In my opinion, Adobe Illustrator is a very powerful program. There is so much you can do to one single drawing. It is especially useful because it works with vector images. These are useful because they are more easily scalable, and retain clarity. You can easily tell Illustrator is a professional program by the level of development put into it. It can also export and save images as many different file types. All in all, it is a very useful program that everyone should learn at some point in their life.
I feel like I am pretty good at using Adobe Illustrator at this point. After doing many tutorials and two projects of my own, I have had time to get better at it and learn many of its different features, although I have probably only scratched the surface of its capabilities. If I were given another project to do, I feel like I could do a pretty good job of it, since I know many of the basic and some intermediate tools offered by the program. I am especially good at the graphing tool, since one of my projects revolved around making a graph. For the most part, I'm pretty confident in my ability to use Illustrator.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Different File Types
There are many different file types out there. They are all special in their own ways. Some are more common than others. Each file type has its own strengths and weaknesses.
One of these is Adobe Illustrator Artwork (AI). It is a proprietary file format that was developed by Adobe systems. It can represent single page vector-based drawings, and uses a .ai file extension.
Another is JPEG, which stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group. It is a very popular method lossy compression for digital photography. This means the user can choose how much quality is lost when saving or exporting an image. The maximum size is 65535x65535 pixels. JPEG is used for bitmapped images. It uses a .jpg or .jpeg file extension.
Another file type is Portable Network Graphics (PNG). It is a bitmapped image format that employs lossless data compression. It was created to improve and replace the GIF format. It uses a .png file extension.
A fourth kind of file format is Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG). It describes ways to format 2-D vector graphics, both animated and still. It was developed by W3C in 1999. Its uses a .svg or .svgz file extension.
Some believe that it would be easier and simpler to have one single file format that would apply to all image file. Maybe it could be name .pic or . img. This might make saving or viewing files more easy to learn. A downside to this is that you would lose versatility, and interacting with files would become too boring, simple, and easy.
We most likely use different file formats because with only one file format, you might not be able to do everything you want with a file. Certain file formats work better in some ways, and others work well in others. If you only had one file format, it might not be able to specialize in one way.
One of these is Adobe Illustrator Artwork (AI). It is a proprietary file format that was developed by Adobe systems. It can represent single page vector-based drawings, and uses a .ai file extension.
Another is JPEG, which stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group. It is a very popular method lossy compression for digital photography. This means the user can choose how much quality is lost when saving or exporting an image. The maximum size is 65535x65535 pixels. JPEG is used for bitmapped images. It uses a .jpg or .jpeg file extension.
Another file type is Portable Network Graphics (PNG). It is a bitmapped image format that employs lossless data compression. It was created to improve and replace the GIF format. It uses a .png file extension.
A fourth kind of file format is Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG). It describes ways to format 2-D vector graphics, both animated and still. It was developed by W3C in 1999. Its uses a .svg or .svgz file extension.
Some believe that it would be easier and simpler to have one single file format that would apply to all image file. Maybe it could be name .pic or . img. This might make saving or viewing files more easy to learn. A downside to this is that you would lose versatility, and interacting with files would become too boring, simple, and easy.
We most likely use different file formats because with only one file format, you might not be able to do everything you want with a file. Certain file formats work better in some ways, and others work well in others. If you only had one file format, it might not be able to specialize in one way.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Designing and Creating a Digital Manifestation of Yourself
Investigate
The first thing I did for this project was look at some other examples of people drawn in Illustrator. After considering what I had seen, I realized that simply making a humanoid avatar to represent myself was boring, and overdone. I decided to instead represent myself through an interest of mine. One thing I am interested in is football. A football also quite clearly resembles a persons head. I made the decision to portray myself with a football for a head, and give the football humanoid facial features.
Plan
I made a quick sketch on paper of what my avatar would look like. After tweaking the design a bit, I was satisfied. I reviewed my old tutorials and work I had already done on Illustrator to refresh some of the tools that I might end up using for the actual project. I looked at myself and took note of some of the defining features that added character and made myself unique. I could also include that on the football to make it look more like me.
Create
I finally got onto Adobe Illustrator and began creating the avatar. The head (football) was made using the ellipse tool, as were the eyes and hands. Almost everything else was made with basic rectangle shapes, then altered to the required shape using the direct selection tool. The actual football was the first thing I did. I put most of my effort one the football, and also made it the focal point of the avatar. The point of this was to symbolize the magnitude of my interest. The body was made later, with rectangle shape. I added the Nike logo to the shoes and shirt as an afterthought, just to make it a bit more interesting. I finally added a radial gradient to the football to give it a bit of depth.
