How to Vectorize and Colorize Your Procreate Drawings With Adobe Illustrator
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Procreate offers fantastic tools for digital artists, but to vectorize your Procreate artwork, you must use an outside source such as Adobe Illustrator. Here, we’ll show you how to vectorize and colorize your Procreate work using Illustrator.
Can You Create Vectors in Procreate?
The short answer is no, you cannot natively create vectors in Procreate. It is a raster-based program that uses pixels rather than mathematical equations like vector graphics. You might already knowthe differences between raster and vector images, so you’ll understand why Procreate can’t create vectors.
While Procreate itself doesn’t offer vector brushes, Adobe Fresco is a tablet software that does. See our comparison ofraster vs. pixel vs. live brushes in Adobe Frescoto see its different brush options. you could use different types of brushes for different intentions with Fresco without needing additional software.
But if you’re intent on using Procreate and want vector artwork, here’s how to convert your Procreate drawings into an Illustrator vector.
How to Convert Procreate Drawings to Vectors Using Illustrator
If you haven’t already, make sure you downloadProcreate($12.99) on your iPad. You’ll also need to get anAdobe Illustratorsubscription, which varies in price depending on the package. You can use the desktop app or the tablet app, and there’s a 7-day free trial for new users.
Step 1: Create Your Drawing on Procreate
Using your Apple Pencil, choose a smooth brush from Procreate’s brush library. The brush shouldn’t have opacity or texture as those pixels will be difficult to vectorize later. The Monoline brush is a great option for clean and simple line work.
Drawing in black will be easier when transferring to Adobe Illustrator to vectorize. If you do want to add color to your Procreate drawing, add each color as a separate layer in Procreate by tappingLayers>+. Keep the black line work on a separate layer from all color layers.
Step 2: Export Your Procreate Canvas
You’ll need to export your drawing from Procreate to Adobe Illustrator. The best way to do this is by tappingActions(wrench) >Share>Share Layers>PNG Files.
There aremany uses for PNG files. They are still raster files, but PNG allows for transparency, so your Procreate layers will only contain the artwork with no background for easy vectorizing in Illustrator later.
If you’re using an Apple computer, send your file from Procreate on the iPad to your Apple computer via AirDrop. For other operating systems, it’s best to send files via email or Bluetooth to access them from your computer.
Step 3: Drag Your File Into Illustrator
If you added colors to your Procreate drawing, each color layer will be saved as its own file.
Open a new file in Adobe Illustrator. You can use a default size or set your artboard the same as your Procreate canvas was. Choose your color space—keeping in mind thedifferent use cases for CMYK and RGB colors—and selectCreate.
Locate your file or files on your system and drag them onto your new Illustrator document. This ensures all files open on the same artboard and not separately in Illustrator.
Do not resize the files as they are still raster images and resizing will result in quality loss, which can affect how the tracing works. If the images become over-pixelated, the tracing will follow the pixelation rather than the original line work.
It may look like all your layers have merged, but selecting theArrownext to Layer 1 on theLayerspanel will reveal your Procreate layers. They’re currently hidden above and below one another, perfectly aligned.
Step 4: Use the Image Trace Function
Firstly, choose which layer to vectorize first, and select theEyeicon on all other layers to hide them. With theSelectiontool (V), select your current image. Then you can use the Image Trace function to vectorize this layer.
SelectImage Tracefrom the pop-up when your image is selected. Then, for more detail, open Image Trace from the Properties panel by selectingWindow>Image Trace.
SelectPresetand choose3 Colors. Since each of your layers is one color, this preset offers the best chance of tracing a limited color. Move theColorslider down to2for better accuracy.
Tick theIgnore Colorbox to ignore the white background color, turning it transparent in your vector result. Open theAdvancedsettings in Image Trace and experiment with thePaths,Corners, andNoisesliders for more refined artwork.
Apply Image Trace to all of your layers in the same way. Color layers will default to being traced black until you choose the3 Colorspreset.
Step 5: Expand Your Traced Image
Even though Image Trace provides a transparent background to your black line art, it still retains the selection border from the original image. Expanding your traced image will remove the larger selection area from the line art.
Select the traced art and go toProperties>Quick Actions>Expand. This leaves you with vectorized art with a transparent background.
Blue paths will outline all of your traced work and the selection border will be cropped against the outer edges.
Step 6: Tidy Up With the Pencil Tool
Depending on the detail of your original drawing, Image Trace may change line shapes or thicknesses, or perhaps you want to add or remove part of the art after tracing. You can fix or edit your line work using the Pencil tool.
Using theDirect Selectiontool (A), select part of your line work. Switch to thePenciltool (N), then double-click the Pencil tool icon on the toolbar. Check the box forFill new pencil strokes, then selectOK. This setting allows you to add to your drawing.
Using the Pencil tool, draw from one anchor point and join the pencil back to another anchor point.
To remove parts of your line work, open the Pencil tool settings again and uncheck theFill new pencil strokesbox. Then draw from one anchor point into your line work, connecting to another anchor point. The shape you draw will be removed from the path.
Use this technique to tidy up lines, add or remove thickness, or add or remove elements in your artwork.
You can also use theDirect Selectiontool (A) to select individual anchor points to drag, delete, or add curves to them with the purpose of change the shape of your line work.
How to Colorize Your Vector in Illustrator
You should have set the Color Profile for your document, but if you wish to change from CMYK to RGB, or RGB to CMYK, you can. Go toEdit>Edit Colors>Convert to RGBorConvert to CMYK.
To add color, the vector needs to be turned into a Live Paint object. Select (V) the line work then go toObject>Live Paint>Make. PressKor choose theLive PaintBucketicon on the toolbar.
Set your desired color in theBackgroundcolor swatch, then hover the cursor over the space you want to add color to until the inner line turns red.
Select it with theLive Paint Buckettool to add color.
Screenshot by Ruby Helyer, Author. No attribution.
If the space is not a closed loop, you won’t be able to add color using Live Paint Bucket. There is a way around that though: use thePencil,Brush, orPentools to draw a line to close the gap. Select the line, then set theStrokeand theFillto transparent.
Using theSelectiontool, click and drag your cursor over the drawing to select it all—including the transparent line—and make it a Live Paint object again. You can do this as many times as you need.
To recolor your vector, you could also useAdobe Illustrator’s vector recolor toolpowered by Adobe Firefly.
Once you’ve edited the line work and added color however you want, your vector drawing is complete.
While PNG files have transparent backgrounds, they’re not good for saving vectors. Save it as an SVG to ensure a transparent background, or save it as an AI file to edit it again in the future. Here’show to save different file types in Illustratorif you need help.
For similar results, it’s possible to alsovectorize an image in CorelDRAWif you don’t have access to Adobe Illustrator.
Follow these troubleshooting tips to fix any problems with your Apple Pencil and Procreate.
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