Coloring Transparent Vector art

Hi all,
I'm new to AI and I have a vector drawing done in pen that I'd like to color.... However, I can turn on the transparancy view and the whole drawing is ransparent. How can I fix this?
Thanks!

The outline mode is to allow you to see the lines when needed, most of the time Illustrator is in the default preview mode.
Preview Mode:
Outline Mode:
Sometime it is needed to see the outline to edit the lines. Even though most of the time you can be in preview mode.
Top Menu-
View>Outline
or
View>Preview
The menu option changes to the opposite of what is displayed to allow you to switch to the other mode. Ctrl-Y is the Windows keyboard shortcut.

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Vector art, resolution, and ID CS5

Hey ID Gurus, I need your help.
The job: 4-color process to be printed in Hong Kong
The book: 90+ full-color diagrams created in Illustrator in CMYK. 200+ images, some shot in Camera Raw, others scanned in color. Photos will be converted to the CMYK custom profile provided by the print serviced bureau. The illos were created in CMYK and will be embedded with the same profile.
That's the big picture.
Here's an important detail: The illos are geometric shapes with fills of c, m, y, and k. All of the strokes are k, and only k.
Yet another detaill: They want the final ID files saved as PostSctipt (EPS?) before putting them through Acrobat Distiller (my learning curve on using Distiller will be vertical).
The clients that this print service bureau deals with are primarily museums, hense, the PSB gets photography not much vector art. I have tried to get through to them that the illos placed in ID are vector art. Either I'm ignorant ( a very real possibility), or they're not listening, because they want the art at 1200 dpi.
I have been placing the vector art in ID as native .ai files. When my ID files go through the EPS to PDF processing, does the vector art get converted to raster images, and if so, at what point do I assign the 1200 dpi resolution? If that's an AI question, I'll go next door and ask them.
When you respond, please keep in mind that AI, ID, and I are close personal friends, but I've never had to prepare files for 4-color presses, and I am something of a technoboob at this level. So please speak in simple sentences that I will understand.
Thanks so much in advance for your help.
Toni

There's no transparency. I'm a chicken. I realize that transparency can be tricky and I'm not ready to go there. I'm using a drop shadow behind a photos on the same pages as the vecotor art. But that doesn't effect the vector art does it?
All I know about the EPS thing is, if I want to get the best results from the printing, I want to follow their instructions to the letter. I do know that their guidelines were created for IDCS3. Maybe there's something in CS5 that will make this unecessary. I was told yesterday that they are completely revising their guidelines on their website. Maybe I'll be able to go straight to PDF under their new guidelines. For what my client is paying for the printing, I'll do whatever I can to send the files the PSB wants.
If this PSB could have their d'ruthers, I would invest in the very spendy GRACOL 7 software to calibrate my display to match the profile in all of their Hong Kong output devices. It sure would be nice for soft proofing, but it's not going to happen. A lot of their big US clients don't have it yet, so they give us a customized profile to use instead.
Toni

Rastorized Vector Art Becomes Translucent

Sometimes I get vector art that appears to be completely normal, and opaque: screenshot 1
Then I try to convert the file into a rastor image for presentation purposes and this happens:
If you can see in the first picture, the vector art is all opaque, but in the second image, it has been rasterized, and appears to be set to a "Multiply" transparency. You may also note in Screenshot 1 that the Transparency Tab on the right specifies the vector art as normal. However, if I were to take each piece individually and rasterize it, it would look normal, as such: screenshot 3
Whether I am saving for web & devices, exporting as a jpeg, or using Object>Rastorize (all together), this problem comes up. However, it only happens on rare occasions, and only in CMYK document color mode. I have rastorized hundreds of such images without any such problem. The graphics in the screenshot were copied directly from a file I was working with, and I was not the original creator of this art, so I don't know the process that occured to create it in the first place. However, the attribute is transferable with the eyedrop tool.
Anybody have an explanation??

Thank you, that was the problem. When I select the individual objects, the overprint shows up in the attributes window. Now I'm wondering how does one turn off/on overprint? I found I could dump the attribute, but then I lose my color (and that may be problematic in the future). Is there a better way to turn off the overprint?

