Table of Contents
Advertisement
Adobe Illustrator Help
Using Help
|
Contents
Working with symbols
A symbol is an art object that you store in the Symbols palette and reuse in a document.
For example, if you create a symbol from a flower, you can then add instances of that
symbol multiple times to your artwork without actually adding the complex art multiple
times. Each symbol instance is linked to the symbol in the palette. If you use the same
artwork multiple times within a document, symbols can save time and greatly reduce file
size. Symbols also provide excellent support for SWF and SVG export.
After you create a symbol, you can edit the symbol's instances on the artboard and, if you
want, redefine the original symbol with the edits. Symbolism tools let you add and manip-
ulate multiple symbol instances at once. (See
Using the Symbols palette
Use the Symbols palette to store, manage, and place symbols.
To open the Symbols palette:
Choose Window > Symbols.
To display the Symbols palette menu:
Click the triangle at the upper right corner of the palette.
To change the view of symbols in the Symbols palette:
Choose one of the following from the Symbols palette menu: Thumbnail View, Small List
View, or Large List View.
Note: You can arrange the listings alphabetically by choosing Sort by Name.
Creating symbols
You can create symbols from any Illustrator art object, including paths, compound paths,
text, raster images, mesh objects, and groups of objects. (However, you cannot use
nonembedded placed art as a symbol, nor can you use some groups, such as groups of
graphs.) Symbols may also include active objects, such as brush strokes, blends, effects,
or other symbol instances in a symbol. You can use the Symbols palette as a database for
your artwork—to recover the original definition with all of its active elements, simply
expand a symbol instance.
You can modify the symbol instances and automatically update the original symbol art
with your edits. To create new symbols from existing symbols, duplicate a symbol and
edit it.
To create a symbol:
1 Select the artwork you want to use as a symbol.
2 Do one of the following:
Drag the artwork to the Symbols palette. Press Shift as you drag if you want the selected
•
artwork to become an instance of the newly created symbol.
Click the New Symbol button in the Symbols palette.
•
Choose New Symbol from the Symbols palette menu.
•
Using Help
|
Contents
|
Index
|
Index
"Using symbolism tools" on page
Drawing
Back
71
73.)
Back
71
Hide quick links:
Advertisement
Table of Contents
