Smashing Magazine - we smash you with the information that will make your life easier. really.

50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Advertisement

Adobe Illustrator is the industry-standard when it comes to the creation of vector graphics. Though a very robust tool – the learning curve involved in mastering it can be high. Thankfully, there are abundant resources on the web that allows you to “learn by doing”.

Video tutorials (in general) enable the learner to witness – step-by-step – how a particular technique works. We often learn best by seeing how things are done and following along with the instructor (much like in a classroom environment).

In this article, we present to you 50 excellent Adobe Illustrator video tutorials. We’ve broken down the video tutorials into several categories that include creating objects, effects, and general tips and techniques.

So fire up Illustrator, watch a few of these videos, and hopefully you will have learned a tip or two by the end of your adventures into these Illustrator video tutorials!

[Offtopic: by the way, have you already visited Smashing Magazine's Facebook fan page? Join the community for a stream of useful resources, updates and giveaways!]

General Tips and Techniques

Patterns and Shapes in Adobe Illustrator
This tutorial is based on an advertisement that uses patterns and shapes to create a unique design effect.

Fea in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Importing and Manipulating Images in Illustrator
Learn the concepts of importing and manipulating external images in Illustrator.

35 Importing Images in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Creative Masking Techniques
See a method for using complex masking techniques in Illustrator.

36 Creative Masking in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Making a Custom Art Brush
Create your own custom Art Brush that you can re-use in multiple projects via this Illustrator video tutorial.

37 Custom Brushes in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Using Kuler with Illustrator
This tutorial walks you through the process of interfacing with kuler (a community website for sharing color themes) via Illustrator so that you can easily select your color pallete.

38 Kuler With Illustrator in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Live Color in Illustrator CS3
Learn about the Live Color option in Illustrator.

39 Live Color in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Complete Guide to the Pen Tool
Master the Pen tool (one of the most used and complex features in Illustrator) in this video tutorial.

40 Mastering Pen Tool in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

All about Masking
Learn the concepts of masking in Illustrator in this video tutorial.

41 All About Masking in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Adobe Illustrator Masking Tutorial
This short and sweet tutorial will cover the basics of masking in Adobe Illustrator.

42 Illustrator Masking Tutorial in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Opacity Mask
You’ll learn about a technique for performing opacity masking (usually done in Photoshop) in Adobe Illustrator creative selecting with the Marquee tool.

43 Opacity Masking in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Clipping Masks
Learn about clipping masks to streamline the creation of complex objects in this excellent Illustrator video tutorial.

44 Clipping Masks in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Vespa Speed Trace
In this video, you’ll see a method for speed tracing a stock image (in this particular case, a Vespa scooter is used as the reference image).

45 Vespa Speed Trace in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Offset Path tool
Master the Offset Path tool by following along this video tutorial.

46 Offset Path Tool in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Using the Paintbrush Tool
You’ll discover the powers of the Paintbrush tool in Illustrator in this excellent video tutorial.

47 Using Paint Brush Tool in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Working with Layers and Groups
Understanding layers and groups in Illustrator (which is slightly different in Photoshop) can be a daunting task – but not so if you watch this video tutorial.

48 Layers And Groups in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Working with Gradients and Blends
Learn the concepts and techniques behind utilizing gradients and blends to add graduated colors onto your Illustrator objects.

49 Gradients And Blends in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Select Objects Faster and More Efficiently
Maximize your workflow by learning how to select different objects on your Illustrator document in this video tutorial.

50 Select Objects Quickly in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Creating Objects

Creating an iPod
In this video tutorial, you’ll see the process involved in rendering an iPod Nano from scratch using the 3D Effect tool (among other tools and techniques) in Illustrator.

01 Create Ipod in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Creating 3D Shapes in Illustrator
Utilize the Revolve tool in Illustrator to create a great-looking 3-dimensional shape.

22 3d Shapes in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Draw Fluffy Clouds
Create an illustrated cloud using the Pencil tool in Adobe Illustrator via this video tutorial.

10 Fluffy Clouds in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

How to Draw an Eye
In this video tutorial, you’ll learn the process of drawing an eye in Illustrator.

11 Vector Eye in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Drawing Face
Witness a process for creating a vectorized face using a reference photo.

16 Drawing Face in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Create a Gear
You’ll witness the creation of a complex gear object in this Illustrator video tutorial that involves a variety of techniques and tools like the Pathfinder tool.

