The default sizes in Illustrator can be easy to work with but often cause issues in print. It is generally preferred to have a customized size to fit your needs. This article dives into how you can resize in Illustrator. 

You can resize both the Artboard and the images by entering values manually or by entering specific dimensions according to your needs. 

To learn more about these processes, please continue reading. 

How To Resize The Artboard In Illustrator

Illustrator allows you to change the size of the artboard using two ways. The first method is based on your intuition, while the second method requires accuracy and gives you a precise result. 

Resize Artboard In Illustrator Manually

To resize the artboard manually in Illustrator:

1. Open up Illustrator.
2. Go to your tools panel and look for the Artboard tool. If you cannot find it press the Shift + O keys or the Command + O keys in Mac. 
3. Once this tool is selected, a selection will appear around the entire artboard. 
4. There are handles in all four corners and handles in the center of the four lines around the artboard. 
5. To preserve the aspect ratio of your artboard, press and hold Shift or Command while dragging one of the corner handles. 
6. To scale from the center, press and hold the Shift and Alt or Command and Option keys while dragging one of the corners of the artboard. 
7. The handles in the center of the lines on the sides help reduce the width by dragging them left or right. 
8. The handles in the center of the top and bottom lines can help you reduce the artboard’s height by dragging the handle upwards or downwards. 

Resize Artboard In Illustrator With Specific Values

For further accuracy for projects that need it, you can input specific values to resize the artboard. To do so follow the instructions given below. 

1. Open the document, select the Artboard tool, or hit Shift + O/ Command + O. 
2. A control panel will appear on the top with the options labeled X. Y, W, and H.
3. To adjust without changing the aspect ratio, lock the option between W and H. If you wish not to preserve the aspect ratio, unlock the option. 
4. Input the values of your choice in the panels and the artboard will adjust accordingly. 

For further insight into adjustments, you can make to the artboard, watch this video: 

How To Resize An Image In Illustrator

Images can be resized according to your preference once you have made them in a different size. There are three ways to do it, and we shall dive into all of them. 

Resize Image Manually

To resize the image manually:

1. Select the image. 
2. Press and hold the Shift or Command key and drag one of the corners handles that appeared around the image. 
3. Release your cursor when you are done with the adjustment. 

Resize Image In Illustrator Without Losing The Quality

The method used above may compromise the quality of the image by blurring the edges out. To resize the image while preserving its quality, go through the detailed steps below. 

1. Select the image.
2. In the options that appear in the panel on top, go to Image Trace.
3. In the drop-down menu that appears, select the high-fidelity photo option.
4. An option titled Expand will appear in the same panel; click it. 
5. Once this is done, you can press and hold Shift or Command and drag one of the handles on the image to increase the size. 

Resize Image In Illustrator Using A Specific Value

For exactness and accuracy, you may input a specific dimension you wish your image to be. To do so, follow along with the guided steps that are given below. 

1. Open up the document with the image in it. 
2. Look for the ruler that shows up on the top of the canvas and the left side. 
3. Right-click on the ruler and change the unit of measurement to what you prefer. The options include inches, pixels, centimeters, points, millimeters, and picas. 
4. Once adjusted, go to the selection tool and make a selection of the image. 
5. Right-click on the selection and select Group. This is important to ensure cohesion in the resizing process. 
6. Now go to Windows and then to Transform. 
7. A window will open up with the options X,Y,W, and H. Enter your desired value in terms of the unit of measurement that you picked. 
8. Hit OK when complete.
9. The image will be resized. 

Conclusion

Two main elements in Illustrator may need to be adjusted for a specific size: the artboard and the image. We have given you a comprehensive guide to achieving this easily.

Did you add a drop shadow to an object, but it does not go with the general theme of your piece? You can remove it! Let us show you how to. 

To remove the drop shadow, select the object with the shadow, go to Window, then Appearance. Toggle the eye icon next to the Drop Shadow option in the open window. 

Please continue reading to learn more about adding, removing, and adjusting a drop shadow. 

Why Are Drop Shadows Added In Illustrator?

Drop shadows are a great way to add dimension and depth to your artwork in Adobe Illustrator. They can be used to create a realistic look for your design, making it appear as if it is three-dimensional and almost floating off the page. 

They can help make a design look more professional and polished and make elements appear as if they are floating above the page. Drop shadows can also create a sense of movement and a hint of realism in your artwork.

