Illustrator Location:
Advanced Toolbar > Randomini Tool
When one or more art objects are selected and the Randomini tool is in use, its widget will appear, initially centered over the bounds of the selected art (it may later be repositioned; see below). By using the cursor to click or drag parts of the widget, the artwork can be edited. Except for Hue, all changes are previewed using outlines and are not actually applied to the art until the Apply button is clicked or the Enter
key is pressed. Therefore, if you change your mind and decide not to randomize the art, simply switch to another tool and the art will remain as it was. All parameters are retained between uses of the tool. When not over a widget control, the cursor for the Randomini tool has the shape of a die showing various random faces. When nothing is selected, the Randomini tool can be dragged to marquee-select
artwork.
Randomino annotation widget
Dragging the rotation control changes the angle up to which each piece of art will be randomly rotated around its bounding box center, in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. For example, setting the rotation arm at a 24° angle will cause the preview art to be rotated anywhere from -24° to 24°:
Randomino rotation arm preview
The rotation control may be double-clicked
to set the rotation value numerically. Holding down the Shift
key when dragging the control causes it to be constrained to steps of 10°. Holding down Command/Ctrl
while dragging it enables “Slow-Drag,” which moves the control as if all cursor movements were reduced tenfold, allowing for fine-tuning.
Dragging the scale thumb changes the value up to which each piece of art will be randomly scaled from its bounding box center. For example, setting the scale value to 150% will cause the preview art to be scaled anywhere from 100% to 150%:
Randomini scaling control arm
The scale thumb may be double-clicked
to set the scale value numerically. Holding down Shift
while dragging the thumb causes the scale values to be constrained to integer values. Holding down Command/Ctrl
enables “Slow-Drag”, as per the Rotation control.
Dragging the offset thumb changes the value up to which each piece of art will be randomly offset (shifted in position). For example, setting the offset value to 6pt will cause the preview art to be moved anywhere from 0 to 6 points. The offset direction is randomly chosen.
Randomini offset slider annotation
As with the scale thumb, the offset thumb may be doubleclicked
to set the value numerically, Shift-dragged
to constrain the value, or Command/Ctrl-dragged
to enable “Slow-Drag.”
Clicking the Apply button applies the currently displayed random rotation, scaling and offset to the selected art, as previewed. Immediately afterwards, since the art is still selected, new random parameters will be selected and previewed, allowing you to quickly apply multiple randomizations. To automatically deselect the art after applying the randomization, hold down Shift
while clicking the Apply button. Pressing the Enter
key has the same effect as clicking the Apply button unless no art is selected, in which case it opens the tool preferences dialog.
Clicking the Hue button immediately randomizes the hues (strokes and fills) of the selected art. Note that black (which has zero brightness) and white (which has maximum brightness) are not affected by changing the hue. Also note that grouped objects are only affected if they have a stroke or fill applied in the Appearance panel at the group level, unless the “Ignore Grouping” preference is enabled (see Randomini: Preferences). Type objects are only affected if they have a stroke or fill applied in the Appearance panel above the Characters; to change the color of individual characters, use the Randomino panel.
The center control may be dragged to reposition the entire widget. Doubleclicking
the center control resets all parameters to their default values (i.e., no rotation, no scaling, and no offset).
Illustrator Location:
Illustrator Main Menu > Window > Astute Graphics > Reform
A common operation is to extend one section of a path by a uniform amount. You can achieve this by placing markers of equal offset value exactly on the start and end delimiters. To save time, you may quickly create a constant offset by holding down Shift-Option
(Mac) or Shift-Alt
(Windows) while initially dragging the path to create a new reshape:
Reform Constant Offset Profiles
Illustrator Location:
Advanced Toolbar > Stylism Tool
The interactive controls for the native Offset Path live effect consist of a relocatable distance widget and a dropdown menu. For many more options when offsetting a path, including proper offsetting of open paths, as well as multiple offsets, we suggest instead using the Astute Graphics’ AG Offset live effect, which has a dedicated tool and panel.
Stylism Offset Path Controls
The length of the widget reflects the offset distance. The “ball” end can be dragged to change the offset value (to the right for positive amounts) or doubleclicked to numerically enter the value. By default, the widget is placed above the center circle. However, it can be repositioned by holding down Option/Alt
and dragging the end without the ball. It will snap to the path, which can make adjusting the offset value easier because the widget will be rotated perpendicular to the path, with the offset path therefore passing directly through the ball:
Stylism Offset Path Widget Relocate
The dropdown menu specifies the types of corners used when offsetting the path, from among Miter, Round, and Bevel. The rarely-used Miter Limit parameter is not adjustable through the annotated UI.
Illustrator Location:
Illustrator Main Menu > Window > Astute Graphics > Reprofile
A common operation is to extend one section of a path by a uniform amount. You can achieve this by placing markers of equal height value exactly on the start and end delimiters. To save time, you may quickly create a constant offset by holding down Shift + Option/Alt
while initially dragging the path to create a new reprofile.