Illustrator advanced

At a glance

Course dates

Remote

  • 19–20 February 2025
  • 26–27 March 2025
  • 30 April–01 May 2025
  • 04–05 June 2025
  • 09–10 July 2025
  • 13–14 August 2025
  • 17–18 September 2025
  • 22–23 October 2025
  • 26–27 November 2025

Course dates

Remote

  • 19–20 February 2025
  • 26–27 March 2025
  • 30 April–01 May 2025
  • 04–05 June 2025
  • 09–10 July 2025
  • 13–14 August 2025
  • 17–18 September 2025
  • 22–23 October 2025
  • 26–27 November 2025

We are not currently offering this course as classroom training

Overview

This Illustrator advanced training course is the natural next step for those who have previously attended the Illustrator introduction course - or know over 85% of the course outline.

Our focus is not on what you learn – but how you remember. Our accelerated learning format allows you to digest more information by making it more memorable by emphasising how the brain works.

Over the two days of training, you’ll learn how to create compound paths, raster effects, workflows, and more specialist features Illustrator offers.

What to expect from this course

Over the two days of training, you’ll learn more about the specialist features Illustrator offers and go a bit deeper than the introduction course.

Our experienced training instructors will help you master workflows, custom brushes, transparency, and more!

You’ll leave the course with the skills to use features that most people are unaware of and the confidence to take your work to a new level.

Target audience

This course is for designers, marketers, developers, or anyone who has previously attended an introductory training course and wants to learn more about Illustrator's advanced features.

Upon completion, you'll be able to:

  • Master the specialist features that most aren't even aware of in Illustrator
  • Be comfortable using the pen tool, envelope distortions and the brush tool at an advanced level
  • Get the most out of type, colour and how to adjust appearances
  • Create infographics, 3D shapes and how to take full advantage of live paint

Prerequisites

You must already possess basic computer skills, such as knowing how to open and save files onto a computer.

Accelerated learning

Our Accelerated learning approach at Certitec is unique within the Adobe training industry. Our focus is not on what you learn, but how you learn. Referred to as ‘Accelerated Learning’, this process allows you to digest a significant amount of information more quickly, and more easily than through other methods.

Accelerated learning

  • Establish a firm understanding on the learning process before embarking
  • Overcoming any learned helplessness by reframing what will be learnt upon completion
  • Sessions no longer than 60 minutes each to maximise how we learn 
  • The use of course workbooks to strengthen memory retention (classroom)
  • Finding a balance between new and recap learning
  • Kinaesthetic (‘hands-on’) techniques
  • Video of entire course upon completion (remote)

Find out more about our Accelerated learning process.

Outline

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Day one – Enhancing vector processes

Selecting and transforming objects

  • Setting your selection preferences
  • Using the direct selection and group selection tools
  • Using the magic wand tool
  • Using the lasso tool
  • Selecting objects by attributes
  • Resizing your artwork
  • Rotating objects
  • Distorting and transforming objects
  • Repeating transformations
  • Reflecting and skewing objects
  • Aligning and distributing objects

Advancing the pen tool

  • Understanding anchor points
  • Drawing straight segments
  • Editing a path as you draw it with keyboard shortcuts
  • Inserting and removing anchor points
  • Adding curvature
  • Control handless
  • Drawing perfectly smooth outlines
  • Tracing a freeform, curvy path
  • Converting an existing anchor point
  • Working with open and closed paths
  • Joining paths
  • Averaging and aligning paths
  • Using the scissors tool

Working with colour

  • RGB vs CMYK
  • Adjusting Illustrator colour settings
  • Process or global swatches
  • Creating spot colours
  • Using the swatch groups
  • Working with colour libraries
  • Importing swatches
  • Using the colour guide panel
  • The colour panel
  • Defining and using process colours
  • Defining and using global process colours
  • Defining and using spot colours
  • Accessing colour libraries
  • Using Recolor

Working with fills and strokes

  • Working with fills
  • Working with strokes
  • Creating dashes and arrows
  • Creating variable-width strokes
  • Using width profiles
  • Outlining strokes
  • Creating and editing gradients
  • Applying gradients to strokes
  • Applying and editing pattern fills
  • Creating your own pattern fill

