Image Trace bug. Can't merge selected after.

[Comics Guy]

Hello,

I'm trying to convert my black and white ink drawings to vecotrs.

I'm using image trace to do it, but after I expand the image trace I end up with a million individual paths as sublayers.

I just want ONE clean layer to tweak and work with but the "merge selected" option is greyed out even after I ungroup everything.

When I release the sublayers to layers it just creates more groups when I try to merge them. If anyone knows a workaround please help.

My goal is to have ONE layer of clean black vector to work with. I don't want groups, sublayers, or compound pats.

I feel like it shouldn't be this comoplicated lol.

[Doug A Roberts]

Can you show what your artwork consists of, including the layers panel?

It may not be possible to represent it with a single path. Compound paths are a necessary construct for any object consisting of discrete paths.

[Comics Guy]

The artwork is just black and white. Minimal detail. (Think of cartoon character style). It's still under contract so i'm not posting it. This is the trace settings and how my layers break down after expanding though.

I really just want to merge all the layers or flatten it somehow. Thanks.

[Doug A Roberts]

What are you trying to do with it?

[Comics Guy]

Make a simple file for my client to make shirts or posters with.

I want all the black linework as one solid flat path.

The other colors will be simple single color paths as well.

[Doug A Roberts]

What makes this file unsuitable for that right now?

[Monika Gause]

What you probably want to use is the pathfinder panel. Left most button in the top row.

[Comics Guy]

Pathfinder is just grouping them or creating compound paths.

I've done what I'm trying to do before but I'm not sure what I did differently.

THanks for you help though.

[Monika Gause]

If those paths in your screenshot are not neighbored then you can do what you want, stomp your feet or whatever ... but you cannot make them into just one entry in the layers panel.

Unless you make a compound path of course.

[Comics Guy]

Just to show what I mean and to clarify:

This is a previous file where I accomplished getting all of the black linework onto a single layer (even though they aren't connected paths).

I know I used image trace before, and I believe that I was able to just use "merge selected" to get all of the separate paths onto a single layer but for some reason it's greyed out this time around. I'm sure it's something I forgot, but I figured I see if anyone else knew.

I'm not sure what you mean by "neighbored" but thanks anyway.

I appreciate you taking the time to try and help.

[Monika Gause]

In your file there are just paths on one layer. That's what Image Trace makes. It does not produce layers.

The Merge Layers function works on layers. To have it selected, you need to highlight multiple layers (not objects, biut layers. Then you can merge them.

You have probably selected all the stuff and then grouped it. Your confusion results from a complete misunderstnding of what a layer is.

[Comics Guy]

Yes, I'm not an illustrator expert. I tend to use photoshop.

I don't care about semantics, I just want all of the linework on one single sublayer, line, or whatever it's proper name is.

No compound paths. Just one flat line item like in the screenshot from my last post.

I'm posting a screenshot of the current issue in case anyone else can help?

In short, I want all of these separate paths that were generated by image trace to be on a single line and neither "join" or "merge selected" work.

In short, how do I combine two or more paths into the same line item?

Thanks advance and thank you Monika, I appreciate your feedback.

[Monika Gause]

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@Comics Guy  schrieb:

In short, I want all of these separate paths that were generated by image trace to be on a single line and neither "join" or "merge selected" work.

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Merge selected will not do that and Join won't either. Merge selected is for layers, joint is for open paths.

Please show your image, not the layers panel.

[Doug A Roberts · Accepted solution]

If something is listed in the layers panel as a single object, then it is either a single contiguous path or a compound path. Perhaps you want to make a compound path from your trace?

[Comics Guy]

Thanks Doug,

That might be the case.

[Comics Guy]

Thanks Doug,

This may indeed be what I did last time.

For some reason I really did not think it was a compound path, but I guess it is.

I know it's tough dealing with someone who doesn't know the names of anything lol, but I appreciate your patience.

Have a great one.