How To Add A Drop Shadow In Illustrator?

Knowing how to correctly apply the effect before removing it is important. 

To add a drop shadow in Illustrator:

1. Go to Effect in the panel on top.
2. Look for the Stylise option and select it. 
3. In the menu that opens up after Stylise, select Drop Shadow. 
4. A window will pop open.
5. Check the preview option first. This is important so you can see the changes and adjust your settings accordingly.  
6. Select the Multiply mode. We will talk about all the modes later, but we recommend Multiply. 
7. Set the X offset to how big you want the drop shadow to be horizontally or on the X-plane. 
8. Set the Y offset to how low you want the drop shadow vertically or on the Y plane. 
9. Next, you can set the opacity to how strong or dark you wish the shadow would be. 
10. Set the blur according to how diffused you need the drop shadow to be. The lower the blur, the starker the shadow will be. 
11. The color of the shadow can be adjusted as well. Most black is used, but you can switch it up depending on your art.
12. Once you are done, click OK.

How To Remove A Drop Shadow In Illustrator?

Let us get to the real stuff. To remove the drop shadow from an object:

1. Select the object from which you want to remove the drop shadow by clicking on it.
2. Go to the Window option in the panel on top.
3. Here go to Appearance, and a window will appear. 
4. In this window, the effects applied to the object will be shown. 
5. Spot an eye next to the Drop Shadow option. 
6. Click on the eye to turn the drop shadow off. 
7. Click OK. 
8. You can come back and turn this on. 

For further help, watch this tutorial:

How To Change The Drop Shadow Settings In Illustrator?

The ability to adjust your work is the best thing about digital art. To adjust your drop shadow settings, follow the steps below. 

1. Select the object with the drop shadow that needs revision. 
2. Go to the Window option in the panel on top.
3. Here go to Appearance, and a window will appear. 
4. In this window, the effects applied to the object will be shown. 
5. Look for the Drop Shadow option. 
6. Click on this to open up the drop shadow window, which allows you to change the drop shadow’s offsets, blur, color, and opacity. 
7. Make your changes. 
8. Click OK.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does The Drop Shadow Adjust If The Object Is Moved?

If you move the object around, the drop shadow will move along with it. Not only that, but if you change the item’s size, the drop shadow will also adjust accordingly. The need for introducing a new drop shadow will not be felt. 

Can Drop Shadow Be Applied To Several Objects At The Same Time?

Yes. Drag your cursor over the items to which you wish to add the drop shadow. Once the selection is made, right-click and choose Group. The items will be grouped, and you can repeat the same steps above. However, if you ungroup the items, you will lose the effect. To work around this, it is a good idea to add the drop shadow at the end of your work. 

Conclusion

The drop shadow tool is wonderful for enhancing the work that you have. It also allows you to make it seem more realistic. Follow these detailed guides when adding, removing, or adjusting the drop shadows in your work.

With the excellent page layout tool in Adobe InDesign, you can design almost anything you can imagine. However, it might be challenging to understand what’s going on after you receive a complicated document loaded with strategically positioned photos, text frames, baseline grids, instructions, and more! Fortunately, there’s an easy way to switch between a clear preview of your final product and the default InDesign editing mode.

To preview your work in Adobe InDesign, all you really need to do is press the W key. This will instantly take you to preview mode. If you want InDesign to incorporate Bleed and Slug areas into preview, then you have to use the shortcut Shift + W.

Keep reading below as we describe these steps in more detail.

Switching Screen Modes In Indesign

• Press the W key to swiftly switch view modes in InDesign so you can preview your work. That is pretty much all you need to do.

For more information on how to switch to preview mode in InDesign, watch this informative video below:

The object borders, margins, guides, and other on-screen components like the bleed and slug regions will all be hidden by InDesign, so you can see exactly how your project will appear after it has been published.

• The Screen Mode popup menu, adjacent to the toolbox, allows you to alternate between Normal and Preview modes. If you don’t like it, you may click “Preview” after opening the View menu and choosing the Screen Mode submenu.

Previewing Bleed And Slug Areas In Indesign

There are a few more alternatives for previewing your work based on what you’d like to do, as you presumably observed when experimenting with the screen mode popup menu.

