In this lesson, you’ll learn how to do the following:

• Create a new Illustrator file
• Set file properties to your specifications

The first step to creating an Adobe Illustrator image is creating a new document. There are many options you can set which may change the end product. This brief tutorial covers the document options and guides you through starting a new document.

Getting started

Before you begin understanding file options you’ll need to start Adobe Illustrator and create a new file.

• Start Adobe Illustrator.
• Choose File > New. This will open the New Document palette window.

In this window you can change a few of the most basic settings of your Adobe Illustrator file. The Artboard Setup section contains options for file naming, manipulating size by preset dimensions, or by customizing width and height. Also, units of measurement can be set, as well as the orientation.

• Click on the drop-down arrow marked Size. Scroll down to see all of the different preset sizes and styles available. More often than not, you will work with a Custom sized file. Click away from the drop-down list.
• Click on the drop-down arrow marked Units. Notice all of the different units of measurement available. While this does not effect how an image is sized, it changes values on the rulers that can line the artboard, which are a great reference tool. Click away from the drop-down list.

At the top of the New Document palette window is the Name textbox. The value of this box sets the name of the file. At the bottom of the Artboard Setup is a region marked Orientation. It contains two icons which set the basic height/width preference. The left icon maintains the height to be greater than the width and is commonly known as “Portrait.” The right icon maintains the width to be greater than the height and is commonly known as “Landscape.”

The Color Mode section contains two options, CMYK color and RGB color. CMYK should be selected when the artwork you are creating is intended to be printed at some point. CMYK refers to Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black (K), which are the types of colored toner used in large-scale color printers. RGB should be selected when the artwork will be kept in a digital format, such as for websites and electric documents. RGB refers to Red, Green and Blue, the three values manipulated to create colors.

1. Click in the textbox labeled Name, set its value to newDocument.
2. Click on the drop-down arrow marked Size, choose 640x480.
3. Click on the drop-down arrow marked Units, choose Points.
4. Click on the right Orientation icon (“Landscape”) and select the RGB color mode. Click OK.
5. Click on the maximize button, circled below in red, in the new file window. Now the title bar of the file joins that of Adobe Illustrator, taking up less space than before and creating more artboard space.

BeforeAfter

Editing preferences

One powerful way to customize your image file and control the artwork it yields is through editing preferences.

• Choose Edit > Preferences > General to open the Preferences palette window, or press the K key while holding down the CTRL key.

While in the preferences window, you can scroll through the different preference areas using the Previous and Next buttons, located at the right side of the palette window. If you want to skip to a specific preference screen, use the drop-down arrow at the top of the palette window.

The nine screens of file preferences are as follows:

• General – random control options
• Type & Auto Tracing – fonts, character spacing, languages and tracing options
• Units & Display Performance – measurement units and hand tool movement quality
• Guides & Grid – selection tool outlines and artboard display grid
• Smart Guides and Slices – toggle hint displays, smart guide angles and slice options
• Hyphenation – hyphenation options
• Plug-ins & Scratch Disks – select locations of Adobe Illustrator plug-ins and temporary storage
• File Handling & Clipboard – [these options don’t apply to Illustrator’s production qualities]

You’ve completed the new document lesson.

Click here to download a Microsoft Word version of this tutorial.

Copyright © 2005, Bloomsburg University Department of Instructional Technology.
All rights reserved. This material may not be used without written permission.
Contact Dr. Mary Nicholson at mjnich@bloomu.edu