What are Live Shape Effects in Illustrator?

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Course info

104 lessons / 10 hours 33 quiz questions 31 projects Certificate of achievement

Overview

Hey there, I'm Dan Scott, an Adobe Certified Instructor with over 16 years of design experience under my belt, I'm part of the Adobe Expert program, and my online and in-person classes have been attended by more than a million people, just like you! Join me as we dive into the exciting world of Adobe Illustrator Advanced! In this course, you're not just leveling up in Illustrator, you're transforming into an Illustrator SuperHero!

In this course you will work on a bespoke brief designed to ignite your imagination, coupled with immersive course videos, you'll be crafting jaw-dropping graphics in no time. Throughout our journey together, you'll flex your creative muscles and construct projects that will elevate your portfolio to new heights. So, let's dive in and unleash your creativity!

You’ll learn:

  • - How to use artificial intelligence to boost your creativity in ideation. 
  • - The quick way to take hand-drawn sketches and vectorize and color them. 
  • - The building blocks needed to set you loose on a huge variety of beautiful effects and techniques.
  • - To make beautiful charts and graphs for your documents. 
  • - Color mastery to make quick color adjustments, Pantones, and blend it all together beautifully.
  • - How to master images inside of your illustrator workflow. 
  • - To harness all the secret gems that'll help you level up your typography skills. 
  • - All the tricks of the trade for drawing complex shapes easily. 
  • - To double your creativity with the Transform and Distort section. 
  • - To speed up your personal workflow to get the most out of your creative day.

Explore the full course outline for a comprehensive list of topics that will expand your Illustrator prowess beyond imagination.

If you're already comfortable navigating the basics but want to  unlock the true potential of Illustrator, then this Illustrator Advanced course is your ticket to becoming a master of Illustrator! So join me and the ranks of design superheroes and let's embark on this thrilling journey together.

Requirements:

- All you need is a copy of Adobe Illustrator, you can get a free trial from Adobe here to get started.
- A basic knowledge of Illustrator is required. I recommend watching my Illustrator Essentials course prior to embarking on this epic adventure.

Who this course is for:

- Creative adventurers who already have a basic understanding of Illustrator.
- Self-taught Illustrator enthusiasts yearning for structured guidance.
- Graduates of my Illustrator Essentials Course, hungry for more knowledge and skills.
- Visionaries who have developed their own unique Illustrator approach but crave exploration of the vast universe of tools, updates, and time-saving techniques.

What you'll learn:

- How to use Text to Vector Ai
- How to use Text to Pattern Ai
- How to use Generative Recolor
- When to use the Scissor Tool, Eraser Tool & Knife Tool
- Advanced Shape Builder Uses
- The differences between the Pathfinder Vs Shape Builder
- How to use the Join tool & Joining Path Ends
- Advanced Pen Tool Tricks
- Width Tool Advanced Techniques
- The Curvature Tool
- How to master corners with corner widget effects
- How to work with Compound Paths
- The difference between Expand & Expand Appearance
- How to create Graphic Styles
- How to make Symbols
- How to use the Smooth Tool
- Advanced use of Simplify Path
- What Live Shape Effects are for
- How to make Repeating Grids & Concentric Circles
- How to make Random Objects
- Advanced Keyboard Shortcuts in Illustrator
- How to add a Gradient on a Stroke
- How to add a Gradient in Text
- How to use the Freeform Gradient tool
- How to use Advanced Color Swatches
- How to use Global Color Swatches
- What is the difference between RGB vs CMYK color modes?
- How to proof colors
- How to use Pantone Spot Colors
- Recolor Artwork & Changing all colors at once
- How to use Blending Modes
- How to work with Images & Blending Modes
- How to make Black & White Images
- Learn Advanced Workflow Tricks
- All the Super Selection Mastery
- How to use the History Panel
- Advanced Fonts Tricks & Tips
- Use Retype to know what Font is being used
- How to put Text Inside a Letter or Shape
- How to use the Touch Type Tool
- How to add a Connected Stroke Around Multiple Shapes
- How to Offset a Stroke with Text
- How to make a Bar Chart in Illustrator
- How to make a Pie Chart in Illustrator
- Layer Power Moves
- Advanced Artboard & Pages Tricks
- How to Unlink vs Embedded Images
- How to Crop Images Rather than Mask
- How to Mask Inside Text & Multiple Shapes
- How to you use the Puppet Warp Tool
- How to use the Distort Envelope Shape & Type
- How to use the Envelope Mesh
- How to blend lines together
- How to make a Linocut Effect
- How to make 3D Gradient Lettering Blends
- How to spin text into a ring
- How to turn text into a 3D donut shape
- How to make a Duotone image effect
- How to make a Roughen Stamp Vector Effect
- How to make a Neon Sign Glow Effect
- How to use a Halftone Effect using Plugins
- Advanced Exporting Assets Tricks in Illustrator
- How to use the Dimension Tool

