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7.4 Image Trace and Generating Vectors With AI

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Adobe Certified Professional - Adobe Illustrator Exam

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1 Chapter 1: Exam Overview & Preparation Strategy

1.1 ACP Illustrator Exam Structure, Delivery, and Scoring 1.2 Effective Study Strategy & Performance Task Readiness

2 Chapter 2: Working in the Design Industry (Domain 1)

2.1 Purpose, Audience, and Client Needs 2.2 Project Management & Professional Communication 2.3 Copyright, Intellectual Property, and Licensing 2.4 Digital Graphics Terminology: Raster, Vector, Resolution, and Color 2.5 Design Principles & Visual Hierarchy

3 Chapter 3: Document Management: Documents, Artboards, Assets & Saving (Domain 2)

3.1 Document Settings, Presets & Project Setup 3.2 Managing Multiple Artboards 3.3 Placing Assets and Managing the Links Panel 3.4 Saving Documents: Native Formats, Compatibility, Cloud Documents, and Templates

4 Chapter 4: Document Management: Exporting, Packaging & Print Output (Domain 2)

4.1 Web, Screen, & Vector Export Formats 4.2 Multi-Asset Export & Project Handoff 4.3 Color Management & Commercial Print Preparation

5 Chapter 5: Workflow & Interface: Workspace, Preferences & Design Aids (Domain 3)

5.1 Workspace Navigation & Customization 5.2 Configuring Application Preferences 5.3 Navigation, Rulers, Guides, Grids & Smart Guides 5.4 View Modes, Screen Modes, Drawing Modes & Raster Effects Settings 5.5 Dimension Tool and Mockups

6 Chapter 6: Workflow & Interface: Color, Patterns, Brushes & Layers (Domain 3)

6.1 Color Swatches, Global Colors, & Spot Colors 6.2 Gradients, Gradient Mesh, Patterns, & Live Paint 6.3 Stroke Properties, Brushes, & Width Profiles 6.4 Layers Panel Hierarchy & Object Organization

7 Chapter 7: Objects & Paths: Selecting, Drawing, Tracing & Refining (Domain 4)

7.1 Selection Tools, the Select Menu & Vector Anatomy 7.2 Precision Drawing: Pen, Curvature, & Editing Tools 7.3 Geometric Shapes, Live Shapes, & Path Operations 7.4 Image Trace and Generating Vectors With AI 7.5 Refining Paths: Simplify, Join, Clean Up, Offset Path, and Expand

8 Chapter 8: Objects, Paths & Text: Typography (Domain 4)

8.1 Type Tools: Point, Area, Path, and Vertical Type 8.2 Character & Paragraph Formatting Essentials 8.3 Advanced Typography: OpenType, Threading, Wrap, & Outlines

9 Chapter 9: Appearance & Position: Arranging, Transforming & Masking (Domain 5)

9.1 Grouping, Stacking Order, & Isolation Mode 9.2 Transforming Objects and Arranging Objects on a Path 9.3 Layer Options, Locks, Opacity, Blending Modes & Masks

10 Chapter 10: Appearance & Position: Appearance, Effects, Symbols & Generative AI (Domain 5)

10.1 Appearance Panel, Eyedropper, Color Picker & Graphic Styles 10.2 Live Effects & Transformations 10.3 Symbols, Repeat Workflows, & Generative AI Tools

7.4 Image Trace and Generating Vectors With AI

Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI

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.

Last updated: October 2026

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 > Release returns 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.