How to Use Live Paint in Adobe Creative Suite 2

Adobe Illustrator CS2 offers a Live Paint function in conjunction with its companion, Live Trace command. Once a drawing is converted to a vector drawing using Live Trace, Live Paint is used to add color. Using these commands together allows you to create finished digital illustrations quickly.

  1. Choose the “File” option in the toolbar, and then select “Place”. Navigate to the line art drawing file that you would like to trace. Click the “Place” button to place this image into Illustrator.
  2. Step 2

    Click on the small circle to the right of the layer’s name in the Layers palette. This causes the Live Trace button to appear in the Control Palette under the menu bar. Click the down arrow next to the Live Trace button, and then click one of the listed preset items. This will create a vector version of the line art. Alternatively, create your own custom settings by choosing the “Object” option in the toolbar, selecting “Live Trace,” and then selecting “Tracing Options.”

  3. Step 3

    Adjust the “Threshold” and “Minimum Area” settings in the Control palette under the menu bar to further modify the vector image.

  4. Step 4

    Click the Live Paint button in the Control palette under the menu bar. This will create a Live Paint group, all on the same layer. Select the Live Paint Bucket tool from the Tools palette. Set the Fill and Stroke colors in the Swatches palette by choosing a preset swatch library or by creating a new color. Move your mouse over various areas of the trace, and notice the outline that appears. Click the desired area to apply the chosen fill and stroke attributes.

  5. Step 5

    Click the “Gap Options” icon in the Control palette. In the Gap Options dialog box, turn on the check box to enable Gap Detection, and then select one of the “Paint Stops At” settings. This fills in gaps that exist between the paths created by Live Trace that can cause paint to leak through. Alternatively, choose the “Object” option in the toolbar, select “Live Paint,” and then select “Gap Options.”

Tips & Warnings
  • If you are working with a complex tracing, the number of objects in a Live Paint group can slow down Illustrator performance. It is better to use the “Expand” button to create several smaller Live Paint groups.