From Procreate to Adobe Illustrator Without Losing ANY Hand-Drawn Details

1. Welcome: Hi, I'm Anna. I'm a surface pattern designer and the clothing designer based in Transylvania. This is my second Skillshare class in which I'm ready to share with you, industries sacrifice that I learned over the years while working with clients. I hope this class will give you the knowledge and confidence to work with your clients professionally. I love to create beautiful botanicals, find hand-drawn details. At the beginning of my pattern creating journey. I created my patterns in Illustrator where I achieved great results. But then I got my iPad and started working on Procreate. I instantly knew that I found the perfect medium for me. But now the burning question is, is Procreate good enough to work professionally? Can you work on clients project on it? I'm here to say yes. Most of the time. I'm here to show you what to do on those occasions when your client requests EI phi format, I'm going to show you not only how to convert each layer to Illustrator, but you will be able to recolor your artwork using the recolor artwork door without losing any hand-drawn details. In this class, I assume you have a basic understanding of the Procreate app and Adobe Illustrator. I'm going to show you the tools I use in order to transform my procreate drawing into a regular apart layered Illustrator file. I'm excited to get started. I hope to see you in class. 2. Transparency tool vs Image trace tool: First of all, let's quickly recap. What's the difference between vector and raster? Raster images are built by pixels. This means if you are zoomed in or blow up your image bigger than your canvas size, it will look pixelated. Because of this, you have to really make sure at the very start that you have a big enough canvas size for your project. Vectors, on the other hand, can be scaled up as big as you want and the artwork will always look crisp. Dust the side note, when I say ai phi format, I'm not referring to artificial intelligence, which is flooding the world live now. But the five format you can say from Adobe Illustrator. If you are familiar with Adobe Illustrator, then you are probably wondering if the transparency tool is a better version of the image trace through for my needs, yes. But the two tools, two very different things. Image Trace converts your roster drawings to vector drawings by losing much hand-drawn quality, fine details, and transparency, which results in a distorted elements. Your motifs formed a line when you try to repeat your fires. But with image trace, you will get a vector drawing. And lastly, scalable. With the transparency tool, you can keep the finest details of your drawing. It will look exactly as you draw. It. Also keeps the transparency if you have in your drawing. But you can't scale up your drawing. You can recolor it manually or with the help of the recolor artwork tool. It will work exactly as it would be to act or drawings. Are wondering why you need this. I needed it because of my clients. In fact, one of my clients showed me how to prepare my files so they would be able to print it as their software needed an AI file format. I use this with many other clients do when needed. Ai layered file format for printing. Saved placement prints or repeat patterns. And I saved or wallpaper rolls with this technique, as large as 24 " by hundred and 44 ". This technique only works if you have all your colors in different layers. You can have a look at my previous class where I showed you how I create my patterns in Procreate, keeping all my colors as separate layers. You can find the link in the class description below. I'm going to show you how I use the transparency tool with two of my designs. One of them is beard with solid colors. The other one has transparent layers to a watercolor effect. Just a side note, if you are using transparent layers, check back with your clients that they have no problem with printing transparent layers. 3. Example 1: Prepare the File to Export from Procreate: In this lesson, I'm going to show you how to prepare your files to export from Procreate. Let me show you option one where I only use solid colors. I created this print on Procreate. If you would like to learn how to create seamless pattern on your iPad with the procreate app. Jump back to my previous class where I teach you how you can easily create them with templates. As you see, every color isn't a different layer, nicely organized. Now let's prepare on five for export. Step one is to choose a black color. Step two is to make sure that you have alpha lock on for every single layer. You can either tap on the layer and select Alpha Lock, or you can swipe right on the layer with two fingers. If alpha lock is on, then you can see a checkered background for your layer. Step three is to fill each of your layers with black color. Double neural layer. Then select Fill Layer. And repeat this for every single layer you have. If you have a solid color for the background, you can delete that. Now you are ready to export the upon the action. Don't choose Share. And under share, choose the PSD file format. Now choose where you want to export it. I choose Google Drive, but you can choose whatever works for you. After that tap on Upload. Now you know how to prepare your files. Make sure you record all of your layers with black and export it as a PSD file format. See you in the next lesson. 