The following is a tutorial on how to use Adobe Illustrator to catechumen a manus-drawn illustration into a digital graphic. More specifically, we will use Illustrator's Image Trace function to convert a drawing into a vector prototype. A vector image is fabricated upwardly of a large prepare of points that can be infinitely scaled (up or downwards in size) without losing resolution.

To first the procedure of preparing the illustration for web, take a loftier resolution photo (8.iii megabytes) with an iPhone 6. We didn't take a scanner on hand.

Setting upwards the canvas

In Adobe Illustrator, open a new file with its profile fix for Web, its size set to 1280 x 800 pixels, and its orientation ready to landscape. This is a large plenty canvass to create an image large plenty to be set up as a feature prototype on Storybench.

size

Upload the photo past clicking Place…in the File menu.

place

Cropping the photograph

We want to utilize the Clipping Mask function to crop the photo and remove all the backlog data that makes no sense to trace or even include. In theObject card, click Clipping Mask and then Make.

make

Then drag the borders to crop the photo.

make2

Convert to grayscale and rasterize

Next we convert the drawing to grayscale, which I am told makes information technology easier to trace past the Adobe Illustrator. In the Edit menu, select Edit Colors and and then Convert to Grayscale.

gray

Adjacent, rasterize the image so you can trace the image. Click Rasterize… under the Object carte. Select Grayscale under Color Model.

raster

Tracing the image

Now for the fun role. With the analogy selected, click Prototype Trace in the Window menu.

trace

Next, click the checkbox side by side to Preview. By sliding the Treshold button you can brand the lines thicker or lighter.

preview

Next we want to convert the traced paradigm into a vector, i.east. a fix of points. Go to the Object carte, select Epitome Trace, and click Expand.

exp

A closer look reveals the points that make upwardly each piece of the illustration.

ref

Ungroup the points

Next, we desire to ungroup the points. This volition allow us to move effectually individual elements or smaller subsets of points, similar if nosotros desire to movement the referee further away from the histrion. Select Ungroup nether the Object card. Sometimes you may need to ungroup several times.

We can also select subsets of points and regroup them. Once y'all've selected this subgroup (using the Shift key to help), clickGrouping under the Object menu. Hither we've moved the player abroad from the ref.

group

Adding colour

Since the football player was modeled later a Seattle Seahawks player, nosotros decided to brand him the Seattle Seahawks blue. To re-create a color from an prototype, File >Place… a screenshot of the colour on your canvas. (I took the screenshot from a Seattle Seahawks logo).

color

To brand a swatch with this specific shade of blueish, nosotros want to open the Swatches box from the Window menu. Then, click the eyedropper tool in the left menu and click the screenshot of the color.

eyedrop

It will show up as the primary colour in your swatch box. Click the New Swatch icon which is on the bottom-right, only left of the trash can icon. Information technology will ask you to save the new swatch. Click OK. Now it will be saved on your list of color swatches.

newswatch

Select the football player by dragging the Selection tool (or black pointer on the top left) across all the football player points. When the histrion is selected, click the new swatch you've just created. Voilá.

player

Delete the screenshot of the color and export your prototype using File > Consign…

Some of import options here. Brand certain Apply Artboards is selected to include the total canvas that yous have been working on. If it is unchecked, the prototype exported will only be as tall and wide as the elements you've traced, i.e. the player and ref. Click Export. On the following PNG Options box, you take the choice of selecting White, Black, Transparent or Other from the Background Color dropdown menu. Transparent is keen for superimposing PNGs over other images.

save
Nosotros chose white and ended up with this:

fball

All images thank you to Luna Bajak.

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