Maintaining Manageable File Sizes when Using Scanned Fabric Swatches in Illustrator

It’s easy to cram so much into your Illustrator file that before you know it, the file size is so large that it becomes unmanageable, and being the antsy and quick moving society that we are, the computer just won’t keep up with your 425mb file…ouch!  This tutorial will give you some tips on how to keep your file size to a minimum specifically in regards to working with scanned fabrics that you are using for repeats.

How to use Live Trace on a Full Color Fabric Scan and Quickly Create Multiple Colorways

Illustrator’s Live Trace tool is very powerful, and not only can you use to turn black and white sketches into vector drawings, you can also use it to trace very complex images, full color scans, and more.  This demonstration will show you some of the settings you’ll need to pay attention to in the Live Trace menu for working with a full color fabric scan.  You will also learn how to create multiple colorways quickly using the recolor tool.  This feature is great for quickly creating colorways using either swatches from a preset palette or choosing colors at random.  If your artwork isn’t colored yet, you can use the Live Paint tool to quickly color your artwork.