Path looks pixelated (like if it was an image)

Forum|Forum|5 years ago
November 2, 2020
4 replies
2080 views

Hello folks!

The PDF provided by my client includes the icon below and as you can see it looks like if it was a poor quality image but it is actually a path that somehow got messed up and looks like an image. And no, the pixel preview view is not on.

The only thing I was able to find is to go to Effects > Document Raster Effects Settings and change the resolution from 72 to 300 but it didn't work. I have used the Path > Simplify option but the result is so minimum that is not worh it.

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barbara_a7746676

Community Expert

If the client cannot provide the vector version, the icons should really be re-drawn. It wouldn't take long if you know how to draw vectors.

Using another method, you can improve the icons quite a bit, but they will be far from perfect. One way to do that would be to open the file in Illustrator, Object > Rasterize using at least 300 dpi. Then use the Image Trace command with 2 colors. Adjust the sliders in the Image Trace, expand to vector.

Piter1288Author

Inspiring

I've already started to redraw my vectores but forgot to tell you that I tried your suggestion playing with different options but all of them just convert the path into a rectangle. Not sure when to use that function cause in my case it didn't work.

Thanks anyway.

barbara_a7746676

Community Expert

If you are seeing only a rectangle, you may be in View > Outline.

I don't have your file any more and can't access it from the link, but this is what I was meant, and as I mentioned, it will be far from perfect.

Object > Rasterize.

Ton Frederiks

Community Expert

There is nothing you can do about it, maybe ask your client for another (the original) version.

Piter1288Author

Inspiring

That was my first approach but this is the only file available.

Any idea of why this happens? This is the first time I see this problem happening.

Ton Frederiks

Community Expert

Who did create it and how? It looks like the result of low res tracing.

I don't think that this can happen automatically in Illustrator.

barbara_a7746676

Community Expert

If the icon was imported into Illustrator or InDesign or whichever application that the PDF was created from, it is possible that the link to the icon was broken at the time of the creation of the PDF.

Piter1288Author

Inspiring

Hi Barbara,

When you link an icon from another file, the name does not show as "path" in the Layer panel, it should show it as <Linked File> and it is also weird that like in the next image, only 1 path was affected by this who knows problem.