How to smooth edges of a layer in Illustrator?

Okay, I'm not exactly sure how to phrase my question, but I'll do my best.
Basically I have a drawing that was made in Photoshop and now I need to make it larger. However, it gets pixellated of course. Therefore I want to put it in Illustrator and make the edges smoother (it's basically four colors that do not blend, so each color is separate).
Is there any fairly easy way to do this? I figure I could either smooth the edges or turn it into a vector. I know Photoshop and InDesign, but I haven't used Illustrator at all, so I have no idea how to do this.
Sorry if I wasn't clear on something, please let me know. Thank you very much!

You can also make a path/paths out of your layer/selection in Photoshop and copy to Illie.
It will probably be more accurate that way if you handle it right.
Once you have pasted a path into Illie it becomes an "Object" (Illiespeak) on a layer. Illie's layers can hold many objects.
Now all you have to do is colour it (Color ans Swatches palettes).

Similar Messages

How to smooth edges?

Hi all,
I am in hopes that someone can tell me how to smooth the edges of the numbers in the attached image?
Thanks for any advice, hints. etc.

Hi.
Here's a little more food for thought.
Noel and Paulo have offered good suggestions for getting very close to the desired result. But the characters might still need a little tweaking.
Before I tweaked, I would convert the character to a vector path. And do my tweaking on the path. Refining the path should be fairly simple, and when you're done you have a character that can be scaled to your hearts content and it will be crisp.
Taking Paulo or Noel's method as a starting point, Ctrl+Click on the layer thumbnail then Alt+Click on the "Make work path from selection" button at the bottom of the Paths pallet. In the pop up, select a Tolerance value. 1or 2 pixels if your character is small. Higher if it's larger. Experiment to get the best effect. You will now have an editable vector path. It needs to be edited.
Then using the Direct Selection Tool (A)and the Pen Tool (P) you can perfect the letter. There is no drawing with the Pen Tool. Just adding and deleting points. Some points will have to be converted from corner to smooth and vice versa. Some will need to be moved a little. I selected the point or points then used the arrow keys to nudge them.
Below is my finished vector path. As you can see, on this particular font most of the handles are vertical or horizontal. Part of what gives this font its characteristic shape. And it makes things a little easier. Once a point is in the right position, just hold down the Shift key while you drag the handle to adjust the curve. Mostly points will have to be deleted. The fewer the points the better. But no less than you need. They're cheap. (Caveat: Make sure you rename your work path. Otherwise, if you make a new path, you'll lose it.)
Below, the path is rendered at 3 sizes, Huge, Large, and Actual Size of the screenshot. They are all crisp. Make it big as a barn and it will still be crisp.
Anyway, if you're going to be fiddling around with fonts, I'd suggest you learn vectors if you don't know them already. The scalability is necessary. As Noel said, Ps is not ideal for this. But the vector tools in Ps are quite good enough to get you going. If you are comfortable with paths, you can convert the Magic Wand selection directly into a path and not refine it first as Noel and Paul suggested. That's what I did. It won't look as good as a converted selection modified by Noel or Paulo's method at first, but it may not be any harder to perfect.
Once you have the path perfected, you may also convert the path into a Custom Shape. Then using the Shape Tool (U) you can drag and draw the shape to size. You can create a Shape Tool Library for the font. See the Help Files for details.
Another note about this font. The circles at the end of some of the letters are really circles.You can use this to your advantage when tuning up the letters.
That should be plenty to chew on top of what the others have already put on your plate.
Peace,
Lee

How do I move a whole layer in Illustrator CS6?

I've got a project where the same set of paths, all on a same layer, repeat multiple times, forming a sort of spline. Is there any way to select a whole layer, and only that layer, then move it about the canvas?

In the Layers panel click on the right side of the layer you want to select like this and all the objects on that layer will be selected. Then move as needed. Make sure it is a large stroked square not a small unstroked one.

Aperture 3 smoothing edges of a jpg that consists of text

I have typed some text in keynote and exported as a jpg. Now I want to print the image without the sharp step like edges on the letters. Does anyone know how to adjust the image to create smooth edges on a photo that is just lettering?

