2 Easy Ways to Trace an Image in Adobe Illustrator - Method 1: Image Trace
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Live Trace in Illustrator. Create Accurate Line Art Tracings. - Specify a preset
Adobe Streamline was a standalone tracing product to create vector graphic versions of rasterized images which was improved, integrated into CS2, and renamed Live Trace. Here is how to use it to create accurate, clean line art in Illustrator. Below is a public domain image which I'll use as an example. If your image is going to be black and white line art, it's best to make the edges as clearly defined as possible in Photoshop by using the levels tool and possibly threshold as well.
This will open the Live Trace dialogue box. Click the Preview checkbox on the right. Select Black and White under Mode or Grayscale if you'd like to include anti-aliasing. Adjust the settings until you're happy with the results. With Preview selected, this can be quite a time-consuming process depending on the speed of the computer you're using, but I've found it's the only way to get good results. For this image I used the settings as shown below. If you want to base a new drawing on an existing piece of artwork, you can trace it.
For example, you can create a graphic based on a pencil sketch drawn on paper or on a raster image saved in another graphics program by bringing the graphic into Illustrator and tracing over it. The easiest way to trace artwork is to open or place a file into Illustrator and automatically trace the artwork with the Live Trace command. You can control the level of detail and how the tracing is filled. When you are satisfied with the tracing results, you can convert the tracing to vector paths or a Live Paint object.
To trace the image using a tracing preset, click the Tracing Presets and Options button in the Control panel, and select a preset. To set tracing options before you trace the image, click the Tracing Presets and Options button in the Control panel, and choose Tracing Options. Set tracing options, and then click Trace. Specifies a value for generating a black and white tracing result from the original image. All pixels lighter than the Threshold value are converted to white, all pixels darker than the Threshold value are converted to black.
This option is available only when Mode is set to Black and White. Specifies a palette for generating a color or grayscale tracing from the original image. This option is available only when Mode is set to Color or Grayscale. To let Illustrator determine the colors in the tracing, select Automatic. To use a custom palette for the tracing, select a swatch library name. The swatch library must be open in order for it to appear in the Palette menu. Specifies a maximum number of colors to use in a color or grayscale tracing result.
This option is available only when Mode is set to Color or Grayscale and when panel is set to Automatic. Output To Swatches. Blurs the original image before generating the tracing result. Select this option to reduce small artifacts and smooth jagged edges in the tracing result. Resamples the original image to the specified resolution before generating the tracing result. This option is useful for speeding up the tracing process for large images but can yield degraded results.
Max Stroke Weight. Specifies the maximum width of features in the original image that can be stroked.
Features larger than the maximum width become outlined areas in the tracing result. Min Stroke Length. Specifies the minimum length of features in the original image that can be stroked. Features smaller than the minimum length are omitted from the tracing result. Path Fitting. Controls the distance between the traced shape and the original pixel shape. Lower values create a tighter path fitting; higher values create a looser path fitting.
Minimum Area. Specifies the smallest feature in the original image that will be traced. For example, a value of 4 specifies that features smaller than 2 pixels wide by 2 pixels high will be omitted from the tracing result. Corner Angle. Specifies the sharpness of a turn in the original image that is considered a corner anchor point in the tracing result.
For more information on the difference between a corner anchor point and a smooth anchor point, see About paths. Specifies how to display the bitmap component of the tracing object. This view setting is not saved as part of the tracing preset.
Specifies how to display the tracing result. Select Preview in the Tracing Options dialog box to preview the result of the current settings.
To set the default tracing options, deselect all objects before you open the Tracing Options dialog box. For a video on using Live Trace, see www. For a tutorial on tweaking Live Trace options for the best possible results, see www. A tracing object is made up of two components: the original source image and the tracing result which is the vector artwork. By default, only the tracing result is visible.