It is possible to examine a preview that incorporates bleed and slug sections in addition to the trim size of your document in the standard preview mode mentioned above. 

• You will need to manually choose the Bleed and Slug screen modes using one of the screen mode menus because the convenient keyboard shortcut is ineffective for these settings.

Previewing As A Full-Screen Presentation In Indesign

• You may see a preview of the work in full-screen presentation mode by pressing the keyboard shortcut Shift + W if you would like to show your work in an even more professional manner for a business meeting or a manager who drops by your desk without warning.

The Screen Mode popup menu underneath the toolbox and the Screen Mode part of the View menu may be used to start the full-screen presentation mode, although they all have the same effect. 

By doing this, all InDesign user interface components will be hidden, and your work will be shown as large as it can be. Due to the ease of use of rich media and other engaging aspects, this is a great way to preview digital documents.

• Press Escape to leave full-screen preview mode once you’re done.

A Word On Display Performance

Although everyone is aware that computers are always becoming more powerful, not so long ago, a document created in InDesign with hundreds of high-resolution photographs might have caused a computer to stutter.

In order to maintain a functional and snappy interface, Adobe countered this by employing low-resolution preview images for on-screen presentation. However, many amateur InDesign users were perplexed by the fact that their high-resolution images started to look terrible on display even if they printed out perfectly fine.

Images can be displayed at their maximum resolution using the Display Performance setting in the View menu; however, this feature is turned on by default if InDesign determines that your computer contains a graphics processing unit (GPU) that can handle it.

Most contemporary computers can do this easily, and your photographs should be shown correctly throughout editing and preview.

• Check your Display Performance option by accessing the View menu, choosing the Display Performance submenu, and choosing High-Quality Display if you’re editing with InDesign and encountering fuzzy pictures.
• As a substitute, you can lower the quality to “typical” or “fast” if your machine is having trouble enhancing speed.

Keep in mind that this only alters how pictures seem when viewed inside of InDesign; it has no bearing on how they look once exported or printed.

Conclusion

That’s pretty much all there is to learn about using InDesign’s preview feature. There are a few other preview modes for color proofing and verifying overprints, but they are extremely specialist modes that require their own lessons.

Printing a picture on a single page might not be adequate for making a large-scale poster or banner. You need a technique to split the image and print it across numerous pages. The easiest technique to maintain picture quality with a huge size is to know how to print a large image on numerous pages in Photoshop.

Making a large picture into a Photoshop PDF file, opening the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader, and printing the large image as a banner are the quickest ways to print a large image in Photoshop on numerous pages. You may manually copy and paste selections into several smaller pictures to print or use the Slice Tool to break your image into many portions. 

Continue reading for more information. 

How To Print A Large Image On Multiple Pages Photoshop

You can print a large image on multiple pages in Photoshop through 2 methods. In this section, we will cover them both.

For more information on how to print a large image on multiple pages in Photoshop, watch this video below:

Method 1: Using the Slice Tool

In the first approach, we will break our image into several portions using the slice tool prior to printing it.

1. Specify the image’s size based on the largest printable size.
2. Decide on the picture size that has to be printed first. You must choose how many parts to divide your image into based on the size of the page.
3. Divide the picture size by the largest print size that your printer will allow as an easy way to accomplish this. You will then know how many pieces you need. For optimum results, use a wide format printer.

Open Picture

• Launch Adobe Photoshop CC and choose your image file.

Make Use of the Divide Slice Tool

1. Right-click the Crop tool in the toolbar and choose Slice from the menu that appears.
2. The Slice tool would be displayed in the toolbar in place of the Crop tool if you had previously chosen that option for a picture.
3. Divide Slice may be selected with a right-click on the picture.

Specify the Configurations in the Divide Slice Tool Dialog Box

1. Tick the boxes next to “Divide Horizontally Into” and “Divide Vertically Into” in the Divide Slice dialogue box.
2. Enter the required number of parts both horizontally and vertically.
3. Set the resolution for both the vertical and horizontal parts.
4. Select OK.

Save the Picture

1. The Export option may be expanded by selecting the File menu.
2. Choose “Save for Web” (Legacy).
3. Alternatively, you may save for the web by pressing ALT + SHIFT + CTRL + S on a Windows computer or OPT + SHIFT + CMD + S on a Mac.
4. Select JPEG and Maximum from the drop-down menu under Preset.
5. Select Save.

