Now one last trick that I want to pass along to you. Remember how when we created a new file, it just took over our entire screen, that new illustration took over the entire screen. That's because of the settings of this special file that's hidden away, that's called the Adobe Illustrator Startup file and if you change that Startup file then you will change how your new illustration opens as well. Because all this stuff, the size of the illustration window on screen, the zoom ratio and all this other stuff is saved along with the file. So these are actually properties that are saved with the files. So this document will open up the same way next time I open it on this specific screen.
So if you want to change those settings you need to change the Adobe Illustrator Startup file. I wants you to go up to the File menu, choose the Open command. Now it might take you a moment to locate this file. It's a file right there. I have already taken a moment in the background to make sure I go directly to this location. It's a file Adobe Illustrator Startup_CMYK.ai, if you are creating a new CMYK document. The other one is called Adobe Illustrator Startup_RGB, that's when you create a new RGB document.
So one is for one, ones for the other. The reasoning being that you are probably going to use different screen settings, different sort of illustration configurations when creating an illustration for print versus an illustration for the web. But where in heck are these wonderful files? They are -- I am going to click this down pointing arrowhead to show you the path here.
Go inside your C drive, now this is on the PC assuming that you installed the Illustrator to your C drive, not all of you did. Then go inside whatever folder you install applications in. If you did the auto install you just accepted what Illustrator wanted to do. You are inside the C drive then you go inside Program Files, then you go inside Adobe, then you go inside Illustrator CS2, then you go inside Plug-ins. So it's inside the Plug-ins folder that's inside the Application folder right here.
On the Mac, you will be inside whatever the name of your hard drive is, then inside most like the Applications folder, then inside most likely an Adobe Illustrator folder, so you will probably skip this Adobe folder and then inside the Plug-ins folder. So anyway go find that Plug-ins folder. Therein you will find a Startup file. Go ahead and open the one that corresponds to the kind of file you create more often and I am going to say CMYK since that's the world I live in, don't you know? And I am going to click Open in order to open that file.
And look at that. Sure enough it's taking up my entire world here. I am going to press Shift+Tab to get rid of those palettes along the right side of screen. I am going to resize my Illustration window. I am going to press Shift+Tab to bring back my palettes. I am going to go ahead and hide this background illustration, because I don't need it anymore but it does demonstrate that you can have multiple illustrations open inside the Illustrator at the same time. Yahoo! I am going to go ahead and close this file. We already have it saved.
Now I am going back to the Adobe Illustrator Startup_CMYK.ai file, make it the size I want it to be. I am going to zoom the file to whatever size I want it be. 100% is fine. I am going to change the Document Setup as well. So let's say for example, I am always creating 6X6 inch illustrations. That just happens to be the way I work, whatever wacky world it is I am living in. That's the rules of the game. So I am going to choose Document Setup from the File menu. I am going to change the Width to 6in, Tab, I am going to change the Height to 6in, Tab and then I am going to click OK in order to accept that change. I am going to press Ctrl+1 or Command+1 on the Mac to make sure that I have centered my illustration inside the window.
If I want, I could go ahead and draw rectangle and the reason I am doing that is just to make sure that Illustrator knows there is something I want to save here. This isn't going to effect what's in my new illustration that I create. Just sort of a little placeholder guy just to say to Illustrator, hey, I did something, I want to save my illustration. Now go up to File menu and choose Save and that's all you have to do, just choose the Save command or press Ctrl+S, Command+S on the Mac.
Now for the moment of truth, I am going to go ahead and close this document by pressing Ctrl+W or Command+W on the Mac. You can also press Ctrl+F4 on the PC if you prefer that technique, those of you who are old schoolers.
Now I am going to press Ctrl+N, Command+N on the Mac to bring up the New Document dialog box. I will go ahead and name my document Just for larfs and notice the Width is 432 pixels right now. That is 432 points that is -- I don't know why I am in the unit of measure pixels, but I will change it back to points. That is to say 6X6 inches, so I do have the right size going.
I will click OK in order to accept that change and then there is my new illustration, the right size, more or less in the right place. I had to move it over just a little bit and the right zoom level, every things the way that I wanted to be. Thanks to the fact that I have changed my Adobe Illustrator Startup_CMYK file. The only difference would be if I created a new RGB document in which case I would also need to change that Adobe Illustrator Startup_RGB document in kind.
Alright, good job folks. You owe yourself a pat on the back. You have successfully completed Lesson 1. You know what Illustrator does, you know what vectors are all about and you know how to create a new illustration inside of Illustrator CS, but we have only begun my friend. By the time you finish the next 23 lessons your head will be popping with more information than anybody you know on the topic of Illustrator. So get set and get ready for Lesson 2.
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