Illustrator Live Trace basics help pls!

14013 Views 6 Replies 4 Participants Last post by 3leches, Jul 31, 2006

Ross B

Discussion Starter · Jul 29, 2006

This is an incredibly ignorant set of questions, so sorry in advance. I have Adobe Classroom In A Book on order for Illustrator, but it's few days away and I am restless and eager to begin - however, I know NOTHING except the bit I have gleaned from Adobe Help and some online tutes.

I have 2 T designs ready to go - a friend translated the designs into reality using PhotoShop, which I have, but know nothing about either. I want to convert the designs from PhotoShop raster graphics to Illustrator vector, ready for screenprinting.

I have managed to follow Illustrator's Help directions to the point of importing a JPEG actual size version of each design into Illustrator using Live Trace, and getting the colours right (only 3 on one design and 2 on the other). The images look the same as originally, so Live Trace appears to have done a brilliant job. Here's where I have some queries, which I'll enumerate for ease of response.

1. I saved the designs in Illustrator in EPS, which seemed to work ok. I also tried saving them in PDF, but the top and bottom of the designs were cut off. Any tips as to what I have done wrong and how to get the whole image saved in a PDF file, pls?

2. I don't know what the DPI res is in the saved Illustrator images. How do I check this, and how do I make it 300DPI, pls?

3. Simply by importing the images into Illustrator and saving them, are they now in vector form, or do I need to do something else to change them from raster? (I did hit Expand, and the image was duly converted to vector paths, but I didn't have a clue what to do from that point, so I undid "Expand" and got the image back as it looked originally, and this is what I ended up saving in EPS and PDF files).

4. I want to increase the distance between the graphic image on one of the T designs, and some text headers and footers. Is it possible to do this in Illustrator? If yes, what functions do I need to find out about (it's dire when you know so little that you can't even work out what to look up in Help or online tutes!).

Apologies for being this green, but if someone could give me a basic education on the points above, would be much obliged.

Cheers

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Ross B

Discussion Starter · #2 · Jul 30, 2006

Anyone? Pleeease?

I realise it's tedious trying to explain things to a rank beginner, but if any of the queries (eg: 3) can be simply answered with a very brief response, would be most appreciative.

Cheers

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hammered

· #3 · Jul 30, 2006

Im not an Illustrator guy, but Ill try to answer a couple of them. DPI wise, you wont. Its a vectored graphic now. Being so, it can be increased in size to as large as you like with no lose. If you just want to increase the distance bewteen the graphic and text, break up the image and highlight what you want to move.
Like I said Im not an Illustrator guy so I dont know the commands. I just use a basic lasso/selection tool to do this in my software.
I guess I should get around to learning it since I paid for it

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3leches

· #4 · Jul 30, 2006

Hello Ross!
Lets see if I can help ya a bit here:

1.tried saving them in PDF, but the top and bottom of the designs were cut off. Any tips as to what I have done wrong and how to get the whole image saved in a PDF file, pls?

I'm not sure about this one, but check if the art is inside the artboard (the printable space of the paper. It is shown as a paper, with a dotted outline...its basically where you work in the program. ) Try resizing the art to fit inside there and save in a PDF.
If the problem persists.....I have no clue what it could be

2. I don't know what the DPI res is in the saved Illustrator images. How do I check this, and how do I make it 300DPI, pls?

EVERYTHING you create in Illustrator (made with vectors) is resolution independent. Dont worry.

3. Simply by importing the images into Illustrator and saving them, are they now in vector form, or do I need to do something else to change them from raster?

No siree. You can import a JPG into Illustrator, still that wont make it a vector file all of a sudden.
You must either redraw the art using the tools provided in Illustrator, or Live Trace it (Live Trace is a new tool in Illustrator CS2 which does the vectorizing for you. It is kinda cool sometimes, but you need to tweak the settings in order to get something remotely good; if the image is too complicated of course.)

4. I want to increase the distance between the graphic image on one of the T designs, and some text headers and footers. Is it possible to do this in Illustrator?

OK, you can do this IF you redraw the image in Illustrator, because then you could actually move around the elements you created.
But if the only thing you have is a flat JPG (or a PSD, PDF, ect.) you wont be able to do a thing..in Illustrator.
In Photoshop, you can work your way around this, since you can select things and move them around, but if you want your final image on a vector file, then it is better to redraw it in Illustrator and do all the designing in there

Hope this helps a bit!

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confetti

· #5 · Jul 30, 2006

Hi Ross
I want to increase the distance between the graphic image on one of the T designs, and some text headers and footers. Is it possible to do this in Illustrator?
I am going to pretend you nothing so if I insult your intelligence please forgive me.

Once you have traced the image using live trace, using the button to right of live trace, click on expand. This gives your entire image contours, then go to the toolbar and choose, object ungroup, this will make each contour independent and you can move them about as you want. If you have a word or sentence you want to move you may have to select them all and then group them so the letters move together. sorry if this seems a bit patronising.

jac

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Ross B

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jul 31, 2006

Dave, Rangey and Jac,

Thank you so much for your responses. My knowledge is so meagre that it is not possible to patronise me, by the way! If anything, I need patronising!!

I will take note of each of your replies and see what I can apply in Illustrator, then will get back and let you know how I went.

Really grateful for your help.

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3leches

· #7 · Jul 31, 2006

Anytime, Ross

And dont worry, asking comes before learning!

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