Print the Images

1. Your sliced images will be put in a folder that Photoshop generates. Then print them as normal after opening them.
2. When the photos are printed, you may put them together like a jigsaw puzzle and mount them to make a big banner or poster.

Method 2: Manually Copying Selections

You can also print a large image on multiple pages by manually copying sections. Follow the steps below to find out how.

Open the Photo

1. Launch Adobe Photoshop and open the picture.
2. Establish the largest printable size as well as the printed image’s size.
3. Check your printer’s maximum print dimensions. Knowing the maximum size your printer can print is necessary if you want to print a large image. You will then better understand how many pages you will need to print this particular image.

Divide Image into Sections Using Marquee Tool

1. Divide the image into the necessary number of pieces after you know the exact sizes for each segment and the overall number of sections.
2. The Rectangular Marquee tool may be used to make the selections. Pick the appropriate tool from the toolbar, then decide based on the size of each section.

Copy Sections to Separate Images in New Files

1. The selection you made has to be copied at this point. Click on Copy from the Edit menu up top. Afterward, select New from the File menu.
2. Copy and paste your selection into the new file. Photoshop automatically crops the image to suit the copied section. Select “Ok.”
3. Paste the sections you’ve made into new files and repeat the process for each one.
4. Figure out the print resolution and orientation.
5. Select Print from the File menu.
6. Pick the print quality and paper type in the dialogue box that appears. If you are printing for desktop use, ensure the print resolution is configured to a minimum of 150 DPI, or 300 DPI when you’re printing for business-related purposes.
7. From the print options, adjust the orientation. Select between portrait (vertical) and landscape (horizontal) depending on your needs.
8. Select Print.

Print the Files Separately

• Print each section (which are now distinct photos) one at a time. Glossy paper is strongly advised if you want prints that are as good as those from a professional printer. 

Put together All the Pages to Form the Image

• To get the entire large image, combine the separate printed pages. When assembling them, you may either chop off the white borders or utilize them to overlap the subsequent portion.

Conclusion

When printing a huge image using Photoshop, there are simple steps to follow that guarantee superior quality and accurate portions that you may combine. The method relies on your printer and the Photoshop version you’re using. 

For your ease, we have listed how to print a large image in the current and previous versions of Adobe Photoshop.

You’ll need to put one picture on top of another at some point in your design career. You can do many different things, like adding effects, making composite photographs, using multiple exposures, and creating collages.

To do this, first, you must determine which picture you want to put on your base image. Then you can place the foreground picture by simply dragging it from another location onto your Photoshop work. You can also use the Copy and Paste functions to do this.

Keep reading below for more information. 

How To Put One Picture On Top Of Another In Photoshop

You can put one picture on top of another in Photoshop by following the simple steps in this section.

For more information on this topic, watch the video below:

Step 1: Select Your Pictures

Depending on how precise you need to be with the fine-tuning, this can take a while. But the majority of the time, it goes quite quickly.

The hardest part, in my opinion, is choosing the ideal image for the overlay. It becomes more difficult as you try to visualize putting numerous photos on top of one another. However, this approach is innovative and enjoyable because of the almost limitless possibilities!

Step 2: Add the Top Image

1. Open Photoshop and begin with your background image.
2. You can accomplish this in a few different ways. Pick up the overlay picture and place it right on top of the underlying image (from a folder or another location). It’ll appear as a fresh layer.
3. The overlay picture may also be opened in Photoshop independently. To copy a picture, use Control + C (Command + C) after selecting the whole image with Control + A (Command + A). To paste it, return to the base picture and press Control + V (Command + V). It will once again appear as a new layer.

This technique proves to be quite useful when you simply want to use a portion of the overlay picture.

Step 3: Choose a Blending Mode

The current result obviously won’t work, as the upper layer entirely obscures the image underneath. One of Photoshop’s 27 blending modes may be used to combine the two images seamlessly.

• To set the blending mode, choose the top layer and select the box (which shows Normal by default).

Knowing how every one of the blending modes in the menu that will display works is a complicated subject that is outside the scope of this tutorial. Photoshop will provide a preview when you hover your cursor over each type to get an idea of how it operates.

• For this tutorial, we will choose Screen. With this blending setting, the image’s brightest areas are preserved while its darkest areas are blurred.

