Adobe Illustrator for Creative Professionals E-Book

Clint Balsar

• Herausgeber: Packt Publishing
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 274

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

Adobe Illustrator is a vector-based art tool for visual creatives. It is an industry-standard tool that helps you take a design from concept to completion, including the process of peer collaboration and client feedback.
Complete with step-by-step explanations of essential concepts and practical examples, you’ll begin to build confidence as you master the methods of successful illustrators in the industry by exploring crucial tools and techniques of Adobe Illustrator. You’ll learn how to create objects using different tools and methods while assigning varied attributes and appearances. Throughout the book, you’ll strengthen your skills in developing structures for maintaining organization as your illustration grows.
By the end of this Adobe Illustrator book, you’ll have gained the confidence you need to not only create content in the desired format and for the right audience but also build eye-catching vector art based on solid design principles.

Leseprobe

Adobe Illustrator for Creative Professionals

Develop skills in vector graphic illustration and build a strong design portfolio with Illustrator 2022

Clint Balsar

BIRMINGHAM—MUMBAI

Adobe Illustrator for Creative Professionals

Copyright © 2022 Packt Publishing

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To my students; past, present, and future. It is for you that I strive to accomplish great things and then inspire you through my example. I hope you find this book helpful and encouraging. This project was my latest attempt to remind you not to be afraid of challenges; rather to rise to the occasion and complete things that may first seem difficult and risky. A strong determination will see you through the task and allow you to learn so much along the way. Remember that it is not only alright to make mistakes, but that they are necessary for growth. We learn far more from the actions we don't want to repeat than from those we do.

– Clint Balsar

Contributors

About the author

Clint Balsar is an experienced creative with a demonstrated history of working in the primary/secondary education industry. Clint is skilled in digital illustration and graphic design, as well as educational technology, instructional design, and Adobe and Apple products. He possesses varied certifications in Adobe products and training skills.

I want to thank all my friends and family for being so supportive during the time of authoring this book, especially my incredible wife, Ticia. Her love and support made all the difference as I taught my digital arts students each day, attended numerous meetings after school, and then wrote this book's content during most of the available evenings and weekends.

About the reviewers

Craig Daalmeijer-Power has worked as a multidisciplinary creative for more than 30 years. He has worked on projects for local communities and clients and worked in the intelligence community in support of the Australian Defence Force. He received the award of Adobe Education Leader of the Year in 2021 for his commitment to excellence in creative education. His work within the Adobe education community is highlighted by regular international presentations, Behance streams, and Adobe Creative Career mentoring. He is currently employed by TAFE NSW, as a full-time head teacher, where he manages courses in photography, screen and media, and games development and focuses on innovation and creativity whilst taking pride in being a lifelong learner.

Thank you is the simplest form of credit and to me, it is simply being open to being thankful and surrounded by inspiration in everything we involve ourselves with. This inspiration for me is the supportive communities within Adobe Creative educators, Adobe Education leaders, and my family, both at home and work. I am grateful to all the members of each of these communities, my extended family, and how they inspire me to always achieve my best.

Najihah Najlaa is an Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) and professional certification holder and an instructor. In addition to her profession as an instructor, Najihah is also the founder of her own video production company, "A Lifetime Project," and is a sought-after freelance photographer, videographer, and designer. Known as a person who moves with passion, Najihah has dived deep into the Malaysian creative industry fully equipped with her in-depth knowledge and Adobe certifications. She has been conducting and facilitating various workshops and Adobe training nationwide for the last six years.

Since 2020, she has been actively producing creative project on "Behance livestream" and is a Behance Featured Stream Artist.In 2021, she was invited to speak at Adobe Max 2021.

She is currently managing her own company and conducts creative trainings for the corporate and private sectors to help creative people polish their skills with comprehensive, high quality training covering Adobe media products, photography and videography.

I am overwhelmed in all humbleness to acknowledge my debt to all those who have helped, inspired, and given me the golden opportunity to this wonderful project, which also helped me in doing a lot of research in which I learned about so many new things. I am really thankful to them. Finally, to my caring, loving, and supportive cats, Kedo and LJ: my deepest gratitude for accompanying me when the times got rough. It was much appreciated and duly noted.

