illustrator · HeyBraza shows you
illustrator image trace not working
HeyBraza watches your screen, spots why image trace is greyed out or stalling, and points at the fix.
image trace looks broken when the button is greyed out, the preview is a blurry mess, or 'expand' does nothing. it's almost always the image type, a missing selection, or a heavy file - not a real bug. here's how to tell which one is yours.
short answer
image trace greys out unless a raster image is selected with the selection tool, so that's the first thing to check. if it's a linked file, embed it via window > links > embed image; if it traced but won't edit, you skipped object > image trace > expand.
or do it yourself
- 1check the image is actually selected - image trace greys out unless a raster image is selected with the selection tool (v).
- 2if your image is already vector or a linked file acting up, embed it first via window > links > embed image.
- 3blurry or detail-less result? raise the resolution of the source, then increase threshold and lower noise in the image trace advanced panel.
- 4if it traced but won't edit, you skipped expand - go object > image trace > expand to lock in the paths.
- 5very large photo freezing illustrator? downsize the image first or use a lower-color preset so the trace can finish.
steps last checked
let HeyBraza do this with you
HeyBraza teaches you software while you're using it. hold a key and ask out loud - an ai tutor that sees your screen walks you through every step in real time, pointing and highlighting on your real work, talking you through it as it goes - not someone else's tutorial.
downloadcommon questions
why is the image trace button greyed out?
no raster image is selected, or the selected item is already vector - select the photo with the selection tool first.
why won't my traced art expand?
the trace must finish previewing first; wait for it to render, then use object > image trace > expand.
