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Eugene Peterson/4 min read

Illustrator Graph Tool Pt 1 - The Basics

Learn the Basics of Adobe Illustrator's Graph Tool with Noble Desktop

In this tutorial, Eugene Peterson from Noble Desktop introduces the basics of using the Adobe Illustrator Graph Tool. He demonstrates how to create and edit charts, transpose data, and adjust the graph's format and style.

According to Peterson, the Graph Tool is equipped with nine chart types and has a shortcut on the basic toolbar (J). He explains how to set the dimensions for the graph and navigate through the value axis, which comprises of six values between zero and one and five divisions. He further elaborates on how to input data in the data sheet and link it live to the graph.

Peterson also covers the different ways of editing the number of decimals and column width, and points out that editing the data sheet can be tricky. He provides tips on how to navigate and edit effectively in the sheet and how to format the data style for better visual representation.

Additionally, Peterson guides viewers on how to customize the graph type and its options, which includes adjusting the width of the columns versus the total allotted space. He details how to modify the value axis formatting, change the interval for the values, and add prefixes and suffixes to labels.

Finally, Peterson offers insights on working with the graph object. He advises on how to use the direct selection tool or the group selection tool for color edits and other formatting changes. He also warns about the possibility of losing connection to the data when ungrouping the chart object and provides a best practice to avoid this.

This tutorial provides beneficial pointers for individuals keen on mastering the Adobe Illustrator's Graph Tool. It is the first tutorial in a series of three by Noble Desktop.

Video Transcription

Hello, this is Eugene Peterson for Noble Desktop. In this, the first of three tutorials, I'm going to show you how to use the Adobe Illustrator Graph Tool, focusing on the basics. The Illustrator Graph Tool is located here (keyboard shortcut J if you're using the basic toolbar). If you click and hold the icon, you'll see the nine types of charts available. If you click the arrow, it detaches the menu that can be viewed horizontally or vertically.

Creating charts, select the Column Graph Tool and click once. We have the option of entering the dimensions of our graph or chart, or we can marquee drag the area that our chart will occupy (the area will include space inside of the axes, it does not include the values). The value axis comprises of six values between zero and one, with five divisions. It also displays the data sheet with one entry for one column.

One of the graph object's strengths is its live link to the data values. Right click the chart using the selection tool and notice that all of the chart objects are highlighted. Click data and we're presented with the data sheet and displays the pre-populated data sheet similar to Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. We can enter data and click the apply button to see our result. We can use the transpose row and column feature to transpose rows and columns, which gives us a different arrangement of the data (typically, columns are categories and rows are clusters).

The data style feature allows editing the number of decimals and the column width. If you have really large numbers, you can make the column larger. Editing data values in the data sheet can be fussy; one would usually use the left and right arrow in the edit field, but press the left arrow and it highlights the entire value. If I press the right arrow, it moves to the next column, so the trick is to position your cursor exactly where you want to make the edit (except for a header field, no text or special characters in cells are permitted, except for the period and the pipe character. The pipe character will create a new line in a text field).

So, if we wanted to enter some dates, we would use the quote symbol, and we could also use the quote symbol at the end. If we wanted to use a single quote, we could do that at the beginning. There's our single quote. Graph type, again, I'll right click the chart and arrive at the graph type dialog box, which allows for a variety of formatting. One thing we can do is change the chart type (let's try area, so it's the same data arranged in a different format).

Graph type options allow for the formatting of the width of the columns versus the total allotted space, so we can try this at 100 and it fills the entire graph area. The columns are 100 of their allotted space. You can also modify the value axis formatting.

One option is to change the interval for the values. If we change this to five, and we'll make the divisions the same, we get whole numbers. Also, the tick marks—these little short lines here—are default to short, but we can make them full width and create a background grid. We can also add prefixes and suffixes to the labels, so let's say dollar sign and make this billions. We have our updated values. The category axis also has tick marks which we can modify in a similar manner.

A few notes about working with the graph object: to make edits to the color or other formatting edits, we need to use the direct selection tool or the group selection tool. If we wanted to change the color of that column, certain edits will persist after editing and some won't. So I've updated that number and this edit persisted. If I take this column and manually change it and then edit the data, this will snap back to where it was—the color did not revert. You can ungroup the chart object and you will lose the connection to the data, so a best practice would be to duplicate the graph and then make your edits.

That's all for this tutorial. I hope you've enjoyed learning how to use the Adobe Illustrator graph tool. This has been Eugene Peterson for Noble Desktop.

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