Using Adobe Illustrator - Creating Symbols 101: Part 1
If you want to create grass, rain, or anything else that requires thousands of the same graphic, using symbols is the way to go.
In my Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer with Lights illustration, I used symbols to create the snowflakes. Here is how I did this, in the following order:
1. Creating Symbols
2. Spraying Symbols
HOW TO CREATE SYMBOLS
1. Create your graphic in Adobe Illustrator. Let's say it's a snowflake:
2. Make sure your Symbols window is visible on the screen. Your Symbols window should look like this:
3. If you can't find your Symbols window on the screen, select Window, then Symbols to make it visible:
4. Select your graphic by clicking it once.
5. With your graphic still selected, click the three lines and the tiny triangle under the close X in the upper right-hand corner of the Symbols window, then select New Symbol...
6. The Symbol Options box should appear:
7. In the Symbol Options box, rename your new symbol whatever you wish, or just leave it as "New Symbol.". You can leave the other Symbol options as they are. The Symbol options are for use in Flash, which I will cover in a different tutorial. Click OK:
8. Your new symbol should now be in the Symbols window:
9. Repeat Steps 1-7 to create new graphics and make symbols out of each of them.
Now you are ready to spray your symbol.
HOW TO SPRAY SYMBOLS
1. Make sure you're in the same document you created your symbol in, and that your Symbols palette is visible. You can delete the snowflake/graphic. If you do this, the snowflake symbol will still be in the Symbols window.
Continued on the next page
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