What is Illustrator CC?
Illustrator CC is the version of Illustrator available through Creative Cloud, which is Adobe's cloud-based subscription service. The first version of Illustrator CC was Illustrator v17, which was released in 2013. Since then, each version of Illustrator CC has generally been referred to as Illustrator CC xxxx, where "xxxx" is the year of release. The current version is Illustrator CC 2020.
The most notable changes in Illustrator CC include the ability to sync and save documents to the cloud. Illustrator CC can also integrate with Behance, which is used by artists to showcase their work and portfolios. Illustrator CC also made changes to Illustrator's font handling and the ability to sync and save color settings. Modern versions of Illustrator CC have added functionality for using touchscreen compatible tools as well as creating and saving custom brushes.
File formats Illustrator can save
Illustrator's ability to create and edit vector images means that it must also save files in vector graphics formats. Some of these formats include Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), Portable Document Format (PDF), Encapsulated PostScript (EPS), Windows Metafile (WMF), and Vector Markup Language (VML), which are detailed below:
- PDF is a file format that Illustrator can export. It allows images and text to be displayed independent of hardware, software and operating system. It encapsulates a complete description of flat documents with a fixed layout, including fonts, graphics, and text. The PDF format includes a structured storage system that combines these elements and compresses them into a single file. It also includes a subset of PostScript for generating graphics and a system for associating fonts with documents.
- EPS is a subset of the PostScript format with additional restrictions that allow it to store graphics files. These files are usually self-contained and can be placed inside another PostScript file. An EPS file is essentially a PostScript program that contains a low-resolution preview of the image, which some applications can display. Earlier in its history, it was common to save Illustrator files in EPS format for sharing with page layout applications.
- WMF is a format originally used by Windows in the 1990s that Illustrator could export to. This format can store both vector graphics and bitmaps, allowing it to be used in a manner similar to SVG. WMF files contain a list of function calls that the Windows Graphics Device Interface (GDI) uses to display an image. A WMF can include executable code because some GDI functions perform error handling.
- VML This was an XML-based format for two-dimensional vector graphics that was part of the Office Open XML standards. It is no longer supported by Internet Explorer as of 2012, although it is still included in Office Open XML for legacy purposes, and was initially supported by Illustrator.
- SVG The SVG specification has been maintained by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) as an open standard since 1999. This format is based on Extended Markup Language (XML), which supports two-dimensional graphics for animations and images interactive. SVG images are defined in XML files, allowing them to be compressed, indexed, scripted and searched. SVG files can be edited with any text editor and many other drawing applications. As a member of W3C, Adobe supports this file format in Illustrator and other applications they produce.
Other file formats Illustrator can save or export
Illustrator can also export files in these formats:
- AutoCAD drawing (dwg)
- AutoCAD Exchange (dxf)
- BMP (bmp)
- Enhanced metafile (emf)
- Flash (swf)
- JPEG (jpg, jpe, jpeg)
- GIF
- Macintosh PICT (pct)
- Photoshop (psd)
- PNG (png)
- Targa (tga)
- Text format (txt)
- TIFF (tif)
File formats that Illustrator can import
Illustrator can import files in these formats and place them into layouts or artwork:
- Adobe (FXG)
- Adobe Illustrator (ai, ait)
- AutoCAD Interchange File (dxf)
- AutoCAD drawing (dwg)
- BMP (bmp, role, dib)
- Infographic metafile (cgm)
- CorelDraw (cdr)
- Enhanced metafile (emf)
- Raised hand (fh7, fh8, fh9, fh10, fh11, ft11)
- GIF
- JPEG (jpg, jpe, jpeg)
- Macintosh PICT (pic, pct)
- Microsoft RTF (rtf)
- Microsoft Word (doc, docx)
- PCX (pcx)
- Photoshop (psd, psd)
- Pixar (pxr)
- PNG (png)
- Targa (tga, vda, icb, vst)
- Text (txt)
- TIFF (tif, tiff)
Adobe Illustrator History
Illustrator version 1 was originally released in 1987 for the Apple Macintosh. At the time, Adobe was focused on developing fonts and providing a language that computers could use to communicate with desktop printers, known as PostScript. Illustrator also supported Adobe's font development efforts and also served as a companion product for Photoshop, which Adobe did not initially develop but which they distributed and purchased. The original version of Illustrator did not have a preview mode and users had to open a second window to preview their work.
Illustrator Version 2 was released in 1989 and was the first version of Illustrator to support the Windows operating system. Adobe also released versions of Illustrator for various other operating systems in the early 1990s, including NeXT, Silicon Graphics, and Sun Solaris. However, all of these versions were discontinued due to poor sales as these operating systems did not gain wide acceptance. Version 4 was the next version of Illustrator to support Windows, which was also the first version to support preview mode editing. However, this feature was available for Macintosh until version 5, which was released in 1993.
Illustrator Version 6 was the last version to be Macintosh-focused as the interface of later versions changed drastically to provide greater compatibility with Windows. Adobe also added path editing in 1997 with version 7, primarily to make the interface more similar to that used by Photoshop. This process would continue until the two working interfaces with the paths were virtually identical. Another significant change in version 7 of Illustrator was the addition of support for TrueType fonts, thus ending competition between TrueType and PostScript Type I fonts. Version 7 was also the first version of 'Adobe Illustrator to support plug-ins,
Illustrator included a range of features that supported web publishing in the early 2000s, including the ability to save to PDF and SVG formats, as well as a rasterization preview for artwork exported in bitmap (non-vector) format. Adobe also introduced Adobe SVG Viewer (ASV) in 2000, which allowed users to view SVG in many browsers. Adobe discontinued ASV in 2009, although Illustrator provided native SVG support for all major browsers by 2011, making the separate viewer unnecessary.
Version 11 was released as Illustrator CS or Creative Suite in 2003. Adobe Creative Suite (CS) also included other graphic design applications such as InDesign and Photoshop. This version was also the first to support the creation of 3-dimensional objects. Illustrator CS2 was released in 2005. New features in Illustrator CS2 included a custom workspace and command palette. Adobe acquired Aldus and with that acquisition came a competing drawing application, FreeHand. Adobe discontinued support for FreeHand in 2007 and began developing tools to support users transitioning from FreeHand to Illustrator.
Adobe Illustrator CS4 was released in 2008, which brought improvements to existing tools and introduced some FreeHand features such as the ability to manage multiple artboards. Each artboard can maintain a separate version of an image, allowing users to store multiple versions of the image in a single document. Additional tools have been introduced in Illustrator CS5, including an improved gradient tool that gives the user more control when manipulating colors on a path. A Blob Brush feature has also been introduced with this release, which allows the user to blend overlapping brush strokes more easily.
Illustrator CS5, released in 2010, introduced the bristle brush, which provides more natural strokes. Additional changes that are new with this release include Freehand's perspective grid and various improvements to existing features. The CS6 version, released in 2012, introduced many new features, including a new interface and layer panels. Changes to the color ramp and RGB codes along with various bug fixes have also improved the performance of Illustrator CS6.
After Illustrator CS6, Adobe introduced Illustrator CC as it became part of Creative Cloud. The current version is Adobe Illustrator CC 2020.
