Goal

Explore tools and tech­niques for con­vert­ing images to vectors.

Objective

Use Adobe Illus­tra­tor (or sim­i­lar) to con­vert a raster image into a vec­tor file format.

Background

• How to edit art­work in Illus­tra­tor using Image Trace https://​helpx​.adobe​.com/​i​l​l​u​s​t​r​a​t​o​r​/​u​s​i​n​g​/​i​m​a​g​e​-​t​r​a​c​e​.​h​tml
• Illus­tra­tor Tuto­r­ial: Cre­ate a Vec­tor Logo from a Rough Sketch https://​youtu​.be/​q​S​k​h​a​L​N​K​d​X​0​?​s​i​=​p​H​D​i​5​E​O​S​L​4​G​x​t​D81
• One Click — Image Trace — Short Illus­tra­tor Tuto­r­ial https://​youtube​.com/​s​h​o​r​t​s​/​9​B​i​Y​T​A​Z​f​l​W​k​?​s​i​=​J​b​K​f​s​d​b​R​8​A​U​7​U​p9e
• Con­tent-Aware Trac­ing — Auto Trace in Pho­to­shop 2022 (one click!) https://​youtu​.be/​R​O​K​V​h​V​t​6​c​j​s​?​s​i​=​N​b​O​8​K​p​f​v​H​q​A​p​n​GQK
• Auto​tracer​.org Con­verts your raster images to vec­tor graphics.
• Free Online Vec­tor­iza­tion Tool https://​vec​tor​iza​tion​.eu
• Learn how to com­bine objects in Illus­tra­tor https://​helpx​.adobe​.com/​i​l​l​u​s​t​r​a​t​o​r​/​u​s​i​n​g​/​c​o​m​b​i​n​i​n​g​-​o​b​j​e​c​t​s​.​h​tml
• How to Use the Pathfinder Tool in Illus­tra­tor https://design.tutsplus.com/tutorials/illustrator-in-60-seconds-how-to-use-the-pathfinder-tool–cms-25572
• Cre­ate shapes using the Shape Builder tool https://​helpx​.adobe​.com/​i​l​l​u​s​t​r​a​t​o​r​/​u​s​i​n​g​/​c​r​e​a​t​i​n​g​-​s​h​a​p​e​s​-​s​h​a​p​e​-​b​u​i​l​d​e​r​-​t​o​o​l​.​h​tml

Exercise:

Down­load the accom­pa­ny­ing files, and con­vert each to the appro­pri­ate for­mat using the directed software. 

Part One

Open Adobe Illus­tra­tor and cre­ate a new size, but a let­ter at print set­tings is pre­ferred. Place the required image on the first layer, arrange and then reduce opac­ity as war­ranted. Lock the layer. Cre­ate a new layer and begin using the pen tool to trace the image. The stroke tool in a con­trast­ing color is valu­able as a tem­po­rary guide. Care­ful atten­tion to con­nect anchor points to cre­ate a com­plete path, and feel free to cre­ate sep­a­rate paths for fur­ther adjust­ment and com­bi­na­tion in a later step. 

Make dupli­cates of the new forms on the side by using the shift and option key­board short­cuts. Adjust each as nec­es­sary. Leave all work on the art­board or mar­gins for fur­ther review.

The pathfinder tool is avail­able to explore new shapes and forms, again by using the shift and option key­board short­cuts. The Shape Builder tool is sim­i­lar, but works quicker.

Part Two

Start another new file and import the test image. Place the image and, while selected, click the Image Trace but­ton at the top of the screen. Use the Win­dow > Image Trace to adjust the vari­ables to get a sat­is­fac­tory result. The Expand but­ton at the top of the screen is also use­ful to con­vert the Trac­ing Results to editable vec­tors. Use the Objects> Path> Sim­plify or Smooth for fur­ther adjustments.

Cre­ate a PDF from the files and deliver it to the appro­pri­ate D2L Dropbox.

Assessment

• The fol­low­ing rubric posted on D2L will deter­mine exer­cise score: Exer­cise Grading

Materials

Adobe illus­tra­tor or other vec­tor draw­ing pro­gram, Acro­bat Professional