Adobe Illustrator CS6

by Adobe

Product Features

• Sophisticated vector drawing tools-Create distinctive designs with precise shape-building tools, fluid and painterly brushes, and advanced path controls.
• Integration with other Adobe solutions-Move projects smoothly from design to print or digital output, thanks to tight integration with industry-leading Adobe software, such as Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, After Effects, Acrobat, and more.
• Mercury Performance System-Work with precision, speed, and rock-solid stability on large, complex files due to native 64-bit support on Mac OS and Windows with RAM and overall performance optimization.
• Multiple art boards-Organize and view up to 100 art boards of varying sizes overlapping or on a grid. Quickly add, delete, reorder, and name. Save, export, and print independently or together.
• Gradients and transparency-Interact with gradients directly on your object, defining the dimension of elliptical gradients, editing colors, and adjusting opacity. Even create gradients on strokes and meshes.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1.4 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B007S02Y6I
• Item model number: 65165575
• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 22, 2012
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #506 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
  • #8 in Software > Graphics > Illustration

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Adobe Illustrator CS6 software is the industry’s premier vector-drawing environment for creating graphics that scale across media. Capture your vision with shapes, color, effects, and typography. Experiment freely with perspective, image tracing, gradients, brushes, and strokes—all driven by the Mercury Performance System so you can make fast work of your most complex designs.

Take fewer steps to accomplish tasks in a new, streamlined interface. Enjoy inline editing of layer names, precise color sampling, and UI brightness that's adjustable to match other Adobe tools.

Illustrator CS6 Highlights

• Work fast and with rock-solid stability—Handle the most complex artwork with speed and stability. The new Mercury Performance System includes native 64-bit support for Mac OS and Windows to power tasks that were often impossible previously, such as opening, saving, and exporting large files and previewing elaborate designs.
• Efficiently drive daily tasks and favorite features—Work more efficiently and intuitively with a modern user interface. Familiar tasks are now streamlined, from inline editing of layer names to precise color sampling from the Color panel. User interface brightness is smoothly adjustable to match other Adobe applications or your personal preference.
• Design intuitively and with precise control—Express your vision fully and more easily with refined creative features. Designing and editing seamless patterns, once difficult, is now direct and intuitive. A new image-tracing engine delivers clean, accurate vectors with easy-to-use controls. You can even apply gradients to strokes.

Illustrator Comparison Chart	CS5	CS6
Pattern creation		x
Image Trace		x
Gradients on strokes		x
Mercury Performance System		x
Efficient, customizable interface		x
Inline editing in panels		x
Enhanced Gaussian Blur		x
Dockable hidden tools		x
Adjustable user interface brightness		x
Multipage output		x
Clean, sharp graphics for web and mobile	x	x
Variable-width strokes	x	x

Sample colors faster and more precisely using an expandable color spectrum in the Color panel.

Use perspective grids to draw shapes and scenes in accurate 1-, 2-, or 3-point linear perspective, creating the look of realistic depth and distance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is Illustrator CS6 and who is it for?

A: Adobe Illustrator CS6 is the industry-standard vector graphics software, used worldwide by designers of all types who want to create digital graphics, illustrations, and typography for all kinds of media: print, web, interactive, video, and mobile.

Q: What are vector graphics and why are they important?

A: Vector graphics are one of the two most commonly used graphic formats in design, the other being bitmap (or raster) graphics. Vector graphics, like those created with Illustrator CS6, are resolution independent, which means they can be resized infinitely with no loss of quality. For example, the same logo design created with Illustrator can be used on a business card or an outdoor billboard, always maintaining the accuracy and detail of the original design.

Q:Does Illustrator CS6 still support 32-bit operating systems?

A: Illustrator CS6 supports both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows operating systems, but only supports 64-bit operating systems for Mac OS. The lack of 32-bit support does not affect the majority of Mac computers that use Intel processors. The only Mac users affected by the lack of 32-bit support are those using Intel based Mac computers with Intel Core Duo (single-core) processors.

Top New CS6 Features

Mercury Performance System—Work with precision, speed, and rock-solid stability on large, complex files due to native 64-bit support on Mac OS and Windows with RAM and overall performance optimization.

Work with precision, speed, and rock-solid stability on large, complex files due to native 64-bit support on Mac OS and Windows.

Pattern creation—Easily create seamlessly tiled vector patterns. Experiment freely with different types of repeating patterns that can be edited at any time for maximum design flexibility.

Image Trace—Convert raster images to editable vectors with a completely new tracing engine. Get clean lines, accurate fitting, and reliable color results without using complex controls.

Convert raster images to editable vectors with a powerful tracing engine.

Efficient, flexible interface—Take fewer steps to accomplish daily tasks in a new, streamlined interface. Enjoy inline editing of layer names, precise color sampling, and user interface brightness that's smoothly adjustable to match other Adobe tools.

Gradients on strokes—Apply gradients to your strokes—along the length, across the width, or within the stroke itself—all with complete control over gradient placement and opacity.

Inline editing in panels—Efficiently edit names in layers, swatches, brushes, artboards, and other panels directly in the panels themselves without using intermediate dialog boxes.

Gaussian Blur enhancement—See that Gaussian Blur and effects such as Drop Shadows and Glows are applied significantly faster than before. To improve accuracy, preview directly on the artboard rather than in a dialog box.

Color panel enhancements—Sample colors faster and more precisely using an expandable color spectrum in the Color panel. And now, copy and paste hex values into other applications more quickly.

Transform panel enhancements—Quickly access the popular Scale Strokes and Effects option, thanks to its new availability in the Transform panel.

Product Description

Adobe Illustrator CS6 software is the industry's premier vector-drawing environment for creating graphics that scale across media. Capture your vision with shapes, color, effects, and typography while working efficiently and moving easily among Adobe creative applications. Experiment freely with perspective, image tracing, transparent gradients, patterns, brushes, and strokes-all driven by the Mercury Performance System so you can make fast work of your most complex designs.