The Illustrator CS5 Software from Adobe is a Windows application with extensive vector drawing tools. You can use it to create vector assets for use in design, web, and video projects. Vector graphics can be scaled to any size, without a loss in quality, making them ideal for use across multiple types of media: a vector image will look just as good on a computer screen, HDTV, or printed to billboard size.

Illustrator features numerous tools to set your vector graphics apart from the crowd. It supports gradient fills, transparent objects, adjustable stroke, and perspective drawing. You'll be able to add pre-made shapes and arrows to images. Advanced typography tools support OpenType fonts, paragraph styles, and character styles.

Features

Sophisticated Vector Drawing Control

Create distinctive designs with precise shape-building tools, fluid and painterly brushes, and advanced path controls

Gradients and Transparency

Interact with gradients directly on your objects and control the transparency of individual colors in gradients and gradient meshes

Beautiful Strokes

Fully control variable-width strokes, arrowheads, dashes, and art brush scaling along a path

In-Panel Appearance Editing

Edit object characteristics directly in the Appearance panel, eliminating the need to open fill, stroke, or effects panels

Integration with Adobe CS Review

Create and share online reviews for clients down the hall or around the world with Adobe CS Review, one of the new Adobe CS Live online services. CS Live services are complimentary for a limited time

Industry-Standard Graphic File Format Support

Work with almost any type of graphic file -- including PDF, EPS, FXG, Photoshop (PSD), TIFF, GIF, JPEG, SWF, SVG, DWG, DXF, and more

Adobe PDF File Creation Tools

Create more secure, multipage, graphic-rich PDF files with Illustrator layers retained. Share files confidently with service providers, including support for PDF/X standards

Advanced Typography

Design beautiful text for virtually any media with professional controls for paragraph and character styles, support for OpenType, transparent effects, and more

Perspective Drawing

Use perspective grids to draw shapes and scenes in accurate 1-, 2-, or 3-point linear perspective and create the look of realistic depth and distance

Multiple Artboard Enhancements

Work on up to 100 artboards of varying sizes in one file -- named, organized, and viewed the way you want

Drawing Enhancements

Draw behind, disregarding stacking order. Draw or place an image inside, instantly creating a clipping mask

Integration with Other Adobe Applications

Share files smoothly with other Adobe professional design applications and easily create artwork for multiple uses

Crisp Graphics for Web and Mobile Devices

Create vector objects precisely on the file's pixel grid for delivering pixel-aligned raster artwork

Design Projects

Beautiful Strokes

Adjust stroke width interactively using new width handles. Precisely position arrowheads and symmetrically align dashes. Control stretch at any point when scaling art brushes on a path, and see how patterns behave beautifully at corners

Perspective Drawing

Use perspective grids to draw shapes and scenes in accurate 1-, 2-, or 3-point linear perspective, and create the look of realistic depth and distance

Integration with Adobe CS Review

Create and share online reviews for clients down the hall or around the world using Adobe CS Review, one of the new CS Live online services

Gradients and Transparency

Interact with gradients directly on your objects and control the transparency of individual colors in gradients and gradient meshes

Multiple Artboard Enhancements

Work on up to 100 artboards of varying sizes in one file - named, organized, and viewed the way you want

Drawing Enhancements

Work faster with everyday tools. Join paths with a keystroke, draw behind, and draw inside

Advanced Typography

Design beautiful text for any media with professional controls for paragraph and character styles, support for OpenType, transparent effects, and more

Bristle Brush

Paint with vectors that resemble real-world brush strokes. Achieve the expressiveness of natural media with the scalability of vector graphics

Shape Builder Tool

Intuitively combine, edit, and fill shapes directly on your artboard without accessing multiple tools and panels

Resolution-Independent Effects

Apply raster effects, such as drop shadows, blurs, and textures, that maintain a consistent appearance across media

Web Projects

Crisp Graphics for Web and Mobile

Create vector objects precisely on the file's pixel grid for delivering pixel-aligned artwork. Generate clean, sharp raster graphics by turning on Align To Pixel Grid and using text anti-aliasing options for individual text frames

Resolution-Independent Effects

Apply raster effects, such as drop shadows, blurs, and textures, that maintain a consistent appearance across media

Integration with Adobe Flash Professional

Import Illustrator files into Flash Professional with type better preserved and symbol registration points supported

Multiple Artboards for Web and Interactive

Define up to 100 working areas in one file. Paste objects in place across artboards for repeating artwork on multiple web pages, screens, or frames

Adobe Device Central

Design, preview, and test rich graphic content for mobile devices and deliver engaging experiences to billions of subscribers

Pixel Preview

See how your vector artwork will look when rasterized using the Pixel Preview mode. Edit your artwork and the preview changes live -- as you work

Symbols for Adobe Flash Professional

Use symbols to animate objects and make editing faster. Registration points are maintained when imported into Flash Professional

Web and Mobile Device Export

Easily view, optimize, and export for web and mobile devices, with choices for format, color, quality, compression, and more

New Document Profiles for Web and Mobile Devices

Access new pixel-grid alignment from web and mobile device profiles, which also include relevant dimensions, color groups, and more

Versatile Slicing Tools

Create vector-based slices from objects, groups of objects, or layers that are preserved when exporting your artwork as a SWF or PSD file

Video Projects

Beautiful Strokes

Adjust stroke width interactively using new width handles. Precisely position arrowheads and symmetrically align dashes. Control stretch at any point when scaling art brushes on a path, and see how patterns behave beautifully at corners

Multiple Artboards for Motion and Effects

Use up to 100 artboards in a single file for multiple frames or design variations. Choose from resolutions for video and options for safe areas, center marks, and more

New Document Profiles for Motion and Effects

Select prebuilt profiles that include relevant document sizes, color groups, gradients, and patterns for video

Sophisticated Vector Drawing Tools

Create distinctive designs with precise shape-building tools, fluid and painterly brushes, and advanced path controls

Advanced Typography

Design beautiful text for any media with professional controls for paragraph and character styles, support for OpenType, transparent effects, and more

Gradients and Transparency

Interact with gradients directly on your objects and control the transparency of individual colors in gradients and gradient meshes