4. Example 1: Download the File and Import it to Illustrator: In this lesson, I'm going to show you how I download my files from Google Drive and correctly imported to illustrator. Now let's jump to my laptop and show you how to continue. First of all, find your file and download it. Open. Adobe Illustrator. I have an old version. Yours might look slightly different, but you should be able to follow me without any problem. Now find your PSD file. Right-click on it and choose Open with Adobe Illustrator. Makes sure that Convert layers to object is selected. Now you can click Okay. If you open your Layers panel, you can see that you have everything on separate layers, as you had in procreate. This is how it should look like. I'm just going to quickly show you. You just drag and drop it to Illustrator like this. It won't work. As you see, you will end up with one merge layer, which is useless for this purpose. So please don't do it like this. This is how it should look like. Now you know the correct ways to import your file to Illustrator, making sure all your layers are visible. See you in the next lesson. 5. Example 1: Creat a Color palette - Method 1: In this lesson, I'm going to show you the first method, how you can easily create a color palette in Illustrator. Once you have your files, the correct We imported to Illustrator. Let's start the process. Your art board is going to be the exact size you had in procreate. In this case. I'm going to work with it as is in my next example. I'm going to show you how you can change your art board size. You have to work with each layer individually. For this reason, I always look all my layers and only unlock the one I'm working with. You can delete the background layer, which is automatically gets imported from Procreate. Let me show you how you can add the color palette of your choice to the swatch library. I'm going to show you two methods. Let me show you the first one now and the other one with the next pattern. One of the easiest way to pick colors is from pictures. You can import photographs or the colorful artwork you export it to JPEG from procreate. This time, it's fine to just grab and drop it to your workspace. Make sure if you look all your layers, you open a new one. Otherwise you won't be able to drop your image. Now click on the rectangle tool. We can hold to drag out a small rectangle. Select your eyedropper tool, and click on the color you want to select. You can drag a new rectangle or you can click on the selection tool, the black arrow, click on your rectangle and drag it to the right y, holding down the option for Mac or the Alt for Windows on your keyboard. In order to duplicate it, you can hold down the Shift as well to make them align. Release your mouse, then your hand from the keyboard and you'll have another rectangle. Select your eyedropper tool and pick your next color. Duplicate your rectangle again. Click on it, drag it to the right by holding down the Option plus Shift for Mac and Alt plus shift for Windows. You can also drag a few rectangle out in advance. Select your eyedropper tool and choose your next color. If you hold down your Command key on Mac or Control R for Windows, it will automatically switch back to your selection tool, the black arrow. You can click on your next rectangle. If you release the Command key on Mac or control for Windows, it will switch back to your current tool, the Eyedropper. Now, you can quickly select your next colors. Create as many rectangles as you need for your color palette. Once you finish, with the help of the selection tool, drag your mouse over the colorful rectangles. So your select them all. Open your Swatch Library and click on the envelope icon. New color group. You can rename it if you want, then click Okay. Then you have your color palette. Now. Now you can get rid of the picture and rectangles. Now you know how to build a color palette from a picture. See you in the next lesson. 6. Example 1: The Transparency Tool: Now let me show you the essence of this class, how to work with the transparency tool. Let's create a new layer. Drag your new layer to the bottom so you can create your background. If you forget your art board size, you can double-check it in the Artboard menu. If you click on the paper like icon, you can see the width and height of your art board. Noted down. Click on your rectangle tool. Now, instead of dragging it out, just click on the page. A little window is going to pop up where you can fill in your measurements. Select the color you want from your Swatch Library. Make sure it lives inside your art board. With the help of the align tool. Make sure your stroke doesn't have a fill. Set it to none. Create a new layer above your background. Select your background rectangle. I prefer selecting it by clicking on the layer. At the far right part. Occur for square will appear when it's selected. Click on Edit and then Copy, then edit again, and select paste in front. Now we will have two rectangles on top of each other. Select the top one and drag it into empty layer above. I prefer the click on the icon in front of my layers to better see what I'm working on. I'm only going to leave one layer residual, which is the background texture. Select the rectangle