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Part I ✦ Illustrator Basics
Typing keyboard commands
Keyboard commands are shortcuts for common activities that you perform in
Illustrator. These shortcuts typically use the Ô [Ctrl] key in combination with
other keys.
Many of the Illustrator menu items have keyboard shortcuts listed next to their
names. Pressing the key combination does the same thing as choosing that menu
item from the menu. Some menu items do not have keyboard commands; usually,
you have to choose those items from the menu.
On a Macintosh, common keys that are used with the Ô key are the Option key
(located handily next to the Ô key) and the Shift key. The Control key is used only
to simulate the right mouse button that Windows users have (OS X also supports
a multi-button mouse). By default, no keyboard commands use the Control key,
although you can assign them if you wish. You hold down these keys while you
press another key or click the mouse to perform a specific function.
On a Windows system, the Ctrl key is used along with the Alt and Shift keys. If you
press certain combinations of these keys while pressing another key or clicking the
mouse, the related function activates.
In Appendix B, “Shortcuts in Illustrator 10,” you can find a complete listing of the
default key commands for Macintosh and Windows systems. You can learn how to
make your own custom keyboard shortcuts in Chapter 15, “Customizing and
Optimizing Illustrator.”
Keyboard commands are as important to an Illustrator artist as the mouse is; with
a little practice, you can learn them quickly. Besides, many of the default keyboard
commands are the same from program to program, which will make you an instant
expert in software that you haven’t used yet! Good examples of this are the Cut/
Copy/Paste set of commands (Ô+X, C, V [Ctrl+X, C, V]), Select All (Ô+A [Ctrl+A]),
and Save (Ô+S [Ctrl+S]).
Using the status bar
In the lower-left corner is the status bar, which includes a Zoom drop-down list and
a button that displays all sorts of neat information you just can’t get anywhere else.
The default is usually set to display the name of the current tool, but if you click on
the status bar, you can select from the following options:
✦ Current Tool: Displays the name of the selected tool.
✦ Date and Time: Displays the current date and time.
✦ Free Memory: Displays a percentage and the amount of RAM that is free and
available.
✦ Number of Undos: Displays the number of undos and redos that are queued.
✦ Document Color Profile: Displays the current Color Profile.
Cross-
Reference
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