This episode, the Vector GFX team shows you the Vector Fill tool, a faster way to color different objects inside canvasxdraw, and one of the tools that pairs most naturally with Autotrace.
What You’ll Learn
Vector Fill is built to work hand-in-hand with autotraced images, so if you haven’t watched Episode 2 on the Autotrace tool yet, it’s worth a quick look first this episode picks up right where that one leaves off, turning a raster image into a traced vector object and then coloring it in.
Quick Overview: Filling a Traced Image
1. Create a traced image. Select your picture, click Autotrace, leave the defaults as-is, and press OK.
2. Select the traced image and go to the Draw tab.
3. Open the Smart Vector Fill ribbon and click Tool Options. This opens the Tool Defaults window.
4. Set your fill. Choose the color you want and customize it further with attributes, outlines, and more.
5. Apply it.Select the Vector Fill ribbon again and click the object you want to fill.
An Alternate Route
You can also select a vector object directly, go to the Draw tab, and use the Fill feature there. Open the dropdown menu for additional options including gradients and hatches for more control over how the fill looks.
Why It’s Worth Knowing
Once an image is autotraced, it’s made up of individual polygons and shapes rather than one flat picture which means coloring it object by object by hand would be slow. Vector Fill turns that into a couple of clicks, and because it works alongside gradients and hatches, you’re not limited to flat color when a traced image needs more visual depth.
Watch: The Vector Fill Tool below:
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This post is part of our canvasxdraw How-To video series. Have a feature you want us to cover next? Let us know.