Preserved Topic: random Illustrator Questions

1. which is the best way to resize images? I am so used to PhotoShop where you go to image > image size > enter parameters.

Thanks
-CRO8

You can use the scale tool which is the one that's a rectangle w/ what looks like an arrow in it. Click on your image first. Select that tool. Hold down the shift key (to constrain proportions). May want to double click on it and check whether it's set to scale objects, strokes, or patterns or all or a combination of them. Voila. Also if you're using 9.0 and above and you have your preferences set to show the bounding box, you can just drag one corner of the bounding box while holding the shift key...

I don't mind answering this kind of stuff, but I've noticed you're asking questions that are easily answered by the users manual...Are you just that pressed for time that you can't look it up or what?

Cool, thanks. Yeah- I am bit pressed for time. Once I have the time, I plan on sitting down and reading thru the book.

Be careful when resizing images in illustrator if the image is "Embedded". Remember the images are made out of pixels so if you scale it down and then later decide to scale it larger again. Unlike vector elements you will lose image quality each time you have to interpolate the image.

I find it is best to design the job using "Placed" images until the job is finaled or nearly finaled. Then embed image if desired. That way you can play with the design all you want and only have to interpolate the image once when embeding.

jstuartj

jstuartj -
Really? Is there a difference? There would be in Photoshop for sure, but I didn't figure Illustrator did any actual interpolation of pixels (unless you ran a filter on them), that the actual size change happened in the RIP. Am I way off base here?

Hmmmm.

I was not sure so I looked it up. Here is what the manual says. P334 version 9.0

"Changing the pixel dimensions (and therefore displays size.) of an image is referred to as resampleing.. When you downsample (or decrease the number of pixels), information is deleted from the image."

Bla Bla Bla etc........( Stuff Skipped.)

"Keep in mind that change the pixel dimension affect not only the size of the image on-screen but also the quality of the image. "

I would say it dose perform the resample to the image when embeded. There would be little effect to Place images by repeated scaling as they are external and are not liked to the image until sent to the rip. So they would only degrade once when enlarged at the rip or when embed into the file.

If I have sometime later this weekend I run a few test to check.

jstuartj