Jul 08
Mastering Illustrator Effects
Have you been missing out the Illustrator Effects? Did you know it is a powerful tool for creating symmetrical shapes or adding texture to vector paths? For example, with just one simple effect, you can turn a polygon path into a flower shape. You can also make paths look sketchy with the Scribble effect. Read this tutorial to learn how to save time by using Illustrator Effects and work more efficient.
Arrowheads
Let’s start with a basic effect, the Add Arrowheads. Use the Pen Tool or Line Segment Tool to draw a straight line. Go to Effects > Stylize > Add Arrowheads and choose a style.
Appearance
The great thing about using Illustrator Effect is the ease of changing its appearance. In the Appearance palette, click on the Add Arrowheads layer, now you can easily change the result by selecting different arrow style. This effect is very useful for drawing diagrams.
Without The Effect?
Without the effect, the arrow shape will get distorted when the line is stretched. With the effect, I can easily adjust the length of the arrow without distorting it.
Round Corners
Draw a rectangle shape, go to Effects > Stylize > Round Corners and enter a radius value.
Without The Round Corners Effect?
Round Corners is one of my favorite effects. It is my essential tool for designing icons. Not only it can prevent the round corners to be distorted when I stretch the object, it also saves me a lot of time. Could you imagine how long it will take to draw these perfect round corners without the effect?
Zig Zag Effect
Draw a straight line, go to Effects > Distort & Transform > Zig Zag and enter a value for Size and Ridge Per Segment.
Wavy Line
Draw a straight line, apply the Zig Zag effect, select Smooth Points, and you will get a symmetric wavy line.
Badges
Draw a circle and apply the Zig Zag effect with the setting as shown and you will get a badge shape.
Play around with the Zig Zag options and you may get these shapes:
Pucker & Bloat Effect
Draw a circle, go to Effects > Distort & Transform > Pucker & Bloat, enter -55% (Pucker), and you will get a diamond shape.
Draw a polygon shape, apply the pucker effect, and you will get this shape:
With the same object, change the Pucker & Bloat option to 70%, and you will get a flower shape.
Transform Effect
The example below shows how I can duplicate 12 copies of the object (in increment of 30 degree angle) with the Transform effect.
Play around with the shape and Transform setting, you may get the following:
Roughen Effect
With the Roughen Effect, I can make the trees look more realistic.
Scribble Effect
The example below shows how you can create a sketchy effect combining the Scribble and the Roughen effect. First apply the Scribble effect (Effects > Stylize > Scribble) and then apply the Roughen effect as shown.
Sketchy Icons
If you are constantly using the same effect, it is wiser to use the Graphic Styles to save time and maintain consistency.
After you’ve done the inital sketchy style, drag the object to the Graphic Styles palette to create a new Graphic Style.
Now, select the object(s) where you want to apply the styles. Then, click on the Graphic Style that you’ve just created. Change the fill and stroke color if you want. Don’t forget you can also apply it to text, which remain editable.
Conclusion (There Are More…)
I’ve only showed the basic Illustrator effects. There are actually more cool and useful effects. Don’t be afraid to explore the effect menu and experiment with the other effects such as the Warp and 3D.
Tips For Using Illustrator Effect
- Graphic Styles - save time by using Graphic Styles.
- Scale Strokes and Effects - you can toggle Scale Strokes and Effects option via the Transform palette.
- Appearance Palette - you can turn effect layer on/off or remove it. Double-click on the effect layer to open the option dialog.
- Press D to quickly remove all effects.
- Expand Appearance - if you want to expand the appearance into paths, go to Object > Expand Appearance. Note: once the effect is expanded, it will become ineditable.
Download The Source File
You may download the Illustrator file (CS2) that is used in this tutorial for your learning purposes.
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139 redtank
March 12th, 2010 at 8:14 am
How do you apply the effect, so that you can see the vector lines of the finished object and continue editing?
Thanks
138 bert
March 6th, 2010 at 6:06 am
The round-corner effect is even worse than normal corner radius-entry. The effect is mathematically complete nonsense. The radius depends on the angle and is not constant. Best thing to draw rounded corners, is to draw them in applications that do work on this subject: Freehand or Autocad. Forget it in Illustrator.
137 branquito
February 25th, 2010 at 8:48 pm
very good my friend, thanks
136 Michelle
February 25th, 2010 at 5:22 pm
You’ve opened my eyes to faster, easier, more efficient ways of doing things! I was doing it the hard way and often avoided using Illustrator altogether if I could. Awesome, thanks!
135 octoz
January 31st, 2010 at 5:41 pm
nice lesson
134 Ruddes
January 18th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
thanks for the useful lesson!
133 harry
January 14th, 2010 at 2:09 pm
nice.. thanks for the informations
132 Imran Subhani http://fabulous99.com
January 14th, 2010 at 7:23 am
lovely and awesome tutorial … thanks
131 Meghan B
January 9th, 2010 at 10:16 am
What an amazing tutorial! Thanks very much.
130 vincentdresses http://www.hibridal.com
January 6th, 2010 at 1:58 am
喜欢你们的设计与技术，常来看看