4 Adobe Illustrator Tips For Working With Our Maps
It's always
worth the time to utilize the user guide and tutorial when learning the basics
in Adobe Illustrator. However, if you're really in a hurry to meet a deadline
and just need to do a few things to your map, here are 4 basic tips.
1. Using Layers
All of our
maps utilize numerous layers to help keep things organized and make quick
global changes. They also give you the ability to show and print only the
information you require. To open the Layers Palette in Adobe Illustrator, go
under the Window
menu at the top of the screen and select Layers. Layers are organized, top to
bottom, just like a stack of transparencies. Items on each layer will usually
cover up each and every layer below it, so it's important to keep them in
order.
You can turn a layer off
or on by clicking the icon in the first column (Visibility Column) that looks
like an eyeball or a blank square if the layer is invisible. If you need to
edit items on a specific layer, it will also need to be unlocked. The second
column (Edit Column) will have a blank square for layers that you can edit or a
lock for layers than cannot be edited until they are unlocked.
If you want
to keep a certain layer, but do not want it to print, you can access other
options by double clicking on the layer name and un-checking the Print box. Here you can also change the
layer name and control other features. For even more layer control, click the
small upside-down triangle in the upper right of the Layer panel.
2. Change line thickness, color and dashes
Since the
road lines are separated into categories, it's easy to change the color or
style of a particular set of roads. If they are not already open, you will need
to open the Color,
and Stroke
Palette, which can also be found under the Window menu at the top of the screen. You
can also open the Swatches Palette to access colors that are frequently used in our
maps.
To select
all elements on a specific layer, simply click the little circle immediately to
the right of a layer name. You will also need to select whether you want to
edit the fill or stroke of the objects. Near the bottom of the Tools Palette you should see a pair of
boxes where you can toggle between fill and stroke. Once you have it toggled to
stroke, with everything on the layer selected, you can easily click on a
different color or assign advanced line styles to your road lines.
You may use
the Stroke
Palette to control the thickness (weight) of your lines or create dashes by
assigning dash-gap patterns.
3.
Create double-line roads or outlines
There are
many ways to create new line styles, but this should be the easiest. Many line
styles can be created simply by copying and pasting lines of different styles
on top of each other. Most of our maps already have a double line freeway,
which is simply created by duplicating the layer and assigning a thinner stroke
of a different color to the top lines.
To
duplicate a layer and all the elements on it, click the small upside-down
triangle at the upper corner of the Layers Palette and select Duplicate Layer Name.
Next,
select all on the new layer by clicking the circle next to the layer name.
Change the stroke thickness to a thinner weight and change the color to a
neutral background color. Experiment with line weights and colors on the upper
and lower road layers to achieve the effect you desire.
You can use
the same technique to give the roads the appearance of an outline by making the
lower layer just a little thicker weight and giving it a darker color than the
upper layer.
4. Use Masking to make text more legible
Sometimes
it’s difficult to read text when there are too many busy elements below it,
especially if it crosses over dark color roads. Some people will draw a neutral
color box below each piece of text to mask out the data below it, but there is
an easier way. Simply duplicate
your text layer or copy/paste behind and give the duplicate text a white or
neutral color stroke at least 1 pt thickness or greater. Usually 2-3 pts will
give you a nice masking effect. You never want to just stroke your original
piece of text because it will destroy how the font was meant to appear, so
always use a duplicate directly behind the original text when you want to give
it a stroke effect. It’s also usually best to go to the Stroke Palette and give the duplicate text
round caps and joins.
