{"id":4926,"date":"2021-05-04T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-04T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webdesignrace.com\/photography_blog\/2021\/05\/04\/5-adobe-illustrator-vector-effects-for-graphic-design\/"},"modified":"2021-05-04T10:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-05-04T10:00:00","slug":"5-adobe-illustrator-vector-effects-for-graphic-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webdesignrace.com\/photography_blog\/2021\/05\/04\/5-adobe-illustrator-vector-effects-for-graphic-design\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Adobe Illustrator Vector Effects for Graphic Design"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/div>
\n

Liven up your images with these five Illustrator effects by adding texture, depth, and shading to your vectors.<\/h2>\n

Vector effects are the perfect way to take your graphic illustrations to a whole new level in Adobe Illustrator. Whether that\u2019s using these effects for characters, floral elements, or even text.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s dive in!<\/p>\n

\"Floral<\/figure>\n

Before you start adding any effects, be sure to have your Appearance<\/strong> panel in your workspace. You can find this by going to Window<\/strong>, then Appearance<\/strong>. Next, simply drag<\/strong> it to your workspace<\/strong>. Then you can edit and delete your vector effects as you go through this tutorial.<\/p>\n

\"Appearance
Open the Appearance panel in your workspace.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

1. Gaussian Blur<\/h3>\n

First, we\u2019ll start with the Gaussian Blur. This effect is nice for blending different elements of your vector, such as the inner portion of this flower.<\/p>\n

In order to get this effect, we\u2019ll head to the Effect<\/strong> in your menu. Then, go to Blur > Gaussian Blur<\/strong>. Be sure to check off<\/strong> Preview<\/strong> on your Settings<\/strong> window so you can see your effect in action. For this example, I\u2019m going to set this to 3.1 pixels<\/strong>. Feel free to play around with these different settings to find what works best for your design.<\/p>\n

\"Gaussian
Gaussian Blur is nice for blending different elements of your vector.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To add the same effect to the other two yellow circles in this design, select both<\/strong> of them and go to Effect > Apply Gaussian Blur<\/strong>. Your menu will keep the last effect handy for you to make similar changes elsewhere in your design.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019d like to learn how to change the resolution of your effect, head to this similar vector effect tutorial<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

2. Inner Glow<\/h3>\n

This is my favorite effect as this can quickly add depth and shading to your vector elements. In order to do this, head to Effect > Stylize > Inner Glow<\/strong>. From here, change your color<\/strong> to a darker shade of whatever your element is and set the mode to Multiply<\/strong>. For this one, I set my Opacity<\/strong> to 38%<\/strong> with a 46pt Blur<\/strong>. If you want your glow to be around the edges, make sure to select Edge<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Inner
Add depth and shading to your vector elements with the Inner Glow Effect.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With the other petals, I\u2019m going to do different settings as they\u2019re color specific. Keep an eye on your own designs to make sure you find the right settings for your various elements.<\/p>\n

Again, if you want your glow to be around the edges, make sure to select Edge<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Inner
If you want your glow to be around the edges, make sure you\u2019re selecting Edge.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

3. Roughen<\/h3>\n

The Roughen effect is ideal when you want to scuff up your path edges. It\u2019s a quick trick to make your natural elements or clothing look more realistic in your designs.<\/p>\n

The Roughen effect can be found in Effect > Distort & Transform > Roughen<\/strong>. For this design, I roughened up the edges of the center of the flowers. I set the effect to 10% Size<\/strong> and Detail at 12\/in<\/strong>. For points, I went with the Smooth<\/strong> option.<\/p>\n

\"Roughen<\/figure>\n
\"Roughen
Scuff up your path edges with the Roughen Effect.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

4. Drop Shadow<\/h3>\n

Now that we\u2019ve covered textures and shading, let\u2019s use drop shadows to add more depth. You can find the Drop Shadow<\/strong> effect in Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow<\/strong>. Keep this effect subtle because it can make your design look overprocessed if you get carried away.<\/p>\n

In order to make these subtle changes, my Drop Shadow<\/strong> mode is set to Normal<\/strong> with an Opacity<\/strong> at 75%<\/strong>, with both X<\/strong> and Y Offsets<\/strong> at 1pt<\/strong>. My blur is set at 6pt<\/strong> and my color is set to a dark gray #5e5e5e<\/strong>. If you want to try using the Darkness option, check out this tutorial<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Drop
Use Drop Shadow to add more depth.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I added the same effect to the other petals, outer centers of the flowers, and the leaf. Used in moderation, the Drop Shadow effect can make your vector elements jump off the screen with a slight dimensional effect.<\/p>\n

\"Drop
Make your vector elements really pop with the Drop Shadow.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

5. Grain<\/h3>\n

Lastly, we\u2019ll add a bit of texture to our entire design by using the Grain effect. There are numerous ways to use this effect, but sometimes this effect can make the edges of our elements look pixelated. Here\u2019s a quick work-around that will add texture to everything.<\/p>\n

First, I added a white-colored rectangle<\/strong> on top of my entire design. Then, I added the Grain<\/strong> texture to this shape.<\/p>\n

You can find the Grain<\/strong> effect in Effect > Texture > Grain<\/strong>. From there, a larger settings window will pop-up. I set the Intensity<\/strong> to 35<\/strong>, the Contrast<\/strong> to 58<\/strong>, and the Grain Type<\/strong> to Soft<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Grain
A work-around to add texture to your image.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Once you have your settings done, press Ok<\/strong>. From there, go to your Appearance<\/strong> panel that we added in the beginning of this tutorial. Then, set the Opacity<\/strong> mode to Multiply<\/strong> to allow the vector underneath to come through. And, just like that, you\u2019re able to quickly add interesting texture to your design.<\/p>\n

\"Final
Voil\u00e0! Your completed design.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, this work-around isn\u2019t ideal if you want to isolate this texture. If you want to do that, you can instead make a clipping mask with the elements you want to contain the grain texture.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a before and after to visualize the subtle changes, giving our vector depth and texture. Feel free to use these vector effects in other ways, as each of your designs will need different settings. Remember to think outside the box and watch your design come alive with these different effects.<\/p>\n

\"Floral<\/figure>\n
\n

For more fun design tips and advice, check out these articles:<\/p>\n

Cover image via Tartila<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Join our community of talented artists,
filmmakers, and musicians.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Liven up your images with these five Illustrator effects by adding texture, depth, and shading to your vectors. Vector effects are the perfect way to take your graphic illustrations to a whole new level in Adobe Illustrator. Whether that\u2019s using these effects for characters, floral elements, or even text. Let\u2019s dive in! Before you start<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":-1,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1797],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-photo-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webdesignrace.com\/photography_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webdesignrace.com\/photography_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webdesignrace.com\/photography_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webdesignrace.com\/photography_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webdesignrace.com\/photography_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4926"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/webdesignrace.com\/photography_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4926\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webdesignrace.com\/photography_blog\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webdesignrace.com\/photography_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webdesignrace.com\/photography_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webdesignrace.com\/photography_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}