Did you know that you can customize your Illustrator work space? You can! And, it's simple. I'll show you how to re-arrange and show/hide only the windows you need and use so that you can work more efficiently. It also allows you more room for your design and clears all the clutter away from your screen. You might also enjoy...
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Illustrator is a great tool for creating brochures. I will show you how to quickly set up your document with the correct sizing and settings so you can get right to the fun part... designing!
Tri-folds are still a very popular and effective way of advertising for many different types of companies. Know how to set one up correctly is a key part of the graphic design process. There are a lot of folds so knowing how to correctly place your design will help you stand out in the design world. And if you are looking for some fun, creative and affordable design elements to spice up your next design project make sure to check out Creative Market. You'll find a huge selection of design assets. I mean HUGE selection. Honestly, I probably waste more time browsing all the cool things than I should but hey, life's too short :) more ways to learn...![]() The Ultimate Illustrator Resource Guide
$15.99
Get access to over 150 links to FREE tutorials, FREE templates, FREE vector downloads, money making ideas, merchandise and books!! FREE ILLUSTRATOR TUTORIAL VIDEOS -64 links to Illustrator VIDEO Tutorials -Beginners Techniques -Intermediate Techniques -Pen Tool -Logo Design -Create Your Own Font -Social Media Graphics -Design & Layout ILLUSTRATOR PAID LEARNING INVESTMENTS -10 links to online Illustrator investments (paid learning) FREE ILLUSTRATOR DESIGN ASSETS -25 links to FREE templates -15 links to FREE brushes (some links have 50+ brushes) -25 links to FREE vector icons -10 links to FREE font websites ILLUSTRATOR CAREERS -25 links to money making ideas using Illustrator -10 links to help you get started freelanceing -9 links to help you build a strong portfolio -10 links to the best Illustrator design portfolios ILLUSTRATOR GOOD READS -5 top selling Illustrator paper books to curve your cravings Illustrator MERCH - 9 links to some cool Illustrator inspired merchandise ![]() Complete Beginner's Guide To Adobe Illustrator
$15.99
This PDF eBook includes 37 pages of my written guidance for everything a complete beginner will need to know in order to function and start creating vector graphics with Adobe Illustrator.
![]() The Ultimate PHOTOSHOP Resource Guide
$15.99
Whether you are advanced in your Photoshop skills or just starting to unleash it's powerful capabilities, The Ultimate Photoshop Resource Guide is for you. I have spent hours and hours searching and compiling the BEST, FREE Photoshop video tutorials, FREE Photoshop actions and FREE Photoshop templates... and organized them neatly inside a single PDF download!
WHAT'S INSIDE THE RESOURCE GUIDE?
And if you are looking for some tri-fold brochure design inspiration here are a few straight from my favorite inspiration resource, Creative Market.
You might also enjoy...This is by far my favorite little trick inside Adobe Illustrator. Once I learned how to streamline the dreaded task of creating social media graphics at a rock star pace, a huge load was lifted off my back. No more Canva... no more clunky Photoshop... just pure speed and agility! View the following tutorial if you're tired of the social media time suck :) you might also enjoy...Complete Beginner's Guide To Adobe Illustrator
$15.99
This PDF eBook includes 37 pages of my written guidance for everything a complete beginner will need to know in order to function and start creating vector graphics with Adobe Illustrator.