The above question was typed into Keynote and exported as a JPG. I've never seen it produce Jaggies, was it a custom font?
However, if you do end up with jaggies, the only thing I can think of in Aperture is the blur brush.
Select the blur brush. In the brush size pallet, set strength to full then use the gear icon and chose 'Apply to entire image'. Then use the 'Amount' slider in the adjustment brick to carefully blur just enough of the jaggies to reduce their impact without making the whole text look blurred.
Andy

Smooth edges - GIF animation

Hello there!
Sorry if another theme about my question already exists in the forum...
I'm using PS CS4 and trying to Save for Web & Devices an GIF transparent animation, but I need it to be with smooth edges. I tried to add different type dither to the transparency but I don't like the result at all.
Any idea how to make the animation with PERFECT SMOOTH edges?
I'll be realy thankful and appreciate your help
All the best!
chkrov

Its hard to get a true anti-aliased edge using the gif format, simply because it only offers a single color that can be used as the transparency. If at all possible you are better off using the png format and before anyone says that you can not use png for an animation, think again. Take a look at some of the examples on the net for creating rollovers using javascript. It is the same principle used for game sprites.
Example:
If the image is to be 100x100px and the animation is 10 frames, then the original image should be 1000px wide x 100px high containing all of the images in the same document. On the web page the first frame is visible at 100x100 hiding the remaining part of the document. Then the next frame is visible by moving the image. And so on.
Anyway, its better to look at some examples on the web at it probably would make more sense than what I am trying to explain.
Just an idea...

How can I create a new layer that is a gradient?

Hi, i'm very new to photoshop scripting and am having some trouble.
I'm looking for a way to take an image i have and set it to have a gradient opacity as it approaches the middle, my thought on how to do that was to just create a layer that is a gradient from top left to bottom right and then attach that as a vector mask.
Any ideas on how I could create this gradient layer in script, or a better method of doing this opacity gradient?
Thanks in advance,
Levianth

