Libraries

Some of the tools we use in Illustrator have several options.

These other options are “hidden” in libraries.

You can find these libraries at the bottom of the panels.

For example, you can find “Swatch Libraries Menu” (2) at the bottom of the “Swatches” pane (1).

Clicking this button gives you a drop down menu that is divided into categories.

Some of these categories are further divided into subcategories.

 

For example.
You have an object with a fill color drawn in Illustrator, in this example a blue star (1). If you do not know how to do it, no matter,

I will discuss all this later.

Now it’s just about the libraries.

With the star selected, open the “Swatches” panel.

If you are not satisfied with the options panel, click the folder icon button at the bottom of this pane (2).

This opens a drop-down menu with various categories and subcategories (1).

So you can see that the category “Nature” is divided into six subcategories. “Flowers”, “Foliage”, “Landscape”, “Seasons”, “Stone and brick” and “Beach”.

Click a subcategory (2) and it opens a new panel (3) with different colors in this subcategory.

As soon as you click a color in the panel, it is applied to the selected object (1).

Note that the same “Library” button is also at the bottom of the newly opened
sub-category (2).

So you do not need to close one panel to open another.

 

As I said previously, you will find these libraries for more tools than just the “Swatches”. In each panel, where you find the folder icon, there is a library.

For example, there is a “brushes” library, a “symbols” library and a “graphic styles” library.

All have categories and subcategories, sometimes even sub-subcategories.

Libraries are an easy way to edit drawings to an artwork.
The only thing you really only need to do to draw something such a line (1),
Select this (2) and choose a style in the library (3).

Should you really still draw with Illustrator?
Not really, but it’s certainly nice to have.

 

In the next lesson, I will talk about the extensive symbol library.
After you’ve gone through, it will be very clear why we do not have to draw.

 

Shortcuts

In one of the previous lessons I had already told you about the keyboard shortcuts.
Some are already set by Illustrator by default and we can change these. To a number or key given by you.

In order to add or change, we will open the “Shortcuts” dialog.
Just click the “Edit” button in the menu bar and choose “Keyboard Shortcuts” in the drop-down menu.
In the “Keyboard shortcuts”, we have the ability to add shortcuts to “Tools” and “Menu Commands” (1).
Click the tool or command whose shortcut you want to change or add to the list (2) and type the shortcut in the textbox. Click the “Save” button.

If you want to add or change a shortcut or a hotkey that is already in use, you will get a warning that this is already in use.

If you have messed up, choose “Illustrator Defaults” in the upper section (3) and everything is back to “normal”.

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