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Fun Seeker
Inspiring
September 25, 2017
Answered

Photo shop's threshold effect in Illustrator

  • September 25, 2017
  • 3 replies
  • 19943 views

Hi,

Is there any way to achieve the same type of results that Photoshop's Threshold effect produces in Illustrator? Using the trace function on an image prepared in Photoshop doesn't produce desirable results if the image is overly complex. I can't find a suitable plug-in either.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Kind regards,

Mark

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Kurt Gold

    Unlike Photoshop, Illustrator does not provide straightforward Threshold adjustments, but you can mimic it pretty well (assuming it has to be done in Illustrator and assuming the final result does not necessarily have to be vector artwork).

     

    You may download and take a look at this sample .ai file:

     

    mimicked_threshold_adjustment_in_illustrator_001.ai.zip - Google Drive

     

    On artboard 1 I’ve put a placed Photoshop parrot that was prepared with a Threshold adjustment (Level: 128).

     

    On artboard 2 you can see the same parrot that was prepared with a graphic style in Illustrator.

     

    There are slight differences, but the overall appearance is almost identical.

    3 replies

    Kurt Gold
    Community Expert
    Kurt GoldCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    September 26, 2017

    Unlike Photoshop, Illustrator does not provide straightforward Threshold adjustments, but you can mimic it pretty well (assuming it has to be done in Illustrator and assuming the final result does not necessarily have to be vector artwork).

     

    You may download and take a look at this sample .ai file:

     

    mimicked_threshold_adjustment_in_illustrator_001.ai.zip - Google Drive

     

    On artboard 1 I’ve put a placed Photoshop parrot that was prepared with a Threshold adjustment (Level: 128).

     

    On artboard 2 you can see the same parrot that was prepared with a graphic style in Illustrator.

     

    There are slight differences, but the overall appearance is almost identical.

    Ton Frederiks
    Community Expert
    Ton FrederiksCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    September 25, 2017

    You can show the Advanced options in the Image Trace panel.

    Increase the Paths percentage and lower the Noise settings to get closer to what you see in Photoshop.

    Monika Gause
    Community Expert
    Monika GauseCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    September 25, 2017

    Please post a screenshot of your artwork and of what you want to achieve.

    F
    Fun SeekerAuthor
    Inspiring
    September 26, 2017

    Hi Monika and Tom,

    Thanks for responding to my message. Here is a sample pic, all I did was apply the Threshold effect in Photoshop on an adjustment layer, nothing more. I think you´ll agree that trying to trace over something like this in Illustrator would be futile, so I was hoping to find an alternative method. Any help would be appreciated.

    Kind regards,

    Mark

    Monika Gause
    Community Expert
    Monika GauseCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    September 26, 2017

    This is just a bitmap. Prepare it at a sufficient resolution and you can use it for printing. Why trace it at all?

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