Vectorize Any Photo In Seconds! (Illustrator Tutorial)
TLDRIn this tutorial, the host demonstrates how to vectorize a photo using Adobe Illustrator for more stylistic control over the image's colors. The process begins with removing the background in a photo editing app like Photoshop and then importing the image into Illustrator. Instead of using the standard 'Image Trace' feature, the video introduces a method involving the 'Effect Gallery' to apply textures and sketches for better color separation. This technique results in a three-color separation ideal for designs like t-shirts. The host also emphasizes the importance of a black stroke to separate the image from the background for accurate selection and color application. The final step involves deleting the white background and stacking the color-separated layers to achieve a fully vectorized image that can be scaled without quality loss.
Takeaways
- 😀 The video is a tutorial on vectorizing photos using Adobe Illustrator.
- 🔍 The standard method of vectorization in Illustrator lacks control over colors and results in a photo that still looks like a photo.
- 🎨 The presenter's approach provides more control over image colors and results in a three-color separation, useful for t-shirt designs.
- 📸 The first step is to remove the background from the photo, which can be done in various photo editing apps, not just Photoshop.
- 🖼️ The subject of the photo is selected using the 'Select Subject' feature in Photoshop for a clean selection.
- 🖌️ An optional step involves adding a Camera Raw filter to enhance image details, aiding in the color separation process in Illustrator.
- 📐 The image is resized and copied into Illustrator with specific document size and resolution settings.
- 🔧 In Illustrator, the image is rasterized and effects like 'Grain' are applied to prepare for further manipulation.
- ✂️ Multiple copies of the image are created to apply different effects and achieve the desired color separation.
- 🎭 The 'Stamp' effect in Illustrator is used to create layers with varying light and dark balances for contrast.
- 🖼️ Image Trace is utilized to vectorize each layer, with settings adjusted to preserve details and minimize noise.
- 🎨 After vectorization, the black and white backgrounds are removed, and colors are added to each layer to complete the color-separated image.
- 📈 The final result is a fully vectorized, color-separated image that can be scaled without losing quality.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the video tutorial?
-The video tutorial focuses on how to vectorize any photo using Adobe Illustrator with more control over the colors and a stylistic look, resulting in a three color separation suitable for t-shirt designing.
Why is removing the background from the photo an important step?
-Removing the background is important because it eliminates noise and makes the subsequent steps in Adobe Illustrator much easier, leading to a cleaner and more precise vectorization.
What is the purpose of adding a black stroke to the image in Photoshop?
-Adding a black stroke to the image helps to fill the entire image and separates the white on the inside from the background, which is crucial for maintaining detail and ensuring proper selection during the vectorization process.
How does applying the 'Camera Raw Filter' affect the image?
-Applying the 'Camera Raw Filter' enhances the image by bringing out more detail, particularly in the shadows, which aids in the color separation process in Adobe Illustrator.
What is the benefit of using the 'Grain' effect in Adobe Illustrator?
-The 'Grain' effect in Adobe Illustrator provides texture to the rasterized image, which is a step towards achieving a more stylistic and controlled vectorization.
How does the 'Stamp' effect in Illustrator contribute to the color separation process?
-The 'Stamp' effect is used to adjust the light and dark balance of the image, creating different layers with varying intensities of shadows, which contributes to the contrast between colors in the final vectorized image.
Why is it necessary to rasterize the image before applying additional effects?
-Rasterizing the image allows for the application of various effects that are not available for vector images. This step is crucial for achieving the desired stylistic look and control over the image's colors.
What is the significance of setting the noise level to one pixel during the image trace process?
-Setting the noise level to one pixel ensures that fine details are retained and artifacts are avoided. A higher noise level would result in the loss of fine details and a more 'artifacty' appearance.
How does the process described in the video differ from simply using the 'Image Trace' feature with 'High Fidelity Photo'?
