Adobe Illustrator + ArcMap

I am branching out in my map-making skills. Finally, I have found a resource that has helped me hurdle the Adobe Illustrator-to-ArcMap transition. If I actually had put my mind to this issue I might have solved this conundrum independent of Google. Google is like the calculator of the '80s; everyone would rather use it than their own brain. *Guilty*

I can't post the PDF but I discovered an ESRI UC paper presented by Ralph Wagnitz. In the paper, he outlines how one can export an ArcMap layout to .AI format, then import to Adobe Illustrator. Very simple, should not have required a Google search, but I fell into that trap.

I have found that in some cases, particularly with raster data, the PDF format works better, as the transparency comes along. I have experienced issues maintaining transparency with raster files with the .AI format.

Now, I can add vignetting to a map to simulate water depth without having to create a buffer. Representing shapes in 3D is also a plus. I disdain creating a 3D surface in 3D analyst and then being restricted cartographically when I want to develop a 3D map or cartographic representation. Ugh.

I originally hit upon this by following a very good blog, CartoTalk. Some good cartography/map-making discussion, there is.

My map-making, i.e. cartography has already improved!