and click on the color you want from the swatch library. Once your rectangle is colored, select your layer with a drawing by clicking on it on the far right part. So the color for square appears. Now click on it and select Cut. Select your rectangle, and select the transparency tool. If you don't see this in your menu bar or any other tools I'm using. You can find it in the Window menu. Scroll down until you see it and click on it. Once you are in the transparency window, you'll double-click on the square at the right side. The one that looks blank with the cross circle. Click on Invert Mask. Now go to Edit and select paste in front. After that Double-click on the left square in the transparency window. As you see now my background texture is record. Unlock the layer above and make it visible. By clicking the icon. Now you have an empty layer from fair, you cut out your drawing. Now you can use that empty layer when you are working with your next drawing layer. Start the process again. Duplicate your background layer, copy and paste in front. Select the new rectangle and drag it up to the empty layer. Look back your background. Select the course for your rectangle from the swatch library, the color you want for your next drawing layer. Select the layer with your drawing, then click on Edit, then select cut. Now, select the rectangle which surely colored under the transparency tool. Double-click on the right square. Make sure Invert Mask is selected. Now click on edit and paste in front. Back to your transparency window and double-click on the square on the left side. Now you can choose any other color from Swatch Library via layer is selected and it is three colorable. Lock your layer when you are finished. Now let's repeat the same steps again. But you can use shortcuts to speed up your process. To duplicate your background layer. Again, select the background and Command plus c for Mac or Control plus C for Windows to copy. Paste in front, press Command plus F for Mac or control plus F for Windows. Got all your rectangle with the color you want for your next drawing layer to have. Unlock the layer you want to work with. Select it and press Command plus x for Mac or Control plus X4 windows. To cut it out. Select the rectangle. Go to the transparency window and double-click on the square on the right side. Check Invert Mask. Press Command plus F for Mac or control plus F for windows to paste in front. Now double-click on the left square in the transparency window. Now your layer with your drawing is recoverable. I'm going to repeat the same steps for each of my layers using the shortcuts. Just a reminder to keep saving your files from time to time. Once you have either layer study, you can unlock them. Now you know how to use the transparency tool. You are welcome to the budget as many times as you need to get the hang of it. Let's go to the next lesson. 7. Example 1: Recoloring Tool and Export: In this lesson, I'm going to show you how you can recolor your artwork using the recolor artwork tool. If you have a box repeat pattern, you can just drop it in the Swatch Library. And you can see how your pattern repeats by filling a large rectangle with it. By selecting all your layers, you can go to the Recolor Artwork tool and play around with your current color palette. I love playing around with the randomly change color order door. Or you can create another color parrot the same way I showed you earlier. You can also determine the way they are recolored. I especially love this if I have a monochrome design, look at the color reduction option and under sort, choose the light to dark. Then click Okay. Now click on your new palette. Next to New, click on the hamburger icon with the three lies sorted from light to dark or the other way around. Or you can have fun with the randomly change color order at all. If you like something, then save it because you can't go back. Sometimes this window pops up. You can just hit no. Now you have your artwork in a different color option. I locked the background and the background texture here because I wanted to keep it light. I changed the texture color manually. To save the repeat file as a JPEG or PNG, there is a trick I use to save my files from Illustrator to prevent any hair line from showing. I send the background slightly so it's bigger than my art board. Then go to phi's, choose Export. Then choose Export As from the drop-down menu, select your preferred file format. I choose JPEG for this one. Make sure to check the box next to use art board. Click Export. Bring up the quality to the highest full resolution. I prefer to 300 ppi. Select Art Optimized as well. Then export. Save it as an Illustrator file as well. Go to file and select Save. Now you had fun with the recolor artwork tool and you know how to export your file. Let's go to the next lesson. 