Adobe Illustrator & InDesign Basics
Portrait Orientation
A page format in which the correct reading or viewing orientation is vertical; the height of the page is greater than its width.
Type Tool
A tool used to add text
Line Art
Any illustration material that contains no halftone, continuous tone, or tinted images. Pen-and-ink drawings are line art.
CTL [
Arrange Backward
CTL ]
Arrange Forward
Swatches
Color samples.
Layers
Organizes information in a document making is easy to select, hide, lock, and change the appearance attributes of artwork
CTL v
Paste
Gradient
A gradual blend of color which can be considered as an even gradation from low to high values; another name for this is 'color progression'.
Vector Graphic
A graphic created with calculated anchor points and paths. It can be easily scaled to any size and retain clarity.
Landscape Orientation
A page format in which the correct reading or viewing orientation is horizontal; the width of the page is greater than its height.
Adobe Illustrator
A vector based program used to create illustrations and graphics like logos.
Adobe InDesign
A vector based program used to organize text and information like posters, flyers, magazines, and books.
Artboard
The area that a graphic or illustration is created on, like a page.
Stroke
The exterior color of a graphic.
Fill
The interior color of a graphic.
w
Toggles between working and presentation mode in InDesign
Type on a Path
Typing on an anchor point path; can be straight or curved
Artboard/Page Orientation
Whether or not a page is landscape (horizontal) or portrait (vertical)
Direct Selection Tool
White arrow, used to move individual anchor points.
Selection Tool
Black arrow, used to move entire objects.
Convert Anchor Point Tool
Changes the angle of a path connected to an anchor point.
Pathfinder
Combines and knocks out shapes.
CTL c
Copy
CTL Shift o
Create Outlines (Anchor Points on Text)
Color Guide
Creates color schemes based on a single swatch.
Facing Pages
In a double-sided document, the two pages that appear as a spread when the publication is opened. This is a common document setting in InDesign.
Pages
InDesign's version of the Artboard.
Tool Bar
Normally located on the left-hand side of the Illustrator and InDesign interface.
Panels
Normally located on the right-hand side of the Illustrator and InDesign interface. Hidden items can be located under 'Window'.
Facing Pages
Pages that are back-to-back like a book (InDesign)
Pen Tool
Plots anchor points
Anchor Point
Points that define a path and eventually become a graphic object.
CTL s
Save
WYSIWYG
(pronounced "wiz-ee-wig) "What You See Is What You Get" - The representation of text or image on screen in a form exactly corresponding to its appearance on a printout. (For example a graphic designer does not have to write code to produce images in programs like Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop.)