Step 4: Resize and Position

If the actual picture is larger than the overlay, you need to enlarge it since you want it to fill the entire image. Occasionally, you might want it only partially to cover the original image. The procedure is the same, regardless of your requirements.

1. Press Control + T (Command + T) to launch the Transform tool while the top layer is chosen. The layer will be surrounded by a box with squares in each corner. To alter the size of certain boxes, click and drag them.
2. Additionally, you may flip a picture horizontally or vertically by right-clicking on it and choosing the relevant option.

Step 5: Edit the Picture

You can make a few modifications in case the top layer is a touch-distracting.

1. Start by removing the overlay from some of the image’s areas. This will serve to bring the viewer’s attention to the subject rather than distract from it.
2. To do this, you must make a mask and remove the top parts from the desired areas with a brush. Click the “mask” option at the end of the Layers panel while the top layer is chosen. The top layer will then show a white mask.
3. You may choose a brush by pressing B on the keyboard or choosing the Brush tool from the toolbox on the left.
4. You can now use black as the foreground color when painting over the regions where you wish to take the overlay off. Gently remove the most distracting portions of the top layer since you don’t want to remove too much of it or it will appear out of place.
5. The effect could, however, be a little too intense. In that case, reduce the layer’s opacity by altering the percentage in the opacity box to correct it. 
6. For this tutorial, we recommend you set it to 65%.
7. Add a final touch by slightly modifying the color to resemble the original image. Select the adjustment layer button at the end of the Layers panel. It looks like a circle that is just partially filled. Next, select Hue/Saturation.
8. Clip the adjustment layer to the overlay layer in the window that appears. This will instruct Photoshop only to make the alterations to the picture that is on top. Then tweak the hue, saturation, and lightness sliders until you arrive at a design you prefer.

Conclusion

And there we go. This tutorial showed how you can put one picture on top of another in Photoshop and even blend them. It’s a simple skill that you must learn if you want to create amazing designs. Happy editing!

Do you need more space on your device? That is no reason to quit making art and illustrations. A quick solution for storage problems is to save your files in a smaller size. The default file size for Adobe Illustrator is huge and takes up plenty of space. 

To reduce Illustrator file size, you can delete unused panels, reduce the resolution of the raster effects, make symbols of items, flatten the transparency, and tweak some options when saving the file to your device. 

Please continue reading to learn how to use these options and accomplish your goals. 

Delete Unused Panels To Reduce Illustrator File Size

When making art in Illustrator, there may be some panels that you do not use, but they still take up space in the final file that you save. Some examples of these are swatches and brushes. Look at the instructions below to delete the unused panels to get a smaller file. 

Once you’re done with your design: 

1. Go to Windows in the panel on top.
2. In the drop-down, click on the Actions option.
3. A window will open up. Here, choose the “Delete Unused Panel.”
4. On the bottom of the window, hit the play button. 
5. This will show you all the unused panels and delete them. 

To learn more about the methods discussed in this article, watch this youtube video: 

Reduce The Resolution Of The Raster Effects To Reduce Illustrator File Size

Reducing the resolution of the raster effects does not compromise the quality of the image, but it can be helpful when the file size needs to be reduced. 

Raster VS Vector Effects

Raster effects are special effects that can be applied to bitmap images and raster graphics. These can create various visual effects, such as blurring, sharpening, adjusting contrast, adjusting saturation, and more. 

Raster effects are made up of pixels, and vector effects are created using mathematical equations. Vector effects can produce more complex and precise shapes than raster effects. Vector effects are also easier to edit and manipulate than raster effects.

How To Reduce The Resolution Of The Raster Effects?

To reduce the resolution of the raster effects: 

1. Go to Effect from the top panel.
2. Choose “Document Raster Effect Settings.”
3. Choose the Resolution to Medium (150 ppi) or Screen (72 ppi) in the window that pops up.
4. Click OK once you are done. 

Make Symbols To Reduce File Size In Illustrator

Making symbols of the items you have introduced in your work reduces the file size and makes coming back to your work and using the symbol repeatedly a lot easier. 

To make symbols: 

1. Choose the item that you wish to duplicate. 
2. Go to Windows. Scroll down to find the Symbols tool. 
3. Open up the symbols window. 
4. Select the item by dragging the cursor over the item and making a selection. 
5. Go to the symbols window and click on the dots in the top right corner.
6. Select New Symbol.
7. A window will appear to name the symbol the way you like.
8. Click OK. 

