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Adobe Illustrator CS2

Turn bitmap images into editable

vector art in seconds
Adapted from Adobe Illustrator CS2 Total Training Video Workshop

One of the most common tasks in illustration is tak- Trace the image
ing a photograph or hand sketch and converting it 1 With the image selected in the Illustrator CS2 win-
into path-based vector art using Adobe® Illustrator®. dow, click Live Trace in the Control palette. In almost
Before Illustrator CS2, this meant long hours with the no time, the raster image is turned into a Live Trace
autotrace tool or using other applications like Adobe object. The “Live” in “Live Trace” means the object
Streamline®. Today, going from bitmap to vector art is remains in a live, editable state—you can still adjust
a matter of seconds, in as little as one click using the and readjust any of the trace parameters to alter the
new Live Trace feature in Illustrator CS2. results of the trace.
2 Click the Raster Preview button and the Vector
Result Preview button and alter the settings in
Place and trace each menu. These two buttons give you a variety of
Perhaps one of the most common tracing tasks in preview combinations so you can easily compare the
Illustrator is creating a hand sketch, scanning it into results to the original raster, while the trace is still live
your computer, and then tracing it into vectors. Live and easy to change.
Trace takes this once-laborious process and makes it
simple. Modify the Live Trace

1 Look at the Live Trace options in the Control

Place a bitmap image palette. Adjust the Threshold setting higher and note
1 Scan a basic line drawing and save it in any folder the results—the trace is redone from the original scan
on your hard drive. using the new setting. Because a higher threshold
means more pixels are included, the lines in the trace
2 Launch Illustrator CS2 and create a new, default
become thicker.
size RGB document. Then click the
Browse button in the Control pal-
ette to open Adobe Bridge.
3 In Adobe Bridge, open the folder contain-
ing the scanned image, then click the Compact
mode button to shrink the window and reveal
your ­Illustrator CS2 document. Drag the scanned
­image from the Adobe Bridge window into your
­Illustrator CS2 document.

Because the trace is live, each change you make to the settings on the
Control palette is immediately applied to the Live Trace object.
 

2 Adjust the Minimum Area setting higher and note • Place a color raster image into Illustrator CS2 and
the changes—any area smaller than the setting in the click the Preset button next to the Live Trace
original image is left out of the trace, which creates ­button on the Control palette. Make a choice from
more stylistic, less detailed results. the menu, then click Live Trace to see the results. Try
some of the other presets and note the differences. In
each case, Live Trace intelligently analyzes the colors
Expand the Live Trace
in the image before applying the preset. Once you’ve
Once the trace results are satisfactory, click Expand started a Live Trace, you can change presets using
in the Control palette to expand the Live Trace object the Preset menu on the Control palette.
into paths. Once expanded, the object can no longer
• Before starting a Live Trace, click the Preset button
be modified as a Live Trace. However, you can use any
and choose Tracing Options to reveal the complete
of the Illustrator CS2 features, including the new Live
set of advanced controls for Live Trace. Once you
Paint, to modify the object as you would any art you
start a Live Trace, you can click the Tracing Options
created in Illustrator from scratch.
button on the Control palette to access the same
dialog box.

Adapted from Adobe Illustrator CS2 Total Training

Go further with Live Trace Video Workshop
• Alt-double-click (Windows) or Option-double-click © 2005 Total Training. Visit the Adobe Store for more by
(Mac OS) any Live Trace object to edit the original Total Training.
raster image in Adobe Photoshop® CS2. Save your
changes in Photoshop, return to Illustrator, and the
Live Trace automatically updates.

Use the Live Trace Preset menu to set up any of a variety

of complex settings modes in one click, or choose Tracing
­Options to customize every aspect of the trace.­

For more design resources for web, print, digital imaging, and digital video, visit Adobe Studio at [Link]
Adobe, the Adobe logo, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Streamline are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.
Windows is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Macintosh is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in
the United States and other countries.
© 2005 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.