Using a Vector Art File as a matte for an image collage

II have a vector art file of a paw print. I would like to use it with a variety of photos to create a collage. I have the image files selected and the vector art file sized, but what I can't figure out is how to have the images seen ONLY inside each toe/pad of the paw print. Once the file is completed, I would like to be able to flow text around the paw prints so I don't want the entire art board area to be white as this would effect my text wrap properties. Any and all suggestions are welcome!
Ubiquitous Information:
Adobe CS6 Design & Web premium
Illustrator v. 16.0.3 (32-bit)
Windows 7 Professional sp 1 64-bit OS
Thanks in advance for your help this morning!
Susan

I developed a Photo Collage Toolkit for Photoshop. I feel its very easy to create PSD templates that can be populated with images.
Photo Collage Toolkit
Photoshop scripting is powerful and I believe this package demonstrates this video showing a 5 image collage PSD template being populates with images:
The package includes four simple rules to follow when making Photo Collage Template PSD files so they will be compatible with my Photoshop scripts.
Size the photo collage templates for the print size you want - width, height and print DPI resolution.
Photo collage templates must have a Photoshop background layer. The contents of this layer can be anything.
Photo collage templates must have alpha channels named "Image 1", "Image 2", ... "Image n".
Photo collage templates layers above the background layers must provide transparent areas to let the images that will be placed below them show through.
There are twelve scripts in this package they provide the following functions:
TestCollageTemplate.jsx - Used to test a Photo Collage Template while you are making it with Photoshop.
CollageTemplateBuilder.jsx - Can build Templates compatible with this toolkit's scripts.
LayerToAlphaChan.jsx - Used to convert a Prototype Image Layer stack into a template document.
InteractivePopulateCollage.jsx - Used to interactively populate Any Photo Collage template. Offers most user control inserting pictures and text.
ReplaceCollageImage.jsx - use to replace a populated collage image Smart Object layer with an other image correctly resized and positioned.
ChangeTextSize.jsx - This script can be used to change Image stamps text size when the size used by the populating did not work well.
PopulateCollageTemplate.jsx - Used to Automatically populate a Photo Collage template and leave the populated copy open in Photoshop.
BatchOneImageCollage.jsx - Used to Automatically Batch Populate Collage templates that only have one image inserted. The Collage or Image may be stamped with text.
BatchMultiImageCollage.jsx - Used to Automatically Batch Populate Any Photo Collage template with images in a source image folder. Easier to use than the interactive script. Saved collages can be tweaked.
BatchPicturePackage.jsx - Used to Automatically Batch Populate Any Photo Collage template with an image in a source image folder
PasteImageRoll.jsx - Paste Images into a document to be print on roll paper.
PCTpreferences.jsx - Edit This File to Customize Collage Populating scripts default setting and add your own Layer styles.
Documentation and Examples

Exporting Flash vector art for print

I would like to export art created in Flash as a vector
format for print. Exporting as either AI or EPS from Flash seems to
have many limitations: no support for masks, alpha transparency, or
editable text with fonts embedded. Has anyone found a workflow to
create print-ready vector art using Flash?
I have tried many combinations of Flash, Freehand, and
Illustrator with no success. (Freehand will open SWF files, but it
rasterizes the vector art when exporting as either EPS or PDF).
Working in Flash Pro 8, but from the Flash CS3 documentation
it doesn't look like there are additional options for file export.
Is it true that any vector art exported from Flash loses font info,
masking, and transparency?

Has anyone found a good solution for this? I need to export character art from Flash to use for print and consumer product items. Qualtity vectors are required.
The "best" solution I've found so far is to "Print" as either a .PDF or .PS file, then open that file in Illustrator. It expands all the gradients, and creates very complex vectors, but it's better than the standard export to .AI function, which gives offending operator "bg" errors. Still, it is a sub-par result, and I end up having to recreate art anyway.
(I'm using Flash CS4.)
Dear Adobe, this should be a no-brainer ... Please introduce a true vector export feature from Flash to Illustrator that generates art we can actually use.

Recommended tutorials for using paths/vector art in Photoshop?

Hi all!
Can you recommend any good tutorials for using paths/vector art in Photoshop?
Honestly, I've had a good look for even one - without much success.
I Have lots of experience with paths/vector art in Illustrator, Fireworks and InDesign but I believe you really can do great things with them in Photoshop now for illustration work.
i'm just baffled by it. I can fill and stroke and edit a vector shape in PS - but if I custom DRAW a vector path or shape, things get confusing!
Hoping someone can point me in a helpful direction
John

John,
I wouldn't claim to know everything there is to know, but I'm reasonably certain it hasn't changed.
Are the 'shapes' just vector masks with a raster element inside?
Yes. That's an accurate enough description.
And if you apply a colour to a path that you've drawn - does it rasterise?
It doesn't have to rasterize. If you see color, it's pixels.
I was definitely of the impression that a lot more could be done in PS these days that might formerly have been done in ILLUSTRATOR.
The shape/path tools in Photoshop have been enhanced and improved in recent years, but the product of their use still differs from Illustrator's true vector output.