The Ultimate Illustrator Resource Guide
$15.99
Get access to over 150 links to FREE tutorials, FREE templates, FREE vector downloads, money making ideas, merchandise and books!! FREE ILLUSTRATOR TUTORIAL VIDEOS -64 links to Illustrator VIDEO Tutorials -Beginners Techniques -Intermediate Techniques -Pen Tool -Logo Design -Create Your Own Font -Social Media Graphics -Design & Layout ILLUSTRATOR PAID LEARNING INVESTMENTS -10 links to online Illustrator investments (paid learning) FREE ILLUSTRATOR DESIGN ASSETS -25 links to FREE templates -15 links to FREE brushes (some links have 50+ brushes) -25 links to FREE vector icons -10 links to FREE font websites ILLUSTRATOR CAREERS -25 links to money making ideas using Illustrator -10 links to help you get started freelanceing -9 links to help you build a strong portfolio -10 links to the best Illustrator design portfolios ILLUSTRATOR GOOD READS -5 top selling Illustrator paper books to curve your cravings Illustrator MERCH - 9 links to some cool Illustrator inspired merchandise The Ultimate PHOTOSHOP Resource Guide
$15.99
Whether you are advanced in your Photoshop skills or just starting to unleash it's powerful capabilities, The Ultimate Photoshop Resource Guide is for you. I have spent hours and hours searching and compiling the BEST, FREE Photoshop video tutorials, FREE Photoshop actions and FREE Photoshop templates... and organized them neatly inside a single PDF download!
WHAT'S INSIDE THE RESOURCE GUIDE?
There's no doubt, the pen tool is by far the most valuable tool within Adobe Illustrator. It is also the hardest tool to master. When I started learning Illustrator in school, my teacher made us spend an entire class period tracing a bunch of lines in order to get comfortable with the tool. I have created a similar practice guide so you can start getting comfortable and learn how to become a master with the pen tool. Don't get discouraged. It's tough but you just have to keep drawing and keep using it. Pretty soon it will become second nature. It's worth taking the extra time because you can use it for SO many different things. You can download the beginner's practice guide here and then just "place" the PNG download inside a new Illustrator document. In the video I will walk you through the best techniques for each shape. I have also added an intermediate practice guide for those of you that have become comfortable with the beginners practice guide. more ways to learn...![]() The Ultimate Illustrator Resource Guide
$15.99
Get access to over 150 links to FREE tutorials, FREE templates, FREE vector downloads, money making ideas, merchandise and books!! FREE ILLUSTRATOR TUTORIAL VIDEOS -64 links to Illustrator VIDEO Tutorials -Beginners Techniques -Intermediate Techniques -Pen Tool -Logo Design -Create Your Own Font -Social Media Graphics -Design & Layout ILLUSTRATOR PAID LEARNING INVESTMENTS -10 links to online Illustrator investments (paid learning) FREE ILLUSTRATOR DESIGN ASSETS -25 links to FREE templates -15 links to FREE brushes (some links have 50+ brushes) -25 links to FREE vector icons -10 links to FREE font websites ILLUSTRATOR CAREERS -25 links to money making ideas using Illustrator -10 links to help you get started freelanceing -9 links to help you build a strong portfolio -10 links to the best Illustrator design portfolios ILLUSTRATOR GOOD READS -5 top selling Illustrator paper books to curve your cravings Illustrator MERCH - 9 links to some cool Illustrator inspired merchandise ![]() Complete Beginner's Guide To Adobe Illustrator
$15.99
This PDF eBook includes 37 pages of my written guidance for everything a complete beginner will need to know in order to function and start creating vector graphics with Adobe Illustrator.
You may also enjoy...In this Adobe Illustrator video tutorial I will be cover the basics of using color. I cover the following key points: 1. Setting up (and how to change) your document color mode. 2. How to use the color window and the color options. 3. How to add color swatches to your swatch library. 4. How to add color swatches to your Adobe Library (basic over view of the Library feature) 5. How to add PMS swatches to your designs As always, my mailbox is always open if you have questions! I would love to hear from you. Recent Posts...Recently, I wrote about why I prefer to use Adobe Illustrator over Photoshop for just about everything I do. If you have spent any time on my blog, you have probably noticed that I'm a strong proponent of Adobe Illustrator, which doesn't get the attention it deserves. Since that earlier blog, I've received many questions from clients and partners about what Photoshop is good for. The answer is "a million things!" You can love both of them for different reasons. As you know, anyone who is serious about being the best at their craft should take the time to investigate which tools make the most sense for which jobs. Below is a quick cheat sheet that you can turn to (and feel free to share) on the essential differences between the two and which jobs belong on which tool. Adobe IllustratorHere's a tweetable description: "A professional grade graphics creator for images that look awesome, are easy to edit & scale perfectly. Built for non-artists." I even left you room for a hashtag at the end. Best for: Wow, I could go on all day. Logos, branding, printed marketing materials, social media content, icons, infographics, webinar support, eBooks, etc. With an emphasis on the "etc." Cruise around my site for more ideas. I also have a link that lets you download some design templates and a get a free trial of Adobe Illustrator for 30 days. Not for: Editing photos or making changes to images created by others, which tend to be rasterized (meaning images that get pixelated as you enlarge them). Surprising fact: Adobe Illustrator has a ton of astounding functions that few people use, like the ability to turn any 2D object into a 3D object, or multiple transparent overlays. Adobe PhotoshopHere's the tweetable description: "The golden standard for reimagining photos, layered visual effects & recombining photos in creative ways. Made for graphic artists & extra-dedicated enthusiasts."