Table of Contents

Preface

Part 1 – Reviewing the Necessary Knowledge

Chapter 1: Building a Foundation beyond the Basics

Technical requirements

Creating a file

Workspaces and preferences

Workspaces

Custom workspaces

Custom preferences

Contextual menus

Object attributes

Tools and the Control panel

The Bezier curve

Control panel

Additional panels and shortcuts

Appearance panel

Properties panel

The grid and guides

Grid

Rulers

Guides

What's new in Adobe Illustrator 26.3.1?

Adobe Sensei

Illustrator on desktop

Illustrator on the iPad

Summary

Chapter 2: Prepping for Illustrator

Technical requirements

Developing a plan

Utilizing resources

Media types

Artboards

View options

Multiple artboards within one file

Combination of different-sized artboards in a single file

Combination of Landscape and Portrait mode artboards in a single file

Bleeds

RAM, scratch disks, and GPU performance

Digital asset management plan for organization and computer maintenance

Summary

Part 2 – Advanced Illustrator Methods

Chapter 3: Developing and Organizing Objects

Technical requirements

Groups and compound paths

Groups

Compound paths

Layers and selecting

Layers

Selecting

Migrating objects into other layers or sublayers

Summary

Chapter 4: Drawing with the Pencil, Paintbrush, Pen, and Shape Tools

Technical requirements

Making the Pencil tool work for you

Loading and creating brush profiles

Loading brush profiles

Creating brush profiles

Blob Brush tool

Advanced training on the Pen tool and anchor point editing

Advanced training on the Pen tool

Advanced training on anchor point editing

Exploring simple shape tools and the Shaper tool to develop more advanced objects

Shape tools

Shaper tool

Combining shapes with the Shape Builder tool

The Pathfinder panel for heavy lifting

Compound paths

Compound shapes

Summary

Chapter 5: Editing and Transforming Objects

Technical requirements

Anchor-level editing

Transformations and their options panels

The Effect panel and its options

Summary

Chapter 6: Advanced Attribute Design

Technical requirements

Fill options and color control

Multiple fills and strokes through the Appearance panel

Variable width profiles and vector pack brushes for strokes

Variable width profiles

Vector pack brushes

Dynamic tools for greater options

Shaper Tool

Live shape options

Dynamic Symbols

Summary

Chapter 7: Powerful Typography Options in Adobe Illustrator

Technical requirements

Exploring font structure and personality

Using ligatures and alternatives

Designing with text on a path

Drawing using Snap to Glyph

Summary

Part 3 – Real-World Applications

Chapter 8: Preparing Artwork for Presentation

Technical requirements

Starting with the end in mind

Creating industry-standard presentations

Brand style guides

Comp cards

Output methods for more media options

Mobile, Web, Print, Film & Video, and Art & Illustration

Asset Export

Export for Screens

Summary

Chapter 9: Utilizing Multiple Artboards

Technical requirements

Setting up a document with an appropriate preset or template

Adding additional artboards

Labeling, arrangement, and additional options

Summary

Chapter 10: Advanced Layer Development and Organization

Technical requirements

Using the Artboards panel to your advantage

Organizing layers with objects, documents, and artboards in mind

Using groups, nested groups, and Isolation Mode for improved workflow

Summary

Chapter 11: Extending Illustrator Through Third-Party Tools and the iPad

Technical requirements

Adobe Stock & Marketplace in your Creative Cloud app

Adobe Stock

Adobe Fonts

Adobe Exchange

Substance 3D

Creative Cloud libraries

Powerful and creative plugins from Astute Graphics

Variety

Methods of use

Cineware by Maxon for 3D objects

Substance 3D in Illustrator

Illustrator for iPad

Summary

Chapter 12: Illustrator Mastery – Advanced Techniques and Shortcuts

Technical requirements

Logo development using the Outline view and Shape Builder

Mood board development using Pattern and Repeat for background fills

Pattern

Repeat

Astute Graphics – MirrorMe

Comp card with advanced typography settings

Illustration with texture fills

Applying texture with a pattern swatch

Applying texture using a raster-based image

Applying texture using Astute Graphics – Texturino

Summary

Why subscribe?

Other Books You May Enjoy

Preface

Adobe Illustrator is a vector-based art tool for visual creatives. It is an industry-standard tool that allows a design to go from concept to completion, including the process of peer collaboration and client feedback.