Illustrator CS4 saving vector art for Microsoft Word

I have a logo created in Illustrator CS4. I saved the file for use in Microsoft Office using the "save for Office", exporting as a .wmf, and even saving the vector art in Photoshop as a .png. I can get a variety of formats to work well in Word documents.
Here is the problem. The Word document will eventually be saved as a PDF. When the file is saved as a PDF document (from Word), the color is changing in the PDF file. How can I correct this? I've tried saving in both rgb and cmyk color modes, but the color changes once it hits Acrobat and is printing differently than the Word file. It is driving me crazy and I cannot figure this out.
Thanks for any help!
Mary

The type is not vector it is raster it is no longer outline.
Check to see if you can select the individual letters in AI if you cannot it has be rasterized and is an image not vector.
If you open my files you will see that they are selectable in Acrobat and AI.
You seem confused and I do not understand why.
Attached is a word file with vector art and type make a pdf from that and see the difference.
Also make certain you have Illustrator editing capabilities turned on when exporting to pdf from AI.
Can you attach one of the eps or the esp you made the sample file from.
Do not rasterize the outline text art.
It won't let me attach a word document.

Vector Art Question

I have two vector art images that need to be composited in a simple After Effects comp. One is a backround plate and the other is a vector of a person. The person slide in and the backround will go out of focus with text on top.
I did a mock up and the backround plate looks flat as it should. The backround plate is complicated but it does not any texture to it, all solid colors. I am looking for any tricks that can be done in Photoshop to give it a bit more dimension. I know their are alot of extrusion and 3D filters in Photoshop but I that experienced working with vector art.
Been searching tutorials but I probably am not searching the right things. I would like to give this backround plate some pop.
Thanks.

This is very helpful and I can use this to get some of the affects that I want. I was not searching the right terms and I do not work with vector art that often.
I still have an issue with the background plate that I am using. The small animation actually mimics a cinematic dolly shot with a rack focus at the end.
I am just "dollying" on the background plate and it reveals an image in the foreground and the plate goes out of focus just as if I were to shoot it for real.
The background vector art just has such a flat look that was looking for something that could almost give it a bit of depth.
Thanks, the tutorial is perfect.

Converting CS3 to Vector art

Hi Folks
I'm new at working with Photoshop CS3 but need some advise in creating Vector art that can be imported into CorelDRAW and manipulated.
I am importing part schematics (part diagrams) for a motor utilizing my scanner. Once imported I am erasing the background to make them transparent and saving them. This has been working fine but does not allow me to position the artwork at my discretion.
I need to be able to create the work, make them transparent and save them as vector art so I can import them into CorelDRAW and be able to move parts around.
Can anyone give me some advise
Thanks for you help
Michael

Photoshop is not a vector art program, it creates rasterized images. Illustrator is the appropriate tool for vector art work.
Susan

Understanding vector art

If I need to use some vector clip art, but I have to guarantee that's it 100 percent grayscale with no color, I understand that I should open it in Illustrator and change it to grayscale. That's the safest option, right?
I work with a designer who chooses to use Photoshop for the same mission. He opens the vector art in Photoshop, changes it to grayscale and then sizes it to the way he wants.
If I use Illustrator to work with vector art, the advantage is that the art stays a true vector image, right?
If my designer uses Photoshop, that means that he is rasterizing (bitmapping) the vector image and once he re-sizes it, that's the size it will be.
Am I right on this?

I would say Scott makes the point very well Illy to Photoshop is if you need to bring Illy art to be used with photoshop fie because it is better to create that kind of art in AI.
Also I do not see why you would have to resize in Photoshop you can export to psd format and choose your options at export time such as resolution.

Vector Art Crashes After Effects CS3 Windows 7

Hi there,
I've noticed that AFX CS3 always crashes when I try to use Vector Art effects on Windows 7. I'm able to turn on the effect, but when I start painting, it always crashes after a few seconds. Any idea how to prevent this crash? I love vector art.
thanks..

Solved this problem on my computer by running After Effects in compatibility mode.
My setup is different than the original post, but hopefully it will help someone else.
Here's my problem and how I fixed it...
System: Windows Vista
After Effects CS4
Vector Paint
After drawing a a third small line, AfterFX would lock up and the screen would go semi transparent. Turning Open GL settings didn't help.
Closed AfterFX, and righ-clicked on the After Effects shortcut. Chose Properties->Shortcut tab->Compatibility->Checked "Run this program in compatibily mode for "Windows XP (Service Pack 2).
All other settings left unchecked.
Hit OK.
Relaunch AfterFX and the Vector Paint effect works great now!