-The process described provides more control over the image's colors and styling. It involves multiple steps, including background removal, adding effects for texture and contrast, and manual color separation, resulting in a more stylized and customizable vector image.
What is the advantage of having a color-separated image in Illustrator?
-A color-separated image in Illustrator is fully vectorized, allowing it to be scaled to any size without losing quality. This makes it ideal for various applications like t-shirt designs, logos, and other large format prints.
How can viewers follow along with the tutorial using the provided photo?
-The tutorial provides a download link for the photo used in the demonstration, enabling viewers to practice the steps with the same image as the instructor.
Outlines
🎨 Vectorizing Photos in Adobe Illustrator for Stylistic Control
This paragraph introduces the video's purpose, which is to demonstrate how to vectorize any photo using Adobe Illustrator with more control over colors than the typical method. The narrator critiques the common approach of using 'Image Trace' with 'High Fidelity Photo' preset, suggesting it lacks stylistic flair. The alternative method proposed promises three-color separation, beneficial for applications like t-shirt designing. The video also encourages viewers to subscribe for weekly content, and the process begins with removing the photo's background using an image editing software. The importance of a clean background is emphasized for ease in subsequent Illustrator steps. The paragraph concludes with a step-by-step guide on using Adobe Photoshop to prepare the image for vectorization, including using 'Select Subject', adding a stroke for contrast, and optionally applying a 'Camera Raw Filter' for detail enhancement before copying the image to Illustrator.
🖍️ Applying Effects and Color Separation in Illustrator
The second paragraph details the process of further refining the image in Illustrator after pasting it from Photoshop. It covers the use of the 'Effect Gallery' to apply a 'Grain' effect for texture, followed by 'Rasterize' to prepare the image for additional effects. The narrator then guides viewers on duplicating the image to create multiple layers for different colors, focusing on three-color separation in this instance. Each duplicated layer has the 'Stamp' effect applied with varying settings to achieve a light and dark balance. Afterward, the 'Image Trace' function is used on each layer with the noise level set to one pixel for detail preservation. The paragraph explains the importance of a black stroke to separate the image from the white background, facilitating easier selection and color application. Finally, the layers are colored and stacked on top of each other to complete the vectorized, color-separated image, which can be scaled without quality loss. The video ends with a call to action for likes and subscriptions, and an invitation for viewers to comment with their interests for future content.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Vectorize
💡Adobe Illustrator
💡High Fidelity Photo
💡Color Separation
💡T-shirt Designing
💡Photoshop
💡Rasterize
💡Effect Gallery
💡Image Trace
💡Noise
💡Direct Selection Tool
Highlights
This video tutorial demonstrates how to vectorize any photo using Adobe Illustrator.
The traditional method of image tracing in Illustrator is critiqued for its lack of color control.
The presenter introduces a new approach that provides more control over image colors and styling.
The process begins with removing the background from a photo, which can be done without Photoshop.
Photoshop's 'Subject Select' feature is used for a cleaner selection, even in older versions.
Adding a stroke to the image before proceeding to Illustrator is a crucial step.
A Camera Raw filter can enhance image details for better color separation in Illustrator.
The image is resized and copied to Adobe Illustrator with the same dimensions and 300 resolution.
An alternative to High Fidelity photo tracing is presented for a more stylistic look.
The 'Grain' effect is applied in Illustrator for texture, with adjustable intensity and contrast.
Rasterizing the image allows for further effects to be applied for color separation.
Creating duplicate copies of the image enables multi-color separation.
The 'Stamp' effect is used for different layers to control light and dark balance.
Image tracing with noise levels set to one preserves fine details.
Each layer is expanded after image tracing to prepare for color application.
Black strokes separate the image from the background, maintaining detail for selection.
Color separation is achieved by deleting the black and applying different colors to each layer.
The final vectorized image can be scaled without losing quality, ideal for designs like t-shirts.
The presenter, Charlie Pangas, encourages viewers to subscribe for weekly video updates.
