Page 22 - CS6_GD_Look_Inside.pdf

deFine sMart guide PreFerences
Adobe Illustrator provides many tools to help you create precise lines and shapes.
Smart Guides are temporary snap-to guides that help you create, align, and transform
objects. Smart Guides also show you when the cursor is at a precise angle relative to
the original position of the object or point you’re moving. In this exercise, you will
make sure the correct Smart Guides are active.

1. With icons.ai open and nothing selected in the file, click the Preferences
button in the Control panel. Note:

2. Choose Smart Guides in the list of categories on the left. When nothing is selected
in the file, you can access
3. Make sure the Alignment Guides, Object Highlighting, Anchor/Path Labels, the Preferences dialog box
and Measurement Labels options are selected and click OK. directly from the Control
panel.

If something is selected in
the file, you have to
choose Illustrator>
Preferences on Macintosh
or Edit>Preferences on
Windows.

4. Choose View>Smart Guides to make sure that option is toggled on (checked).
If the option is already checked, simply move your mouse away from the menu and click
to dismiss the menu without changing the active option.

5. Continue to the next exercise.

Using Smart Guides This anchor is being The Smart Guide

You can change the appearance
ILLUSTRATOR FOUNDATIONS options determine what is visible Direct Selection tool. • When Measurement Labels is active, Smart Guides
and behavior of Smart Guides in the
dragged with the
Preferences dialog box. The Display
shows that the anchor
is being moved at a
45-degree angle from
when Smart Guides are active:
the original position.
• When Alignment Guides is active, Smart Guides
show when a new or moved object aligns to the center
or edge of a nearby object.
• When Object Highlighting is active, moving the
show the distance and angle of movement.
mouse over any part of an unselected object shows the
anchors and paths that make up that object.
appear when you move objects in the file at or near
• When Transform Tools is active, Smart Guides display
defined angles (0°, 45°, 90°, and 135° are the default
when you scale, rotate, or shear objects. • When Construction Guides is active, Smart Guides
• When Anchor/Path Labels is active, Smart Guides angles). A number of common angle options are built
include labels that show the type of element (path or into the related menu, or you can type up to six specific
anchor) under the cursor. angles in the available fields.

42 Project 1: International Symbols