How To Use The Symbol Later?

You will need to use the symbol later and to do so:

1. Go to Windows and select Symbols. 
2. The symbols window will appear.
3. In the window, select the symbol that you wish to use. 
4. Go to the tools panel and select Symbol Sprayer.
5. Now click on the canvas wherever you want. The symbol will keep printing easily. 

Tweak The Saving Settings To Reduce Illustrator File Size

Illustrator has some default settings that might increase the file of your size. To fix them and reduce the file size, follow the steps given ahead. 

1. Go to File and click Save as. 
2. In the window that appears, name the file and click save.
3. Another window will open in Illustrator.
4. Here, uncheck the “Create Pdf Compatible File” option.
5. Then, check the “Use Compression” option. 
6. Click OK. 

Flatten Transparency To Reduce File Size

The flattened transparency tool allows you to reduce the resolution of panels which you otherwise might not be able to do. 

Follow the instructions below to reduce the resolution:

1. Go to Object in the options shown in the top panel.
2. Then choose Flatten Transparency.
3. Reduce the resolution on all of the following:
   • Preset
   • Line Art And Text Resolution
   • Gradient And Mesh Resolution
4. Check the “Convert all strokes to outlines” option. 
5. Click OK and save your file as you normally would. 

Conclusion

We have offered you five different options to reduce the file size in Illustrator. The number of options is so great because some of these methods might not work for the preferences you have for your work. Depending on your priority, you can choose from any of these to save some space.

Have you worked day and night on something to lose it to a glitch or accident? It has happened to the best of us. These files can be recovered most of the time.

To recover an illustrator file, you can recover them from the recycle bin, recover them by relaunching the software, or you can reopen them from the backups that are saved on your PC. 

To learn more about all the methods, please continue reading this article. 

Why Is The Recovery Of Files Needed?

Some of us may be wondering why there would be a time when the recovery of files would be needed. These people have yet to have the unpleasant experience of losing files. Here are some instances when the recovery of files becomes imperative because the file is not usable. 

Glitches in Illustrator

The Adobe Illustrator software is very prone to glitches, despite being high-end software with an excellent user interface. When such instances occur, the files appear corrupt and cannot be used.

Accidents

After spending hours on a project, it is understandable for artists to make small errors. With the trial and error that takes place, deleting files accidentally happens quite often. 

Corrupt Files

Sometimes, you might be doing everything right, but the file would only save as a corrupt file. Even when the file is saved as a normal one, it may show an error for a corrupt file when opened. 

Device Malfunction

The only thing about technology that keeps all of us on edge is its uncertainty and unreliability. Device malfunctions are quite common and may result in significant data loss. 

File Types Supported On Illustrator

Before recovering files, it is important to know the type of files supported on Illustrator. When a document is saved, you are shown the options to choose from when deciding the format for your final file. 

• AI Illustrator (.ai)
• Illustrator EPS (.eps)
• Illustrator PDF (.pdf)
• Illustrator SVG (.svg)

This Youtube video may provide insight into recovering files: 

Recover Illustrator Files From The Recycle Bin

This method addresses the accidents part of our reasons for why a file may need to be recovered. If you accidentally deleted a file, you should go to the recycle bin and check if the file is still there. If it is, right-click on the file and “Recover File.” 

Recover Illustrator Files By Relaunching Adobe Illustrator 

Adobe Illustrator may have glitches; it often crashes in the middle of working or does not save files as it should. However, with these glitches, Adobe Illustrator offers its users a way to recover the file. 

1. Relaunch the software.
2. Wait for a dialogue box to pop up, which shows an alert for the unexpected quitting of the software and an unsaved file. 
3. When the dialog box appears, click on OK. 
4. The file that you were working on will be displayed.
5. Now go to File, click Save as, name the file, and click OK. 
6. Your file has successfully been recovered. 

Recover Illustrator Files From Files Backup

Illustrator offers the option of backing up the files for users who may be scared of losing them. The files are saved directly to your pc and can be discovered. Let us break this down into two steps and explain how to go through the process smoothly. 