Envelope distortions

  • Introducing envelope distort
  • Editing the contents of an envelope
  • Warping an envelope mesh
  • Creating and editing an envelope mesh
  • Blending an envelope into a background

Creating shapes

  • Understanding drawing modes
  • Creating compound paths
  • Creating compound shapes
  • Working with the blob brush and eraser tools
  • Working with the paintbrush and pencil tools
  • Smoothing and erasing paths

Introduction to Charts

  • Creating charts and infographics
  • Creating bar charts
  • Creating line charts
  • Creating pie charts
  • Importing data from Excel
  • Colouring your charts

Working with type

  • Creating a grid with guides
  • Working with point type and area type
  • Placing and flowing text
  • Threading text
  • Selecting type and choosing fonts
  • Adjusting type size
  • Leading, tracking and kerning
  • Baseline shift
  • First line indents
  • Paragraph spacing
  • Creating paragraph styles
  • Redefining paragraph styles
  • The glyphs panel
  • Spell-checking
  • Creating text on a path
  • Converting text into paths

Adjusting appearances

  • Exploring the appearance panel
  • The stacking order
  • Working with multiple fills
  • Working with multiple strokes
  • Adjusting appearance with live effects
  • Saving appearances as graphic styles

Day two – Pushing forward and consolidation

Tracing

  • Converting pixels to paths with Image Trace
  • Exploring the Image Trace panel
  • Tracing photographs
  • Tracing line art
  • Auto-tracing and resolution
  • Adjusting layer previews
  • Cleaning up with the Threshold option
  • More clean-up with the noise option
  • Expanding and simplifying traced paths
  • Flipping and fusing shapes
  • Scaling resolution-independent vectors

Live paint

  • Introducing live paint
  • Stroking with the live paint bucket tool
  • The live paint selection tool
  • Adding a path to a live paint group
  • Constructing the base objects

Working with images

  • Placing images into Illustrator
  • Placing an image to create a dynamic link
  • Working with the links panel
  • Embedding images into Illustrator
  • Cropping images with a mask
  • Best file types to use

Working with brushes

  • Introducing the brushes panel
  • Applying and editing a calligraphic brush
  • Applying and editing art brushes
  • Applying and editing a scatter brush
  • Replacing an existing brush
  • Creating and refining a brush
  • Creating and editing a pattern brush
  • Adjusting the bristles in a bristle brush

Printing, saving and exporting

  • Printing your artwork
  • Saving your artwork
  • Saving in legacy formats
  • Saving templates
  • Creating PDF files
  • Saving for the web
  • Creating high-resolution bitmap images
  • Using Illustrator files in Photoshop and InDesign
  • Exporting to libraries for Express

Customising graphics and 3D

  • Designing your own charts
  • Creating a 3D pie chart
  • Rotating objects in 3D space

Mockup Tool

  • Create Mockups
  • Apply graphic to images
  • Move, scale graphics on mockups

Generate AI Graphicsl

  • Using the contexttual task bar
  • Define creation area
  • How to use Text to Vector Graphic 
  • Describe the output you want to generate
  • Create realistic vector scenes, subjects, and icons
  • Use a Style Reference
  • Apply variations in the Properties panel

Gradient tool

  • Creating gradients
  • Applying a gradient fill
  • Using the gradient annotator
  • Editing multiple gradients
  • Creating a radial gradient
  • Adjusting the midpoint skew
  • Making a transparent gradient
  • Assigning a gradient to editable text
  • Assigning a gradient to a stroke

The blend tool

  • Using the blend tool
  • Creating a multi-colour blend
  • Editing blended paths
  • Adjusting the number of blended steps
  • Blending between levels of opacity
  • Applying a blend to a new path
  • Establishing a clipping mask

Gradient mesh

  • Introducing the gradient mesh
  • Working with the mesh tool
  • Adding colours to the mesh points
  • Adding a gradient mesh to a shape
  • Converting a linear gradient to a mesh
  • Editing a linear gradient mesh
  • Converting a radial gradient to a mesh
  • Editing a radial gradient mesh

Classroom trainint

Advantages of classroom training

Classroom training has many advantages over other formats of training since in-person interaction and communication plays an extremely important part to absorbing information. 

Classroom training allows you to get trained in a safe, quiet, clean environment, away from the noise and pressures of the office or home. The classroom environment provides the important “human touch,” which is often missing in technology-based training. 