Evaluate
Looking back, I think my digital manifestation turned out quite well. It is easy to discern a human face in the football, and the large eyebrows, nose, and braces make it look more like me instead of just any other person. The tutorials I made at the beginning of the Illustrator unit ended up being quite useful to me. They taught me the basics of the software, along with a few more advanced tricks I employed in the final project. By following through the different steps of the design cycle, I was able to approach the project in a logical and intelligent manner.
Bibliography
-Akhter, Aquil. "40 Cartoon Character Illustration Tutorials - Smashing Magazine." Smashing Magazine - For Professional Web Designers and Developers. Team 23 Webdesign, 16 Apr. 2009. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/04/16/40-cartoon-character-illustration-tutorials/>.
The first thing I did for this project was look at some other examples of people drawn in Illustrator. After considering what I had seen, I realized that simply making a humanoid avatar to represent myself was boring, and overdone. I decided to instead represent myself through an interest of mine. One thing I am interested in is football. A football also quite clearly resembles a persons head. I made the decision to portray myself with a football for a head, and give the football humanoid facial features.
Plan
I made a quick sketch on paper of what my avatar would look like. After tweaking the design a bit, I was satisfied. I reviewed my old tutorials and work I had already done on Illustrator to refresh some of the tools that I might end up using for the actual project. I looked at myself and took note of some of the defining features that added character and made myself unique. I could also include that on the football to make it look more like me.
Create
I finally got onto Adobe Illustrator and began creating the avatar. The head (football) was made using the ellipse tool, as were the eyes and hands. Almost everything else was made with basic rectangle shapes, then altered to the required shape using the direct selection tool. The actual football was the first thing I did. I put most of my effort one the football, and also made it the focal point of the avatar. The point of this was to symbolize the magnitude of my interest. The body was made later, with rectangle shape. I added the Nike logo to the shoes and shirt as an afterthought, just to make it a bit more interesting. I finally added a radial gradient to the football to give it a bit of depth.
Evaluate
Looking back, I think my digital manifestation turned out quite well. It is easy to discern a human face in the football, and the large eyebrows, nose, and braces make it look more like me instead of just any other person. The tutorials I made at the beginning of the Illustrator unit ended up being quite useful to me. They taught me the basics of the software, along with a few more advanced tricks I employed in the final project. By following through the different steps of the design cycle, I was able to approach the project in a logical and intelligent manner.
Bibliography
-Akhter, Aquil. "40 Cartoon Character Illustration Tutorials - Smashing Magazine." Smashing Magazine - For Professional Web Designers and Developers. Team 23 Webdesign, 16 Apr. 2009. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/04/16/40-cartoon-character-illustration-tutorials/>.
-"Vector Illustration: 60+ Illustrator Tutorials, Tips and Best Practices - Noupe." Noupe - The Curious Side of Smashing Magazine. Team 23 Webdesign, 14 July 2008. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://www.noupe.com/tutorial/vector-illustration-60-illustrator-tutorials-tips-and-best-practices.html>.
- "Vector Sports,free Downloads Vector,Basketball,Football Download Free Vector,PSD,FLASH,JPG--www.fordesigner.com." Download Free Vector,PSD,FLASH,JPG--www.fordesigner.com. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://www.fordesigner.com/maps_list/list15-1.htm>.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Collecting and Graphing Scientific Data
Investigate
The first thing I did was brainstorm different ideas on what information to collect and graph. I decided to investigate whether or not a runningback's height effected his average yards per carry. I went to the NFL website to collect my information from 31 different runningbacks of varying heights. I double checked my information of the ESPN website and at Sporting News too. I also watched a tutorial on how to use the graphing tool on Adobe Illustrator.
Plan
Once I had all of my data collected and organized, I began to think of how to present it. I decided a bar graph was most appropriate to display and compare the data. I drew a draft on paper in order to form a picture of what I wanted my final graph on the program to look like. I also analyzed my data and eliminated one runningback whose height was 6'4, which was a bit of an outlier.
Create
I opened up Adobe Illustrator and selected the Column Graph Tool. I used it to create the basic shape of my graph. Following the tutorial, I plugged in all of my values in the places they belonged, then created the graph. I used the Text Tool to label my axes, and create a title for the graph. I was originally going to leave it at that, but I decided it looked too boring. I gave the labels exciting, fun fonts, and made the bars 3-D. I gave each bar a different color, and applied a gradient effect to each one. Finally, I re-sized the graph in order to make it fit onto the artboard.
Evaluate
I am satisfied with the final product of my efforts. The online sources I used were helpful, and I would not have easily figured out the graphing tool without the tutorial. Input from my teacher and peers also influenced the look of my graph. I believe it presents information clearly and effectively. The design cycle was useful, and helped me approach the project in a logical and convenient way..