So what're you waiting for? Let's start the course now!
Daniel Scott

Daniel Scott

Founder of Bring Your Own Laptop & Chief Instructor

instructor

I discovered the world of design as an art student when I stumbled upon a lab full of green & blue iMac G3’s. My initial curiosity around using the computer to create ‘art’ developed into a full-blown passion, eventually leading me to become a digital designer and founder of Bring Your Own Laptop.

Sharing and teaching are a huge part of who I am. As a certified Adobe instructor, I've had the honor of winning multiple Adobe teaching awards at their annual MAX conference. I see Bring Your Own Laptop as the supportive community I wished for when I was first starting out and intimidated by design. Through teaching, I hope to bring others along for the ride and empower my students to bring their stories, labors of love, and art into the world.
True to my Kiwi roots, I've lived in many places, and currently, I reside in Ireland with my wife and kids.

Certificates

We’re awarding certificates for this course!

Check out the How to earn your certificate video for instructions on how to earn yours and click the available certificate levels below for more information.

How to earn your certificate

Work your way towards your certificate for this course by following these simple steps.

  • Watch the course videos
  • Complete the Class Projects - look out for the videos marked with
  • Upload your class projects into the My Projects area in your account
  • Complete and pass the Knowledge Quiz (Merit level courses only)
  • Complete the Distinction Certificate Project (Distinction level courses only) - look out for the video marked with
  • Upload your Distinction project to the My Projects area in your account
  • Request your certificate when you've completed the requirements for the certificate level you're working towards

Good luck!

Pass certificates

We’re awarding ‘Pass’ level certificates for this course.

You can work your way towards your ‘Pass’ certificate by following these simple steps.

  • Watch the course videos
  • Complete the Class Projects - look out for the videos marked with
  • Upload your class projects into the My Projects area in your account
  • Don’t forget to request your certificate when all your projects are complete

Good luck!

Merit certificates

We’re awarding ‘Merit’ level certificates for this course.

You can work your way towards your ‘Merit’ certificate by following these simple steps.

  • Watch the course videos
  • Complete the Class Projects - look out for the videos marked with
  • Upload your class projects into the My Projects area in your account
  • Complete and pass the Knowledge Quiz
  • Don’t forget to request your certificate when you have passed the quiz and completed all your projects

Good luck!

Distinction certificates

We're awarding 'Distinction' level certificates for this course.

You can work your way towards your 'Distinction' certificate by following these simple steps.

  • Watch the course videos
  • Complete the Class Projects - look out for the videos marked with
  • Upload your class projects into the My Projects area in your account
  • Complete and pass the Knowledge Quiz
  • Complete the Distinction Certificate Project - look out for the video marked with
  • Upload your Distinction project to the My Projects area in your account
  • Don't forget to request your certificate when you have passed the quiz and completed all your projects

Good luck!

Downloads & Exercise files

Transcript

Hi everyone. This video, we are going  to look at something called live shape effects. It happens on some objects where you get  to do cool Pacman stuff. No, no, no. Okay. Uh, some polygons where you say, Ooh, triangle, no, octagon,  polygon, dunno, all the GOs but they're all in there.

Okay? Same with the star tool. Okay? You can say, actually I need it to be more pointy,  less pointy, less sparkles. Okay? Live shape effects.