You can’t beat real life interaction when asking important questions and receiving immediate feedback. 

Other benefits of classroom training include:

  • Group interaction. People learn from one another as well as from the trainer
  • Training groups can be large or small
  • Classroom training also teaches us how to interact with one another in a professional, productive, cooperative way, which is something that other forms of training often don’t provide

Remote training

Remote training

Remote professional Adobe training allows high-quality training to be delivered anywhere globally.

In addition to the positive aspect of no travel, our remote training courses also allow you to interact with the trainer and ask questions just like you were right in front of them.

Our remote training courses include videos, which makes them extremely valuable when you wish to review some or all of the courses you just completed to keep things fresh and thus increase memory retention.

FAQs

Is the training just 'watching', or is it interactive?

The training is interactive, just like in the training room with the trainer. You will download the training files and work with your experienced instructor through modular exercises.

Is there any pre or post-study required before undertaking any course?

No, there is none. - If you have booked an 'Adobe certified' course with us, you can view some sample documents we send before your exam. However, this might only affect your scoring by a couple of percent.

What if I am unwell on the morning of my course?

This is just fine from a course perspective since you can re-arrange it again (according to our course schedule) for no fee.

What are the training times?

We start at 9.30 am and finish at 4.30 pm with plenty of breaks and 40 minutes for lunch.

Can I jump immediately to an advanced course?

Delegates attending an Advanced course must already possess at least 85% of the knowledge of the (previous) Introduction course. This is so you are not out of your depth in the Advanced course, and other delegates might not be affected.

Can I work on my agenda during the training?

Our courses are scheduled and run with the same outline and objectives. While our trainers can answer some ad hoc questions, we cannot provide specific information on your project.

Do I receive a video after my course is completed?

You will receive a video of the applicable course for future playback when you complete your course.

Is there any technical support afterwards?

We don’t leave you high and dry after your course. Our technical support is provided for a lifetime.

Will I get a certificate for attending?

Yes - your certificate of attendance will be emailed after completing your training course.

How do I obtain the Adobe Creative Cloud software?

Adobe offers a free trial for each application if you wish to try before subscribing.

What is Adobe certification?

Become an Adobe certified professional, build a unique portfolio, and gain a professional certification communicating your advanced Adobe knowledge. That’s what becoming Adobe certified is about.

What if I fail my Adobe certification exam?

Should you not pass the first time, you can retake the exam (up to 2 separate free attempts are allowed) for no charge when the course runs again in our schedule.

I become Adobe certified a couple of years ago. Does this mean I'm still Adobe certified?

When you pass an Adobe certified professional (or the retired Adobe certified associate) exam, you will always be approved in the specific version of the exam you undertook.

For example, if you become Adobe certified in Premiere Pro CC2022, you will always possess this accreditation.

However, as time passes, Adobe will release more recent versions of the exams (e.g. CC2025, etc). Therefore, you must pass the latest Adobe certified professional exam version to remain current.

Course Enquiry

Interested in one of our courses but need a couple of questions answered first?

Use our simple form below to send a message directly to our consultant trainers. We value great customer service and will endeavour to get back to you within the hour inside normal business hours.

If you require an immediate response then please do not hesitate to call 0800 112 5432.




Course: Illustrator Illustrator advanced – 2 days



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Course cost: Deposit of £300 inc. VAT followed by 5 payments of £19.80inc. VAT each.

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Question 1 of 11

Do you understand and work with vectors?

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Do you understand and use image resolution?

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Do you understand and use pen tool?

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Do you understand and work with exporting to different media?

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“My trainer was excellent and I cannot praise him enough. The remote training went very smoothly from start to end and I will be booking more courses with Certitec in the future ...”

Jonathan Lewis

“Alistair was very knowledgable and happy to answer any questions people had. I learned a lot of new techniques over the two-day course!”

Rachael McClune

“Really good course overall. Was easy to follow along and Alistair did well at explaining the tools we were using and why. He also responded to all questions and made sure everyone was at the same point ...”

Caitlin Thomas

“Really enjoyed the course, Alistair was great, really knowledgeable and took his time to explain everything really thoroughly. Would highly recommend ...”

Daniel Redman

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