Complete with step-by-step explanations of essential concepts and practical examples, you'll begin to build confidence as you master the methods of successful illustrators in the industry by exploring the crucial tools and techniques of Adobe Illustrator. You'll learn how to create objects using different tools and methods while assigning varied attributes and appearances. Throughout the book, you'll strengthen your skills in developing structures for maintaining organization as your illustration grows.

By the end of this Adobe Illustrator book, you'll have gained the confidence you need to not only create content in the desired format and for the right audience but also build eye-catching vector art based on solid design principles.

Who this book is for

This book is for creative illustrators with basic to intermediate-level experience with vector-based software who want to take their existing skills to the next level. Prior knowledge of vector-based illustration concepts will help you to get the most out of this Adobe Illustrator software book and produce impressive results.

What this book covers

Chapter 1, Building a Foundation beyond the Basics, explores how creators of all levels can still benefit from a review of the ins and outs of the advanced features and options available within Adobe Illustrator. This chapter can quickly check your confidence level and raise it even higher, as you prepare to delve deeper into mastering this software.

Chapter 2, Prepping for Illustrator, discusses how initializing content in Adobe Illustrator can come in many forms. A quick review will allow you to feel empowered to develop original content that is kick-started from sketches and outside resources.

Chapter 3, Developing and Organizing Objects, explains how although organization is not the most exciting thing to talk about, it is arguably one of the most important. Artists that harness their creations in clear, concise layers and groups will spend much less time fixing objects later.

Chapter 4, Drawing with the Pencil, Paintbrush, Pen, and Shape Tools, presents several methods for content creation. You will discover that although you have learned to use Adobe Illustrator in one or more ways, more options are still available. Creativity will expand after experiencing the variety of methods this software allows for.

Chapter 5, Editing and Transforming Objects, explains how creating more advanced objects is only part of the battle in mastering Adobe Illustrator. A successful creator must also have advanced skills in manipulating the object through transformations and editing methods. Effects and their options can also be a real time-saver in advancing the look of your work.

Chapter 6, Advanced Attribute Design, explains how even though you will have learned pretty early that each path can obtain two key attributes (fill and stroke), there is far more to learn about the optional appearance attributes you can assign to any object.

Chapter 7, Powerful Typography Options in Adobe Illustrator, intends to offer a higher level of detail on using and manipulating typography. We will look at the benefits of Adobe Fonts and what quality fonts offer the designer. Additional information on typography skills offered by Adobe Illustrator will also be explored in this chapter.

Chapter 8, Preparing Artwork for Presentation, discusses how there are many methods to develop your vector artwork in preparation to present it, but as it is not resolution-dependent, it can also be adjusted for multiple needs. We will explore several options for output while putting a focus on "raising the bar" as to its professional appearance.

Chapter 9, Utilizing Multiple Artboards, explores how the power of customized artboards and multiple artboards in a single file allow designers to collect a project in one central location.

Chapter 10, Advanced Layer Development and Organization, covers the relationship between organized layers and multiple artboards and shows strategies for maintaining control of all assets within the project. Using layers, sublayers, and their colors to keep track of advanced projects, creators maintain greater control of their work and become more efficient over time.

Chapter 11, Extending Illustrator through Third-Party Tools and the iPad, discusses how even though Adobe Illustrator is already an amazing tool for developing original work, there are a few places to find both free and paid for enhancements. The Adobe Exchange is one such place that we will explore. In addition to highlighting a few selected plugins with a specific task or enhancement, we will also be reviewing the more complex plugin sets available from Astute Graphics.

Chapter 12, Illustrator Mastery – Advanced Techniques and Shortcuts, explains how to apply your new-found knowledge and skills through a series of challenges with supplied sample files. Discussion on best methods for utilizing Adobe Illustrator and the user's Creative Cloud will focus on continued organization and potential collaboration.

To get the most out of this book

You will need a version of Adobe Illustrator installed on your computer – the latest version, if possible. You will also benefit from having Astute Graphics plugins and the Maxon Cineware for Illustrator plugin (although not required).

There will also be opportunities to increase your knowledge of Illustrator for iPad, so an Apple iPad will allow you to get even more out of this book.

Download the color images

We also provide a PDF file that has color images of the screenshots and diagrams used in this book. You can download it here: https://packt.link/2EucI.

Conventions used

There are a number of text conventions used throughout this book.

