Is a vector Fresco - Illustrator workflow possible?

[Christopher28485188py3n]

Hello,  I'm new to the platform and seeking some advice. My setup includes both an iPad and a Mac, and I'm using Adobe Fresco to create vector art. I tend to stick to vector brushes and layers since my style is more line/graphic art, and I want to be able to export my art to large scales like a 75-inch TV or a poster at 36 x 24 inches.

My preferred workflow involves moving my images back and forth between Fresco and Illustrator, as I use the mirror, grid, and radial tools in Illustrator to create patterns from my Fresco drawings and then rework these in fresco. However, I'm struggling with this process since exporting from Illustrator to Fresco (.PSD) converts the image to a raster image.

I've looked for workarounds, but it seems like this has been an issue for a while and hasn't been resolved yet. In the meantime, I've tried working solely in Illustrator, but it's not great for drawing, and I'm missing some of the fun features in Fresco like a basic resizable pen.

My last option is to give up on vector work and use raster layers, but that limits my ability to create large images - Fresco on the ipad seems to have much lower exports than illustrator and photoshop. Do you have any suggestions or workarounds that I may have missed? I'd appreciate any advice!

[Imaginerie · Accepted solution]

Are you using "save" or "open a copy" to transfer your artwork from one to the other?

When you "open a copy" from Fresco to  Illustrator (desktop or mobile) as opposite to export, it will keep the paths as filled shapes (as opposite to paths with a stroke). But they're still vector shapes as long as you don't flatten them.
(.psd supports vector)

My suggested workaround would be to use Illustrator for Ipad and use fresco for textures and details (If you're using them).
Because of the limitations of Fresco vectors that aren't stroked path. This is because of the kind of work you do, For someone with a more freestyle approach, I would think that filled vector strokes would be fine.

Moving from Fresco to Illustrator is easy, the opposite isn't. You'll need to export as .PSD as Fresco doesn't read .ai files (you'll need to "import and open" as .psd), and the illustrator export flatten the .psd as raster.

I wonder if exporting as PDF would resolve the problem (If Fresco could read the PDFs that is)

PS: I have Fresco on Ipad and Desktop, and Illustrator on Ipad and Desktop, so my screenshots may differ a little, but I tested on the Ipad as well and the result is the same.

[Christopher28485188py3n]

@Imaginerie Thank you for taking the time to investigate this - you have summed it up well. Exporting from Fresco and Illustrator but importing from Illustrator and Fresco doesn't work (for vectors). I am going to alter my work flow to start off doing vector drawings in Fresco and then export to illustrator to utilise those mirror and redial effects. The final adjustments will have to be done in illustrator which means learning to master that blob brush - It really doesn't compare to the vector brushes in Fresco but I think it can make it serviceable - thanks again. 

[Imaginerie]

You're most welcome!
If I were you, I would go to the Fresco uservoice here:
https://adobefresco.uservoice.com/
Check if anyone has already requested a better illustrator/fresco workflow, and if not, create a feature request.

If you want to post your post link here (or someone else's), I'd happily vote for it, and hopefully people who read this thread as well 🙂
Fingers crossed!

(feel free to steal my wording if it helps)

[Christopher28485188py3n]

Thanks for introducing me to Fresco uservoic - a few people have made these suggetions so I added my vote and comments.

[Imaginerie]

Excellent, you/we are not alone 🙂