Paths are the line segments that make up the overall structure of the artwork that you create (the skeleton). This means that you can use the same design on a business card or blown up on a billboard with no impact to quality. While it is more difficult to generate fine details with vector compared to raster, the advantage of vector graphics is that you can scale them up or down as much as you want without distortion. On the other hand, we have vector-based graphics in Illustrator, which use mathematical expressions in the form of points, lines, curves, and shapes to make up an image, such as a logo or an illustration. Computer monitors, TVs, and smartphone displays all render images using pixels, so raster graphics are the most common way to show things as simple as a smiley face or as complex as a photo. Most of the images that you come across on a regular basis are raster-based, meaning that they are made up of a grid of tiny pixels that come together to form the whole image. Understanding Illustratorīefore we dive into Creative Cloud’s graphics creation software, let’s go over the important distinction between raster- and vector-based graphics. Feel free to skip over this if you aren’t. First, we’ll cover some basics to working in Illustrator if you’re completely new to the program. You don’t have to be an illustrator or animator to start using Adobe Illustrator! Follow this tutorial on how to start creating simple shapes and icons. Screencast from the live session of the ASCJ 200 Course Selection Tool and Direct Selection Tool.

Illustrator icons