Image to vector problem

[Peter5EAB]

I converted a picture to vecto. Now I just want to color the background. But that doesn't work because everything or nothing is set. How can I exclude the background from the foreground?

[Doug A Roberts]

Please show a screenshot of your workspace with the object you want to colour selected, and list the exact steps you took to get to that point.

[Peter5EAB]

Because upper is normal. The bottom is when I color it everything gets colored. In the example blue. I just want to color the gray object.

[Ton Frederiks]

Did you Expand the Image trace and ungroup it?

[Peter5EAB]

it is object and background together. when I click all points and a frame are displayed. The object is to be separated from the background. that I can color the object (or make a gradient).

[Ton Frederiks]

Can you direct select the background?

Please show us (insert the image, don't embed) the expanded layers panel?

[Peter5EAB]

Leider nicht. Ich hab oben einen screenhot

[Ton Frederiks]

We can't see the content of the layer

[Ton Frederiks]

Try to Object > Compound Path > Release

[Peter5EAB]

still the same.

[Met1]

image trace works on the whole bounding box area, (even though there's nothing there), so you have a box, or parts of a box, outside of your wanted image that has vector elements as well, you need to remove them. 

After the first image trace-> expand, select outside your wanted image (work in preview mode if it's more helpful so you can see all the edges) but within the bounding box of wanted image and delete - if this color (presumable white, is not used elsewhere, you can select same color and delete all (the white) in one go.