Bibliography
"2010 NFL Player Rushing Stats - National Football League - ESPN." ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports. Ed. Elias Sports Bureau. The, 2 Jan. 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2011. <http://espn.go.com/nfl/statistics/player/_/stat/rushing/sort/rushingYards/year/2010/seasontype/2>.
The first thing I did was brainstorm different ideas on what information to collect and graph. I decided to investigate whether or not a runningback's height effected his average yards per carry. I went to the NFL website to collect my information from 31 different runningbacks of varying heights. I double checked my information of the ESPN website and at Sporting News too. I also watched a tutorial on how to use the graphing tool on Adobe Illustrator.
Plan
Once I had all of my data collected and organized, I began to think of how to present it. I decided a bar graph was most appropriate to display and compare the data. I drew a draft on paper in order to form a picture of what I wanted my final graph on the program to look like. I also analyzed my data and eliminated one runningback whose height was 6'4, which was a bit of an outlier.
Create
I opened up Adobe Illustrator and selected the Column Graph Tool. I used it to create the basic shape of my graph. Following the tutorial, I plugged in all of my values in the places they belonged, then created the graph. I used the Text Tool to label my axes, and create a title for the graph. I was originally going to leave it at that, but I decided it looked too boring. I gave the labels exciting, fun fonts, and made the bars 3-D. I gave each bar a different color, and applied a gradient effect to each one. Finally, I re-sized the graph in order to make it fit onto the artboard.
Evaluate
I am satisfied with the final product of my efforts. The online sources I used were helpful, and I would not have easily figured out the graphing tool without the tutorial. Input from my teacher and peers also influenced the look of my graph. I believe it presents information clearly and effectively. The design cycle was useful, and helped me approach the project in a logical and convenient way..
"2010 NFL Player Rushing Stats - National Football League - ESPN." ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports. Ed. Elias Sports Bureau. The, 2 Jan. 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2011. <http://espn.go.com/nfl/statistics/player/_/stat/rushing/sort/rushingYards/year/2010/seasontype/2>.
-Coffin, Drew. "Create Bar Graphs in Adobe Illustrator CS4 | Ecommerce Developer." Resources for Web Developers | Ecommerce Developer. Ecommerce Developer, 16 Feb. 2010. Web. 21 Oct. 2011. <http://developer.practicalecommerce.com/articles/1657-Create-Bar-Graphs-in-Adobe-Illustrator-CS4>.
- "NFL Stats: by Player Category." NFL.com - Official Site of the National Football League. The NFL, 2 Jan. 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2011. <http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?seasonType=REG>.
-"2010 NFC Team Rushing Statistics - NFL - Sporting News." Sporting News - Real Insight. Real Fans. Real Conversations. Sporting News, 5 Sept. 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2011. <http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/statistics/team/rushing/conference/nfc/2010>
-"2010 NFC Team Rushing Statistics - NFL - Sporting News." Sporting News - Real Insight. Real Fans. Real Conversations. Sporting News, 5 Sept. 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2011. <http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/statistics/team/rushing/conference/nfc/2010>
Monday, October 17, 2011
Completed Second Tutorial in Illustrator
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Attempt at second tutrorial- Angry Birds (Sub Day)
I did not have much time left after the first tutorial, and this is all i got done.
First Adobe Illustrator Tutorial-RSS Icon (Sub Day)
Difference Between Bitmap and Vector Images (Sub Day)
There are two major kinds of 2D graphics. One is bitmap, and the other is Vector.
Bitmap images are composed of tiny squares of color, called pixels, arranged in a grid. When many are viewed together, they form an image. Bitmap images are resolution dependent. This makes it difficult to adjust their size without affecting image quality. They are also restricted to a rectangular shape.
Vector images are less common than bitmap images, but are better in many ways. They are made up of many individual, scalable objects. They are defined by mathematical equations, not pixels. For this reason, they will always render at the highest quality. They are not restricted to rectangular shapes, and do not require a background. They are unsuitable for photo-realistic imagery, and often look cartoonish.
Image from: http://www.logoants.com/img/vector-bitmap.gif
Bitmap images are composed of tiny squares of color, called pixels, arranged in a grid. When many are viewed together, they form an image. Bitmap images are resolution dependent. This makes it difficult to adjust their size without affecting image quality. They are also restricted to a rectangular shape.
Vector images are less common than bitmap images, but are better in many ways. They are made up of many individual, scalable objects. They are defined by mathematical equations, not pixels. For this reason, they will always render at the highest quality. They are not restricted to rectangular shapes, and do not require a background. They are unsuitable for photo-realistic imagery, and often look cartoonish.Image from: http://www.logoants.com/img/vector-bitmap.gif
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
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