Converting Text to Single Stroke in Illustrator

To create outlines from text in Illustrator is the most common things to do when you deliver ready to print vector file. But what about to convert text to a single working stroke in Adobe Illustrator?

Recently I did a little experiment in LottieFile to animate an SVG file using a particular animation style which only animate the line paths or strokes of text and illustration element. It will not working if I just create outlines from a text, so here's a video tutorial that will explain of how to turn fonts or text into single line paths in Illustrator CC. 

There are few other techniques explained in an old forum thread in Graphic Design Stack Exchange of how to convert text to single stroke in Illustrator, but I think a few of them still relevant and worth to try.

Last thing, here's the final result of my experiment:

The decorative lineart frame is part of my design item on CreativeMarket: 25 Multipurpose Squary Lineart Font used: Grand Hotel

Create Dust Gold Effect in Illustrator

Do you know that you can add dust texture for a shape that has gold gradient? 
Our client requested to add this dusty gold effect in a set of decorative element. So here’s how we do it:

Prepare the shape

Add any shape that you have. We quick draw a line and several dots using Paintbrush tool then Expand Appearance it to convert the line to shape.

Draw a shape

Add gold gradient

Open your swatch library: Open Swatch Library > Gradients > Metals.
Here we use the minimal gold linear type gradient, after we altered a bit the default radial gold gradient effect in Adobe Illustrator.

Apply gold gradient to the shape

Apply texture effect

Go to Effect > Texture > Grain and then experiment with the settings

Dusty texture gold effect from ‘Grain’ texture

Then you will have ‘Grain’ texture applied on your gold shape. It’s fairly easy!

You can add this effect to the Graphic Style and save it in Graphic Style Library for future usage.

This dusty texture gold effect can also directly be applied to a line using Paintbrush or Pencil tool.

How to Partially Color a Photo in Photoshop

Hello all!

If you want to know of how to partially color a photo, you can check this Photoshop tutorial, from Envira Gallery Blog.

You just need to duplicate layers, adjust the saturation and color range on one of the layers where you want the object to be colored aside of the black and white color for the rest of the area in the photo.
Select-inverse the colored object and delete, so you will see the background layer in black and white (greyscale) mode.

The result of this effect can be playful and dramatic for the main colored object in a photo.

Read Tutorial 

Simplify Paths in Illustrator

Live Trace in Illustrator can have complex settings. The traced object often gets lots of anchor points and the jagged edges even you thought you have did your best to use the Tracing Preset. Here's a quick tips that I want to share with you. Read More







After your vector object is traced, just go to Object > Path > Simplify and set the values of the Curve Precision and Angle Threshold.

You can also compare the simplified vector object with the original one by clicking the Show Original checkbox in Options. You'll see the outline of the original object vector surrounding or in linear layer with the simplified object vector, just to make you easier to further edit some of the anchor paths.  

Click to get bigger preview

 

Working with Guide Tool in Illustrator

You must be familiar with Guide Tool in Illustrator. But have you consider yourself using this feature optimally to speed up productivity, to help organize and accurate place your illustrations, and be more precise when creating artwork in Illustrator?

Here are some Illustrator Tutorials to better understand the function of Guide Tool, its customization and to learn what kind of things that you can actually make with the help of Guide Tool.

Feel free to post a comment below if you have your own quick tips to work with Guides in Illustrator, or if you want to share other tutorial resources with everyone!

Read More

How to Create Custom Guides in Illustrator

Create diagonal guidelines in Illustrator

Creating Accurate Ruler Guides in Illustrator

Grid Layouts and Compositional Guidelines using 'Split Into Grid' (SIG) Feature

The Power of Smart Guides

Guides In Multiple Artboards

Create an Isometric Grid in Less than 2 Minutes!

Working with Orthographic Projections and Basic Isometrics

Create isometric grid-based 3D lettering

Grid Systems – Making grids in Illustrator

Create retro type with Smart Guides

How to duplicate and position guides in Adobe Illustrator

How to make snap-able grid guides in Adobe Illustrator

Adobe CS5 Illustrator Ruler and Guide Customization and Use

Smart Guides in Adobe Illustrator CS5

Related Post:

• Create a Shutter Shape in Illustrator
• How to Make Two Perfect Points Alignment in Illustrator
• How to Convert Illustrator shapes to Photoshop shapes
• How to Vectorize a Sketch with Transparent Layer Technique in Illustrator
• How to create Vector Photoshop Brush

Create a Shutter Shape in Illustrator

In Illustrator CS5, there is a new tool named Shape Builder tool. It helps you to get rid a whole lot of unnecessary vector parts by holding down the Option/Alt key and hover over the parts that needs to be removed.

Veerle Pieters, a graphic and web designer living in Belgium, wrote a step by step Illustrator tutorial to create a shutter shape and will show you how easy implementing this new Shape Builder tool.

