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Illustrator logoillustrator · HeyBraza shows you

how to turn an image into a vector in illustrator

HeyBraza points at the image trace panel, the right preset, and the expand button most people forget.

turning a photo or logo into a clean vector in illustrator means using image trace, then expanding the result so the paths are actually editable. the panel is hidden and the presets are confusing, so here's the exact order that works.

or do it yourself

  1. 1place or open your image, then select it with the selection tool (v).
  2. 2open window > image trace, or click the 'image trace' button in the top control bar.
  3. 3pick a preset from the dropdown - '3 colors' or 'low color' for logos, 'high fidelity photo' for photos.
  4. 4open the advanced section to nudge threshold, paths, and noise until the edges look clean.
  5. 5click object > image trace > expand (or the 'expand' button) to convert the preview into real, editable vector paths.

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.

download

common questions

why is my traced image still not a real vector?

image trace only previews until you hit 'expand' - without that step it's still a linked raster with a trace effect, not editable paths.

why does image trace make my photo look messy?

busy or low-res photos trace badly; start with a high-contrast image, raise the threshold, and lower the noise value.

more fixes