Lynda - Illustrator CC One-on-One: Fundamentals (Updated Sep 24, 2014) [repost]

Learn to create elegant, optimized graphics with Adobe Illustrator and industry-pro Deke McClelland's patented One-on-One path to mastery—now updated for Illustrator Creative Cloud. This installment introduces the basic features of Illustrator CC: sizing and arranging artboards; accessing panels, menus, and tools; and creating your first illustrations with line art, shapes, and type. This includes manipulating paths with the Pen tool; painting, grouping, and coloring objects; and placing and adjusting text. Deke shows you how to select fonts, create hanging indents, and tweak the kerning and leading of your text. You'll also learn to trace images you've imported into Illustrator and scale, rotate, and duplicate artwork. Deke will add new videos as new features for Illustrator CC are revealed, ensuring you'll always be up to date on the latest tools.

Topics include:
* Creating new documents
* Moving, modifying, and resizing artboards
* Drawing with the line tools
* Drawing geometric shapes
* Auto-tracing an image
* Rotating and duplicating objects
* Grouping and stacking
* Erasing and painting selected paths
* Using the Shape Builder tool
* Reflecting across an angled axis
* Placing and flowing text
* Previewing and assigning fonts
* Adjusting type size
* Creating and applying paragraph styles
* Using the Glyphs panel
* Inserting and removing anchor points with the Pen tool

Introduction
Welcome to One-on-One

1. Making a Document
A quick tour of using Illustrator
Opening from the Windows 8 desktop (CC 2014)
Opening from the Windows desktop on Windows 7 or earlier (CC)
Opening from the Macintosh Finder
Creating a new document
Advanced document controls
Modifying your document
Saving changes
Closing all open documents in Windows
Closing all open documents on the Mac
Using and hiding the Welcome screen (CC 2014)

2. Working with Artboards
Pages of any size, at any angle
Moving and modifying artboards
Changing the size and shape of artboards
Creating and copying artboards
Introducing the Artboard panel
Autoarranging artboards
Artboards and rulers

3. Getting Around
Navigating your artwork
The basics of the Illustrator interface
Macintosh interface differences
Zooming a document and its artboards
Honing in on a specific detail
Continuous animated zooming (Windows only) (CC 2014)
Scrolling (or panning) a document
Using the Page Up and Page Down keys
Navigating numerically and from a panel
Working with multiple open documents
Panels and workspaces
Cycling between screen modes

4. Making Line Art
Now, we draw
Meet the line tools
Creating basic ruler guides
Creating custom guidelines
Drawing a heart with the Arc tool
Adjusting control handles
Reflecting and completing a shape
Drawing a target with the Polar Grid tool
Pasting one shape inside another
Drawing an arrow with the Line tool
Rotating, filling, and stacking
Using the Spiral tool
Try your hand at tracing existing spirals

5. Drawing Geometric Shapes
And now, we draw better
Meet the shape tools
Using the Ellipse tool
Creating compound paths
Drawing a multipoint star
Adding and aligning a center point
Drawing rounded rectangles
Everything about dynamic round corners (CC 2014)
Aligning to a "split location"
Reflecting across an axis
Modifying the constraint axes
Turning a triangle into an arrowhead
Using the Flare tool
The top-secret tilde key trick

6. Tracing an Image
Autotracing in Illustrator
Open an image to embed it
Place an image to create a dynamic link
Autotracing and resolution
Adjusting layer previews
Cleaning up with the Threshold option
More cleanup with the Noise option
Expanding and simplifying traced paths (CC 2014)
Flipping and fusing shapes
Scaling resolution-independent vectors

7. Scaling and Rotating
The realm of transformations
Creating a tracing template
Drawing a diamond with the Polygon tool
Dragging and duplicating
Using the Scale tool
Scaling along a constraint axis
Using the Rotate tool
Rotating and duplicating
Group, stack, and organize
Scaling with Scale Rectangle Corners, Scale Strokes & Effects, and Transform Each

8. Painting Free-Form Shapes
The best tools for painting
Painting closed path outlines
Erasing and painting selected paths
Reassigning keyboard shortcuts
Painting in the Outline mode
Using the Shape Builder tool
Subtracting with the Shape Builder
Assigning colors with the Shape Builder
Reflecting across an angled axis
Cleaning up Shape Builder leftovers
Working in the Group Isolation mode
Establishing hierarchy with groups
Simulating beveled edges
Creating a network of interlocking paths
The new and vastly improved Pencil tool (CC 2014)

9. Working with Type
Text formatting at its best
Creating page margins
Placing and flowing text
Selecting words and lines of type
Working with point text
Previewing and assigning fonts
Incrementally adjusting type size
Leading and paragraph indent
Pair kerning and tracking
Hanging indents and paragraph spacing
Creating and applying paragraph styles
Redefining paragraph styles
Using the Glyphs panel
Spell-checking your text
Converting point type to area and back

10. Using the Pen Tool
The tool that can draw anything
Drawing straight-sided paths
Activating and connecting open paths
Editing a path as you draw it
Inserting and removing anchor points
Faking simple spline curves
Adding curvature with Round Corners
Introducing control handles
Drawing a perfectly smooth outline
Path direction and Rubber Band preview
Tracing a free-form, curving path
Three ways to make a cusp point
Converting an existing anchor point
Drawing inside and behind other paths
Copying and repurposing segments
Copying and transforming entire layers

Conclusion
Until next time