However, you can change the display of both the original image and the tracing result to best suit your needs. Click the Tracing Options Dialog button in the Control panel to view all tracing options. Adjust the options, and click Trace. Make sure that the swatch library is open, and click the Tracing Options Dialog button in the Control panel. Select the swatch library name from the Palette menu, and click Trace. Tracing presets provide pre-specified tracing options for specific types of artwork.
All the tracing options change for optimal tracing of a technical drawing: color is set to black and white, blur is set to 0 px, stroke width is limited to 3 px, and so on.
Alternatively, select a tracing object, and click the Tracing Options Dialog button in the Control panel. Set tracing options for the preset , and click Save Preset. Enter a name for the preset , and click OK.
Click New , set tracing options for the preset , and click Done. Tip : To base a new preset on an existing preset, select the preset, and click New.
How to use Image Trace in Adobe Illustrator | Blog | Sticker Mule.
The geometry which comprises vector images is formulaic, making them resolution-independent. That means images don't lose quality when they're scaled up or down, since the color polygons in a vector image will always maintain their shape. The same is not true for raster images, since the color information of these images is stretched when scaled. You can easily tell the difference between the two types of image through their file format. Once you know how to convert a JPG file to a vector in Adobe Illustrator , you'll be able to scale anything you find to the size you want—without losing image quality.
So let's get started on turning an image into a vector. The image you use won't matter when using the following process, except for the fact that larger images will take longer to edit.
There are some images, however, that work better as vector images than others. It's better to edit a single subject than a landscape or the like. Preferably, the image should have a white or transparent background and have a relatively low resolution. We'll be using the image of Ryu from the Street Fighter series above. It works as a perfect example for a variety of reasons. For one, it's a single subject.
It also lends itself to a vector image format well, as it's a recognizable character. Unlike raster images, vector images are made up of mathematical paths that allow the design to be scaled infinitely while retaining its quality.
With the image selected, check the Preview box. This will give you a live look at your image in vector format. Select the Mode drop down menu, and choose the mode that best suits your design. Next, adjust the Colors , Grays , or Threshold slider. For a video on tracing, see this how-to video on Image Trace. When the image is selected, you can see that the options in the Image Trace panel become available.
At the top of the panel are the basic options; you can expose additional options by turning the triangle next to the Advanced label. Specifies a tracing preset. The icons located across the top of the panel are shortcuts named according to popular workflows. Choosing one of these presets sets all the variables needed to produce that related tracing result. High Fidelity Photo. Click the menu icon to save the current settings as a new preset, or to delete or rename existing presets.
For details, see Save a tracing preset. Specifies the view of the traced object. A tracing object is made up of two components: the original source image and the tracing result which is the vector artwork. You can choose to view the tracing result, source image, outlines, and other options. You can click the eye icon to overlay the selected view over the source image.
Tracing Result B. Tracing Result With Outlines C. Outlines D. Outlines With Source Image E. Source Image. Specifies a color mode for the tracing result.
The available options define basic color versus grayscale modes for your traced artwork. Specifies the number of colors to use in a color tracing result. If you have selected Document Library as the palette, you can choose a swatch.
This option is available only when Mode is set to Color. Specifies the number of grays to use in a grayscale tracing result. This option is available only when Mode is set to Grayscale.
Specifies a value for generating a black and white tracing result from the original image. For this image I used the settings as shown below. This will delete the original image from the layer and replace it with the new vectorized line art illustration. If you'd like to keep the original in the document, duplicate the layer containing the image before making the conversion. You'll end up with a vectorized line art facsimile of the original.
Another way to trace an image is to use drawing tools and shape tools to trace the outline of a raster image. Many designers, including myself, create logos using this method. Trace the outline, edit the vector, and add a personal touch to make their work unique. Windows or other versions can look different. Step 1: Open your image in Adobe Illustrator. Choose the effect that you like.
As you can see, High Fidelity Photo will vectorize the image and it almost looks like the original photo. Low Fidelity Photo is still pretty realistic and makes the photo look like a painting. From 3 Colors to 16 Colors , the more colors you choose, the more details it shows.
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