You could try this:
// 2012, use it at your own risk;
#target photoshop
if (app.documents.length > 0) {
var myDocument = app.activeDocument;
var theLayer = myDocument.activeLayer;
if (theLayer.isBackgroundLayer == true) {theLayer.isBackgroundLayer = false};
// create gradient layer;
// =======================================================
var idMk = charIDToTypeID( "Mk " );
    var desc15 = new ActionDescriptor();
    var idnull = charIDToTypeID( "null" );
        var ref3 = new ActionReference();
        var idcontentLayer = stringIDToTypeID( "contentLayer" );
        ref3.putClass( idcontentLayer );
    desc15.putReference( idnull, ref3 );
    var idUsng = charIDToTypeID( "Usng" );
        var desc16 = new ActionDescriptor();
        var idType = charIDToTypeID( "Type" );
            var desc17 = new ActionDescriptor();
            var idType = charIDToTypeID( "Type" );
            var idGrdT = charIDToTypeID( "GrdT" );
            var idLnr = charIDToTypeID( "Lnr " );
            desc17.putEnumerated( idType, idGrdT, idLnr );
            var idGrad = charIDToTypeID( "Grad" );
                var desc18 = new ActionDescriptor();
                var idNm = charIDToTypeID( "Nm " );
                desc18.putString( idNm, "Custom" );
                var idGrdF = charIDToTypeID( "GrdF" );
                var idGrdF = charIDToTypeID( "GrdF" );
                var idCstS = charIDToTypeID( "CstS" );
                desc18.putEnumerated( idGrdF, idGrdF, idCstS );
                var idIntr = charIDToTypeID( "Intr" );
                desc18.putDouble( idIntr, 4096.000000 );
                var idClrs = charIDToTypeID( "Clrs" );
                    var list3 = new ActionList();
                        var desc19 = new ActionDescriptor();
                        var idClr = charIDToTypeID( "Clr " );
                            var desc20 = new ActionDescriptor();
                            var idRd = charIDToTypeID( "Rd " );
                            desc20.putDouble( idRd, 0.000000 );
                            var idGrn = charIDToTypeID( "Grn " );
                            desc20.putDouble( idGrn, 0.000000 );
                            var idBl = charIDToTypeID( "Bl " );
                            desc20.putDouble( idBl, 0.000000 );
                        var idRGBC = charIDToTypeID( "RGBC" );
                        desc19.putObject( idClr, idRGBC, desc20 );
                        var idType = charIDToTypeID( "Type" );
                        var idClry = charIDToTypeID( "Clry" );
                        var idUsrS = charIDToTypeID( "UsrS" );
                        desc19.putEnumerated( idType, idClry, idUsrS );
                        var idLctn = charIDToTypeID( "Lctn" );
                        desc19.putInteger( idLctn, 0 );
                        var idMdpn = charIDToTypeID( "Mdpn" );
                        desc19.putInteger( idMdpn, 50 );
                    var idClrt = charIDToTypeID( "Clrt" );
                    list3.putObject( idClrt, desc19 );
                        var desc21 = new ActionDescriptor();
                        var idClr = charIDToTypeID( "Clr " );
                            var desc22 = new ActionDescriptor();
                            var idRd = charIDToTypeID( "Rd " );
                            desc22.putDouble( idRd, 0.000000 );
                            var idGrn = charIDToTypeID( "Grn " );
                            desc22.putDouble( idGrn, 0.000000 );
                            var idBl = charIDToTypeID( "Bl " );
                            desc22.putDouble( idBl, 0.000000 );
                        var idRGBC = charIDToTypeID( "RGBC" );
                        desc21.putObject( idClr, idRGBC, desc22 );
                        var idType = charIDToTypeID( "Type" );
                        var idClry = charIDToTypeID( "Clry" );
                        var idUsrS = charIDToTypeID( "UsrS" );
                        desc21.putEnumerated( idType, idClry, idUsrS );
                        var idLctn = charIDToTypeID( "Lctn" );
                        desc21.putInteger( idLctn, 4096 );
                        var idMdpn = charIDToTypeID( "Mdpn" );
                        desc21.putInteger( idMdpn, 50 );
                    var idClrt = charIDToTypeID( "Clrt" );
                    list3.putObject( idClrt, desc21 );
                desc18.putList( idClrs, list3 );
                var idTrns = charIDToTypeID( "Trns" );
                    var list4 = new ActionList();
                        var desc23 = new ActionDescriptor();
                        var idOpct = charIDToTypeID( "Opct" );
                        var idPrc = charIDToTypeID( "#Prc" );
                        desc23.putUnitDouble( idOpct, idPrc, 0.000000 );
                        var idLctn = charIDToTypeID( "Lctn" );
                        desc23.putInteger( idLctn, 0 );
                        var idMdpn = charIDToTypeID( "Mdpn" );
                        desc23.putInteger( idMdpn, 50 );
                    var idTrnS = charIDToTypeID( "TrnS" );
                    list4.putObject( idTrnS, desc23 );
                        var desc24 = new ActionDescriptor();
                        var idOpct = charIDToTypeID( "Opct" );
                        var idPrc = charIDToTypeID( "#Prc" );
                        desc24.putUnitDouble( idOpct, idPrc, 100.000000 );
                        var idLctn = charIDToTypeID( "Lctn" );
                        desc24.putInteger( idLctn, 2048 );
                        var idMdpn = charIDToTypeID( "Mdpn" );
                        desc24.putInteger( idMdpn, 50 );
                    var idTrnS = charIDToTypeID( "TrnS" );
                    list4.putObject( idTrnS, desc24 );
                        var desc25 = new ActionDescriptor();
                        var idOpct = charIDToTypeID( "Opct" );
                        var idPrc = charIDToTypeID( "#Prc" );
                        desc25.putUnitDouble( idOpct, idPrc, 0.000000 );
                        var idLctn = charIDToTypeID( "Lctn" );
                        desc25.putInteger( idLctn, 4096 );
                        var idMdpn = charIDToTypeID( "Mdpn" );
                        desc25.putInteger( idMdpn, 50 );
                    var idTrnS = charIDToTypeID( "TrnS" );
                    list4.putObject( idTrnS, desc25 );
                desc18.putList( idTrns, list4 );
            var idGrdn = charIDToTypeID( "Grdn" );
            desc17.putObject( idGrad, idGrdn, desc18 );
        var idgradientLayer = stringIDToTypeID( "gradientLayer" );
        desc16.putObject( idType, idgradientLayer, desc17 );
    var idcontentLayer = stringIDToTypeID( "contentLayer" );
    desc15.putObject( idUsng, idcontentLayer, desc16 );
executeAction( idMk, desc15, DialogModes.NO );
// move layer below;
var theGradient = myDocument.activeLayer;
theGradient.move(theLayer, ElementPlacement.PLACEAFTER);
// clipping mask;
theLayer.grouped = true

