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.
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.
let HeyBraza do this with you
HeyBraza is a tiny on-screen guide that points at the right buttons and talks you through it, on windows and mac.
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.