Migrating from FreeHand to Illustrator
This set of video tutorials shows you why you might decide to switch from FreeHand® to Adobe® Illustrator® CS3. Whether it's for Illustrator-specific features, or a company-wide software switch, this is a transition many designers have to deal with. These video tutorials walk you through real-world design scenarios, and show experienced FreeHand users how to use each aspect of Illustrator.
Requirements
To complete this article, you will need the following software and files:
Adobe Illustrator CS3
Sample files
Prerequisite knowledge:
An understanding of and experience using FreeHand.
Introduction
Getting started
- Illustrator’s workspace (7:55 minutes)
- Choosing a document color mode (3:59 minutes)
- Choosing a document profile (1:33 minutes)
Migrating existing FreeHand content
- Migrating via native FreeHand 9, 10, or MX files (5:15 minutes)
- Migrating via EPS, PDF, or Illustrator files (7:32 minutes)
Working with multiple pages
- Opening a multi-page FreeHand file (2:59 minutes)
- Setting up page tiling (4:59 minutes)
- Creating a multi-page PDF (1:43 minutes)
- Exploring other alternatives (3:52 minutes)
Basic Object Editing
- Drawing basic shapes (6:46 minutes)
- Selecting and editing paths (8:12 minutes)
- Basic object attributes (9:58 minutes)
- The Appearance panel (7:35 minutes)
- Grouping objects (7:35 minutes)
- Using graphic styles (4:26 minutes)
- Managing libraries (5:22 minutes)
Working with type
- Two types of text objects (6:13 minutes)
- Placing text on a path (7:09 minutes)
- Working with legacy text (4:27 minutes)
Advanced object editing
- Pathfinder (4:25 minutes)
- Cloning objects (2:50 minutes)
- Advanced selections (5:54 minutes)
- Aligning and distributing objects (4:24 minutes)
- Blends in Illustrator (4:13 minutes)
- Applying transparent effects (3:53 minutes)
- Creating and using symbols (4:26 minutes)
- Paste Inside vs. clipping masks (5:17 minutes)
Live Trace, Live Paint, and Live Color
- Converting bitmaps to vectors (13:35 minutes)
- Working with Live Paint groups (9:12 minutes)
- Understanding Live Paint gap detection (6:48 minutes)
- The Working with Live Paint selections (5:49 minutes)
- Getting inspiration from color (6:02 minutes)
- Experimenting with color (5:58 minutes)
- Using Adobe kuler (7:46 minutes)
Enhanced Creativity
- The 3D Extrude effect (9:51 minutes)
- The 3D Revolve effect (9:38 minutes)
- 3D artwork mapping (11:00 minutes)
- The warp effect (2:40 minutes)
- Using the Symbolism toolset (13:12 minutes)
- Gradient Mesh (6:04 minutes)
Enhanced Productivity
- OpenType support (7:04 minutes)
- XMP metadata support (0:54 minutes)
- Saving for the web (7:42 minutes)
- Layer clipping masks (7:15 minutes)
- Opacity masks (7:08 minutes)
- Photoshop integration (3:42 minutes)
Conclusion
Where to go from here
After migrating your FreeHand skillset to Illustrator, there are many additional resources to expand your knowledge of the product. Check out these websites for tutorials and resources on Illustrator CS3:
About the authors
Mordy Golding has been a production artist for print and the web for many years, and is an Adobe Certified Expert and Adobe Certified Print Specialist. At Adobe, he was the product manager for Illustrator 10 and Illustrator CS. A popular presenter at Macworld, Photoshop World and other worldwide events, Mordy is also the author of several books, including SAMS Teach Yourself Adobe Creative Suite All in One, The Web Designer's Guide to Color, and SAMS Teach Yourself Adobe Illustrator in 24 Hours. In 2003, Mordy was named a Champion of Graphic Design by Graphics IQ. Currently he serves as the founder of DesignResponsibly.com, teaching designers and printers how to successfully adopt today's new technology. Mordy is also the author of the Illustrator CS2 and Flash 8 Integration video training title published by lynda.com.