8. Example 2: Preparing the File to Export from Procreate: In this lesson, I'm going to show you how to prepare an export your file from procreate with another example. Next, let me show you another example where I used watercolor effect in my pattern. This means I have layers with transparency in it. You can transform those layers to to Illustrator. If you are working on a client project, I would recommend making sure that they can accept transparent layers. If they print digitally, they shouldn't have any problem with it. This is how my pattern looks like in Procreate. I'd like to emphasize again that you should have every color in a different layer. If I work with transparent layers, are usually love to keep a solid color, pays for my illustrations. This way, I can change the background easily without affecting my illustrations. If I turn off the solid color pace from underneath, with this black background, my installation doesn't work anymore as you'll see. It's just a tip you could keep in mind. Let's prepare this file as well. In the same way, turn on our farm work on every single layer by tapping on the layer and selecting our follow-up, or by swiping right with two fingers on the layer. If alpha lock is on, you can see the checkered background underneath. Now feel all your layers with black color. Tap on the layer and choose Fill layer. Do this with every single layer. You can delete the solid color background if you have one. Now let's export the file tab on action. And under Share, choose the PSD file format. Choose where you want to export it. I'm exporting to My Drive. You can choose whatever is more convenient for you. Then tap on Upload. Now you know how your file should look like when you export it from procreate as a PSD file format. See you in the next lesson. 9. Example 2: Import to Illustrator and Chang the Art-board Size: In this lesson, I'm going to show you how to import the file to Illustrator and how to change your art board size. Now let's jump to the computer and open Adobe Illustrator. Download your exported file so you can access it from your computer easily. Right-click on your file and choose Open with Illustrator. Make sure convert Layer two object is checked. Then click Okay. If you go to your Layers panel, you should see the layers in the same way you had them in Procreate. Delete your solid background image. With this pattern, I want to show you how you can export a different size than your current odd both sides. Go to Artboards and change the width and height coordinates. With this method. I save the wall wallpaper rolls for client request like 24 " by 145 ". This time, I'm only changing the width from 12 inch to 24-inch, which is a standard white paper with the length I leave as is. But you can change it if you need to. Once you have filled in the measurements you need click Okay. Now I want to select the world Canvas and align it to the top left corner. Make sure to save your file from time to time. Now you know how to import your file in Illustrator and also how to change your art board size to your needs. See you in the next lesson. 10. Example 2: Creat a Color palette-Method 2: In this lesson, I want to show you the second method, how to build your color palette when you're color codes are given. I'm going to show you another way to create a color palette. If your client, e.g. sent you the exact hex code, you have to use. Drag out a small swatch with the rectangle tool. I'm going to recolor them to black so you can see what I'm doing. To create a few swatch at once. Just click on the rectangle and drag it out to the side while holding down the Shift to align option for Mac or Alt for Windows to duplicate it. Once you do that, you can just hit Command Plus D for Mac or control plus D for Windows. To repeat your previous mouth, you can select the whole row and drag it down by holding down the Shift key to align and Option key for Mac or Alt key for Windows to duplicate. Select the first spot, then double-click on the fill color. Now you can type the exact hex code number where you can see the hashtag. Thanks. Click Okay. Select your next swatch and double-click on the fill color and type in your next color-code. Repeat the steps until you have all the colors from your color palette. Once you have all the colors you need, select all of them, click on the swatch, then select a new color group. You can give it a name and click. Okay. Now that you have your color palette in your Swatch Library, now you can delete the rectangles. Now you know how to build your color palette out of hex codes. See you in the next lesson. 11. Example 2: The Transparency Tool: In this lesson, I'm going to show you how the transparency tool works with my second example. And also how to make it work with the larger art board size than my original. Now let's create a new layer for our background. Select the rectangle tool and click on the Canvas. Window will pop up where you can fill in your artboard measurements. Width, and the height. In my case is 24 " by 17 ". Click Okay. Make sure that you have the color selected and it doesn't have a stroke. It should be crossed with a red line. Allow your background with your Canvas. Select your background. Select Edit, then click on Copy. Select Edit again, and choose paste in front. Drag one of the rectangles in a new layer above. Toggle the visibility by clicking on the icon in front of your layers. Leaving only the layer you are working with visible. Right-click on the layer, choose transform, then move. Now, you can fill in the measurements. This repeating pattern is a half drop one. You are probably familiar with what that means. But just quickly let me illustrate it for you. On the left side is a box repeat, or you can call it a basic repeat. On the right side is a half drop repeat. The left side continues