Visit the Tutorial


Read More

Related Post:

• How to Make Two Perfect Points Alignment in Illustrator
• How to Convert Illustrator shapes to Photoshop shapes
• How to Vectorize a Sketch with Transparent Layer Technique in Illustrator
• How to create Vector Photoshop Brush
• How to Create a Ribbon Using Blend Effect in Illustrator
• How to create Swirly Curls in Illustrator

How to Make Two Perfect Points Alignment in Illustrator

When you combine two vector shapes in Illustrator, sometimes the points of the shapes are not perfectly aligned. This will make your combined shapes look a bit bent or uneven at the perimeter.
This useful tutorial will finally reveal the secret to create clean curve using 'Path Average' feature in Illustrator.

Today's Illustrator quick tip was written by Jay Hilgert, a graphic and web designer, font designer, software developer (Brush Pilot™), and the founder of BittBox.

Visit the Tutorial


Related Post:

• How to Convert Illustrator shapes to Photoshop shapes
• How to Vectorize a Sketch with Transparent Layer Technique in Illustrator
• How to create Vector Photoshop Brush
• 5 Fantasy Floral Photoshop Brushes
• How to Create a Ribbon Using Blend Effect in Illustrator
• How to create Swirly Curls in Illustrator

How to Vectorize a Sketch with Transparent Layer Technique in Illustrator

There are many kind of techniques to vectorize a sketch. For complex illustration, you can use tracing technique, or live tracing which are quite complicated in process. You'd probably have to spend longer time in inking your illustration before you scan it and continue the digital process. If your sketched design is simple, symmetrical and appears with enormous geometrical shapes, you can just rely on vector shapes tool (Rectangle Tool, Ellipse Tool, etc.) to get it done.

In this this quick tip tutorial, I'll show you how to vectorize shapes based on a sketch with the help of layer opacity in Illustrator. I think it would work for any complex illustration, but today's tutorial is a bit different. This is because vectorizing always take intensive uses of Pen Tool so it's going to be better if  you see a short visual demonstration in a video for that. To get better view, I suggest you to see the videos tutorial in full screen mode.

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Since I design logos quite often, this quick technique helps me a lot and I guess everyone can use it without hassle. Start to create new layer after you lock your sketch graphic layer. Then start to add vector shape with Ellipse or Rectangle Tool. Adjust the layer opacity to get transparent effect. Set it in your desired value, I'm convenient to have it in 15% layer opacity. In this way, you can freely drag the anchor's path handle with the reference of your locked layer sketch and have full visual control in this vectorizing process.




After you're done with one vector shape in its correlated layer, lock this layer and repeat the step for another part of the sketch that you wish to vectorize. Pathfinder Tool is handy enough to help you modify more than one vector shapes into single shape or any kinds of shapes that you wish to see.

Below is a quick demo that visually explains how to subtract two vector shapes area using 'Minus Front' pathfinder tool in Illustrator.

I hope you find this Illustrator tutorial useful and kindly share this thank you!

UPDATE:
The result from this quick vectorizing process is a new logo, which I call Apetive.












Related Post:

• Free Folder Menu Tabs
• How to create Vector Photoshop Brush
• 5 Fantasy Floral Photoshop Brushes
• How to Create a Ribbon Using Blend Effect in Illustrator
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How to Create Favicon using IconBuilder Filter in Photoshop

Everyone should have known what Favicon is and its significance. There are great numbers of online favicon generators and tutorials that explain how to create using various graphic tools or Photoshop. In a matter of branding and positioning, it is fairly important for websites to connect their readers with this small graphic called favicon.

Few weeks ago, I created a favicon for my web-portfolio project. The result wasn't that good because I got crisp edges when I barely resized it in as tiny as 16 x 16 pixels size.

While I kept trying, one of my good friend Vaughan Risher suggested me to try IconBuilder. Big thanks to Vaughan, because this Photoshop filter plugin has produced some very high quality favicon files and it is really worth to try.



Read More

The result is pretty amazing. Here's how:

First of all, you have to download the IconBuilder Photoshop filter plugin for Windows. If you are a Mac user you can download IconBuilder for Macintosh.

To install IconBuilder for Windows, copy the entire contents of the IconBuilder 2.0 folder into the Photoshop plug-ins folder. By default, the path to the plug-ins folder is:

C:\Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop ##\Plug-Ins (where ## is the version number you are using.)

Launch your logo design file that you wish to appear on your website as favicon. If your logo PSD file is consist of multilayered graphic, you have to merge the layers before you go to the next step.



Inside the zipped file, you'll also find Windows.psd. Open the file in Photoshop and you will see some kind of grid framework to start with. There are boxes displayed in 4 rows which represent 4 different sizes of icons framework in 48px, 32px, 24px and 16px. Each row consist of 3 icon template boxes. Deactivate the visibility of Sample Icon layer.



Copy the merged logo to the Windows.psd file and resize it to fit the first 16 pixels box. In order to have perfect quality of placement, you can zoom-in your work canvas in 1200% magnification and use guides if necessary.