140 characters, on the dot. Best for: Photos. OK, that's a bit too simple, but you can see "photo" is right there in the title. This is where I go to editing photographs and raster-based art work. If you have a great photo and you want to apply a filter, adjust the colors, erase a piece of the image, enhance something or combine it smoothly with other photos, Photoshop is the place to go. Not for: Combining images with text or creating line-based/vector-based art. Surprising fact: Filters are all the rage, but you have to choose from presets. Not anymore. One of the top plugins for Photoshop is Filter Forge, letting you make your own preset visual effects and distortions with no programming. Can You Guess My Go-To Tool?The real question is why has "Photoshop" become a verb? You always hear people say things like, "Oh, that looks so photoshopped!" Admittedly, "Illustrator" is already a common word, so it would be hard to tell what you meant if you asked, "Are all of your web graphics Illustrated?" Adobe Photoshop is an excellent tool that is invaluable to me in many cases and I wouldn't use anything else for those projects. However, for just about everything else that I have to do on a daily basis, Adobe Illustrator is the way to go. One easy way to increase traffic to your social media pages is to create custom, eye catching icons for your website and or other brand materials. If you have Adobe Illustrator, there are a lot of ways to customize your icons and I am going to show you a couple different ways in the video tutorial below. Also, please sign up and download your own editable set of icons so that you can follow along and easily create your own icon masterpiece. The possibilities with Adobe Illustrator are truly endless. Did you know you can easily create a multi-page eBook using Illustrator? This is something you do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT want to try doing in Photoshop. It will take you forever and a day to set up a book in Photoshop. It's really easy inside Illustrator... I promise! Don't forget, if you want instant notifications of new tutorials make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel. If you'd rather receive updates, once a week, via email you can subscribe to my email list. As always, if you have any questions, or need additional help after watching the tutorial, either drop a comment below or shoot me an email! If you are looking for the follow up tutorial where I show you how to add clickable links to your final Ebook PDF... you can view that HERE. You might also like...If you are ready to start learning how to master Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop but you hate wasting time searching all over for the best tutorials? Sign up below and I will email you once a week with my latest tutorials so you don't have to waste valuable time searching!
The export function, inside Adobe Illustrator is, by far, what makes it the best design tool ever made. Not only can you create high quality, vector designs, but by using the Export feature you can also instantly create high or low resolution raster versions of your designs too! I tell ya... I can't say enough great things about Adobe Illustrator and how it helps me save time designing every single day. If you haven't already snagged your free 30-day trial, go ahead and grab it here.
Below you will find a basic guide to exporting your Illustrator designs for use on social media and your website. (This post contains affiliate links.)
