Gravit Designer Translation Guides

Basic Information:

  • Gravit cannot open Illustrator files without the Pro version, so all the files have been saved as .jpg files. These can be opened by going to file > open from local > and then choosing the .jpg file. You can also choose the image icon and place an image.
  • Have students lower the opacity of the image and lock the layer so they can trace on top of it. This should work for most of the files, but not the gradient color file. 
  • Anything that is not on your page will not be visible. You can add new pages from the pages menu on the left hand side. 
  • You may also want to convert all shapes to raw paths in order to properly edit them. Do this by selecting the shape, and go to Modify > Path > Convert to Raw Path
  • DO NOT USE POINTS! For some reason, you can’t move shapes when you are using points as your unit. Stick with something like pixels.

Unavailable Tools:

  • Blob brush
  • Live paint
  • Isolation mode
  • CMYK and HSB color (only available with pro, so just stick with RGB and hex codes)
  • Smooth tool
  • Shaper tool
  • Curvature tool
  • Width tool

Tools and Navigation:

  • The pen tool mostly works in the way it does in Illustrator. It’s not as easy to use, but if you click and drag, it will create an arc with handles, and if you just click, it will create a straight line. However, when teaching the pen tool, remind students not to get too frustrated if it’s not turning out exactly as they expect. 
  • The pencil tool works the same way as in Illustrator, but it’s not very precise or clean. Still teach it, but keep in mind it won’t look so bad in Illustrator.
  • Use the compound shape tools to create the icons for days 1 and 2. You might have to mess around with them a little to figure it out, but don’t get frustrated; you can do it!
  • To create a gradient, click on the color picker circle of the fill. At the top of the window, select the type of gradient you want from the drop down menu.
  • To delete a border or fill, select the color you want to delete and click the trash can next to border or fill depending on what you’re deleting. 
  • Hover over tools to see their shortcuts. You can still use the spacebar to click and drag across your page. You can also use ctrl and the scroll wheel to zoom in and out (rather than alt). V is still the shortcut for the selection tool. You can also Alt + drag to copy a shape.

The Files:

  • The gradient color files (Day 3) are a little trickier. Have students open the .jpg file of the logo they would like to color. Select the image, go to Modify > Path > Vectorize Image. This may take a minute to work. Then, have them add a border to each of the large shapes. I then locked those layers, went through, and deleted all the other paths and lines that I didn’t need. I then unlocked the layers to work with them.
  • The Chrome example has an extra step. One of the large sections connects to one of the shadows when vectorized. To edit each shape individually, select the transparent layer they are on, right click, and select “Split Path”. That will turn it into two different paths that you can edit.
  • The projects probably won’t turn out exactly right, but it will still get the idea across to the students. 

Curriculum:

  • Day 1: follow the Illustrator day 1 curriculum, adapting for Gravit Designer.
  • Day 2: follow the Illustrator day 2 curriculum, adapting for Gravit Designer (use the compound shape tools instead of the shape builder).
  • Day 3: follow the Illustrator day 3 curriculum, adapting for Gravit Designer. There will be less to do, so you can use that time to help everyone effectively use the files.
  • Day 4: follow the Illustrator day 4 curriculum, including the freehand shaping tool. In the Gravit day 4 files there is a file specifically for teaching this concept. Also include text tools on this day.