New to illustrator

[Pete_Panchyrz@adobeforums.com]

Hello all,

as a long time freehand user who is now having to convert to illustrator I have a question regarding the resizing of rectangles and polygons.

I know that if you click once you bring up a box allowing you to specify the precise measurements of the shape. However i cant seem to find a way to to this after I have created the said shape.

e.g. I create a rectangle 100m x 100mm and then want to make the measurements 120 x 120. How can i do this? Is my only option to use the scale tool and enter the percentage value? Or am i just missing something obvious? Plus if you use the scale tool does that also change the line wieghts?

Any help on this would be much appreciated.

Many thanks Pete

[David_Sansom@adobeforums.com]

Pete,

there is a simple way to change the dimensions of an object which has alredy
been drawn.
Open the Transform palette, select the object to be resized, and type the new measurements into the W: and H: fields.
Also, if you click on one of the small black boxes on the left of the Transform
palette, whichever one you select sets the point of enlargment/ reduction.

[James_Talmage@adobeforums.com]

Pete,
You've probably already figured it out, but a "rectangle" in AI is just an ordinary path. There are no special attributes or special handles or behaviors for Rectangles, ellipses, polygons, etc., as there are in FH before ungrouping. Once you've drawn a rectangle, it's just a simple path with four points.

I create a rectangle 100m x 100mm and then want to make the measurements
120 x 120. How can i do this?




Transform Palette: Enter values for W and/or H. One very nice difference is that in AI, if you enter a new value in either the W or H field, and hold Ctrl when you press enter, the other dimension will change proportionally.

Plus if you use the scale tool does that also change the line wieghts?




Transform Palette: The little flyout menu has (among other things) an option "Scale Strokes & Effects." DoubleClick the Scale Tool. In the dialog, you'll see a similar checkbox.

JET

[Jacob_Bugge@adobeforums.com]

What happened since yesterday to the E. Talmage?

[James_Talmage@adobeforums.com]

I was posting from another location yesterday.

JET

[Pete_Panchyrz@adobeforums.com]

Thanks for your help guys.

Pete

[pp.nottingham@adobeforums.com]

In Illustrator CS can you import a photagraph and map a Pantone colour to it so that it will output on the saparation for that colour?

Thanks

James

[pp.nottingham@adobeforums.com]

In Illustrator CS can you import a photagraph and map a Pantone colour to it so that it will output on the saparation for that colour?

Thanks

James

[Philip_Peterson@adobeforums.com]

Yeah, search for an opacity mask. The short explanation, make a square of the pante color you want to use, put it behind the picture, select both objects and on the transparency pallet choose "Make Opacity Mask" making sure that "new opacity masks are inverted" is selected.

[pp.nottingham@adobeforums.com]

Philip,
Thanks for the advice