Layers Are Your Friends
Layers can be your best friend if you understand what they can do for you. Photoshop forces you to work with layers when using multiple objects, but because layers are relatively new to Illustrator, Adobe has wisely made their use optional, to avoid disgruntling longtime Illustrator users. Whether you've thought in Beziér for years or are just now picking up your first pen tool, however, layers provide a level of organization that can make your life easier. Not only do layers provide hierarchical organization and selective displaying and printing of objects, they also afford a great way to quickly select and edit specific objects. It may take a little forethought and discipline on your part to get into the habit of using layers, but ultimately the rewards will far outweigh the effort of getting up to speed.

The Layers palette can show objects by group within each layer.

In Illustrator 9, Adobe has done a exceptional job of super-charging the Layers palette. A complete list of all the objects in your document is available, and objects and groups appear as sub-layers to their originating layer. Although this may seem like overkill to some, it provides a great way to get to a path nested deep below several other paths. If it all becomes too much for you, you can always turn off these options within the Layers Palette Options found in the Layer palette's pull-down menu.

Layer Palette Options lets you control how much information the Layers palette gives you about objects.

It's a good idea to get in the habit of using layers to organize your objects manually despite Illustrator's automatic object categorization: Even with all its polish and innovation, Illustrator 9 still isn't smart enough to place your related objects onto the same layer. The ability to organize your own layers using a hierarchy that makes sense to you will come in handy.

Locking, hiding, previewing, and selecting objects within the Layers palette can all be done using a few simple mouse-clicks or keyboard shortcuts.

The Layers palette offers numerous possibilities for easily selecting, hiding, or locking down your layers.

• To lock a layer or sub-layer, click the empty box beside the eye icon. A padlock should appear. Click it again to toggle locking.
• To lock all layers except the layer you wish to isolate, hold Option (Mac)/Alt (Windows) while clicking the toggle lock area.
• To hide a layer or sub-layer, click the eye icon.
• To hide all layers except the layer you wish to isolate, hold the Option (Mac)/Alt (Windows) while clicking the eye icon of the layer.
• To set a layer to Outline view, Command-click (Mac)/Control-click (Windows) the eye icon of the layer.
• To select all objects on a layer, hold the Option (Mac)/Alt (Windows) while clicking the layer name or thumbnail.

This One and These Three, But Not Those Others
OK, let's say you just finished a design in Illustrator, and after printing it becomes clear that all the stroke weights on certain similar objects are too thick. You want to make the adjustment but you dread picking through all 42 of the objects and changing the line weight. Don't despair: Illustrator includes a set of handy commands for such circumstances.

Tucked away in the Edit menu is the inconspicuous-yet-powerful Select submenu. Here you can have Illustrator find and select all similar objects based on fill or stroke color, stroke weight, blending mode, opacity, or style. You can even make selections based on other special criteria such as masks or brush strokes.

Follow these steps to use the Select submenu:

• Select a color swatch, style, or object that represents the type of objects you are trying to select.
• Choose Edit>Select>Same Fill Color or any of the other choices that pertain to what you are attempting to select. All the objects should then be selected, allowing you to change their shared settings collectively.

The Select command, found in the Edit menu, can help you select similar items effortlessly.

Selecting the elements of your work you need is certainly one of the fundamental tasks when working in any application, and Illustrator is the sort of application in which you can quickly get lost in your own artwork. Adobe has outfitted its star illustration package with a powerful set of tools and commands to help you through nearly any selection challenge. Taking advantage of Illustrator's selection tools and using layers and the Lock, Hide, and Select commands can go a long way toward making your job just a little bit easier.

Read more by George Penston.