Code in text: Indicates code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles. Here is an example: "The Actions panel allows for a series of prerecorded steps, while the Variables panel allows the use of data files (.cvs or .xml) to replace the content with a document."

Bold: Indicates a new term, an important word, or words that you see onscreen. For instance, words in menus or dialog boxes appear in bold. Here is an example: "You can also adjust the Fidelity slider to change the path from being more accurate to being smoother."

Tips or Important Notes

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ii     Preface

Preface     iii

iv     Preface

Part 1 – Reviewing the Necessary Knowledge

This part will ensure that you have the necessary understanding to help you feel more prepared for the remainder of the book and will help you to acquire the necessary knowledge and/or skill before advancing.

This part comprises the following chapters:

Chapter 1, Building a Foundation beyond the BasicsChapter 2, Prepping for Illustrator

Chapter 1: Building a Foundation beyond the Basics

Adobe Illustrator has been the industry leader in vector drawing software for decades and continues to be a very popular choice for graphics professionals. As you begin your journey into this book, it is very likely that you have been working with Illustrator for some time now but want to get more from the software and raise your skills to a higher level. It might also be the case that you haven't worked with Illustrator for very long and hope to hone your early skills.

Whatever the reason, creators of all levels can still benefit from a review of the ins and outs of the advanced features and options available within Adobe Illustrator. This chapter can quickly check your confidence level and raise it even higher as you prepare to delve deeper into mastering this software. Although this is not going to be a thorough list of all the foundational knowledge you would need in order to master Illustrator, it is intended to get you on stable footing as we move forward in this journey of harnessing its power.

After reading this chapter, you'll understand how to organize and save customized workspaces. You will also know how to utilize the Properties panel and Control panel to select attributes and become more efficient with the use of panels and shortcuts for often-used tools and tasks. You will be able to stay organized by using a grid, guides, and/or smart guides, and finally, keep up to date with the latest enhancements offered for Illustrator.

To accomplish this, the chapter will be divided into the following main topics:

Creating a file.Workspaces and preferences.Tools and the Control panel.Additional panels and shortcuts.The grid and guides.What's new in Adobe Illustrator 26.3.1?

Technical requirements

To complete this chapter, you will need the following:

Adobe Illustrator 2022 (version 26.0 or above).High-quality internet access may be required for some situations.

Creating a file

In this first chapter, we will be reviewing some of the foundational bedrock of Adobe Illustrator that has allowed it to maintain its reputation as a powerhouse vector-based arts software for so many years. Control and customization are two key components of Adobe Illustrator that make it flexible for any designer's needs.

Once you have initiated Illustrator, you will be greeted with a welcome screen as follows:

Figure 1.1 – Home screen options

This welcome screen will allow you to create new files, open previous ones (Recent is displayed prominently, while links are also available for Cloud documents and Shared with you), and even connect to Adobe's vast learning library. The latter offers both hands-on tutorials (in-app) and tutorials on the web. In addition to these options, you will also find a What's new button at the bottom left that Adobe updates with each new release of its software.

If you are starting a new file, the New Document dialog box allows you to choose from Presets based on your intended output (print or screen), Templates from Adobe Stock, or creating your own custom files, as follows:

Figure 1.2 – The New Document dialog box

The presets are divided into the media categories of Mobile, Web, Print, Film & Video, and Art & Illustration. In addition, Illustrator also offers a category for Recent presets and Saved templates that you have acquired from Adobe Stock.

Workspaces and preferences

How you lay out your workspaces and develop that creative workflow will assist you in being more focused and efficient. Workspaces allow you to have the most common tools for the intended task while reducing unnecessary clutter.

Once you have greater control of your workflow management, you can then continue to make refined adjustments through the software's Preferences panel. This will give you the professional level of control that you will inevitably seek as you become more and more confident with the advanced options in Illustrator.

Workspaces

Illustrator currently offers the user nine different workspaces (plus Touch if your screen allows for it). These are merely a redistribution and/or visibility of the panels that would best be suited for the intended task. This allows the graphical user interface (GUI) to be reconfigured for the job you are performing or what feels most comfortable to you as the user. It also allows for the creation of custom spaces, if you would like to set up a unique environment that is best suited for you.

