Illustrator

Create new documents

You can create new Illustrator documents from a new document profile or from a template. Creating a document from a new document profile gives you a blank document with the selected profile’s default fill and stroke colors, graphic styles, brushes, symbols, actions, viewing preferences, and other settings. Creating a document from a template gives you a document with preset design elements and settings, as well as content, such as cropmarks and guides, for specific document types, such as brochures or CD covers.

You create a new document from the Welcome screen, or by using File > New or File > Device Central (for mobile device output). The Welcome screen appears whenever a document is not currently open.

For a video on setting up new documents, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0031.

Create a new document using the Welcome screen

  1. Open Illustrator, or if Illustrator is already open, choose Help > Welcome Screen.
  2. Do any of the following:
    • Select a new document profile from the Create New list. The New Document dialog box opens with all options set to the optimized values for the selected new document profile. You can change any of the preset values as desired and click OK to open the new document.
      Note: Alt‑click (Windows) or Option‑click (Mac OS) to open the new document directly and skip the New Document dialog box.

    • Select From Template in the Create New list. Select a template and click OK.

Create a custom document

You can customize any document by changing the settings in the New Document dialog box. However, it’s always best to start with the new document profile that represents your intended output.

If you want to use the preset options from another Illustrator file or template, choose Browse from the New Document Profile menu and open the file you want to use.

  1. Do one of the following:

    • Choose File > New. In the New Document dialog box, type a name for your document, and choose a new document profile.

    • In the Welcome Screen, choose a new document profile from the Create New list. In the New Document dialog box, type a name for your document.

  2. Specify options as desired to customize the document. Click Advanced to specify the following additional options:
    Color Mode
    Specifies the color mode for the new document. Changing the color mode converts the default contents (swatches, brushes, symbols, graphic styles) of the selected new document profile to a new color mode, resulting in a color change. Watch for a warning icon when making changes.

    Raster Effects
    Specifies the resolution for raster effects in the document. It is especially important to set this at High when you plan to output to a high-end printer at high resolution. The Print profile sets this at High by default.

    Transparency Grid
    Specifies the options for the transparency grid for documents that use the Video and Film profile.

    Preview Mode
    Sets the default preview mode for the document (you can change this at any time by using the View menu):

    • Default displays artwork created in the document in vector view with full color. Zoom in/out retains smoothness in the curves.

    • Pixel displays artwork with a rasterized (pixilated) appearance. It does not actually rasterize the content, but displays a simulated preview, as if the contents were rasters.

    • Overprint provides an “ink preview” that approximates how blending, transparency, and overprinting will appear in color-separated output. (See About overprinting.)

  3. (Optional) If you choose the Mobile profile, you can preview your new document in the mobile device interface by clicking Device Central.
    Note: You can change these settings after you create the document by choosing File > Document Setup and specifying new settings.

Create a new document from a template

 Do one of the following:

  • Choose File > New From Template, select a template, and click New.

  • Choose File > New. In the New Document dialog box, click Templates, select a template, and click New.