calligraphy brushes
• Define bristle brushes
• Create special brushes
• Create image brushes
• Use pattern brushes
• Painting surfaces intuitively

Advanced functions: Transparency, masks, placed images

• Customize transparency
• Transparency and the color mode
• Remove transparency
• Using clipping masks
• Linking, embedding and cropping pixel images
• Convert pixel images into vector graphics
• Bringing objects into the 3rd dimension and designing them photorealistically
• Generate vector graphics with AI
• Simulate graphics on products