Workspaces can be selected in the Application bar located at the top right of the software's interface, as shown here:

Figure 1.3 – Workspace menu

As you can see in Figure 1.3, the Workspace menu has quite a few choices available. Essentials and Essentials Classic are great general-use layouts, but Illustrator also offers several workspaces for more specific tasks. Let's have a quick review of each one and what it offers:

Automation: This offers up the panels you would like when doing repetitive work. The Actions panel allows for a series of prerecorded steps, while the Variables panel allows the use of data files (.cvs or.xml) to replace the content with a document.Essentials: This is the default view Illustrator opens with and simplifies the GUI to just three key panels: Properties, Layers, and Libraries.Essentials Classic: The previous default view that Illustrator used to open with and offers a good variety of the most common panels.Layout: This workspace is for those times when accuracy is crucial. The Transform and Align panels appear at the top right of the interface. It also allows access to multiple panels for object attributes, such as Fills, Strokes, and Gradients, as well as several panels for modifying the typography within the document.Painting: This offers the panels you would likely want for a painting project, including Brushes, Color, and Navigator.Printing and Proofing: If you are taking your document to the press, you may want to utilize this workspace. The key panel in this group is Separations Preview. It allows you to see your overprint preview by dividing your CMYK color space.Tracing: This allows you to image trace a raster image and adjust it for improved quality.Typography: Again, as the name would imply, you will find all the panels needed to make advanced adjustments to text. Web: This workspace has several familiar panels while adding the CSS Properties panel for those working with web content.

As well as these workspaces, customized workspaces can be saved and will appear at the top of the menu too.

Custom workspaces

To save a custom workspace, follow these steps:

After creating a new document, open all the desired panels and place them where you would like them to be. Go up to the Switch Workspace button located at the top right of the Application bar and select New Workspace…. Enter a custom name for your new workspace. You should now find this and any additional custom workspaces at the top of the list when returning to the Switch Workspace button or when using the Window > Workspace menu.

For those unfamiliar with arranging their own workspace, let's review the concept of the dock. Illustrator panels and panel groups can be collected in long vertical arrangements known as docks. To dock a panel, you will select it from the Windows menu at the top of the screen. Once it is open, it is considered a floating panel. To add it to an existing dock, you will need to grab it from the tab that includes the panel's name. This will be located at the top of the panel. You can then drag it over either a dock or a panel group to place it there.

Figure 1.4 shows what it would look like if you were about to add it to an existing panel group (left image), add it to an existing dock but outside a panel group (center image), and the result of adding it to an existing dock but outside a panel group (right image):

Figure 1.4 – Docking a panel

Custom workspaces are a great way to make Illustrator work for your intended purposes. I like to create custom workspaces for my multiple screen set-ups and third-party software. They are easy to create and remove, so don't be afraid to treat them as temporary aids to your workflow.

Custom preferences

Using the Ctrl/Command + K shortcut will bring up your preferences in several pieces of Adobe software (including Illustrator) and is an excellent place to start customizing Illustrator for your specific usage. From here, you can decide how many levels of Undo will get recorded, attach to a scratch disk, and set the time intervals between automatic recovery saves.

An excellent example of this is the Scale Strokes & Effects command located under the General section of this menu. I usually check this item so that the scaling of an object stays visually consistent at any size. I will be referring to this panel quite often through the course of this book, but for now, it is most important to know that it is available and allows for greater flexibility and customization for the user.

Contextual menus

An excellent option for quick access to commonly used tasks is the use of contextual menus. By definition, a contextual menu, or shortcut menu, gives you access to frequently-used commands related to the current context. It is generally brought up through a shortcut key or mouse button In Illustrator, after making a selection, you can right-click to see options for the selection:

Figure 1.5 – Contextual menu to an existing dock, but outside a panel group

In the case of the contextual menu shown in Figure 1.5, it highlights the options available to the path with the dashed white stroke. You will notice that it is the selected object due to the visibility of its blue bounding box. After summoning the contextual menu, you can use the Transform command to quickly make adjustments, such as adjusting the scale, and then either change the original selection or make a copy by using the Copy button.

Object attributes

At its simplest, every object can be assigned two attributes: Fill and Stroke. Of course, today, a variety of additional options can also be used to enhance any given object. In fact, an object can have multiple fills and strokes. You can adjust stroke width as well as apply variable stroke widths, brush definitions, and opacities.

