Adobe go on to polish its flagship exemplification tool withIllustrator CC 2014 , a underage update with just a smattering of feature article plus . Interestingly , many more new feature were present to the vector app with the mid - cycle Illustrator CC 17.1 update in January . A number of these early add-on meritoriousness give-and-take , and combined with the sweetening in mil 2014 , they come up to one of the longest - standing complaint I ’ve had with the diligence .
Better tools
In mypastIllustratorreviews , I have consistently lamented the coating ’s anaemic object tools . Select the rounded rectangle tool , chatter the artboard and you ’d be expect to specify the niche wheel spoke ; once the wheel spoke was determined , it was shut up in and uneditable . unfold the objective in one direction , and the quoin would debase and distort , too . likewise , the star and polygon tools provided little in the manner of circumstance , and those too were locked in once fix . Creating a star with rounded turning point or a polygon in the shape of gear was a logistic incubus for even the most hardened Illustrator veterans .
Illustrator CC 17.1 ( secrete in January ) took the first measure to address this issue . It introduced an incredible feature film call Live Corners that let users orotund , invert , or bevel one or more corners of an objective at a time . Stars can now have round out corners with a few simple clicks . Create a star object and then opt the direct option peter ; when you do , a serial of small control circles seem contiguous to each corner anchor . Drag a controller circle and all recession in the object will vary at the same time ; option - click a ascendancy circle and the object will alternate between orotund , inverted round and bevel corners . Do n’t want to apply changes to all corners at once ? Just select one or more quoin anchor at a time . And lively Corners are n’t define to star and polygons — any corner anchor in any objective can be edited this agency , include those in rectangles .
Live Corners allow you to quickly create rounded star and paraphernalia - similar objects .
unluckily , rectangle corners in Illustrator CC 17.1 were still open to distorted shape when stretched . That ’s been addressed in Illustrator CC 2014 with a new characteristic called Live Shapes , which contribute a stratum of intelligence service to rectangle objects . As with alive corners , the corner of rectangles can be easily configured with rotund , reverse stave , or chamfer corners of any size , and by choose a unmarried corner anchor , you may cut each one singly . However , you ’re now free to resize , rotate and stretch the rectangle as you wish well without distorting the corner . Options in the Transform control panel earmark you to specify the corners ’ wheel spoke and shape , and you could also choose whether you ’d like the corners to scale when resized .
Live Shapes allow for rectangles to have consistent , influence corner that do not twist when resized .
The feature is not without caveat . Shear the rectangle or reposition a single quoin anchor , and it regress to a received object with Live Corners . And for the moment , Live Shapes is a feature article that only implement to rectangles , bequeath polygonal shape and stars still relatively basic ( hold open for Live Corners enhancements ) . I look forward to the twenty-four hour period when headliner and polygons are equally intelligent physical object , allow user to speedily reconfigure the number of points / side and extend the objects without corner distortion .
The Illustrator CC 17.1 update also innovate a important and very sensible modification to the perspective grid . antecedently , an objective confiscate to the storage-battery grid detain in place if the grid was repositioned , requiring the substance abuser to remove and re - attach objects to the grid to modify the linear perspective . Now you may lock the Station Point and reposition both the horizon line and go away points , and all artwork attached to the grid will change perspective along with it . It ’s another small but significant change that lets exploiter make minor changes without a major effort .
The Perspective Grid now alter the perspective of attached target when you exchange the grid itself .
Another series of small but meaningful modification come to the Pen tool in Illustrator CC 2014 . The most obvious of these changes is new automated preview . As you lay down anchorperson points , a blue prevue transmission line run from the most late point you ’ve drawn so that you’re able to see the precise shape of the curve before you shake off your next point . to boot , hold down Command after you dangle a point allows you make inadequate paired grip , give you much more dominance over the cast of an aim as you draw . A further refinement to the Anchor Point tool allow you to convert just one side of a niche point back to smooth , a much - postulate change that preserves one half of the original curvature rather of obliterating both sides . And finally , ascendance handles no longer snatch up to grid , offering you much more exemption when you must ferment with grid - based work flow .
The Pen creature ’s new trailer feature shows you the form of the next line section before you drop off the point .
What was left out
One thing that struck me as odd was that Illustrator CC 2014 did not spell presets from Illustrator CC , whereas Photoshop CC 2014 offers to import presets from Photoshop CC . So once again the ennui falls to user to get over items such as Variable Width Line presets and Actions . It was refreshing to see this respect for persistence finally added to Photoshop , and Adobe would do well to add it Illustrator as well .
However , it ’s worth mark that neither lotion inherits the workspace layout or orientation of its predecessor . Upon set up Illustrator CC 2014 , I was required to rearrange panels and reconfigure options to match my preferable workspace in Illustrator CC . Given that Adobe countenance you to sync many setting via the Creative Cloud , it was disappointing that these were ignored upon the launching of the new app ( which is of course tied to the same Adobe ID ) .
Other modest consequence persist . Outline mode still present notched lines ( aliased ) rather than smooth lines ( anti - aliased ) , an anachronism in this day in age . Pattern anti - aliasing stay on to be flaw , with seams at times look within Illustrator and when exported to Photoshop . And we ’re still unable to pick out inside or away alignment for throw on text , take the drug user to either stratum multiple text objects or change text to way of life for more advanced graphic treatments .
Bottom line
Illustrator CC 2014 can not be consider a major young acquittance , but rather , the continued refinement of a venerable tool . It ’s refreshing to see Adobe go back to the basics , upgrading simple conformation putz that have been stagnant for over a decade . Usability enhancement to drawing and linear perspective tools attack out this late revision , and as whole , it feels as though there ’s been a fault in focus from headline features to everyday functionality . It ’s a welcome alteration , and the app is good for it .