03 Creating Gear in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Drawing a Gel Progress Bar
Learn how to create a stylish progress bar (inspired by the iPod progress bar) using a combination of techniques including the use of gradients and masking techniques.

04 Gel Progress Bar in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Create Swirling Rainbows with Ease
Create the popular swirling rainbows graphic in Adobe Illustrator by following along this video tutorial.

05 Swirly Rainbow in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Make a Fully Vector Metal Help Icon/Button
Make a metallic, shiny vector (and thus flexible in scale) icon via this Illustrator video tutorial.

05 Glossy Icon in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

3D Brochure
Add a bit of flare onto your print design mock-ups by making them 3-dimensional. This video tutorial shows you how to do it with a brochure, but it can easily be adapted to CD labels, software boxes, and other print design objects.

06 3d Brochure in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Watermelon
Learn how to render a watermelon in Adobe Illustrator via this excellent video tutorial.

07 Watermelon in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Vector Drawing: “Dog”
In this fast-paced video, you’ll witness the steps involved in drawing a dog in Illustrator.

08 Vector Drawing Dog in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Creating Vector Swirls and Swooshes
This tutorial shows you how to create trendy swirls and swooshes using the Pen tool.

02 Swirly Swoosh in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Roundtrip Logo from Illustrator to Photoshop
Find out the methods of an effective workflow that utilizes the power of Illustrator and Photoshop to create a grungy logo design.

09 Logo Illustrator Photoshop in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Batman Logo
Create the Batman logo via this tutorial that shows you the true powers of the Illustrator’s Pathfinder tool.

12 Batman Logo in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Feynman Diagrams
Create a Feynman diagram in Illustrator for presentations and reports.

14 Feynman Diagram in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Create 3D Pyramid
This Illustrator video tutorial will walk you through the creation of a 3-dimensional pyramid.

30 3d Pyramid in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Drawing a Nice Vector Golden Badge Award
In this video tutorial, you’ll be using a variety of Illustrator techniques including masking and working with the Pen tool to create a gold badge.

15 Golden Award in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Vectoring an EyeBall
Learn to vectorize a human eye using a reference photo.

17 Vectoring Eyeball in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Creating Seamless Pattern
You’ll be creating a seamless floral pattern in this Illustrator video tutorial.

19 Seamless Background in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Tribal Sun Vector
Create a tribal Sun illustration by following along this excellent video tutorial.

20 Vector Sun in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Effects

Simple Silhouettes in Illustrator CS4
Apply silhouettes onto objects by utilizing the Gradient Mesh tool.

21 Silohouette in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Create Wood Effect Using Gradients
Create a wood texture in Illustrator by using the Gradients tool.

23 Wood Texture in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Creating a “Firebrush” Logo
Make a fiery, fierce abstract logo design in Adobe Illustrator video tutorial.

24 Firebrush Logo in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Brushed Metal Effect
Give objects scalable “brushed metal” (also known as “brushed aluminum”) texture by following along this Illustrator video tutorial.

25 Brushed Metal in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Vector Grunge Patterns and Distressed Text
Give text a distressed/worn effect via this Illustrator video tutorial.

26 Distressed Text in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Creating Glass, Shining, Reflective, and Vector Text
Go Web 2.0 in Illustrator by creating this sleek, shiny, glossy text effect.

27 Shiny Text in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Creating Comic Book Style Text
Give your text a comic book look-and-feel by following along this video tutorial.

28 Cartoon Text in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Creative Background Effects
In this video tutorial, you’ll learn how to create abstract backgrounds/textures in Illustrator.

29 Creative Background Effects in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Abstract Vector Background
Create a stylish vector background by viewing this excellent Illustrator video tutorial.

31 Abstract Background in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Adding Texture
You’ll learn how to give your vector objects some texture in this video tutorial.

32 Adding Texture in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Create Intricate Patterns
Learn to create complex patterns in Illustrator via this detailed and highly-involved video tutorial.

33 Intricate Patterns in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Creating Vectorized Shining and Sparkling Heart Artwork and Icons
Make a vector heart piece by following along this wonderful Illustrator video tutorial.

34 Vector Hearts in 50 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Video Tutorials

Related content

Jacob Gube is a bilingual web developer (JavaScript and PHP), web designer, author, and the Founder/Chief Editor of Six Revisions: an online publication that shares useful development and design resources and tutorials for web professionals.

Post Rating
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No votes yet)
Loading ... Loading ...

Tags: , , ,

Advertising
  1. 1
    amahony
    January 4th, 2009 1:57 pm

    Great start of 2009, thanks SM!

