Convert a tracing object to a live paint object, Release a tracing object, Symbols – Adobe Illustrator CS4 User Manual
Page 88: About symbols
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USING ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR CS4
Drawing
Convert a tracing object to a Live Paint object
When you are satisfied with the results of a tracing, you can convert the tracing object to paths or to a Live Paint object.
This final step allows you to work with the tracing as you do other vector artwork. Once you convert the tracing object,
you can no longer adjust the tracing options.
1
Select the tracing object.
2
Do one of the following:
•
To convert the tracing to paths, click Expand in the Control panel or choose Object > Live Trace
> Expand. Use
this method if you want to work with the components of the traced artwork as individual objects. The resulting
paths are grouped together.
•
To convert the tracing to paths while preserving the current display options, choose Object > Live Trace
>
Expand As Viewed. For example, if the display options are set to Outlines for the tracing result, then the
expanded paths will be outlines only (rather than filled and stroked). In addition, a snapshot of the tracing with
its current display options is preserved and grouped with the expanded paths. Use this method if you want to
preserve the tracing image as a guide for the expanded paths.
•
To convert the tracing to a Live Paint object, click Live Paint in the Control panel or choose Object > Live
Trace
> Convert To Live Paint. Use this method if you want to apply fills and strokes to the traced artwork using
the Live Paint Bucket tool.
To create a tracing and convert the tracing object in one step, choose Object > Live Trace > Make And Expand or
Object > Live Trace > Make And Convert To Live Paint.
For a video on tracing, see
.
See also
Release a tracing object
If you want to discard a tracing but keep the original placed image, you can release the tracing object.
1
Select the tracing object.
2
Choose Object > Live Trace
> Release.
Symbols
About symbols
A symbol is an art object that you can reuse in a document. For example, if you create a symbol from a flower, you can
then add instances of that symbol multiple times to your artwork without actually adding the complex art multiple
times. Each symbol instance is linked to the symbol in the Symbols panel or to a symbols library. Using symbols can
save you time and greatly reduce file size.
Symbols also provide excellent support for SWF and SVG export. When you export to Flash, you can set the symbol
type to MovieClip. Once in Flash, you can choose another type if necessary. You can also specify 9-slice scaling in
Illustrator so that the movie clips scale appropriately when used for user interface components.