MASTER THE NUDGE
This has nothing to do with your spouse (or your mouse for that matter).
In Illustrator, using the arrow keys on your keyboard (up, down, left,
right) to move your objects in small increments is called “nudging”. The
default increment amount is 1pt (.0139 inches), but you can choose a
value more relevant to your task at hand. For example, if you’re working
in scale, use a number that is easily divisible. Or use specific
amounts, like .0625 inches, so you can tap the arrow key 4 times in
quick succession and know you’ve moved the object exactly .25 inch. I’ll
often adjust the increment value several times a day, as needed.
Cmd-K [
Ctrl-K]
Opens the preferences panel and
highlights the keyboard increment field. Just enter a numeric value and
hit the Enter key to change it.
Arrow:
Nudges selected artwork the amount specified in the Preferences dialog.
Shift-Arrow:
Nudges selected artwork 10x the amount specified in the Preferences dialog.
Option-Arrow [
Alt-Arrow]:
Nudges a copy of the selected artwork the amount specified in the Preferences dialog.
Shift-Option-Arrow [
Shift-Alt-Arrow]:
Nudges a copy of the selected artwork 10x the amount specified in the Preferences dialog.
ALIGN WITH INTELLIGENCE
With Illustrator CS4, you can snap an object’s boundaries to other
objects or guides (previous versions only allowed you to snap your
cursor to other objects or guides, requiring you to grab objects by
their edges or anchor points). To get this to work, however, you have to
have Smart Guides turned on—a feature that many find annoying or too
“in your face”. Rather than get rid of it, learn to control it. First,
open the Smart Guides preferences panel and uncheck all boxes except for
Alignment Guides, then press OK. Now you can use a keyboard shortcut to
turn Smart Guides on and off as you need it.
Cmd-U [
Ctrl-U]:
Toggles Smart Guide behavior on and off.
SELECT FASTER
We probably make use of the Selection tools in Illustrator more than
anything else, so it’s important to get familiar with NOT constantly
switching between them. Instead, learn to use the shortcuts to make them
all behave as one cohesive unit.
V:
Selection tool (Solid arrow) — the inverted “V” looks like an arrow.
A:
Direct Selection tool (Hollow arrow) — the “A” looks like an arrow with a hollow center.
Rather than constantly switch between the two arrow tools, most power
users use the Direct Selection tool most often and use these shortcuts:
Cmd [
Ctrl]:
Temporarily toggles to Selection tool.
Option [
Alt]:
Temporarily toggles to Group Selection tool.
On the subject of making selections it can often be easier to select art without using tools at all:
Cmd-A [
Ctrl-A]:
Select all.
Shift-Cmd-A [
Shift-Ctrl-A]:
Deselect all.
CHANGE OBJECT ATTRIBUTES
How many times do you apply a color only to realize you adjusted the
stroke when you meant the fill? How many times do you just want to get
an object back to a white fill and a black stroke? Don’t answer—just
learn the power moves:
D:
Resets an object’s appearance to white fill, 1pt black stroke.
X:
Toggles the focus between Fill and Stroke.
Shift-X:
Swaps the colors of an object’s fill and stroke.
/ :
Applies the None attribute.
Cmd-/ [
Ctrl-/]:
Applies a new fill (via the Appearance panel).
Shift-Cmd-/ [
Shift-Ctrl-/]:
Applies a new stroke (via the Appearance panel).
ADJUST STACKING ORDER
I cringe every time I see someone move their mouse up to the Object menu
every time they want to bring an object to the front or send it to the
back. Due to the stacking nature of vector graphics, these power moves
are essential. While there are four possible settings here, the most
important ones to remember are Bring to Front and Send to Back.
Shift-Cmd-] [Shift-Ctrl-]]: Bring to front.
Shift-Cmd-[ [Shift-Ctrl-[]: Send to back.
Cmd-] [Ctrl-]]: Bring forward.
Cmd-[ [Ctrl-[]: Send backward.
LOCK AND LOAD (AND HIDE)
Complex artwork—especially those laden with multiple masks—can make for
difficult selections. While the new isolation behavior in Illustrator
CS4, which allows you to double click on any object to temporarily lock
it and bring it to the top of the stacking order, is brilliant, there
are still many times when locking or hiding elements can be useful,
especially when spending a lot of time focusing on smaller parts of a
larger overall illustration.
Cmd-2 [Ctrl-2]: Lock selected object(s).
Cmd-Option-2 [Ctrl-Alt-2]: Unlock all.
Cmd-3 [Ctrl-3]: Hide selected object(s).
Cmd-Option-3 [Ctrl-Alt-3]: Show all.
Hit Shift+Option+Command+3 to hide everything that's not selected
Hit Shift+Option+Command+2 to lock everything that's not selected
Since there’s no way to unlock a specific object, most pros will Unlock
all, Shift-click on the object they want unlocked (which deselects it),
and then Lock in quick succession. Same applies for Hide/Show.
YUMMY PASTE
Paste was delicious when you were younger, and just because you’ve grown
up, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it now. The Paste command in
Illustrator places art in the center of your screen, but you can also
paste objects in place — either in front or in back. For those who were
familiar with FreeHand, Paste in Front is the same as the feature once
known as Clone. Paste in Front and Paste in Back are also helpful when
you want pasted objects to be placed within groups or masks.
Cmd-V [Ctrl-V]: Paste.
Cmd-F [Ctrl-F]: Paste in front of the copied object.
Cmd-B [Ctrl-B]: Paste behind the copied object.
1. Everyone knows the Tracking/Kerning shortcuts Option + Arrows
Left or Right. Add Command to that combo to make it really powerful.
2. You may have gone to far with your Tracking or Kerning. You can zero it in one click with Option + Command + Q.
3.
To get the Character Panel open one usually clicks Command + T. But if
you use Shift + Option + Command + F, you open the Character Panel and
hi-lights the fonts name. Works too if the panel is open.
4.
Changing the size of type with Shift + Command + Comma or Period, can be
made ten times as powerful by adding Options to that combo.
Fit in window (Clover-0) is hardwired in my muscle memory.
(while selecting text) cmd + shift + . increases font size by 2pt
(while selecting text) cmd + alt + shift + . increases font size by 10pt
(while selecting text) cmd + shift + , decreases font size by 2pt
(while selecting text) cmd + alt + shift + , decreases font size by 10pt
(while selecting a text line) alt + up arrow reduces leading distance
(while selecting a text line) alt + down arrow reduces leading distance
