December 12, 2011 at 14:05Fast vector and complex shapes in Illustrator CS5
It happens that you need to quickly vectorize a logo or other image because NG and you need to quickly and quickly send an embossing stamp to the printing house, but the raster is not accepted. Or maybe you need to print a huge poster from the logo that you just scanned from a single business card. Such images are not always simple enough to draw them according to the original. In addition, our time is running out - champagne is poured, the jelly is cooling ...
Of course, the Live Trace function will always come to the rescue (now already built into Illustrator). It is not strange, even regular users of the package do not know about its existence or do not know how (do not want) to use it in full (but in vain). In addition, I often hear that it’s impossible to make “katas” from complex forms. This is especially true for new versions of the package, where the logic of combining forms is greatly revised.
For clarity, examples are shown on a transparent background. I advise you to learn the combination of Shift + Ctrl + D - this will help not to miss unnecessary objects, which can then play a trick.
Suppose you have scanned a logo and transferred it to Grayscale. You can do this in illustrator too, but easier and more efficiently in Photoshop. Indeed, in the latter case, you can also increase the contrast of the image and remove the “garbage” that will only interfere with the automatic tracer.
In Figure 1, a bitmap image (impudently stolen from Google - probably the copyright of the author), which easily turns into a vector by clicking on the Live Trace button (and then Expand) in the upper toolbar. The resulting one should be ungrouped by pressing the right mouse button and selecting the corresponding item in the drop-down menu (Fig. 2).
Now we need to get rid of pieces of white background. In most logos this is simple, but what if you have a laurel wreath tied with a ribbon, and inside is still the face of Plato? Each piece of white to allocate dreary, long and no one guarantees that you will not forget anything.
In the third figure, the object that was the easiest to choose was selected - the largest piece of white. Then in the main menu: Select / Same / Fill Color. This is a selection of all objects with a similar fill style. The Select menu, by the way, is for some reason unfairly ignored by many AI users.
Finally, we have nothing superfluous, and if you need to fill the logo with a simple die (for embossing just black), then we are ready. But what if the result needs to be filled with a gradient or made into a vector style?
Figure 4 shows the application of the gradient to a complex shape. Everything seems to be nothing, but every single part of the object is flooded, and we need to control the gradient throughout the figure. The Unite button in the Pathfinder palette also does not save the situation. The fact is that now the program does not make the default Compound Shape object. That is why you should visit first in the submenu of the Pathfinder palette (Fig. 5) and after choosing Make Compound Shape, be sure (otherwise there will be many problems in the future) do not forget to click the Expand button in the same palette.
When everything turned out, we suddenly need to adjust the shape, because a fast vector can distort certain lines. You can make pen corrections on points, but again - for a long time and not Feng Shui. And we need to quickly and correctly. The easiest way to create a new true shape (Fig. 6), put it on top, and using the Minus Front button of the Pathfinder palette, cut it out of the object. True, cutting out, again we get the effect of a beaten gradient. I focus on this because the effect is not visible on solid dies, but it can cool your idea of the world when you try to cut something out of shape again.
Repeat again the combination of form and expansion, correct minor flaws, apply the necessary effects and - voila!
If such a method speeds up someone's work, I will only be glad. If you missed something - write, I will try to supplement it.
Of course, the Live Trace function will always come to the rescue (now already built into Illustrator). It is not strange, even regular users of the package do not know about its existence or do not know how (do not want) to use it in full (but in vain). In addition, I often hear that it’s impossible to make “katas” from complex forms. This is especially true for new versions of the package, where the logic of combining forms is greatly revised.
For clarity, examples are shown on a transparent background. I advise you to learn the combination of Shift + Ctrl + D - this will help not to miss unnecessary objects, which can then play a trick.
Suppose you have scanned a logo and transferred it to Grayscale. You can do this in illustrator too, but easier and more efficiently in Photoshop. Indeed, in the latter case, you can also increase the contrast of the image and remove the “garbage” that will only interfere with the automatic tracer.
In Figure 1, a bitmap image (impudently stolen from Google - probably the copyright of the author), which easily turns into a vector by clicking on the Live Trace button (and then Expand) in the upper toolbar. The resulting one should be ungrouped by pressing the right mouse button and selecting the corresponding item in the drop-down menu (Fig. 2).
Now we need to get rid of pieces of white background. In most logos this is simple, but what if you have a laurel wreath tied with a ribbon, and inside is still the face of Plato? Each piece of white to allocate dreary, long and no one guarantees that you will not forget anything.
In the third figure, the object that was the easiest to choose was selected - the largest piece of white. Then in the main menu: Select / Same / Fill Color. This is a selection of all objects with a similar fill style. The Select menu, by the way, is for some reason unfairly ignored by many AI users.
Finally, we have nothing superfluous, and if you need to fill the logo with a simple die (for embossing just black), then we are ready. But what if the result needs to be filled with a gradient or made into a vector style?
Figure 4 shows the application of the gradient to a complex shape. Everything seems to be nothing, but every single part of the object is flooded, and we need to control the gradient throughout the figure. The Unite button in the Pathfinder palette also does not save the situation. The fact is that now the program does not make the default Compound Shape object. That is why you should visit first in the submenu of the Pathfinder palette (Fig. 5) and after choosing Make Compound Shape, be sure (otherwise there will be many problems in the future) do not forget to click the Expand button in the same palette.
When everything turned out, we suddenly need to adjust the shape, because a fast vector can distort certain lines. You can make pen corrections on points, but again - for a long time and not Feng Shui. And we need to quickly and correctly. The easiest way to create a new true shape (Fig. 6), put it on top, and using the Minus Front button of the Pathfinder palette, cut it out of the object. True, cutting out, again we get the effect of a beaten gradient. I focus on this because the effect is not visible on solid dies, but it can cool your idea of the world when you try to cut something out of shape again.
Repeat again the combination of form and expansion, correct minor flaws, apply the necessary effects and - voila!
If such a method speeds up someone's work, I will only be glad. If you missed something - write, I will try to supplement it.