How to Vectorise an Image in Illustrator?

To vectorise an image in Illustrator, you'll use the Image Trace feature. Here's a step-by-step guide:

Steps to Vectorize an Image in Illustrator

1. Open Your Image: In Adobe Illustrator, go to File > Open and select the image you want to vectorise.

2. Select the Image: Click on the image to select it.

3. Open the Image Trace Panel: Go to Window > Image Trace. This will open the Image Trace panel, which provides the options for vectorising your image.

4. Choose a Preset (Optional): The Image Trace panel offers presets tailored to different image types (e.g., "High Fidelity Photo," "Low Fidelity Photo," "3 Color Logo," "Black and White Logo"). Selecting a preset can give you a good starting point. Experiment to see which preset works best for your image.

5. Adjust the Settings: This is where you fine-tune the vectorisation. Key settings include:

   • Mode: Choose between Color, Grayscale, or Black and White.
   • Palette: (If using Color mode) Select the number of colours to include in the vectorisation. Fewer colours result in a simpler vector graphic.
   • Paths: Controls how accurately the trace follows the original image's edges. Lower values create simpler paths, while higher values create more complex paths.
   • Corners: Determines how sharp corners are rendered. Higher values result in sharper corners.
   • Noise: Specifies the minimum area size (in pixels) that will be traced. Increasing this value can remove small, unwanted details from the vector graphic.
   • Options:
     • Ignore White: If checked, Illustrator will ignore any white areas in the image during the tracing process, making them transparent in the resulting vector.
     • Snap Curves to Lines: Converts curves into straight lines, which can be useful for creating a geometric vector style.
     • Method: Choose between "Abutting" and "Overlapping". Overlapping will create the shapes that intersect. Abutting will make it so the shapes are created right next to each other.

6. Initiate the Trace Process: After adjusting the settings, click the "Trace" button in the Image Trace panel. Illustrator will then convert your image into a vector graphic based on the specified settings. You might need to experiment with different settings and tracing multiple times to get a desired result.

7. Expand the Image: Once you are happy with the result of the trace, you need to expand the tracing into editable paths. With the image selected, click "Expand" on the Control panel at the top of the screen, or go to Object > Expand. This will convert the traced image into a group of vector paths that you can edit individually.

8. Make Edits (Optional): After expanding the image, you can ungroup the elements (Object > Ungroup) and then you can select and modify individual paths, colours, and shapes as needed using Illustrator's editing tools.

By following these steps, you can effectively vectorise an image in Adobe Illustrator, allowing you to scale and edit it without losing quality.