7.4 Image Trace and Generating Vectors With AI
Key Takeaways
Image Trace converts a selected raster image into vector artwork that stays live and editable until you click Expand.
In Black and White mode, the Threshold slider decides which pixels become black: raising it turns more pixels black.
Ignore Color removes a chosen color, such as a white background, from the trace, and Noise ignores small pixel areas.
Generate Vectors, part of Text to Vector Graphic, creates editable vector Subjects, Scenes, or Icons from a text prompt.
Effective prompts name the subject, style, composition, and colors, and the Style Reference option matches existing artwork.
7.4 Image Trace and Generating Vectors With AI
Quick Summary: Objective 4.1.d asks you to create vectors from raster images with Image Trace, including trace presets, Ignore Color, Threshold, and expanding. Objective 4.1.e asks you to use AI to create objects with Generate Vectors and to write prompts.
The Image Trace Workflow
- Place or open the raster image and select it.
- Open the Image Trace panel (
Window > Image Trace), or click Image Trace in the Properties panel or Control panel. - Choose a preset, or set Mode, Palette, and the Advanced options.
- Turn on Preview to see changes as you adjust, or click Trace.
- The result is a live tracing object; the original image is kept, so you can change settings at any time.
- Click Expand (or choose
Object > Image Trace > Expand) to convert the result into editable vector paths.Object > Image Trace > Releasereturns to the original image.
Image Trace Panel Options
The top row of presets differs by version. Current versions show enhanced presets—Auto-Color, High Color, Low Color, Grayscale, Black and White, and Outline—and the Preset menu can switch to the classic presets, such as High Fidelity Photo, Low Fidelity Photo, 3 Colors, 6 Colors, 16 Colors, Shades of Gray, Black and White Logo, Sketched Art, Silhouettes, Line Art, and Technical Drawing. Manage Presets saves your own settings.
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| View | Shows the tracing result, the outlines, or the source image for comparison |
| Mode | Color, Grayscale, or Black and White |
| Threshold | In Black and White mode, pixels lighter than the threshold become white and darker pixels become black |
| Palette | In Color mode: Automatic, Limited, Full Tone, or Document Library (a color group from the Swatches panel) |
| Colors / Grays | The number of colors or the amount of gray in the result |
| Paths | How tightly paths fit the pixel shapes; higher values fit more tightly |
| Corners | The emphasis on corners; higher values create more corner points |
| Noise | Pixel areas smaller than this value are ignored; higher values reduce specks |
| Method | Abutting creates cutout paths that share edges; Overlapping creates stacked paths that slightly overlap |
| Create | Fills, Strokes (with a maximum stroke width), and, in supported settings, Gradients |
| Snap Curves To Lines | Replaces slightly curved lines with straight ones and snaps near-horizontal or near-vertical lines |
| Ignore Color | Excludes a chosen color, such as a white background, from the result |
The Info area reports how many paths, anchors, and colors the trace contains—useful for judging whether a trace is too complex.
Worked Scenario: Tracing an Ink Sketch Logo
- Place the scanned sketch and choose Black and White mode.
- Raise the Threshold if thin lines break up, because a higher threshold turns more gray pixels black; lower it if dark smudges fill in.
- Increase Noise to drop specks of dust from the scan.
- Turn on Ignore Color for white so the background is not traced as white shapes.
- Click Expand, then refine with Simplify, the Smooth tool, or Live Paint.
Remember the legal point from Chapter 2: tracing someone else's copyrighted image does not make the result your original work.
Generate Vectors (Text to Vector Graphic)
Illustrator's Text to Vector Graphic feature, launched with the Generate Vectors command, uses generative AI to create editable vector artwork from a text prompt. Generative features require an internet connection and an Adobe account.
Workflow
- Draw a rectangle (or another shape) to set where the artwork should appear and its size and proportions, then select it.
- In the Contextual Task Bar, click Generate Vectors. The command is also in
Object > Generative, the Quick Actions section of the Properties panel, the Control panel, and the right-click menu. - Type a prompt describing what you want.
- Choose a Content type that matches the job:
- Subject — a single object or character without a full background
- Scene — a complete illustration with a background
- Icon — a simple symbol with fewer details
- Adjust the detail level and, if needed, a Style Reference that samples existing artwork or an image so the result matches your style.
- Click Generate. Variations appear in the Properties panel. The first variation replaces the selected shape on the canvas as a Generative Object, and a Generative Object layer appears in the Layers panel. Use the arrows in the Contextual Task Bar to preview other variations.
- Ungroup or isolate the result to edit its paths like any other vector artwork.
Patterns are generated with a separate command, Generate Patterns, covered in Chapter 6.
Writing Effective Prompts
A strong prompt names the subject, the style, the composition, and the colors:
| Weak prompt | Stronger prompt |
|---|---|
| dog | flat vector icon of a golden retriever head, front view, simple rounded shapes, two-tone brown |
| city | night skyline of a coastal city, layered flat illustration, deep blue sky, warm window lights |
| coffee | hand-drawn style coffee cup with rising steam, line art, single black stroke weight |
Prompt tips:
- Be specific and concrete about what should appear.
- Describe the style, such as flat, line art, isometric, or hand-drawn.
- Choose the Content type that matches the use before you generate.
- Iterate: refine wording, adjust detail, or add a Style Reference rather than starting over.
- Describe what should be present; positive descriptions are generally more reliable than lists of things to leave out.
Responsible Use
Adobe states that its first commercially released Firefly model was trained on Adobe Stock images, openly licensed content, and public-domain content whose copyright had expired. You remain responsible for checking generated results: avoid prompts that request other people's trademarks, logos, or characters; review the output for accuracy; and follow client and platform rules about disclosing AI-generated content.
When tracing a scanned ink sketch in Black and White mode, thin lines are breaking apart. Which change is most likely to fix this?
Lower the Noise value to 0
Raise the Threshold so more gray pixels become black
Switch Method from Abutting to Overlapping
Turn on Snap Curves To Lines
A live Image Trace result must be edited anchor by anchor with the Direct Selection tool. What must you do first?
Click Expand in the Image Trace panel
Choose Object > Image Trace > Release
Increase the Paths value to 100%
Turn on Ignore Color
Before using Generate Vectors, a designer draws and selects a rectangle. What role does the rectangle play?
It becomes a clipping mask that crops the generated artwork to the rectangle
It sets the area and proportions, and the result replaces it as a Generative Object
It is used as the color palette for the prompt
It is required only for the Pattern content type, which tiles the result inside the rectangle
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.