The Style Inspector is used for creating and editing line and fill styles. To open the Style Inspector, click the Style Inspector icon in the toolbar, or choose Window > Style Inspector from the main menu.
Click 'Clone' in the Style Inspector to copy a style and change it without affecting previously drawn objects that have the same style applied. Make changes to the stroke and fill and continue drawing.
Alternatively, click 'New' to clear the existing style and return the Style Inspector to the default gray fill / black stroke style. Make changes to the style as desired and continue drawing.
Styles you create while drawing are called "ad hoc" styles. As objects are drawn, they share the ad hoc or library style that is in use. If the style is changed, the change is applied across all objects that share the style. Note that editing a library style can have unforseen consequences, including if the style is in use in other documents. Library styles are locked by default to prevent unintended changes.
When you create a new style it can be used as an ad-hoc style, and optionally it can be saved to the Library Manager for future use. Use the Expert pane of the Style Inspector to add Library styles.
Saved styles are “master styles” and are displayed as "locked" to prevent unintended changes. When you edit a master style, your changes will be applied to all instances where that style has been used. This can be handy for making universal changes, but use caution and 'clone' it if you are really wanting to create a new style.
You cannot make changes to the built-in styles - they must be 'cloned' to make changes. Clone an existing style (rather than unlocking and changing the existing style) to quickly create new similar styles. For example, clone a dashed stroke style if you want to create a new dashed style. Select "Clone" in the Style Inspector. An ad hoc style is created and the style will appear unlocked (and unnamed) and it is safe to edit.
If styles are set not to be 'sharable', each time that style is used it is copied, so accidental changes made to the master style will not affect any objects that are already using it.
The Simple pane of the Style Inspector lets you very quickly edit the stroke and fill of simple styles. Click onto the color wells to change the stroke and fill color. Slide the control, type a specific stroke width in the control box, or use the up/down arrows to increase or decrease stroke width. A variety of dash options are available from the drop down menu and additional dashes can be customized. End cap, corner join, and shadow options are available.
Note, when making changes to an existing style with multiple style components, editing within the Expert pane is recommended.
Play with the Expert pane for full control of all style components, and you'll be an expert in no time flat.
Click the "+" button to add Style Components to add a variety of strokes and fills. Styles are built by combining various style components. For example, to build this cased line with a center dash, three strokes of varying widths are defined and stacked. In this example, we combine a magenta solid line, a narrower green solid line, and a purple dashed line. The magenta stroke is defined first, then the green, then the dashed line. The list shows the order that components are drawn in, so the last item in the list is drawn last, which will appear 'on top' of components already drawn. Drag to rearrange the stacking order of style components.
From the Style Inspector, you can add a wide assortment of components to create custom styles.
Note, to edit a style component it must be enabled (check box). Disabled components can neither be edited, nor show up when the style is used to draw an object. If desired, individual components of a style can be uniquely named by double-clicking in the master list of the Style Inspector.
In the Style Inspector, the following properties can be edited for strokes: color, width, dashes, cap and join, clipping, offset, and shadow. Note shadows will affect drawing speed and should be used sparingly for good performance while using Artboard.
An Arrowed Stroke component is easily customizable. Color, line width, and dash properties are set in the same way as a standard stroke. Linear, diameter, radius, and angle dimension settings are available.
Set the arrowhead size by dragging the knob (small square) In the arrow preview area.
The Arrowed Stroke is highly flexible in that you can set arrow head style on one or both ends, and add dimensions along the stroke. Choose from these options for styling the ends of Arrowed Strokes.
Occasionally, you may want your work to have a roughened appearance. With the Rough Stroke, you can easily mimic pencil lines or apply color and transparency to mimic markers or even watercolor. Adjust roughness properties in the Style Inspector.
