Vector Image Processing
It’s easy to set up a new
document in Adobe Illustrator CC and configure options like width, height,
color mode, and more.
Make a brand-new document
1. Upon launching Illustrator, you’ll see the Start
workspace. Click Create new to open the New Document dialog box. Or simply
press Control+N (Windows) or Command+N (macOS).
2. Select a category at the top such as
Print, Mobile, or Web. These general categories start you off on the right foot
by setting up some parameters for your project, like the best color mode and
resolution.
Tip: Consider your project before choosing a category. For
example, choose Print if you’re designing a flyer, business card, or logo;
choose Web if you plan to work on a web banner, social graphic, or art for your
blog. If you’re unsure of the final destination, select Art & Illustration
and customize the settings for your project.
3. Once you select a category, you’ll find many
presets for commonly used document types. A preset is a handy starting point
that creates a blank document using predefined dimensions and settings. For
example, after picking Mobile, you can click a preset to quickly start
designing for the iPad Pro.
4.
You can customize your document in many ways, whether or not you picked a
preset. In Preset Details on the right, you can specify exact dimensions,
change measurement units and page orientation, or add
a print bleed. (See Printer’s marks and bleeds to learn more about
bleeds.)
Alternatively,
you can jump-start your designs with a high-quality template. If you scroll in
the main part of the New Document dialog box, you’ll find free templates with
rich designs for a variety of projects, and you can download hundreds more from
Adobe Stock. View Customize an Illustrator template today to learn
how to speed up your project with a template instead.
5. When you’re ready, click Create. This
opens a new document with a blank artboard that is ready for your designs.
Now that your first document is open, you can
change its settings anytime. Try making some of these easy edits:
Edit an artboard
An
artboard in Illustrator works like a piece of paper on your desk. Artboards can
be of any size and your document can contain multiple artboards in different
sizes — so you can conveniently design for different
projects and output sizes at once.
Go to Window >
Properties. With nothing selected in your document, click Edit Artboards.
You can edit the
width and height of the artboard by typing new values under Transform in the
Properties panel. Click the New Artboard icon to create additional artboards.
Click an artboard to select it — now you can manually adjust its size by
dragging the widgets, or press the Delete key to remove it.
When you’re done,
press Esc or click the Exit button at the top of the Properties panel.
Edit the document
It’s just as easy to make a global change to
your entire document consisting of multiple artboards. In the Properties panel,
click Document Setup under Quick Actions. Change the units or bleed settings,
and then click OK.
Or click
Preferences in the Properties panel to quickly access and change any of the
Illustrator application settings to your liking. (Your edited Preferences are
saved when you quit Illustrator.)
Nice job setting up your first document. Don’t
stop now — try these simple projects to practice your skills and create
attractive illustrations in very little time.