Duplicate the well set logo layer twice and put them on the two other boxes as careful as when you did it for first one. Merge those three identical layers whenever you're done.


Click to see bigger image

Go to the menu Filter > Iconfactory > Icon Builder to display the Icon Builder panel. You will see similar icon grid framework as seen in Windows.psd file at the left side of the panel. Click on the first icon template box. You will see the first box (with your tiny logo on it) in Window.psd is highlighted at the right side panel of Icon Builder. Hit Control (Command) key and Build button at the same time. Your logo will be displayed at the left panel soon after and do the same for the rest of icon template boxes.


Click to see bigger image

Click Save As button to produce favicon.ico file and upload it.

Put the following HTML code in between your ‹head› tags:

<!-- Favicon --><link href='http://yoursite.com/images/favicon.ico' rel='shortcut icon' type='image/x-icon'/>

Reload your browser and see if you like your new favicon now ;)

See it in action!



Are you using Mac? No worries, you can read a tutorial: how to create a favicon with IconBuilder in Macintosh posted by Benedikte Vanderweeën.

Related Post:

• Grunge RSS Banners
• Standard Web Icons
• Resources of Free Icon Sets on Internet

Photoshop Pen Tool Resources

Pen Tool is a powerful tool in Photoshop that every designer should master. It is not difficult to understand how this tool work, but it would challenge most of us in its practical uses. Here are some resources links that may help you to figure out some Pen Tool tricks and its best practices for your creative design.
Feel free to drop another links in my comment box if you have another favorite Pen Tool resources to share. Thank you ;)



Pen Tool graphic is designed by Markus Nielsen

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Creative Tip: Adobe Pen Tool Cheatsheet by CreativeTechs.com
A simple PDF file cheatsheet that shows how easy Adobe’s Pen Tool to be used across Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign (CS2/CS3) .


Photoshop Pathing: How To Use Photoshop Pen Tool by MakeUseOf.com
A very quick tutorial for pathing out a simple object from its background.


Making Selections With The Pen Tool by PhotoshopEssentials.com
It is a very good tutorial especially if you are a Photoshop beginners. Because it has lots of informative visual & textual explanations to create selection and therefore very easy to follow. The points of explanations covered:

• Pen Tool & Path introduction
• Turning A Path Into A Selection
• Handle Directions Control
• Drawing A Curve
• Moving An Anchor Point
• Combining Straight Paths With Curves
• Practical example of how to select an object with curves

Photoshop’s Pen Tool: The Comprehensive Guide by PSD.tutsplus.com
A very comprehensive tutorial that has many visual examples, tips, best practices and instructions about Pen Tool. You'll find explanations of functions, keyboard shortcuts, cursors, mouse & keyboard controls and option to use Pen Tool. The tutorial also provides you the downloadable Pen Tool Exercise file so you can follow the guides to create precise paths, using the hints and shortcuts covered in this article.


Photoshop Pen Tool Guide by Tutorial9.net
It is a well explained basic Peen Tool tutorial. The tutorial shows you how to create simple shapes with the help of Grid and snapping in your work canvas.


How to use Photoshop's Pen Tool by MelissaClifton.com
In the end you'll learn how to cut out an image with the pen tool and then creating custom shapes from the work path.

7 Design Related Video Tutorials

»» If you've missed so many resourceful articles or probably want to learn better about designing tips and tricks, then perhaps these video tutorials will help you ;)

Without further talks.. shall we see the round ups of 7 Design Video Tutorials:



Video Screencasts #47: CSS Shorthand

Read More

PhotoshopUser TV Episode 164




“Educating Clients to Say Yes” Presentation




Quick Tip #5 - Converting Anchor Points In Illustrator




jQuery for Absolute Beginners: Video Series




How to Create Glowing Elegant Lines




'KILLER' PHP Video Tutorials for Web Designers

»» How to Create Icons in Illustrator - Part 2

1. Help Icon
You all know about this icon and many of us are used these things too. The main part is the glossy effect of the icon. Check it out....
2. XBox 360
It is very famous, I know many tried there level best to do it of your own. But it's such simple here try this one..
3. Folder Icon
We all are familiar with this one, but this is slightly different. Check it...
4. Translucent IM
This is one of the main notable thing, because it is that much special through the shape it is having.

»» How to Create Icons in Illustrator

1. Lock
In the following tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a lock icon with some effects, opacity masks, gradients, and simple shapes in Illustrator. Many of these techniques can be applied easily to other icon designs.

2. Box Icon
This icon tutorial will really help us a lot to know some basics about how to design a icon using the Illustrator. This design is really great especially the scribbling effect of the box.
3. XP Style Icon
You'll learn how to make your own Windows XP-style artwork, which you may end up using for Website graphics, software application icons, or in other projects.

4. Calendar Icon
Make a Handy 3D Vector Calendar Icon