The Tagged Stroke offers an amazing flexibility for easily creating strokes with "tags" or hatches. Properties include options to define the type of tag, including lines, squares, triangles, semi-circles, circles and "v"s. Color, size, and spacing can be set, as well as the option to show or hide the main stroke and taper the tags at either end of the stroke.
Artboard's Tapered Stroke supplies an elegant way to form styles for such linear features. Options include tapering at one or both ends, as well as setting color, off-set, and stroke width.
The Zig-Zag Stroke adds settings for the amplitude, wavelength, and spread of the zig-zag. Color, line width, and dash are set in the same way as a standard stroke.
Add objects, symbols, or images repeatedly along a path using Path Decorator. For example, draw a circle on the drawing canvas and copy it. Paste it into the image well under Path Decorator. The circle is now added at regular intervals along the path and its scale, spacing, lead-in, end-ramp, off-set, alternating offset, and clipping can be fine-tuned as desired.
For good performance (drawing speed), the image should be small, not too complex, and not too closely spaced.
Use Gradient Fill for stylish linear and radial gradients. The color slider is the place to control the details of color and placement. The gradient well gives you the "big" picture.
To set gradient colors, select the color stops at each end of the gradient bar. Choose colors form the Colors panel. Add and remove color stops using the “+” and “-” on the left side of the gradient bar. Drag color stops to position along the gradient bar. Drag color stops off of the slider bar to remove them.
Rotate the knob on the Iris controls to set the angle of the gradient. Hold the SHIFT-key to constrain the angle of the gradient to 15-degree increments. The angle can be set relative to the object or relative to the page. The center point of a radial gradient is adjusted by moving the position of the gradient Iris controls. Adjust the color blend between two circles of color using the Iris controls to adjust the radius and center point.
*Note, transparencies within a gradient are not recommended due to a known issue with the external PDF generator used in printing and exporting graphics.
The color fill component lets you select the color well and choose from millions of colors using the Colors panel. From the Colors panel, transparency can also be set using the Opacity Slider.
Fill objects with tiled images using the Paste Image command (pastes from clipboard) or use Image File to add an image from a file. Images can also be dragged-and dropped from the Image Browser into the image-well.
Shadows can be applied to fill components by checking the Shadow option and setting the shadow color, angle, distance, and blur.
Zig-zag fills can be useful for defining styles for unusual shapes. The amplitude, wavelength, and spread are adjustable in the Style Inspector.
Using the Pattern Fill, objects, symbols, or images are regularly repeated within the fill area. Draw an object or add a symbol to your drawing canvas and copy it. Next, paste it by clicking Paste Image in the Style Inspector. Last, set the scale, spacing, alternating offset, and angle as desired.
Random spacing, random scale, and random angle properties allowing more stochastic pattern effects to be realized.
Keep the image small, not too complex and not too densely spaced for good drawing performance (drawing speed).
When a new object is drawn using a pattern fill style, the image objects in the pattern may appear clipped at the edges of the shape. You can use "Suppress clipped images" to hide images at the edge of a shape if they would otherwise appear as clipped.
Hatch fill is used to create patterns of lines or dots. This component offers control over line width, spacing, lead-in, color, and angle. Lines can be dashed, and roughness and wobble can even be added to create a wavy pattern. Add two or more Hatch Fill components with differing angles to create grid patterns.
Adjusting the “Density” setting will automatically generate a dot pattern. Changing “Line width” with a dot pattern will adjust the dot diameter. Changing the “Angle” will adjust the orientation of the pattern.
If you want to save a style for later, you can. When you’re satisfied with your new style, click back onto the "Style" heading in the component list to return to the front dialog. Enter a name for your new creation and optional description. Click "Add To 'My Collection'…" to lock your new style and place it into the Library Manager. By default, new styles are added to the My Library > My Collection in the Library Manager. To organize your styles and clip art, drag-and-drop them among categories. New styles are immediately available in the Styles & Clip Art Palette where you can use them for drawing. Your styles are retained in the Library Manager for future use, editing, and even sharing.