Additional pluses for creativity

The full transparency

New palette Transparency (Transparency) (fig. 1.6) allows to appropriate with ease a transparency to any graphic objects, point images, font objects so that underlaying objects were appeared through. Various level of a transparency can be appropriated to the separate characters, separate words, paragraphs or the text unit and even to create "cumulative effect" assignment of parameters at first to separate characters, and then and all text unit.

Thus a transparency at all is not a hindrance to editing of objects. If needed always it is possible to change level of a transparency of a layer, group of objects, обводки or filling of separate objects.

Fig. 1.6. Palette Transparency and objects with transparency parameter

Mask of opacity and layer-mask

In the given program there were two new functions of masking — a mask of opacity and a layer-mask, so-called "обтравочная a mask" (clipping mask). They allow to hide image fragments selectively. Applying palette Transparency (Transparency), it is possible to use any object as an opacity mask. Gray levels in a mask define a level of opacity of a mask. Changing the form, layout and mask filling, it is possible to achieve enough difficult effects, for example, a variable transparency.

The obtravochnaja mask is defined as layer parameter in palette Layers (Layers) and allows to mask underlaying objects.

 Shading

Command Feather (Shading) of menu Effect/Stylize (Effect/stylization) provides passage softening between objects which are allocated the friend over the friend. This effect can be applied as to vectorial (fig. 1.7), and to font objects.

Fig. 1.7. An example of application of effect Feather to vectorial object

Display of objects with superimposing

In the document of the program of adobe Illustrator 9.0 possibility of display of objects with superimposing parameter (overprint), at last, is provided that is rather useful by preparation of the document for polygraphic execution (fig. 1.8).

Fig. 1.8. Display of objects with a superimposing mode

Fig. 1.9. Palette Styles

Graphic styles

New palette Styles (Styles) (1.9) allows to create and save a dial-up of parameters under any arbitrary name, such dial-up it is accepted to name fig. style though special control in parameters it is not provided.

Styles allow to format very quickly the text and to change appearance of objects, but also — and that is especially important — to support uniformity in all document. As styles are unambiguously connected to objects with their help it is possible to change the form of objects, to transform them, перенабирать the text.

Style consists of a combination of the parameters which are including color, graded-index and decorative filling, обводки, effects, filters, transparences, superimposing and transformation modes. For control of styles it is possible to use also new palette Appearance (Outer effects).

 Enhanced features of layers

Usage of layers not news to drawing programs, however in the given version of the program of adobe Illustrator palette Layers (Layers) received additional functions — control not only layers (this function, certainly, it was saved), but also groups of objects, and also separate objects (fig. 1.10). And layers too expanded the possibilities, now з the program can create nested layers, i.e. to form hierarchical structure that, on an intention of developers, should give the big flexibility to operations with layers.

Fig. 1.10. Updated palette Layers

Fig. 1.11. An example of the palette interacting with palette Layers

By means of technology of layers there was possible a function of masking of an underlaying layer as it takes place in Adobe Photoshop program.

Absolutely new quality is connected by that to any layer to which the status "target" (target) is appropriated, it is possible to appropriate and any parameters of outer effects (appearance) or styles. As a whole, this function provides difficult enough, at least at first sight, interaction of many palettes (fig. 1.11), filling defining parameters, обводок and various effects.

Already the Adobe firm is a lot of years advances really remarkable format of adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) which is more and more widely used in the most different spheres: from Web-documents to color-splitted bands.

And at last, it has been declared that the format of the program of adobe Illustrator 9.0 is format PDF though the file extension remains former (ai) in the basis and possibility of the free discovery of formats of prior versions of the program (was saved up to version 1).

In a new format parameters of fonts, filling, algorithms of the compression, the given management systems by color, protection and other are saved. Developers promise that the forthcoming version of the program of adobe Acrobat Reader can open, view and print documents in format AI.

Integration with other programs

Integration with publishing programs of firm of adobe

Appearance of a palette of tools, palettes, the general commands and keyboard equivalents are standard for many applications of firm of adobe. The program provides also support of some properties, for example, layers, a transparency, modes of superimposing, text parameters and filters.

The program of adobe Illustrator 9.0 saves high integration scale with Adobe Photoshop program. At discovery of a file of the program of adobe Photoshop in program Illustrator masks, modes of superimposing, a transparency and layers are saved. At export of file Illustrator to format Photoshop it is possible to save layers, an opacity mask, value of a transparency, modes of superimposing and edited text units.

Integration with Web-editors of firm of adobe

The program of adobe Illustrator 9.0 allocates the refined characteristics on export of documents for other programs Web-lizajna — Adobe GoLive and Live Motion. Program images can be transferred outright to the program of adobe GoLive 5 in one of optimized formats GIF, JPEG, PNG, SWF and SVG.

The expanded support of formats of files

The program of adobe Illustrator 9.0 can open and allocate files of following formats:

	Any prior version of adobe Illustrator (AI)		DXF
	Encapsulated PostScript (EPS)		EMF/WMF
	Portable Document Format (PDF, one page for once)		GIF
	Adobe Photoshop (PSD, version 2.5 and above)		jpeg
	Macromedia FreeHand (FH5, FH7, FH8 versions 5.0, 5.5, 7.0 and 8.0)		PHG
	CorelDRAW (CDR, versions от.5.0 to 8.0)		CD Kodak Photo
	Amiga IFF		PICT
	BMP		PCX
	CGM		PXR
	DWG		TGA
	TIFF

The program of adobe Illustrator 9.0 can save or export files in following formats:

	Adobe Illustrator		BMP
	EPS		CGM (version 1)
	PDF		EMF/WMF
	Macromedia Flash (SWF)		DWG
	SVG		DXF
	GIF		PICT
	JPEG		PCX
	Adobe Photoshop (with saving of layers)		TGA
	Amiga IFF		TIFF

(The program of adobe Illustrator 9.0 can open and allocate files in young format Microsoft® RTF (Office 97 and above) and Microsoft Word (Office 97 and above), and also to open, allocate and export files in simple text format ТХТ.

New "help"

In the given version of the program the directory system is provided at the expense of HTML-files, i.e. they can be visualized by means of any browser (fig. 1.12), the user installed in an operating system. It allows to use system of the help irrespective of the main program.

Fig. 1.12. "The help" system is visualized by means of browser MS Internet Explorer

Small lacks

It is possible to carry to program limitation still feeble enough function of autotrace though the firm allocates remarkable program Streamline 4.0 which allows quickly and to vectorize qualitatively point images in the vectorial. And if the firm included good function of rasterization of vector images and possibility of handling of point images it would seem logical that for conversion of point images in vectorial it was not required special about gram.

There was some uncertainty and with three tools of selection - Selection (Selection), Direct Selection (the Partial selection) and Group Selection (Selection in group), at least last two are intersected in the functions, besides, difficultly enough to select the objects close allocated with each other (passage in a key line mode, substantial growth is required). In programs Macromedia FreeHand and СorelDRAW such tool one, but it perfectly well consults with all functions by a combination to service keys.

And absolutely absence многостраничности owing to what even own format PDF on which the firm lays hopes extremely, opens only on one page seems to strange.

System requirements

In the documentation to the program the following list of requirements to equipment rooms and software is led:

	Processor Pentium (it is recommended Pentium II);
	Operational environment of Microsoft Windows 98/2000, Windows NT 4.0;
	The videoadapter on 256 colors (it is recommended 24-bit) and with resolution 800x600 and above;
	64 Mb of a random access memory;
	05 Mb of the free disk space for setting;
	The CDROM disk drive.