Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphics editor and design program developed and marketed Adobe Inc.
Originally designed for the Apple Macintosh, development of Adobe Illustrator began in 1985. Along
with Creative Cloud (Adobe's shift to monthly or annual subscription service delivered over the
Internet), Illustrator CC was released. The latest version, Illustrator 2023, was released on October 18,
2022, and is the 27th generation in the product line. Adobe Illustrator was reviewed as the best vector
graphics editing program in 2021 by PC Magazine.[1]

History
Versions 1–1.6 (Illustrator 88):
Development of Adobe Illustrator for the Apple Macintosh began in 1985[2](shipping in January 1987)
as a commercialization of Adobe's in-house font development software and PostScript file format.
Adobe Illustrator is the companion product of Adobe Photoshop. Photoshop is primarily geared toward
digital photo manipulation and photorealistic styles of computer illustration, while Illustrator provides
results in the typesetting and logo graphic areas of design. Early magazine advertisements (featured in
graphic design trade magazines such as Communication Arts) referred to the product as "the Adobe
Illustrator". Illustrator 88, the product name for version 1.7,[3] was released in 1988 and introduced
many new tools and features.[4]

Byte in 1989 listed Illustrator 88 as among the "Distinction" winners of the Byte Awards, stating that
with it Adobe had "pulled ahead" of previously industry-dominant competitor Aldus FreeHand.[5]

Early versions of the software did not support working in preview mode and users needed to have two
windows open on their desktop in order to have a live preview of their work. One window would show
the work in progress and the other window would show a preview of the work in progress.

Version CC:
Along with Creative Cloud (the result of Adobe's shift on its release strategy), Illustrator CC was
released. This version (the 17th) was the first to be only sold in a subscription-based service model, in
line with the other software in the formerly called Creative Suite. As part of Creative Cloud, this
version brought improvements in that subject such as color, font and program settings syncing, saving
documents to the cloud, and integration with Behance (a creative collaborative network), as well as

1 Tupper, Shelby (November 4, 2021). "Adobe Illustrator Review". PCMag. Archived from the original on September 21,
2022. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
2 Adobe Creative Cloud (May 14, 2014), The Story Behind Adobe Illustrator (Part 1 of 3) | Adobe Creative Cloud, retrieved
September 17, 2017
3 Wichary, Marcin. "Illustrator splash screens". Guidebookgallery.org. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
4 "Illustrator 88 demonstration video". Youtube.com. September 20, 2007. Archived from the original on October 20, 2010.
Retrieved December 4, 2010.
5 "The Byte Awards". Byte. January 1989. p. 327
other features such as a new touch-compatible type tool, images in brushes, CSS extraction, and files
packaging.[6]

Compatibility

Compatibility with Inkscape:[7] Inkscape's native format is SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics), which is
supported by Adobe Illustrator, but the two implementations are not fully compatible. Inkscape also
exports to PS, EPS and PDF, formats which Illustrator can recognize.

Tools

A sidebar that appears at the left of the screen with a variety of tools to select, create, and manipulate
objects or artworks in Illustrator. These tools can be selected as following: drawing, typing, painting,
reshaping, slicing and cutting, symbolism, moving and zooming, and graph.[8]

Some tools have a small triangle at the bottom right of the toolbox icon. A small triangle has the option
to view or expand some hidden tools by holding down the mouse button on the triangle.[9]

Some examples of basic tools in Illustrator are selection tools, paintbrush tools, pen tools, pencil tools
e.g. Selection tools are used to the layout, adjust, and organize the artwork by selecting, positioning,
and stacking objects accurately. Moreover, selection tools can group, lock or hide, and measure objects.
[10]
 Paintbrush tools can be used to modify the appearance of the artwork. There are different types of
brushes: calligraphic, scatter, art, pattern, and bristle.[11] Pen tools create straight and curved lines for
the artwork and they can add anchor points to paths and delete from paths. Pencil tools allow the user
to draw and edit freehand lines.

File Formats:
The Adobe Illustrator Artwork format (.ai) is the native Illustrator file format.
[]12]
The following formats are also supported:
•SVG format
•AutoCAD file formats — Implemented by Drawings SDK (previously Teigha Drawings) by Open Design
Alliance.
•AutoCAD Drawing (.dwg)
•AutoCAD Interchange File (.dxf)

6 "Illustrator CC vs. CS6 versions | Adobe Illustrator CC history". Adobe. Retrieved September 5, 2017.

7 Inkscape for Adobe Illustrator users, Inkscape.org

8 "Tool Galleries". Retrieved March 29, 2018.
9 "Tools". Retrieved March 29, 2018.
10 "Selection Tool Galleries". Retrieved March 29, 2018.
11 "Brushes Tools". Retrieved March 29, 2018.
12 "Illustrator help: supported file formats". September 14, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
Primary Features
Adobe Illustrator is a robust application with a wide array of features and tools for designers. Some of
Illustrator’s core capabilities include:[13]

•The ability to draw freehand with a variety of digital brushes, pencils, and pens.
•Advanced color options for creating color palettes, filling shapes, using gradient color
schemes, and mixing different color effects.
•A “Layers” feature that allows you to split the components of your design across different
layers, making it easy to edit one layer without impacting the others.
•A grid feature with anchor points and “snapping” capabilities, allowing you to easily align
shapes and lines with accuracy.
•Cloud libraries where you can gather and store all of your design assets for a project — such as
colors, brushes, graphics, text, and character styles — in one accessible place, making it easy to
pick up in the middle of a project.
•A library of available fonts with a search capability so you can find the perfect font types to use
for your projects.
•Tools to quickly create geometric shapes, adjust curvatures, and manipulate lines.

Requirements
Intel processors are the most popular processor especially if you want to run a program such as Adobe
Illustrator. Windows 10 is the latest version and you have at least 8GB of RAM. You should also install
SSD storage. A minimum resolution of 1024 x 768 is required as well as an OpenGL 4.0 or higher
graphics card. [14]

Conclusion
Adobe Illustrator CC is one of the best vector editors out there, with advanced features and new tools
that allow you to create unique designs quickly. If you are a beginner, many resources are available to
help you learn how to use Adobe Illustrator.

13 https://blog.udemy.com/what-is-adobe-illustrator-used-for/
14 https://www.pcguide.com/software/system-requirements/adobe-illustrator