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This week, Adobe has released the next version of its product for vector graphics - Adobe Illustrator CC 2015. Let's take a closer look at new innovations and compare them with the previous version.
1. Automatic Data Recovery
The "Golden Bullet" in this version is the ability to restore data after a program crushes. From now on you don’t need to press the Control + S while working on important projects every minute!
This function works as follows. When working on a document at a specified time interval copies of current documents are stored to a certain business directory. If Illustrator closes (when you press the close button of the program or File> Exit), the backup files are deleted. If the work has been completed abnormally, then the next time you open the program it will prompt you to open the backup copies of the documents. It's very simple, effective and it really works.
But for complex documents with embedded raster images, this function can be disabled.
2. Zooming, scrolling, panning - faster, higher, stronger
The second most important innovation is the improved GPU rendering. The first time this feature has appeared in the CC version in 2014 and pleased its users immediately, despite a number of shortcomings: incorrect display of transparency in the CMYK documents, the assistive grid smoothing, etc. In the CC version in 2015, these shortcomings were removed, and now the GPU rendering can be fully used for commercial operations.
The maximum zoom mode has increased from 6,400 to 64,000%, which could be useful for working with small vector graphics (microlettering, protection).
However, in this mode there are some shortcomings as well: the Lasso Tool in the GPU mode started to work with a considerable delay; the key combination Control + E to switch between the GPU and the normal mode doesn’t work. This could also be a specific feature of my system.
Technical requirements for the GPU rendering initialization:
- For Windows: Note that the AMD cards are supported only by Windows 8 and newer.
- For MacOS: OpenGL 4.0 or newer, most of the systems starting since the Mid-Late 2010.
3. Adobe Stock — a simple stock from Adobe
Some time ago, someone from Adobe had a brilliant idea: to create a service to sell images. So, Adobe Stock is exactly the service for selling images (like any other stock, Shutterstock, Dreamstime or Fotolia). Strictly speaking, this is the Fotolia that has just been bought by Adobe.
So what kind of attitude does Adobe Stock have to Illustrator CC 2015?
Now in the Library panel there is a special button by clicking on which you can go to the website and buy AdobeStock image.
The distinctive point - after buying the image, it automatically appears in the Library panel in the user’s library.
From the web-site you can maintain raster previews with watermarks for free. Image storage on Fotolia.com and Adobe Stock are identical. But on Adobe Stock, you can save up to 33% if you purchase through Creative Cloud.
4. The most controversial innovation -Creative Cloud Charts (Cloud graphics)
To cut a long story short, this is the creation of graphs by using Cloud Creative Cloud. Yes, this thing works only through Cloud.
Preparatory you need to draw a template with the help of the CC Chart Tool and then you should drag your ready vector element on it (meshes are not supported).
When you click the button Editing Creative Cloud the browser starts and there you can import data from numeric csv, xls or xlsx file (or enter it manually). In accordance to the data, the symbols are scaled which are defined as a part of the graph. Click Save and a graph in Illustrator automatically updates (in my case, it took only 20 seconds).
Each time the graph is updated the elements are aligned by their vertical centers, and they need to be re-aligned by the bottom edge.
Currently, only one type of graph in the Creative Cloud is available (Scaleby Value). Other types are inactive in the menu.
In fact, at the moment the Cloud graph is done manually, except for the height of the elements. When importing, graphic elements are converted to the SVG, respectively, beating blend. Transparency and blending modes when viewing in the Cloud are not displayed properly, but in the document itself the elements look right. A positive point - the elements and its parts could be re-painted.
This thing is now at the stage of technological preview, and the designers claim that it will be improved.
Honestly, it is unclear why this function was started. The native Graph Tool outranks the Cloud graphics by far (except for re-painting feature). Here's an illustration of how in the old Graph Tool the stretched area could be defined (in our example, the neck of a giraffe) for element graphics. It is doubtful that this feature will be presented in the new tool in the nearest future.
5. Determination of Gradient Swatches
If any of the color sliders off the gradient was set from the Swatch panel, it is now possible to double click on the gradient slider to localize the color sample from the drop out panel.
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