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Creating a new document

To start, you’ll create a new document for the logo.

  1. Choose File > New.

  2. In the New Document dialog box, change the following options:

    • Click the Print category at the top of the dialog box.

    • Click the Letter blank document preset, if it isn’t already selected.

    You can set up a document for different kinds of output, such as print, web, video, and more, by choosing a category.

    For example, if you are designing a flyer or poster, you can select the Print category and select a document preset (size). The document will be set with the units in points (most likely), the color mode as CMYK, and the raster effects to High (300 ppi)—all optimal settings for a print document.

  3. On the right side of the dialog box, in the Preset Details area, change the following:

    • Enter a name for the document under Preset Details: AdventureLogo.

    The name will become the name of the Illustrator file when you save it later.

    • Units: Choose Inches from the units menu to the right of the Width field.

    • Width: Select the Width value, and type 8.

    • Height: Select the Height value, and type 8.

    • Orientation: Portrait (portrait.jpg).

    • Artboards: 1 (the default setting).

    f0079-01.jpg

    At the bottom of the Preset Details section on the right side of the dialog box, you will also see Advanced Options and a More Settings button (you may need to scroll to see it). They contain more settings for document creation that you can explore on your own.

  4. Click Create to create a new document.

Saving your document

With the document open, now you’ll save it locally.

  1. Choose File > Save.

  2. If the Cloud Document dialog box opens, click Save On Your Computer to save the document locally.

    f0079-02.jpg

    To learn more about cloud documents, see the sidebar “What are cloud documents?” after this section.

  3. In the Save dialog box, set the following options:

    • Filename: AdventureLogo.ai

    • Saved in the Lessons > Lesson03 folder.

    • Leave Adobe Illustrator (ai) chosen from the Format menu (macOS) or Adobe Illustrator (*.AI) chosen from the Save As Type menu (Windows).

    f0079-03.jpg
  4. Click Save.

    Adobe Illustrator (.ai) is called a native format and is your working file. That means it preserves all Illustrator data so you can edit everything later.

  5. In the Illustrator Options dialog box that appears, leave the options at their default settings, and click OK.

    f0080-01.jpg

    The Illustrator Options dialog box is full of options for saving the Illustrator document, from specifying a version for saving to embedding any files that are linked to the document. You usually won’t have to change anything in there.

  6. Choose Window > Workspace and make sure “Essentials” is selected, and then choose Window > Workspace > Reset Essentials to reset the workspace.

  7. Look in the Properties panel on the right.

    With nothing selected in the document, you’ll see settings for the document like the units, navigating and editing artboards, showing and hiding useful features like rulers and guides, and much more.

    You can click the Document Setup button to set options like the document bleed and more.

    f0080-02.jpg
  8. Choose View > Fit Artboard In Window to ensure that you can see the entire artboard (page).

    f0080-03.jpg

What is a bleed? video_icon_final.jpg

To learn about document bleed, check out the video Edit document settings, which you’ll find in the Web Edition. For more information, see the “Web Edition” section of “Getting Started” at the beginning of the book.

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