How do I save a specific layer as an audio file

I needed a second audio file and created a layer and placed my video file that has the audio I want in that layer. I edited the audio in that layer and now I want to save the result as an audio file.. preferably an MP3 file. How do I select a specific layer and save just that layer as an audio file?

I would think with Photoshop you may be able to save it as a video mp4 file then find a Video splitter program to split out the audio. Or use and Audio program in the first place rather the using a program like photoshop that can do some basic video editing.

How to load custom photoshop cs5 layer styles to photoshop cs6 ?

how to load custom photoshop cs5 layer styles to photoshop cs6 ?

yes that was done on installatiion , when i open ps cs6 and look for them there, and they are not there . and thank for reponding so fast.

How to smooth these pixels out...?

How can I smooth the pixels out on the bottom rounded parts of this image?
http://www.themaxidressshop.com/images/awnings.jpg

Hi there,
Here's a video tutorial that show you how to smooth jagged images in under a minute.
Let us know if you have any issues and we can try to help you find a solution. Good luck!

How do I make a text layer 3D in ps cc?

How do I make a text layer 3D in ps cc?
I know that you are able to do it on ps cs6 but I don't understand how to use the 3D features on ps cc.

Bummer. There ways to make 3D effects with 2D tools, like Free Transform Step & Repeat, or just try Google. Plugins like Alien Skin — Eye Candy 7 do Extrusion plus more effects than you can shake a very big stick at, and it is surprisingly affordable nowadays.

In Aperture, how do you put a background layer behind text?

How do you put a background layer behind the text to offset the color of the pic from the text color? Right now, some pics have whites and blacks that drown out the text, making it hard to read...

I forgot: if you rather want to add a background instead of changing the color of your text:
To add a background behind a texbox,
simply edit the layout (Click "Edit Layout", click "+") and add a Photo Box;
drag the PhotoBox behind your text field.
click "edit content" and add a picture to the background box.
You'll need to import a suitable background photo, or crop some suitable background from one of your images.
Regards
Léonie

How to get info from a layer which is applied with styles ?

How to get info from a layer ? such as   ( apply style or not , which effect have applied on it etc..)
I really can't solve it , Who can hlep me.. By the way , I 'am using CS version.

xtools/xlib/Styles.js has a set of functions for working with layer styles. I do not know if it works with CS. I wrote it several years ago for either CS or CS2. If this doesn't work, then nothing will. The script retrieves a layer's style by saving it to disk then parsing the file for the desired ActionDescriptor.
There is a function at the bottom of the file that tests the Styles.js API.
Styles.test = function() { var doc = app.activeDocument;
var layer0 = doc.artLayers[0];
var gdesc = Styles.getLayerStyleDescriptor(doc, layer0);
if (!gdesc) {
    alert("There is no layer style associated with the layer");
    return;
//   this will set the layer style to another layer.
//   var layer1 = doc.artLayers[1];
//   Styles.setLayerStyleDescriptor(doc, layer1, gdesc);
if (!gdesc.hasKey(cTID('FrFX'))) { // look for a stroke effect
    return;
var frfx = gdesc.getObjectValue(cTID('FrFX'));
if (!frfx.hasKey(cTID('Clr '))) {   // look for the color
    return;
var clr = frfx.getObjectValue(cTID('Clr '));
// we should really check that the objectType is RGBC
var r = clr.getDouble(cTID('Rd '));
var g = clr.getDouble(cTID('Grn '));
var b = clr.getDouble(cTID('Bl '));
if (r == 0 && g == 0xFF && b == 0xFF) {
    return;
clr.putDouble(cTID('Rd '), 0);
clr.putDouble(cTID('Grn '), 0xFF);
clr.putDouble(cTID('Bl '), 0xFF);
frfx.putObject(cTID('Clr '), cTID('RGBC'), clr);
gdesc.putObject(cTID('FrFX'), cTID('FrFX'), frfx);
Styles.setLayerStyleDescriptor(doc, layer0, gdesc);

How can I preserve non-alphabetical layer order from Illustrator to After Effects?

