5 Replies Latest reply: May 7, 2009 1:26 PM by Cheryl Graham RSS

    Straighten/Clean Up Live Paint Lines?

    mannsky Community Member
    mannsky May 7, 2009 10:16 AM

      Hello all,

       

      I have been free-hand drawing sketches on paper, scanning them, and importing them into Illustrator.  Then I use live trace and paint and *viola*--I've got my vector image.

       

      Only problem is, the scetches don't contain perfectly straight lines.  Additionally, I go over the scetches in a chisel-tip marker before scanning, and, depending on the angle of curvature for some lines, the width of the ink varies greatly thoughout the image.

       

      Is there any way to:

       

      1.  Straighten up sections of the live paint lines?

       

      2.  Thicken only portions of a live paint line (to better balance out the ink width issue)?

       

      3.  Smooth out choppy "stair-step" looking lines?

       

      Any help would be greatly appreciated.

       

      Thanks,

       

      C.G.  

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        • 1. Re: Straighten/Clean Up Live Paint Lines?
          [scott] Community Member
          [scott] May 7, 2009 10:28 AM (in response to mannsky)

          You can do all this by using the Direct Selection Tool (the white arrow) or the Pen tools.

          • 2. Re: Straighten/Clean Up Live Paint Lines?
            mannsky Community Member
            mannsky May 7, 2009 10:52 AM (in response to [scott])

            Right--but, is there an easier, automated way to do this?

             

            Additionally, can multiple path points be grabbed with the white arrow?  (I have tried and can only seem to grab one-at-a-time, which makes the process very cumbersome and time-consuming).

             

            thanks

            • 3. Re: Straighten/Clean Up Live Paint Lines?
              Wade_Zimmerman Community Member
              Wade_Zimmerman May 7, 2009 11:39 AM (in response to mannsky)

              Hold the shift key down and select away each anchor point you select will be added to the selection be aware if you select an anchor point twice with a double click you deselect that anchor point.

               

              You can try to simplify the path as well Object>path>simplify

               

              You can also try to develop a better more responsive setting in the Live trace options but that requires some experimentation.

              • 4. Re: Straighten/Clean Up Live Paint Lines?
                [scott] Community Member
                [scott] May 7, 2009 11:41 AM (in response to Wade_Zimmerman)

                Automation plus complete control simply doesn't happen. You must choose one or the other or various stages of both. Sounds like you've used all the automation you can and now you need to step away from it to get the complete control you want. Illustrator can't read your mind about where you want an anchor moved or a path thickened.

                • 5. Re: Straighten/Clean Up Live Paint Lines?
                  Cheryl Graham Community Member
                  Cheryl Graham May 7, 2009 1:26 PM (in response to mannsky)

                  There's more to it than clicking "Trace" and saying "voila." Try experimenting with the Trace options dialog box. Change the Corner Angle to 0 for starters. This will give you a base of straighter lines.

                   

                  After the the trace is expanded, go to Object>Path>Simplify and choose "Straight lines. See how that looks.

                   

                  Lastly, if you're not too keen on the Pen tools, go over the vector lines with the Smooth tool (under the Pencil).