How To Turn On Backup

To turn on Auto-save for your Illustrator files:

1. Go to Edit.
2. Then in the drop-down menu, choose Preferences.
3. A window will pop open. Here, in the panel on the right, choose File Handling.
4. Under the File Save Options, click on the box next to Automatically Save Data After to turn Auto save on. 
5. In time, choose whatever time suits you. We recommend two minutes.  
6. All your files will be backed up after this point. 

How To Recover Files From Backup

To recover the files that are automatically saved by Illustrator:

1. Go to your windows explorer on windows.
2. Go to the Users folder and go to your User. 
3. Now go to App Data and Adobe, followed by Adobe Illustrator Settings. 
4. Click on the en_US folder > x64.
5. In the folder that opens, go to Data Recovery.
6. All the files will be here, and you can find the file of your concern to recover it. 
7. Open the file in Illustrator.
8. Go to File > Save as > Name the file and hit Save. 

Conclusion

Losing files can be heartbreaking and might lead to emotions, but most files can be recovered using the right tools. If the steps mentioned above do not work, you may use software specializing in data recovery. You should research and pick the one that fits your needs and budget.

New to animation? Try rotoscoping! If this sounds daunting, we urge you to continue with this article, follow the steps, and see for yourself. 

To rotoscope, you will open your reference video, zoom into the layer to see each frame, create a new layer, overlap the first video layer and this new layer, begin drawing on the layer for all frames, add a background layer, and then add a new layer to add color. 

To understand each step in detail, continue reading. 

What Is Rotoscoping?

Rotoscoping is an animation technique that traces motion picture footage frame by frame to produce realistic action. It is commonly used to create special effects for movies and videos and traditional animation. 

By tracing over the footage, animators can create realistic movements and create realistic animation. The footage is later removed, leaving only the animated sequence. 

Open The Video

First, you need to open the video you will use as a reference. 

1. Select the video layer.
2. Click the little downward arrow at the end of the timeline bar. 
3. In the dropdown menu, click Set Timeline Frame.
4. In the window that opens, choose a lower rate of frames per second. We are going to be going with 12 fps. 

Zoom Into The Layer To See Each Frame

It would help if you saw each frame separately. To be able to do that:

1. Under the layers panel, look for a slider with a plus sign on one end and a negative sign on the other. 
2. Slide towards the plus sign.
3. This will not change the video. 
4. Above the layer, you will begin to see numbers. These are the number of frames, and you can differentiate between each frame easily now. 

Create A New Layer

To create a new layer on which you can draw:

1. Go to the top panel and click on Layers.
2. In the dropdown menu, go to Video Layers and then choose New Blank Video Layer. 
3. A new layer will appear and be put alongside the first layer in the timeline. 

Put The Two Layers Together

To work on the two layers by drawing about the first one, the layers need to overlap. To do so:

1. Go to the layers panel on the right side of the screen. 
2. Click and drag the second layer outside the Video Group. 
3. In the timeline, take the second layer and drag it to place it above the first one. 

Draw On The New Layer

The fun and most exciting parts are here. Draw on the layers by following these instructions first:

1. Select Layer 2 in the layers panel on the right side of the screen.
2. Go to the brush tool in the tools panel.
3. Choose a brush and adjust the size according to the requirements of the animation. 
4. Begin drawing and be patient. 

Add A Background

The animation would require a background. To add a background:

1. Open up a new file.
2. Here, open up the image that you wish to use as the background. 
3. Now drag this image and move it to the tab that contains the rotoscoping file. 
4. Once you release your cursor to drop the image, you will notice a new layer forming. 
5. Set this third layer behind the second layer, so the animation falls onto it. 
6. Extend this layer across the frames in the timeline. 

Continue On All Frames

Now that you know the process, continue moving on to the next frames. Turn the background layer off while you do this. Keep tracing the object that needs to be animated. This may take a while, but keep going. 

Add Color To The Animation

What is an animation without color? To add color:

1. Create a new layer by going to Layers > Video Layers > New Blank Video Layer.
2. This is your Layer 4. 
3. Place this below Layer 2. 
4. Extend the layer across all frames. 
5. Select Layer 4 and then select the brush tool. 
6. Move from one frame to the next while adding color to your animations. 

Export The File

Play the video to see the masterpiece that you just created. Once you are satisfied with it, click File in the top panel. Go to Save as, name the file and save it. 