Vector Art & Fonts Don't Look Crisp After Final Render

I'm using AE CS3.
I've imported a few Illustrator files that contain vector art & regular text into my After Effects project.
It's basically a NTSC 720 x 480 project (0.9).
My composition looks very crisp and great when I preview it at full resolution.
However, after I render my composition to NTSC DV 720 x 480 AVI - the vector art and text doesn't look as crisp anymore.
I'm wondering if there is a setting I should check on before rendering (I rendered it at the best quality). Perhaps I should render to an uncompressed AVI file?

>Perhaps I should render to an uncompressed AVI file?
Well, you better... DV AVI is evil. Unless you really cannot avoid DV, always render to some uncompressed or only mildly compressed format. Premiere and otehr editing suites handle the conversion to DV/HDV way better than you ever could hope to achieve in AE. Also make sure you adjusted your levels correctly. A lot of DV "blurriness" is simply caused by illegal colors which crap out the transcoder.
Mylenium

Flattener causing stitching on transparent vectors?

Hi I've been using adobe acrobat and the flattener preview under the advanced>print production menu. Before I flatten it, this is what it looks like.
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/1906/normalv.jpg
After using the flatterner, on high resolution tranparency settings, This is what I get.
http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/2503/cutp.jpg
The original file was made in Illustrator saved as a pdf 1.4, the box that the stitching happens to is a transparent vector shape.
I have read somewhere in the forums that this may be a result of Acrobat creating atomic areas? And if I turn on smooth line art, this will not appear on the press. However when I reopen the pdf in Illustrator, the shapes are physically split and are actually in 4 pieces, one of them being larger than the other, hence creating that stitched artifact.
How do I remedy this?

Hi Bill,
Thanks for the reply.
Well as I stated in my original post,
Hi I've been using adobe acrobat and the flattener preview under the advanced>print production menu. Before I flatten it, this is what it looks like.
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/1906/normalv.jpg
After using the flatterner, on high resolution tranparency settings, This is what I get.
http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/2503/cutp.jpg
The original file was made in Illustrator saved as a pdf 1.4, the box that the stitching happens to is a transparent vector shape.
So I'm not sure what I haven't said. I'm don't know how I can even clarify any more: I have a pdf I made in Illustrator, that I opened in Adobe Acrobat Pro 9, and I'm using the Flattener Preview function under the Advanced> Print Production menu..to flatten transparent objects?
regards,
ppk812

Transparent vector printing

Hi, I have issue with print transparent vector fill with prinJob. If I print transparent png, everything works,but when I have transparent fill in vector graphics, everything behind it is not printed, but grey area (color without transparency) is printed instead. I try to print it via PDF printer to PDF first and then print PDF itself, but I have same problem. I've tested it with different printers, no printer prints transparent vector fill correctly so it seems it's Flash problem. Do you have any advice or workaround? Thank you

If you can isolate the problem,
try to draw your vector fill content into a bmpdata object and add it manually to the printjob.
Similar to the way its described here: http://www.pressingquestion.com/3535910/Air-Printjob---Print-Transparent-Png-And-Text-In-V ector

Jagged edges on vector art and fonts on R1900 using AI CS5 in OSX

OS 10.6.4 (Mac Pro 2x2.4 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 12GB ram 1066 MHz DDR3)
Problem with the R1900 Printer and AI CS5
I have been using the same printer with CS4 without any trouble whatsoever for at least 5yrs. Beautiful quality prints without so much as itch and great color control...
In October I finally made the switch to CS5 and my printing capability goes to hell.
Quality printing straight from AI to a non-postcript inkjet printer such as the R1900 doesn't seem to be an option anymore...
I get jagged edges on vector art and fonts. I do graphic arts/logos/prints and this is a huge issue...!
Apparently I have to save my AI files as PDFs and print from there, but this poses extra steps, troubles in sizing, colors, page set up...
I mean nothing beats being able to print direct from AI... I cannot understand what the problem is all of a sudden.
At home I have a late '06 Mac Pro running CS4 and printing successfully to a C88 epson inkjet printer under OSX 10.5
What is the matter, please help, this is cramping my style and performance???
thank you
JF
New York

Ok this would not be a problem with 10.4.11 on a Power PV Mac but on an Intel Mac running 10.6.4 or running anything above 10.4.11 on any Mac you would need a postscript driver. Problem, there is no postscript driver for this model Printer this is actually a photo quality printer, that is what it does best.
So what to do the best one can do is to save the file as a pdf and print from Acrobat. There is no other way regardless of what one would like and expect.

Coloring Transparent Vector art

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