Adobe Illustrator CS4
Believe it or not, this is the 14th version of Illustrator. While it has been for many years the standard bearer of vector-based drawing programs, it’s a safe bet to say that after CS4 the competition is probably thinking of other areas of the software industry where they might take whatever talent they have left and apply it elsewhere. Illustrator CS4, quite literally, does away with the need for another drawing application. Version 14, aka CS4, is without a doubt the single best vector-based graphic application ever released.
But enough of the platitudes, let’s take a look at where Illustrator CS4 has improved over CS3, and what it means to you as a designer.
Improvements, and even some brand new features
Multiple Artboards – Up to 100
Illustrator has always suffered one major headache for designers and that was the lack of working with multiple artboards. With CS4 that has changed, and you can now work with as many as 100 artboards at the same time, saving you time, money, and headaches.
A single file can now manage an entire project, so that when you are dealing with lots of common objects, or type, symbols, or other doodads you can make changes to an object or font, or what have you, and those changes will be applied across the entire project. In addition, you can create varying sizes and shapes of your overall design and compare them side-by-side, stack them, overlap them, and export them as individual artboards or as a single project. Exporting your work as a single project pretty much guarantees that the output, both on screen and printed materials is going to be exactly identical to each other. I imagine that if your work is sent to a third party printer it will make things go more smoothly than ever before, with less chance of mistakes or misunderstandings.
If you’ve ever had a client make a change which then required you to go in and change each board one at a time you know how huge this new feature is. I’ve tried this feature and trust me when I tell you, upgrading to CS4 Illustrator for this feature alone will be enough for many designers.
Transparent Gradients
Another great new feature is ‘transparency in gradients’, which opens up vast new styles in design and creativity. Overlaying photographs or type, or other elements with a transparent gradient seems like a no-brainer, or at least it did to me, so when I discovered that previous versions lacked this feature I was surprised. So, being the inquisitive gal that I am I tried apply a transparent gradient over an entire board and found that it not only works as advertised, it definitely adds potential for new styles to quickly take hold, not to mention being able to add new styles to your own repertoire.
Gradients On Objects
With CS4 Illustrator you can now apply gradients directly to objects. You can set the angle, position, and elliptical dimensions and apply the gradient, then edit the colors using various sliders, in real time. Experimenting with different gradients over objects will give you unlimited advantages over the competition that hasn’t yet figured out how to use this feature, or who haven’t yet upgraded to the CS4 version. In any case, gradients over objects adds additional ways to allow yourself to develop a signature style, or at least impress the client who wouldn’t expect to see such work.
Blob Brush
A new tool called the Blob Brush allows you to draw naturally while generating a nice clean vector shape. Using the blob tool with the eraser tool and smooth tools gives you the power to use your natural drawing talents in new ways.
In the past, one of the annoying problems of working with brushes was dealing with the paths that they always created. What you see as you work in Illustrator as a line of ink are actually overlaid paths with varied strokes.
While this might not be a big deal to those that have worked with Illustrator for years since there were always workarounds, newbie’s to Illustrator (like myself) will adapt to this new feature quickly and never have to worry about old workarounds for this type of manipulation. One of the workarounds was to use Flatten Transparency and then do a “Pathfinder Unite” to get something solid (so Steven tells me). With the Blob Brush workarounds are no longer needed because outlined strokes are automatically combined when overlapped. The strokes are tablet pressure-sensitive as well, and if you enable Selection Limits Merge in the tool options you can control what you merged together. The results are clean, outlined strokes.
Collaborate
If you work with a team and combine your talents on products and projects the new integrated tools and extensive format support will allow you to collaborate like never before. This is something that extends across the entire CS4 product line, and in Illustrator it is particularly effective.
The timesaving features, the increase in productivity, and with a new and enhanced user experience (read = GUI), you will be working smarter, faster, and more creative than ever before.
Other Features and Enhancements
In addition to the above, which I believe are the main strong points of the new features in Illustrator CS4, there are many more, including new enhancements that make working with Illustrator much more user friendly.
