Keep Only Selected Objects

As a quick way to hide all the objects you're not currently working on, try this: Select the object or objects you want to work on, then press Command-Option-Shift-3 (PC: Control-Alt-Shift-3). All the unselected objects will be hidden. To show all objects again, press Command-Option-3 (PC: Control-Alt-3).

Be Precise

If you want a more precise cursor, press the Caps Lock key. For many (but not all) tools, the tool cursor will change to a crosshair. To switch back to the regular tool cursors , release the Caps Lock key. Here's another way to look at this: If you use a tool and suddenly it isn't looking like the normal tool icon anymore, chances are the Caps Lock key is on. Turn off Caps Lock and there's your tool icon again.

Front and Center

To ensure that an object is exactly centered on your page, use the Align palette (Window> Align or Shift-F7) with one minor change. From the palette's flyout menu, choose Align to Artboard. Then click on the Horizontal and Vertical Align Center icons to align your selected object to the page.

Seeing Red

If you're working on artwork that contains lots of red, the red View Box in the Navigator palette (Window>Navigator) might be a little difficult to see. In this situation (or if you just don't like the color red), you can change the color of the View Box by using the flyout menu in the Navigator palette and choosing Palette Options. In the resulting dialog, choose the color you'd like to use for the View Box.

Add the Unrecordable

There are some functions that cannot be recorded in an action—such as painting tools, tool options, effects, view commands, and preferences. (In action-speak these are called unactionable.) To add these functions into an action, click the Create New Action icon in the Actions palette (Window>Actions), and choose Insert Menu Item from the palette's flyout menu to record non-recordable operations. With the Insert Menu Item dialog open , go to the menu command you'd like to use and it will be added automatically in the dialog.

Hide Your Guides in One Click

Although it is possible to hide/show guides with the shortcut Command-; (PC: Control-;), you can give yourself even more control by putting guides on their own layer. Click the Create New Layer icon in the Layers palette (under the Window menu), name the layer "guides," and then add guides to that layer. Then you can hide the guides by clicking on the Eye icon beside the layer name . To take this a step further, you could create several guide layers to give yourself even more options over which guides you'd like to be visible.

Free Resources

If you need some tips or tutorials, or you would like to download brushes, symbols, styles, actions, etc., check out the downloads through the Adobe Studio Exchange website: www.adobe.com/studio/main.html. Click on Adobe Studio Exchange on the left side of the screen and choose the downloads you're interested in from the pop-up menu.

Back To Basics

You may encounter situations when Illustrator starts behaving strangely. For example, tools aren't working the way they should or colors or patterns aren't displaying properly. In cases like this, you probably need to reset the Illustrator Preferences. Although it is possible to find the file and delete it, there is an easier way, especially since you need to launch Illustrator to create new preferences anyway. To reset the preference settings as you launch Illustrator CS2, hold down Command-Option-Shift (PC: Control-Alt-Shift). Note: Unlike previous versions, no dialog will appear, but the settings will be reset.