I'm using Illustrator and After Effects CS5. When I import an Illustrator file into After Effects, I'd like to maintain the order of the layers as they were in Illustrator, but they always come in alphabetically. How do I keep the original order from Illustrator?

The comp is always in the same order, the order in the project panel folder that is created is not and there's no way to force it to be. It makes no difference to the project.
If it's really important to you to have the layers in the Project Panel Folder in the same order as the layers in Illustrator File and the comp you can adopt a more friendly naming convention in AI. I always create my layers in Illustrator using Cmnd/Ctrl + Alt/Option + l because this gives me the opportunity to name the layer when it's created. With a little advanced planning and a published naming convention you'll have just what you want in no time. You could even write an action that automatically created and named layers for your default projects.

Photoshop Elements 7 - How do I align/center a layer?

I'm using Photoshop Elements 7. How do I align/center a layer vertically or horizontally on a page?

Are you adding objects to a blank layer? If so bring up the ruler then drag and drop guides to your center and any additional points. You can also set so that objects automatically snap to the guide lines.
If you want to align visually similar images on top of each other, there is no auto-align like in CS5. The only work around is to lower the opacity of the top layer and then use the move tool to align by eye.

How do I get the Photoshop layer tags in JavaScript?

I asked this question at graphic design stack exchange but they pointed me here:
http://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/35374/how-do-i-get-the-photoshop-layer-ta gs-in-javascript?noredirect=1#comment48962_35374
I want to do actions based on the tagged layer color (these thing 1) in Photoshop. I can't find a property inside the JavaScript documentation or the ExtendScript Toolkit that might contain the value.
I'd prefer not to abuse the name for that, the layer tags look like a very clean solution to my problem. If only I could fetch them.
Any Ideas?
Kind Regards,
Mii

Hi, these functions will select all your layers with the specified color:
use the command: selectAllByColor("red");
function getIDXwithsameColor(TheColor){// search and return a list of indexes for the layers with the specified color
    var ref = new ActionReference();
    var toRet = [];
    try{activeDocument.backgroundLayer;var a=0 }catch(e){ var a = 1; };
    while(true){
      ref = new ActionReference();
      ref.putIndex( charIDToTypeID( 'Lyr ' ), a );
      try{var desc = executeActionGet(ref);}catch(err){break;}
        var cl = desc.getEnumerationValue(charIDToTypeID("Clr "));
        cl = typeIDToStringID(cl);
        var ls = desc.getEnumerationValue(stringIDToTypeID("layerSection"));
        ls = typeIDToStringID(ls);
        if(ls != 'layerSectionEnd'){
          if(cl == TheColor){
            toRet.push(a);
      a++;
    return toRet;
function multiSelectByIDX(idx) {// selection function
if( idx.constructor != Array ) idx = [ idx ];
    var layers = new Array();
    var desc = new ActionDescriptor();
    var ref = new ActionReference();
    for (var i = 0; i < idx.length; i++) {
          layers[i] = charIDToTypeID( "Lyr " );
          ref.putIndex(layers[i], idx[i]);
    desc.putReference( charIDToTypeID( "null" ), ref );
    executeAction( charIDToTypeID( "slct" ), desc, DialogModes.NO );
function selectAllByColor(TheColor){// main function
theSameClIDX = getIDXwithsameColor(TheColor);
multiSelectByIDX(theSameClIDX);
//...example::
// selectAllByColor("none");
//selectAllByColor("red");
// selectAllByColor("orange");
// selectAllByColor("yellowColor");
// selectAllByColor("grain");
// selectAllByColor("blue");
// selectAllByColor("violet");
// selectAllByColor("gray");

How to smooth edges of a layer in Illustrator?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for