How to Vectorize an Image in Illustrator | Updated for 2024

Learn how to vectorize images in Adobe Illustrator 2024 easily! Create your own vector images with this free Adobe Illustrator Tutorial course.

0:00 Introduction
0:47 Live trace in Adobe Illustrator
2:35 Step 1: Remove the background in Adobe Photoshop
3:51 Step 2: Image trace & Ignore color
5:39 Step 3: Smoothing vector in Adobe Illustrator
7:20 Bonus: Appropriating colors in Adobe Illustrator
10:2: Generative AI coloring in Adobe Illustrator
11:09 Practice project brief for Adobe Illustrator

#adobeillustrator #vectorart #BYOLVector

[seanodomhnaill]

That's the best demonstration of tracing that I've seen. Very entertaining too!

[kristasmith]

I've been using Adobe for years and never realized I could pick all same fill colors at once! This is amazing!!

[pedroalmeida]

Hey, Dan! Video looks amazing, love the pace and editing. Another masterclass on Illustrator, thank you!

[scrummyvision]

it's the first time i've seen the select all trick.

i've been learning illustrator to manipulate the graphics for my brewery. we had someone design the logo, but it needed a couple minor tweaks. nailed that.

now i'm looking to expand my skills, and this has been very helpful. thanks!

[tcr_lsdesigns]

the colour selection just blew my little mind!

[MegaStarr]

As a kiwi and novice of all things adobe but still persevere and refuse to give up my student account. I have to say I can’t listen to anyone else now. Your choice, your way of speaking and humour is freaking awesome and soothing. I listened to others on your collab channel. Interesting but no you. I have watched your photoshop free lesson at least 3 times and will download and do the lessons one day. After putting photoshop down for many years I re downloaded it all motivated but then I got confused because the video was 2018 an Updated tutorial perhaps? Hope adobe is paying you so much!!

[CraftingConfessions]

Thanks for this - totally saved me this week when I was asked to design a poster for print but only had a low res photograph to work with. Vectorising it meant I could use to a scale that would work for the design and as a bonus it added a really cool effect, too! :)

[rdalert]

Great as always
for cropping an image and place it in the clipboard on windows press "win + shift + s"

[dzanaeva]

You are so charismatic and fun! So happy to have found you, thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[BCLAMPORT]

Thanks so much for sharing this information. One of the easiest to follow tutorials I have found. I learned everything that was intimidating in switching from Vectric Software for CNC and Lightburn for Laser to Illustrator. I am excited to take more of your courses.

[pacassa]

My favorite new tool is select direction handles and press delete. The use effect to turn points into shapes. Cool for creating shapes at specific intervals.

[BATransformed]

Dan is an excellent instructor. If you're looking for great courses for Adobe products, look no further. <3

[timothychinye]

To manipulate the layers:

Image Tracer > Expand > Ungroup

[merodriguez]

I just watched the Introduction. And I have to say: What a frakking good Glasses. Cool and slick and kinda "Fashionista". Suits you well my man. Thanks for your Illustrator detailed videos. Again. Great Glasses.

[wesleybilly]

I am documenting this is the video where I signed up for your course today. So far so good. I am entertained and educated. I wish I could get a lifetime subscription though.

[alicemalan]

Hi Dan, Thanks for your video. You've made this process very clear and easy to follow. Also, nice to know that you are a kiwi with the greeting at the end :) I found your voice easy to listen to and easy steps to follow along. I got stuck on one part for the tape player though. I removed the background colour of the tape in photoshop and exported it as a PNG. I then imported it into illustrator. Then I image trace it with 3 colours but the background colour does not turn white, instead it turns pink (the same as the colour in the image) so then if I select 'ignore colour' and use the eye dropper tool to click on the background, it also removes the pink colour inside the tape player which is not what we want. To me, it seems like by using pink for the background and the tape, it adds two other colours to the tape (a dark brown and a light brown).
So instead of having a more simplified tape player with white (background), pink, and dark brown (as in your example) mine has pink (for the background and inside the tape), dark brown and light brown. The background only turns white when I select 6 colours as the preset, but then the image has too much detail and colour for what I am after. Are you able to provide some support please? I am not sure what and if I am doing something wrong because I have followed all your steps. I also tried using your PNG file you provided below but it had the same issue.Thank you.

[thesaltyspanners]

Your vids are always brilliant and so much fun to watch... Cheers heaps Dan :-)

[etbfics]

To cool, great job, look forward to 2024 and learning more with a great instructor.

[georgiafotieo]

To edit colors, I like to use the Recolor Artwork feature built-in to Illustrator-- it's like the 'wheel of fortune' of color!

[cjvpjackson]

These are the best lessons ever, and extremely helpful! Thank U