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Illustrator How-to: This Technique is a Real Knockout

How-Tos: Written by Mordy Golding on April 14, 2008

Thanks to the Knockout Group checkbox in the Transparency panel, you can accomplish the seemingly impossible in Illustrator.

Illustrator How-to: Why the Appearance Panel Rocks

How-Tos: Written by Patrick Devine on March 7, 2008

Although the Appearance panel has been around since Illustrator 9, many people don't realize how helpful it really is. This tutorial gets you up to speed.

Turn Color Photos into Duotones in Photoshop

How-Tos: Written by Chad Neuman on March 4, 2008

You can transform one photograph into a wide variety of duotones to use in print or on the Web.

Add Strokes to Placed Images in Illustrator

How-Tos: Written by Mordy Golding on January 21, 2008

Because placed images in Illustrators aren't vector shapes, you have to know these insider tricks if you want to apply a stroke, or keyline, around the images.

Round Corners Quickly in Illustrator

How-Tos: Written by Mordy Golding on December 7, 2007

With this how-to, a free corner style library, and a free Action, you can round one, two, three, or four corners in no time.

Make Illustrator Behave!

How-Tos: Written by Mordy Golding on November 5, 2007

Yesterday, you resized an Illustrator text frame and the text reflowed, staying the same size. Today, you enlarged an Illustrator text frame and the text grew right along with it. How do you force Illustrator to act the way you want it to?

Using Public Domain Images for Art

How-Tos: Written by Chad Neuman on September 12, 2007

With the help of Adobe Illustrator, you can adapt fantastic old images that aren't copyrighted and use them for your own projects -- for free!

Illustrator Type Tricks: A Frolic on the Far Side

How-Tos: Written by James Felici on August 27, 2007

These techniques for "enhancing" your type will have your mild-mannered fonts cowering in fear as you take them to places they dared not ever go.

Understanding Illustrator's 9-Slice Scaling

How-Tos: Written by Mordy Golding on August 17, 2007

What is it? How do you use it? And is this new feature good for print or the Web?

I Bleed for You

How-Tos: Written by Anne-Marie "HerGeekness" Concepcion on August 6, 2007

If you're dealing with artwork that's missing a bleed allowance, you're not out of luck. Cleverly fake it in Illustrator and Photoshop.

Create the Layered Look in Photoshop

How-Tos: Written by Chad Neuman on June 20, 2007

Stack several shades of one color to turn a so-so photo into a trendy illustration.

Illustrator How-To: Quick Tips for Great Results

How-Tos: Written by Mordy Golding on June 6, 2007

Looking for the best ways to make hanging indents, place multiple images at once, or customize views of your Illustrator files? You've come to the right place!

Use Illustrator and Photoshop Together For Unique Effects

How-Tos: Written by Chad Neuman on May 18, 2007

To create a background that looks like Pop art (or a halftone screen!), try this easy how-to.

Illustrator How-To: White Overprint Gotchas

How-Tos: Written by Mordy Golding on February 14, 2007

You know that white shouldn't be set to overprint. But what about objects that already had the overprint, and later were changed from black to white? They can cause real trouble. Here's how to find 'em and fix 'em.

Illustrator How-To: Retain Spot Colors without Losing Your Marbles

How-Tos: Written by Mordy Golding on January 19, 2007

Are you using Photoshop to create something with both transparency effects and spot colors? You may be better off with Illustrator instead.

How To Map Artwork onto 3D Objects with Illustrator

How-Tos: Written by Sara Froehlich on August 14, 2006

Using Illustrator symbols, you can map artwork onto 3D objects you create. Here's how!

Illustrator How-To: No More Boring Graphs EVER

How-Tos: Written by Jeff Witchel on July 30, 2006

Why settle for dull data when you can use Adobe Illustrator to make graphs so visually appealing that they practically jump off the page?

Illustrator How-To: Create the Hottest Look Today

How-Tos: Written by Matt Kloskowski on May 17, 2006

Illustrations today often mix vectors and photos. This step-by-step how-to (complete with downloadable source file) will have you riding the crest of this trend in no time.

Get Your Mitts on Illustrator's Free, High-Quality Templates, Clip Art, and More

How-Tos: Written by Anne-Marie "HerGeekness" Concepcion on March 27, 2006

Adobe bundles 320MB of templates, clip art, stock photos, and sample files with Illustrator CS2. The trick is to first find where those freebies live, then create a catalog for easy browsing and selection. Here's how.

Illustrator How-To: Create Collages with Blending Modes

How-Tos: Written by Conrad Chavez on February 13, 2006

When you create a digital collage, you don't always have to do it in Photoshop. All you need is a program that supports transparency, blending modes, and masks. Adobe Illustrator fills that bill -- in fact, when text and vector graphics are important parts of your composition, Illustrator can be a better choice.