If you still need help finding yourself, look into this video to learn more: 

Conclusion

Rotoscoping is a time-consuming process, and it may greatly test your patience. However, be patient and understand that each frame will take a while. Do not give up, and keep going. The result will make it all worth it.

After using Adobe Photoshop, did you find it difficult to shift to Adobe Illustrator once you discovered you couldn’t rotate the canvas?  Even when you didn’t use Photoshop beforehand, having the ability only to rotate the artboard was a problem. But Illustrator now offers the option to rotate the artboard.

“Rotate View Tool” should be selected from the toolbar. To switch the orientation of the artboard, pick the tool by pressing Shift + H and dragging it across the page. To switch between the angles, use the gadget displayed when you rotate the canvas.

Keep reading below for more information.

How To Rotate An Illustrator Artboard

There are two ways to accomplish this, and we’ve discussed both of them here.

For more information on how to rotate an Illustrator artboard, watch this video below:

Using Rotate View Tool

To use the rotate view tool, follow the steps below.

Step 1: Create a New Document in Adobe Illustrator

1. Start a new document by selecting the “Create New” option in Adobe Illustrator. The “New Document” box will appear; select the canvas size from there.
2. The canvas size in this lesson is set to 1920 by 1080 pixels. Give your file a name, choose the “Width,” and repeat for the “Height.” Select “Create” to get started.
3. Control (CTRL) + N (Windows) or Command + N (MAC) is the keyboard shortcut for launching a new file.
4. Additionally, you can utilize any existing document. Select the file by clicking the “Open” button.

Step 2: Draw

You can ignore this step if you want to utilize an existing image. 

1. Draw a subject, a few lines, or even a complete piece of art after creating a New File. The “Paintbrush Tool” (abbreviated “B”) can be used in the tutorial to create the lines. Be imaginative; it doesn’t have to be flawless.

Step 3: Select Rotate View Tool from the Toolbar

1. The “Edit Toolbar…” option with three dots is located at the end of the Toolbar. The menu, including all the tools, will appear once you press on it. 
2. Drag the chosen tool to the toolbar, in this example, the “Rotate View Tool.” That’s how easy it is. The amount of tools you can put on your toolbar is unrestricted.

Step 4: Choose the Rotate View Tool

1. Pick the tool by looking for it in the Toolbar. If it wasn’t put there by you, it was probably put there alongside the “Hand Tool.”
2. Shift + H is the keyboard shortcut for the “Rotate View Tool.”

Step 5: Rotate the Artboard

1. Once you’ve chosen your tool, select any location on the canvas and drag it there until you get the outcome you want. 
2. Repeat the method if you’re not happy with the initial round until you are satisfied. 
3. The gadget will emerge as you move the canvas, and switching between different perspectives will be simple.

Step 6: Save the Rotated View

1. You may keep the rotation as a pre-set when you are satisfied with the results. 
2. A window will appear after selecting “New View” from the drop-down option under “View” in the menu bar. 
3. Select the view’s name and click “OK.” 
4. Click “View” and choose the preset view to reapply it.

Step 7: Reset the Rotated View

There is a technique to restore the canvas rotation from the initial rotation if you have reconsidered and prefer it now. 

1. All rotation modifications will be undone if you select “View” in the menu bar and choose “Reset Rotate View.”
2. Shift + Control (CTRL) + 1 (Windows) or Shift + Command + N (Mac) is the keyboard shortcut to activate “Reset Rotate View.”

Using the Hand Tool

You can use the hand tool to rotate an artboard by following the steps below.

Step 1: Choose the Hand Tool

Although it may also be utilized to rotate the canvas, this feature is primarily utilized to rotate the canvas. 

1. Find and pick the “Hand Tool” from the toolbar. 
2. Utilize the shortcut key by hitting the character “H” on the keyboard to access the tool easily.

Step 2: Rotate the Canvas

1. Ensure that the tool is chosen. 
2. The “Hand Tool” will change to the “Rotate View Tool” when you click and press Space and Shift together until you release the keys. 
3. Drag and move the canvas while holding the keys to get the required angle. 
4. Repeat the procedure if the initial rotation didn’t meet your needs. 
5. The gadget will emerge as you drag the canvas, making it easy to switch between different angles.

Conclusion

This tutorial covered two easy methods you can follow to rotate the artboard. It’s something that every professional should know about. We hope the instructions in this article will prove useful when you set out to do your own editing.