8. When you use the divide path operation, sometimes it will create composite objects. Click Modify > Split to break the composites because we want to select each object individually. Your example should then look something like the one below. Read the rest of this entry »
The following tutorial details the steps to make the arrow in the illustration below. The battery comes from a CorelDRAW® clip art collection. The idea of the illustration is to show that electricity flows from negative to positive. There are probably a lot of ways to make the arrow, but it is best to use a combination of primitive shapes for a good result. In this example I used FreeHand 9, but it can also be done with an earlier version. Like the FreeHand Drawing Technique No. 1, this technique is equally typical for creating complex shapes from primitives. Read the rest of this entry »
8. As soon as you click the mouse button the pointer will change to a radial shape similar to the screen shot below. Release the mouse. Read the rest of this entry »
The following tutorial details a simple technique for drawing a complex shape by combining primitive shapes in Macromedia® FreeHand. The shape is a fan grate on the back of a computer case. The techniques described here are very typical for creating complex shapes from primitives. Read the rest of this entry »
Macromedia FreeHand ships with a selection of arrowheads but you may encounter a situation where the selection of predefined arrowheads is inadequate. In this case you could make a path object in the shape of an arrowhead and position it on the end of the line. This is not optimum, because if you change the line you will have to reposition, scale and/or rotate the arrowhead to remain properly oriented to the line. Read the rest of this entry »
1. Take for example a photo. You can create a mask which will knockout the background. Read the rest of this entry »
Table of Equivalent Terminology
The following table shows which terms are equivalent between Deneba Canvas™, CorelDRAW®, Adobe® Illustrator® and Macromedia® FreeHand® and are presented here to sort out any possible confusion where mixed terminology has been used in this web site: Read the rest of this entry »
Pen Tips
Pen Tip No. 1
In Adobe® Illustrator®, always click the Direct Selection tool before clicking and drawing with the Pen Tool. Read the rest of this entry »
The idea behind the keyboard shortcuts in Adobe® Illustrator®, Adobe Photoshop® and Macromedia® FreeHand® is so you can draw paths in a fluid manner with as few interruptions as possible. Ideally, you would draw as fluidly as if you were actually using a pen or pencil. The previous page described the hand positions with the keyboard and mouse. This page describes how it is done. The next page gives you practice templates for each application. Read the rest of this entry »