They're really cool. They can be super useful,  especially when we'll make this like little pie graph here. This Pacman probably more useful as a pie graph. Alright, let's jump in. Alright,  I've got a file called live shape effects Open. You don't need it, it's just got some nice colors in it.

So we're not on a white  background all the way through this course. Okay? Now live shape effects. It applies to anything under this little dropdown. So the rectangle tool, uh, lips tool, polygon tool,  star tool flat tool doesn't work. Okay?

Some of them have it, okay? And what it is, let's use the ellipse tool, okay? And I'm gonna draw on a lips. I've got some colors in this file down  here that you might use. Just, I dunno, again, just to look cool. Now this little target here is gonna do the live  shape effects, okay?

And let's give it a go. Ready click hold and num. Okay, it looks like a little Pacman Adrian. Sound effects. Okay, it is more like a bar graph. Okay, well PA bar graph, pie graph, okay?

And that is one of the perks of using live shape effects. These are easily broken. Watch this. If I grab the direct selection tool and I click on this  and I move it around and I go back to,  can you see it says shape expanded. Okay, flashed there. Okay?

It just says all those cool features, the little  Pac-Man version, it's gone. So they're easily broken  and they only appear when you draw them with these tools. So I'm gonna go back. So just hit undo. Now you can use the features on this. So we'll look at the ellipse one first.

So the Pacman version, you can use both sides. Often when I'm using this for say a pie graph, um,  I'll use the uh, transform panel. So go to a window and open up transform. Okay? You can kind of do bits of it here in the properties panel,  but I find the big transform panel is a lot better. Can you see here ellipse properties.

So I can change the uh, heighten the width. Not that useful. This one is, can you see the degrees of  where the pie starts and where it ends? You can kind of be more mathematical. Okay? You can type stuff in here.

Don't set them both 90, okay? And see this option down here, you can flip them. Okay? So live shape effects have some options. We'll make it into a pie chart in a second. Let's look at some of the other ones actually  before we do to clear them off.

You can just a double click, um,  the little target and we will clear it out. I'm gonna undo that. So the one I use probably the  most is the polygon. So grab the polygon tools, click  and hold down the rectangle tool or the lips tool. Grab the polygon tool. I'm gonna kind  of move over here which says if I start dragging out, okay,  I'll get the default um, fill.

I'm gonna pick a new color 'cause I really want to. And you can see down here it has the same sort  of target looking thing and I can grab it  and actually it's the wrong one. That's the um, corner widget. It's this one down here. A bit weird. Everyone  Looks a little different.

The third one I'll show you is in a different space as well. But watch this. I can click hold and drag and look. I can go from, I don't know, Pentagon, dunno my go octagon. No hexagon, I dunno. Um, what I tend to do is just do it for triangle  and just kind of drag it down to three sides.

You get a perfect triangle. Everybody tried to do that. Hands up in the comments. Trying to draw a perfect um, triangle with the pen tool. It can be tricky. So it's really easy just  to grab the polygon tool and just  drag it down to the minimum.

And then you get this a triangle. Let's look at the last one. Let's look at the startle. Okay, so if I draw out a stung  and pick a new fill, you also look different from mine  'cause I was being messing around with my one. And so when you draw it out in the past an illustrator  or maybe that's what you've been doing,  you've been drawing it and then you think, oh it's wrong. I have to draw it again.

What you used to have  to do is grab the star tool and you click once  and you could type in this stuff and you type in 20  and then that was it. If you did it wrong, you're like okay, I want  how many points I want to be six now. Okay, so you kind of do that once. But now because this is a live shape, okay,  we can adjust that afterwards. I'm gonna deselect these. Okay, let's go this one here.

And this one's slightly different. Again, look, there's this kind of different looking uh,  widget on the edge where you can hit up  and down where you can drag this left  and right to add points, remove points  or you can type it in over here in your transform panel. And this one's handy because like the starburst here,  do you want it to be a starburst  or kind of like, like a star or that's the rounded corners. So there's two options in this one. Can you see there's this little target here  that does the rounded corners. That may be what you want.