  2. 2
    Culvi
    January 4th, 2009 2:03 pm

    Nice…Illustrator is my sweet spot! Without it I would perish!

  3. 3
    Eddy Munn
    January 4th, 2009 2:17 pm

    Thank you SmashingMagazine, at a quick glance these will surely help!

  4. 4
    Andy Gongea
    January 4th, 2009 3:00 pm

    I really appreciate the effort. This post is really helpful

  5. 5
    DKumar M.
    January 4th, 2009 3:04 pm

    Nice Collection Jacob, one of the really helpful post around.

    Thank you,
    DKumar M.

  6. 6
    Niels
    January 4th, 2009 3:18 pm

    Yessss! Exactly what I needed! I suck at Illustrator…
    Thanks a lot!

  7. 7
    woitekk
    January 4th, 2009 3:29 pm

    Great stuff. Let me say, I don’t have to search around for Illustrator tuts now. Almost everything I need I’ve just found in here.

    Thanks a lot…

  8. 8
    ihsanrama
    January 4th, 2009 6:11 pm

    Thanks dude …
    That’s really what I’m looking for.
    Great to you for that.. ^_^

  9. 9
    lapillus
    January 4th, 2009 8:59 pm

    Oh, just what I’ve been wanting!

  10. 10
    Justin Razmus
    January 4th, 2009 9:33 pm

    I’ve used Illustrator quite a bit, and the more I use it, the more I realize I have barely scratched the surface! Thanks for the tips. Great site!

  11. 11
    Rakesh.S
    January 5th, 2009 12:16 am

    Expected a more wonderful beginning for Year 2009. :-( .. Thanks for this listing

  12. 12
    tom
    January 5th, 2009 12:33 am

    I found this one really useful too

  13. 13
    Void Guru
    January 5th, 2009 12:55 am

    Excellent post…

  14. 14
    sigh
    January 5th, 2009 6:03 am

    great post! very usefull

  15. 15
    Ops!
    January 5th, 2009 7:28 am

    Thank for good video collection.

  16. 16
    Ricardo
    January 5th, 2009 4:34 pm

    Very good post.

    I also suck at illustrator and certainly this will help me a lot.

    Thank you SM.

  17. 17
    bz00
    January 5th, 2009 7:51 pm

    wow…i like this post..tnx SM!

  18. 18
    miladoGeek.com
    January 7th, 2009 4:12 am

    Thanks, Illustrator is very great.
    I´ll try with some tutorials now.

  19. 19
    Thendenze
    January 8th, 2009 6:23 am

    Great work… thanks

  20. 20
    nosferatuz
    January 8th, 2009 11:40 am

    Thanks for the post but considering this is for the great Smashing Magazine you could select just the best examples. There are no more than 10 that are interesting tutorials…

  21. 21
    blog.gonzalollorens.com
    January 9th, 2009 2:50 pm

    Gracias, personalmente me viene mu bien para empezar a utilizar el illustrator (llevo un año intenando ponerme a aprender a utilizarlo) y dejar de lado el freehand que ya toca!
    Gracias por compartir la información.
    Un saludo

  22. 22
    speedcu
    January 12th, 2009 1:14 am

    very useful, thanks!

  23. 23
    Ron Evans
    January 17th, 2009 1:21 pm

    Sorry guys. The pen tutorial (the one with the guitar…) totally sucks! It doesn’t play and they want you to buy it first. I love SM, so please find a better one. Thanks.

  24. 24
    krishna
    February 20th, 2009 9:00 pm

    very nice

  25. 25
    Anja
    February 21st, 2009 4:06 am

    @Ron Evans: The guitar tutorial *does* play and it doesn’t ask me to pay. Make sure you have Quicktime installed.

    Thanks for the list of tutorials! Some of them are pretty good, especially the last one with the hearts. :)

  26. 26
    max
    December 8th, 2009 2:08 pm

    Thank you tuotorials help me lot

  27. 27
    Ashley Jeeawon
    January 6th, 2010 2:27 pm

    Excellent and helpful post!

  1. 00

    There are no trackbacks at this time. If you are interested in leaving a trackback, please use this URL.

Leave a Comment

Make sure you enter the * required information where indicated. Please also rate the article as it will help us decide future content and posts. Comments are moderated – and rel="nofollow" is in use. Please no link dropping, no keywords or domains as names; do not spam, and do not advertise!



Advertisement Advertise with us!
Join in Smashing Forum
Post your job