Most of the adjustments to a path's attributes can be adjusted in the Control panel, located directly below the Application Bar (except in the default Essentials workspace). To assign more advanced attributes, such as adding multiple strokes to a path, you will need to make your way to the Appearance panel (which can be accessed through the Properties panel):

Figure 1.6 – The Control panel offers a lot more than just the Fill and Stroke attributes

As you may already be familiar with, the Fill attribute can be anything that can be a swatch in your swatches library. It can be a solid color, a gradient, or a pattern (None is also a choice). The same three choices of color, gradient, or pattern (plus None) are also available for the Stroke attribute.

Important Note

Setting up Adobe Illustrator is like finding the perfect recipe. You will continue to adjust it over time, and soon find that what was perfect for you at one time is no longer the right "flavor" and must be again adjusted for the specific situation at hand.

Understanding the multitude of ways to customize and utilize the GUI of Adobe Illustrator will help you solidify your success as you work to master your control of software. In extending the earlier analogy of the perfect recipe, consider that as chefs gain greater success, they inevitably also get more accustomed to their cooking tools and even customize them and their uses. Just as chefs hone their skills and the use of their tools over time, you too will find more benefits for the Workspaces and Preferences options over time and use them as your "secret sauce" in creating with Illustrator.

But of course, to successfully create in Illustrator, you must repeatedly use the main tools in Illustrator, while getting to know their specific capabilities (and limitations) over time.

Tools and the Control panel

I won't be going over all the available tools in this introductory chapter but will be reviewing some of those that are vital to successfully using Adobe Illustrator. In addition, I will share the Control panel for making choices and discuss the panel that Adobe has chosen as its replacement when in the Essentials workspace.

The Bezier curve

The development of Illustrator began from the earlier success of the PostScript language developed by the founders of Adobe: John Warnock and Chuck Geschke. The original was released in 1987 (which happens to be the same year I graduated from high school) for Apple Macintosh. The first official Windows offering occurred two years later with version 2.0 in 1989. Just like its predecessor, Illustrator was based on the PostScript language, which creates vector paths defined by mathematical formulas. The smooth curves were a welcome improvement in desktop publishing from prior pixel-based solutions.

Figure 1.7 – Original Illustrator splash screen

So, the curve is fundamentally what makes Adobe Illustrator unique and essential. It is smooth at any resolution. In fact, it is generally stated that vector-based files are "resolution independent." It could be scaled to work just as well if it were for a business card or the side of a 10-story building.

The next couple of pages of tools are all based on the Bezier curve. If you are somewhat unfamiliar with all the tools and their shortcuts, you may use the following as a reference guide:

Figure 1.8 – Tools and their shortcuts in the Essentials workspace

Additional tools will be located under each of the tools that show a small triangle in the lower-right corner, and we will review all of them in later chapters.

Pen Tool

One of the most important tools to get skilled with in Adobe Illustrator is the Pen tool. It develops paths with either straight or curved segments between anchor points. It isn't always the most intuitive tool in the collection from Illustrator, but it is one of the most flexible.

Figure 1.9 – Path and anchors

Using the Direct Selection tool, you can edit any anchor or grouping of anchors. In addition to moving the anchor's position, you can also adjust its angle and size if it is a curvilinear segment of a path. Using the Anchor Point tool, you can also convert a corner anchor to a curve anchor and vice versa. To be more efficient when drawing with the Pen tool, several techniques can be used that will allow you to draw and edit simultaneously, and we will be going over these, and more, in the chapters to follow.

Type

Type has always been a strength of Adobe Illustrator since that is exactly how Adobe got started (think PostScript). For many years, Illustrator only had Adobe PostScript Type 1 fonts, but as the TrueType format (designed by Apple) gained in popularity, Adobe decided to allow support for both in version 7 and beyond.

This allowed content to be created for additional media, as Type 1 contains PostScript information for printing, while TrueType is a screen-appropriate font and not intended for print. Meanwhile, with the introduction of OpenType, which offers information for both print and screen, creators have found it to be the preferred method due to its flexibility.

Type tool is a collection of tools for text; besides the Type tool, there is also the Type on a Path tool and the Vertical Type tool.

Of course, you really can't mention the Type tool and not talk about the Character panel, which you can see here:

Figure 1.10 – Text editing with the Character panel