from half of the right side. Now let's get back to my pattern. I need a copy of this layer to go next to it from the half of the canvas, one up and one down, select the layer, right-click, then choose transform, then click on Move. In my case is 8.5 ". Now make sure you are going to click copy, not on okay? So you have a copy of your layer in a new position and you did not just move it. Now the layer you just moved is selected. Now right-click again and choose Transform and click on Move. Now you don't need to move your layer horizontally, so you type zero. For vertical, we need to move the layer up. To move up, we need to type a minus in front of the whole length. So in my case is -17 ". If you don't see the transparency tool, you can always find it in the windows drop-down menu. Or you can look for any other tools I'm using and you don't see it. Now select your art board size, rectangle, and pick a color you want these layers to receive. Select the layer with your drawing. Click on Edit, then cut, unlock your background layer is selected. Click on transparency and double-click on the gray crossed window. Make sure invert mask is checked. Now click on Edit and Paste in front. Now go back to the transparency tool and double-click on the left side window. There you have it, your recolored layer with transparency. If you select the layer, you can change the color of it. Now let's duplicate the background layer again. For our next layer. Lock the layer. Now toggle the visibility for the next layer. Now let's move this one again with the help of the shortcuts. For quicker results. Press Command plus Shift plus M for Mac, or Control Shift plus M for Windows. To bring up the movie window. Let's move it again to the side and up and down from halfway. Make sure you hit Copy. Select the layers and press Command Plus X4 Mac or Control plus X4 windows. To cut it out, unlock the rectangle selected, go to the transparency and double-click on the gravy though. Dig the Invert Mask. Now press Command plus F for Mac or control plus F for windows to paste in front on the transparency tool. Now, double-click on the left side window. Now you have your three colorable layer. Let's repeat this again with our next layer. Duplicate the rectangle. Move the layers next to it, select all the layers and cut it out. Lock the rectangle, and go to the transparency tool. Click on the gray window, paste in front and click on the left side window. Let's repeat the process with all the layers you have left. Now I showed you how the transparency tool works and also how to arrange your layers when you have a bigger art board size. Using this method, you can say about files as large as a wallpaper. I'll see you in the next lesson. 12. Example 2: Recolor and Export: In this lesson, I'm going to show you how to easily tweak the colors and how to export your file. If you go to the recolor tool, you can tweak the colors manually. You can add the new color palette to your swatch library. Select all the layers and click on New Color Group. Once you are happy with your pattern, you can select all and try get to the swatch library. Drag out a big enough rectangles so you can see, repeat and click on the pattern. To save this as a JPEG or PNG, I usually extend the background from the art board. This helps to prevent any hair lines from appearing. Now you know how to easily tweak the colors manually and also how to export your file. See you in the next lesson. 13. Class Project: As for your class project, I would love if you would put into practice what you're done. If you have a pattern or illustration where you have all the colors in a different layer, you can use that or you can create something new for this, I would recommend trying something which feels really hand-drawn. An odd thing, really fine details to your drawing. Export it as a PSD file format and import it to Illustrator. To get started, you can take a screenshot of your artwork they colored in Adobe Illustrator. Please go to the class project and upload it. I can't wait to see you mastering the transparency tool. 14. Final Thoughts: Congratulations, you've finished the class. I just wanted to say thank you for spending time with me and following along. I hope you learn something really valuable for you. If you enjoyed the class, it would help me a lot. If you could give me a positive review. It would also help others to discover the class. If you have any questions or something I was doing wasn't clear, feel free to ask any question in the discussion section of this class. I'll get back to you as soon as I can to get notified of my next class, follow me here on Skillshare. You can also keep in touch with me on Instagram at the Nash on the design. I would also love to know what do you like me to teach next? If you would like to know anything about how I wrote my small business as a mom. If you are interested in any aspect of my creative journey, let me know. I'm happy to share my knowledge with you. Just as a bonus, if you've made it this far and you'll watch my first-class as well. You saw me at the end of my pregnancy. By the time I published my first class, I was holding my three days old daughter. As we created the first place together, I thought I let her pop in and say hi to you guys. We send you lots of love and good wives. See you in the next one.