They include;
In-panel Appearance Editing - Edit object characteristics directly in the Appearance panel, eliminating the need to open fill, stroke, or effects panels.
Refined Graphic Styles - Combine styles for unique effects and increased efficiency, and apply styles without disturbing an object’s existing appearance.
Clipping masks - Work with masks more easily by viewing only the clipped area of your objects during editing. Take advantage of Isolation Mode, and use Edit Clipping Path for even more control.
Separations Preview - Avoid color output surprises such as unexpected spot colors, unwanted overprinting, overprints that don’t overprint, white overprinting, and CMYK blacks in text and placed files.
An Investment At A Crucial Time
As I have said before, there are so many new features and new enhancements in all the CS4 applications that upgrading now is an investment in the future, despite current economic conditions. In fact, because competition heats up for the smaller pool of clients, having an edge over the competition is vital to your success. If you use Illustrator in your work, if you depend on Illustrator to pay the mortgage, then this is one upgrade you don’t want to pass by.
Multiple artboards, transparent gradient, gradients on object, and so much more, make up one of the most impressive upgrades to Illustrator that I’ve seen in a long while. Illustrator was already the finest vector-based drawing application on the market, and millions of people use it daily, but this is something else; this is a miracle upgrade at the most opportune time. Illustrator CS4 is an amazing program with no competition. I recommend it if you make a living with a vector illustration app.
And on a more personal note; when I wrote about Adobe CS4 Flash Pro I told you that because I was one of those Flash users who always thought the application was hard to use and a bit scary (or something like that). I told you that the CS4 version made working in Flash, and learning Flash, much much easier. I feel in love with Flash and today I am doing things in Flash for my photography business that I never dreamed I would be able to do. The same applies to Illustrator CS4; since beginning to acquire the facts and hands-on experience needed to write a review I have begun to use Illustrator in my own business. I have designed a new brochure, business card, and an advertising placard for an upcoming Photography Show. In the past I would have farmed this out, paid several hundred dollars, and would still wind up with something I would have done differently, if I could. Now, with this new knowledge and this easy to use version of Illustrator, I find myself doing some very cool things. Again, like Flash, it has widened my appeal to clients because I have yet another skill, another tool, to offer my clients. I owe Adobe much; the company has sustained me in ways they will never know.
For more information on Illustrator CS4 and to download a fully functional 30-day trial, head on over to Adobe.com and download the trial, read up on the material there, and discover why Adobe killed off the competition a long time ago, and how it will maintain its dominance long after we’ve all retired to Florida to spend our days playing shuffleboard.
This is a tool you shouldn’t cross off your list, not now, not ever. More than anything else, Illustrator CS4 will give you the best chance at surviving these tough times by providing you with the absolute best tools.
Adobe Illustrator CS4 - $599, upgrade from $199.
Illustrator CS4 is also a part of Creative Suite Bundles. A Bundle will save you a huge amount of money if you need other Adobe tools, so before you buy Illustrator CS4 by itself, check out the Bundles first.
Requirements:
Windows:
· 2GHz or faster processor
· Microsoft® Windows® XP with Service Pack 2 (Service Pack 3 recommended) or Windows Vista® Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise with Service Pack 1 (certified for 32-bit Windows XP and Windows Vista)
· 512MB of RAM (1GB recommended)
· 2GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on flash-based storage devices)
· 1,024?768 display (1,280?800 recommended) with 16-bit video card
· DVD-ROM drive
Mac OS:
· PowerPC® G4 or G5 or Intel® processor
· Mac OS X v10.4.11–10.5.4
· 512MB of RAM (1GB recommended)
· 2GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on a volume that uses a case-sensitive file system or on flash-based storage devices)
· 1,024?768 display (1,280?800 recommended) with 16-bit video card
· DVD-ROM drive
· QuickTime 7 software required for multimedia features
Julia Barnes
Reviews Editor - MacTruth/XtremeCamera
Watch this Adobe produced Overview for a look at Illustrator CS4
