Help with Illustrator?

THANKS NOVA!!!!

That is such a helper!!! Especially the control-D hint. I'm new to version 7 and I'm pretty elementary in my use of it. I use to be an expert on version 4, but now every thing is changed.

Btw. I think for circles you missed explaining a step. You resize the circles. I'll go into depth for the illustrator newbies. To make all those circles its easy if you do this:

Make one circle and make sure its centered in the right place. Than switch to the resize tool. Then you can drag with your mouse until the circle becomes a new size. It will always be centered in the circles center unless you manual move the point that marks the center. If you hold the shift key while you drag, the circle will always be perfect (but if you forget it will become an elipse). If you hold down Alt at the same time you drag, then the original circle will be untouched and you will create a second circle at a new size.

repeat. repeat. repeat.

:farmer:

Okay I get the part about doing a section and repeating it.

However, don't I still need to make a complete circle as a foundation? I can't make say 15 degrees of a 360 circle and build it up right?

I like the copy/resize on the circles. That will help alot. That aspect never really occurred to me, my page was almost solid blue with all the guide lines I had to drage out to make incremental circles.

At that point I was so frustrated I said screw this until I had time to learn the proggy.

I have yet to shell out for the Photosho 7.0x upgrade yet, still on version 6, and I understand that it has vector capabilities?

Will this make a difference if this is indeed the case?

Actually you don't need to use the resize tool on the circles. Al least in Illunstor v8-10 objects have bounding box handles that will move resize and rotate. So you don't need anything beyond the object select tool and ALT-SHIFT-Drag. Alt, copies the circle, Shift constrains it to resize from the center and Drag will resize. That way you don't have to worry about any math.


Overlord, the only reason I like to make the complete circle is just so I can see the math fulfull itself, making sure that I have the exactly even number of segments I want. If you rotate/copy at the wrong number you'll end up with radial lines that don't add up to 360-degrees. I just find it easier to double-check myself that way. But if you're good with the numbers you can divide it up and only make what you need to work with

Don't bother with Photoshop 7 unless you really need the new painting engine or healing brush foe editing images. I still use 6.01 on my PC, and I dont feel any loss. The vector stuff in PS doesn't hold an candle to Illustrator's capabilities.

I don't have much to add, just want to concur with Nova about PS's vector capabilities...they're shazbot.

v6 is the one that introduced the new shapes and stuff, but if you're going to do serious vector work, go to illustrator. Photoshop is a completely different animal and it's vector support is minimal at best.