30 Search Results for: tutorial

Tutorial: Adobe Illustrator 2023’s New “Intertwine” Feature

November 27, 2022
comment 1
Filed Under:
Tutorials
Tags:

In which I finally make a video tutorial because the amount of screenshots needed to explain this would have been ridiculous. Let me know what you think; there may be more video tutorial content in the future! Pros: Does what it says it will, fairly intuitive to work with. Cons: Messes with your layer structure, any normal layout edits after applying Intertwine are trickier. Overall: Tough to see how it provides a benefit over the […]

Tutorial: Drawing Complex Highway Interchanges in Illustrator

October 18, 2014
Leave a comment
Filed Under:
Tutorials
Tags:

This is kind of a tangent to my normal tutorials, but I had a surprising number of requests for this after I published my McKinney Avenue Trolley map, so here goes! The first thing to note is that this is not a 100-percent accurate representation of the interchange: this trolley map is not intended to be a road map or to be used to navigate freeways. I want to communicate the idea of an interchange […]

Tutorial: Working with a Grid in Adobe Illustrator

June 22, 2014
Leave a comment
Filed Under:
Tutorials
Tags:

Got a message in my inbox from ssjmaz, who says: I’m new to working with Illustrator. While working with 45 degree angles and Snap to Grid on I have a hard time getting my lines (routes) to align properly, there is always a part of them that intersects with the neighbouring line. Back when I first started making transit maps, I had this exact same problem. I’d make my grid, turn on Snap to Grid […]

Tutorial – Limitations of Illustrator CC’s “Live Corners” Function

May 28, 2014
Leave a comment
Filed Under:
Tutorials
Tags:

An anonymous follower sent me this message: I got Illustrator CC and trying to work with new Live Corners feature for my 45 degree angles but I just can’t get the value past a certain point 8.12 (as an example) so I can’t match the location of the 2 corners so the lines actually match. Keep up the great work with this Tumblr it has been a real inspiration for me. This can be a […]

Submission – Tutorial: Changing the Background Colour of a Text Box

February 12, 2014
Leave a comment
Filed Under:
Tutorials
Tags:

Graphic Fix: Change Background Color of Text Box in Illustrator Problem: My Kentucky Ave label overlaps with objects below it, resulting in a cluttered appearance. Turns out, there is a super easy fix for something like this! Create the Area Text (text box). Select the Area Text with the Direct Selection Tool (white arrow).  In the Appearance panel select desired background fill color and adjust Transparency to your heart’s content.  Your labels should now look […]

Tutorial: Using Illustrator or Photoshop to Check Your Design for Colour-Blind Accessibility

January 21, 2014
Leave a comment
Filed Under:
Tutorials
Tags:

Here’s a simple little trick that works in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop CS4 and above: You can quickly check your artwork to see how it might appear for a colour-blind user by simply going to the View menu > Proof Setup, then choosing one of the two colour-blind profiles at the bottom of the list. Then select View > Proof Colors (Cmd/Ctrl-Y in Photoshop). As you can see from the GIF above, the results can be […]

Tutorial: Aligning and Spacing Elements Using “Invisible” Artwork

January 7, 2014
Leave a comment
Filed Under:
Tutorials
Tags:

A pretty simple trick this week, but one that I use all the time. If you need elements to be aligned precisely to another object, and always an exact distance away from that object, simply use a rectangle with no fill and no stroke (an “invisible” object) to define the required alignment and spacing. It won’t be visible in your final artwork, but can be seen in Illustrator’s Outline view for precise adjustment as required. […]

Tutorial: Harnessing the Power of Illustrator’s “Symbols” Feature in Transit Map Design

December 31, 2013
Leave a comment
Filed Under:
Tutorials
Tags:

Imagine this scenario: you’ve been working for months on a complex transit map – lots of interchanges and routes – for a big-city transit agency and you’re presenting it to their management team for approval. They love it, except they’d like the circular interchange markers you’ve used to be square with rounded edges instead. And they’d like to see the revised version in an hour. If you’ve used standard Illustrator artwork for each of your […]

Tutorial: Creating Multiple Parallel Route Lines using Art Brushes

December 24, 2013
Leave a comment
Filed Under:
Tutorials
Tags:

Last week’s tip about using the Offset Path command in Illustrator to create multiple parallel paths was very well received, but reader Leah left a comment saying that she finds using Art Brushes quicker and easier. If nothing else, it’s good to be reminded that there are always different ways to achieve the same result!  Setting up an Art Brush for what we want to do is actually pretty simple. Simply create a short section […]

Tutorial: Creating Multiple Parallel Route Lines

December 17, 2013
Leave a comment
Filed Under:
Tutorials
Tags:

Today’s tutorial comes from an anonymous question that I received in my inbox, which asked: I design a bus transit map using a street layer. But how can i align correctly multiple lines on a street without overlap? This is a great question. You’d be amazed how often I see people attempting to draw multiple parallel route lines manually, which is absolutely the most difficult way of doing things. You might be able to get away with it on […]