Basic Adobe Terms

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Anchor Point

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A point on a path that, along with line segments, makes up the path; those at the ends have 'control handles' to control the direction of a curved path.

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Artboard

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Your blank canvas in Illustrator, where you create every design, like sheets of paper stacked on top of one another.

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Artwork

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The physical or digital materials (photos, images, text, components) needed to produce a printed or electronic document.

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Bezier Curve

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A mathematically defined curve used in 2D graphic applications, defined by four points (anchors and handles) to produce reasonably smooth curves.

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Compound Path

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A term in design software referring to taking multiple separate, non-touching paths and combining them into one single path.

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Direct Selection Tool

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The tool (A) in Adobe Illustrator that selects points or path segments within objects.

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Path

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The line that appears when you draw a line in Adobe Illustrator (or similar software).

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Scale

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The change of size of an object while keeping its shape and proportions intact.

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Selection Tool

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The tool (V) in Adobe Illustrator that selects entire objects.

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Vector

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An image built from paths or strokes via control points; it is not affected by size or resolution because the information resides in its structure.