Properties Panel

The Properties panel in Illustrator lets you view settings and controls in the context of your current task or workflow. This panel has been designed with ease of use in mind, ensuring that you have access to the right controls when you need them.


SOURCE:
https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/properties-panel.html

Selection Options

There are an incredible amount of ways in selecting your objects inside illustrator. I think it is essential for everyone to wrap their heads around each one so, that they can develop a routine in knowing which one works better for a particular task at any given moment while on the job. These are the definitions for each one. For me, the save selection option is still my favorite since, it is really convenient to name selections when scenes get really complex. Unlike Photoshop, Illustrator's layers panel is sort of click-sensitive in my opinion. It's going to be a lot easier and more professional when finding alternative selection methods in order to speed up the workflow and so that clients are the given the results promptly.

Flashcards:
https://www.cram.com/flashcards/memorize/illustrator-selections-11043582


Isolation Mode

Lets you quickly isolate a layer, sublayer, path, or group of objects, from all other art in your document. When in isolation mode, all nonisolated objects in the document appear dimmed and are not selectable or editable.

Layers Panel

Lets you quickly and precisely select individual or multiple objects. You can select a single object (even if it’s in a group), all objects within a layer, and entire groups.
Selection tool

  Lets you select objects and groups by clicking or dragging over them. You can also select groups within groups and objects within groups.

Direct Selection tool

 Lets you select individual anchor points or path segments by clicking on them, or select an entire path or group by selecting any other spot on the item. You can also select one or more objects in a group of objects.note: When in outline mode, the Direct Selection tool may select imported graphics that are near the tool’s pointer. To avoid selecting unwanted graphics, lock or hide the graphics before making the selection.

Group Selection tool

 Lets you select an object within a group, a single group within multiple groups, or a set of groups within the artwork. Each additional click adds all objects from the next group in the hierarchy.

Perspective Selection tool

Lets you bring objects and text in perspective, switch active planes, move objects in perspective, and move objects in perpendicular direction.

Lasso tool

 Lets you select objects, anchor points, or path segments by dragging around all or part of the object.

Magic Wand tool

 Lets you select objects of the same color, stroke weight, stroke color, opacity, or blending mode by clicking the object.

Live Paint Selection tool

 Lets you select faces (areas enclosed by paths) and edges (portions of paths between intersections) of Live Paint groups.

Selection commands

(located in the Select menu) Let you quickly select or deselect all objects, and select objects based on their position relative to other objects. You can select all objects of a specific type or that share specific attributes, and save or load selections. You can also select all objects in the active artboard.

Save Selection


Allows you to save a selection of objects by naming the selection, and returning to it upon after clicking select > [name].

SOURCE:
https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/selecting-objects.html

Ligatures - Text

Ligatures are typographic replacement characters for certain letter pairs.

Contextual alternates are alternate characters included in some script typefaces to provide better joining behavior.

A stylistic set is a group of glyph alternates that can be applied to a selected block of text.

Window > Type > OpenType to open the OpenType panel. Now, do one of the following:
Click the Stylistic Sets icon () at the bottom of the panel and choose the desired set.
Select Stylistic Sets from the panel menu and choose the desired set.

SOURCE:
https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/special-characters.html#use_ligatures_and_contextual_alternates

Simplify object to reduce anchor points while retaining the shape

Object > Path > Simplify.





SOURCE:
https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/editing-paths.html


Good analogy: adjusting subdivision levels for polygons in a mesh when 3d modelling an object in ZBrush. This instead is 2D and the simplify option helps organizes line segments by offering less to work with.

Graphs in Illustrator

Bar Graph
Stacked Bar Graph
Column Graph
Stacked Column Graph


Pie Graph
Radar Graph


Area Graph
Line Graph
Scatter Graph

Hotkeys for graph data:

A Entry text box Enter the data
B Import data Import data saved as a text file
C Transpose row/column
Switch the columns and rows of data
D Switch x/y
Switch the x and u axes of graphs
E Cell style
Adjust the column width or decimal precision of cells
F Revert Revert the changes you've made in the graph data
G Apply Apply the changes you've made in the graph data


Bridging between Excel and Illustrator:

Copying data from a spreadsheet in excel and pasting into the top left corner of the data table in Illustrator

Bar Graphs in Illustrator. Enter numbers to form size of bars in each column.

SOURCE:
https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/graphs.html

Symbol Sprayer

The Symbol Sprayer acts like a particle sprayer—letting you add a large number of identical objects to the artboard at one time. For example, use the symbol sprayer to add hundreds of grass blades, wildflowers, bees, or snowflakes.

SOURCE:

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/symbolism-tools-symbol-sets.html

Good Analogy: CC particular in After Effects. Particle system generator that allows user to easily generate particles while adding unique effects for an animation.

Symbol Spinner

Click or drag over the symbol instances you want to stain with the colorization color. The amount of colorization gradually increases, and the symbol instance’s color gradually changes to the colorization color.

Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you click or drag to decrease the colorization amount and reveal more of the original symbol color.

Hold down Shift as you click or drag to keep the colorization amount constant, while gradually changing the color of the symbol instances to the colorization color.

Symbol Scruncher

Click or drag in the area where you want to pull the symbol instances toward each other. Opposite to this is click+alt+drag and it will reversibly push outward. Sort of works similar to the bloat and pluck tool in how it pulls inward and pushes outward.

Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and click or drag in the area where you want to push symbol instances away from each other.

Symbol Screener

-Click or drag where you want to increase the symbol’s transparency.

Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and click or drag where you want to decrease the symbol’s transparency.



SOURCE:
https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/symbolism-tools-symbol-sets.html

Screen modes to access menu bar

Normal Screen Mode  displays artwork in a standard window, with a menu bar at the top and scroll bars on the sides.
Full Screen Mode With Menu Bar  displays artwork in a full-screen window, with a menu bar at the top and scroll bars.

Pixel alignment

Pixel alignment is usually needed for video resolution rasterization control

Brush Panel - Illustrator

Illustrator has 5 kinds of brushes: 
calligraphic, scatter, art, pattern, and bristle.




SOURCE:
https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/brushes.html