But there's this inner radius  and this full white circle here with the outer radius. So if I can grab the inner radius  and just make it bigger, more like a sun, more like a,  you know, I don't know,  guaranteed 30 day moneyback type sticker  or I don't know how I buy my wine. If there's a label on it that says gold medal award winning. I have no idea if it's true or not. Where the medal came from, if it was self awarded. But anyway, so these live effects can be handy on these  shapes and you either drag them on the art  or with the transform panel open.

You can see all of these options in here. The inner radius here, I can lower it down  to 50 K and I get more of a star. Weird little bonus tip about stars. This used to be like my really like awesome trick  to show people but the live effects  have kind of got rid of it. But hey, if you've got a colleague  that's looking at you making  something, impress 'em with this. So I've got my star tong, I'm gonna click and drag it out  and before I let go, so I'm  still holding it down with my mouse.

Use my up and down arrow. Ooh, okay. So you can kind of do it quite visually. I'm just using my keyboard up and down. All right? If you hold it down long enough, you get so many of them.

But anyway, that's my little uh, trick. Very star bursty. And because it's a live shape, I can still go through  and say actually you know, there we go. Lovely. Alright. There's normally not a time where I'll go  and break this live trace.

Sometimes though if I'm exporting something to  like an old school, you might be a signwriter sending this  out to like an old plotter kind of cutting out the vinyl. Sometimes you might need to expand the shape. See over here. Okay. And it just converts it to a thing  that looks like a star but doesn't all have those lovely  Um, uh, live shape effects anymore. Okay?

Sometimes you might need to do that. I'm gonna undo that 'cause I liked all the shape effects. And let's do that graph that I showed you at the beginning  just 'cause I wanna show you some extra stuff with the math. And this is how I make easy uh, pie graphs in Illustrator. So often we can't just drag these  around for the graph, right? Let's say we need something that says 15%.

So what I'm gonna do is I'm going to double click this  to get rid of it, gonna copy it and paste it. So I've got another version kind of hanging out over here. Let's do this chunk. So we're gonna say you are, first  of all, I'm gonna pick a different color  and I need it to be 15 um percent. I find math tricky. It goes on tricky with my head,  but I've got some tips that I use that I'm gonna share.

Um, so over here, okay, I need 15%. I know that there's 360 degrees in a whole circle  and if I times it by using the little asterisk by point,  whatever the um, percentages by point 15,  that will give me my 15%. There you go. There's my little pie graph. It needs to be at the front. So I'm gonna use command shift  and square bracket to bring it  to the front control shift square bracket.

Okay? Bring it to the front and then just,  it often just lines up as long as you got uh,  view smart guides on it should line up. Okay? If I need another chunk of this,  I'm gonna copy and paste this. So I'm gonna say you are just a different color  and say I need the other number in here is 30 degrees. So again, I just go through delete all this 360 times point,  whatever the number I need, okay?

30 degrees, okay 30% and that's my 30%. I'm gonna line it up in there and I'm gonna rotate it around  ju and it should snap 'cause my smart guides are on. That's an easy way to make a pie graph. I'm gonna make mine a donut before we go. That's it for live shapes. I'm gonna make mine a donut for no good reason other than my  brand is a donut so I'm gonna kind of make it a donut.

So to drag us an ellipse from the center  of something, anybody remember? That's right. Hold down the option. KE mac all keana PC to drag from the center  and if you hold down shift as well, you'll get it  to go as a perfect circle. So I'm gonna select it all, grab my uh, shape  of the tool shift W  and I'm just gonna hold down the option key on my Mac. Oh that's the width tool shift M.

Okay, hold down my option key. Hold down my option, key A Mac O key, a pc  and just kind of like delete all that. Here we go. It's my little donut ring bar graph. I keep saying bar graph. It's a pie graph and that's it.

Live shape. That's why some  of your shapes have these extra little things in the corner. They are awesome. They do go away  and you can't add them back again  but they can be super handy. Alright, that is it. Live shape effects in Illustrator.
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