If you've ever tried to vectorize a hand drawing in Adobe Illustrator and failed miserably than you will want to check out this video tutorial. Sometimes the auto trace (image trace) tool just doesn't cut it. There is an easier way to recreate your line drawings! I'll walk you thru it :)
UPDATE: I have also recorded a PART 2 for this tutorial and gone a little further in depth with how to use the pen tool. Part two is posted below part 1. And, if you are ready to start learning how to master Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop but you hate wasting time searching all over for the best tutorials? Sign up below and I will email you once a week with my latest tutorials so you don't have to waste valuable time searching! This is probably by far the most commonly asked Illustrator question. How in the heck do you crop photos in Adobe Illustrator?!? There is no cropping tool... you have to use a clipping mask to crop your placed images! I'll show you step by step in the video tutorial below. Feel free to watch online or download it for your own safe keeping! As always, here is a link to download your free trial of Adobe Illustrator. (This post contains affiliate links.) You might also enjoy:
It’s true. I use Adobe Illustrator for 99.9% of everything “visual” for my blog and business. I really feel like Illustrator is the blogging world’s most highly underused asset. I can’t even count the number of bloggers/VAs/entrepreneurs I’ve interacted with that utilize Photoshop instead of Illustrator for their visual content needs. Which seems so weird to me because even as a photographer/graphic designer, I rarely use Photoshop. I feel the need to spread some Illustrator love and be it’s biggest and loudest cheerleader!
I'm almost positive everybody will agree when I say that social media, in it's entirety, can quickly become overwhelming. I mean, between finding content, creating content, scheduling content and let's not forget actually taking the time to be social and interact with our lovely followers... you get consumed faster than a hamburger at McDonalds! I think everybody could benefit on some time saving social media tools! Along with my own social media accounts I also create content and manage social media for 3 of my clients. I have found some tools along the way that help me be productive and literally streamline my process, not only for my own social media but my clients as well.
Use these 5 social media content and scheduling tools to help you save time and streamline your social media process! *This post contains affiliate links. I love passing on the things that help me do business better! 3 powerful and time saving Adobe illustrator text tools every DIY designer should know about1/17/2017 *My posts often contain affiliate links so that I am able to share my favorite products with my favorite people! There's no other program that gives you more flexibility with letters and text than Adobe Illustrator. (Grab your FREE trial of Illustrator) Illustrator is a vector based software so you never have to worry about sizing and resolution because when you create a vector piece of artwork you can enlarge it as much as you want and it will never lose it's clarity. I wanted to take a moment and talk thru 3 very powerful and very useful text tools within Illustrator that will help you be more creative, less frustrated and save loads of time with your designs!
*this post contains affiliate links
I keep seeing this style of text pop up in blogs and social media graphics so it must be somewhat popular. You know, the shiny gold text that screams glamour and sophistication? You've seen it, I'm sure.
It's actually really easy to create using Adobe Illustrator. Follow the steps below and you'll be able to create pretty gold text whenever and for whatever you want!
(This post contains affiliate links.) If you are a busy entrepreneur who is still creating every aspect of your business, including creating ALL the pretty graphics that go along with it than you will NEED to listen up because I'm going to show you 2 of the NEED-TO-KNOW tricks inside Adobe Illustrator that will not only save you loads of time but they will help you maintane a cohesive look and feel to your brand. Trust me, once you know these two tricks you'll be whipping out blog graphics and social media images like a ROCKSTAR!
Oh, and if you are wanting to give Adobe Illustrator a try, go ahead and downlaod a 1 month trial version HERE. This topic comes up with my design clients almost daily. Especially my logo design and branding clients. Once we finalize a logo design I save and send the logo back to them in multiple formats. Why so many formats? Because each format serves a different purpose. Within each little 2 or 3 letter extension lies a key benefit to ensure your image shines bright whereever you choose to place it. Has your artist ever requested a "vector" file? I'm sure they have. You probably had a little freak out in your mind thinking to yourself "crap, what is a vector file and why do they need it?" And in a mad dash you just send every version of your logo you have in hopes that one of them is vector.... LOL Am I right? Read on my friend. I will explain the basic file formats and the specific purposes they serve!
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Erin GipfordI am destined to help people save time and work smarter by using the best design software on the market, Adobe Creative Cloud. I have over 21 years as a professional graphic designer. I'm excited to share my wealth of knowledge! Categories
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