How to Use the Generative Recolor Tool in Adobe Illustrator
2023 has been a big year for Adobe. Having announced it will test and integrate AI tools across its large range of software, Adobe Illustrator has found itself at the top of the list. In June 2023, Adobe Illustrator introduced Generative Recolor, the latest AI tool to change the digital art landscape.
Find out more about what Generative Recolor is, how it applies AI to your digital designs, and how exactly you can use the tool in Adobe Illustrator.
What Is AI Generative Recolor?
Generative AI is artificial intelligence tools that are trained on high-quality models which the user can use to generate visual results based on—typically—a text prompt.Adobe won’t use your own artwork to train its AI systems; it trains all its AI tools using Adobe Stock imagery. So, what is AI Generative Recolor?
AI Generative Recolor is part ofAdobe Illustrator’s generative AI updateannounced in June 2023. This tool lets you recolor any vector artwork using a text prompt to describe a color scheme. It’s easy to generate newly colored art options, and you don’t have to use your brain power at all to do so.
You can use Generative Recolor to rebrand your UX/UI icons, test out different colorways for vector illustrations, and experiment with hue to add artistic monochrome effects to your designs. This is only a handful of use cases, but there are many great uses for Generative Recolor.
How to Use Illustrator’s Generative Recolor Tool
Now that Generative Recolor (Beta) is found as a tool in Adobe Illustrator, it works slightly differently compared tousing the Adobe Firefly Vector Recolor tool. Firefly only allows you to upload SVG format vectors to use the tool. In Illustrator, that’s no longer a limitation—although there are still somelimitations in creating AI art with Adobe software.
Here’s a step-by-step of how to use Generative Recolor in Illustrator.
Step 1: Open or Create Your Vector in Illustrator
Create a vector natively in Illustrator or import a vector file in any of the following formats: .ai, .svg, or .eps. These formats allow you to use Generative Recolor (Beta) directly.
You can recolor filled shapes as well as paths, so there’s no need to create outlines of paths if you want to edit the shapes later. You can also use the tool on vectors that have been colored with the Live Paint tool.
You can also import .tiff files and other formats—like imported Procreate drawings—but you’ll need touse Illustrator’s Image Trace tool to recolor the graphics. Ensure your vector color format is set to RGB or CMYK and not Grayscale.
Step 2: Open Generative Recolor
With your vector graphic ready to go on your Illustrator artboard, select the full graphic—or at least the parts you want to recolor. Then go toEdit>Edit Colors>Generative Recolor (Beta).
This pulls up the Generative Recolor window. The window is split into sections including a prompt box, sample images, variations for results, and advanced options for recoloring.
Step 3: Type a Prompt or Choose a Sample
You can generate your color theme in two ways. Both are very simple.
Firstly, you can type your text prompt in the box. Type any theme or style prompt you can think of and then selectGenerateto apply the prompt. Being more specific will help your results. Some example prompts are:
The second option, if you can’t think of a theme description, is using any of the nine sample prompts provided. These have images with the samples, so you can envision what your color scheme will look like. Select any of the prompts to apply the prompt and generate its theme to your vector.
Under the prompt box, after writing a prompt, select the+icon to add a specific color. This guides the AI further to consider those colors along with the prompt. You can add as many colors as you want.
Step 4: Apply Your Generative Recolor Result
Once generated, the Generative Recolor tool provides four variations based on your prompt. You can select any one of the four to immediately apply it to your vector—it doesn’t make a copy of your vector, it applies directly.
If you’re not happy with the generated results, selectGenerateagain to re-do the same prompt. AI won’t typically supply the same results twice.
When you’ve applied the Generative Recolor to your vector, all you need to do is click off the window, and you can continue to edit your vector. You can edit colors in typical ways using Fill and Stroke or other options. And you can edit your vector paths and shapes as normal.
Generative Recolor Is a Game Changer
It’s an exciting time to be an Adobe user. If you have access to Adobe Illustrator, after reading this, you can jump right in and experiment with the Generative Recolor tool. It works well in the software, but as it’s a beta tool, there’s still room for improvement and change.
Have you ever heard of Photoshop Beta? If you’re a Creative Cloud subscriber, you can use it right now.
Anyone with more than a passing interest in motorsports must see these films.
You can’t call this offline, Notion.
Taming data is easier than it looks.
Lose your laptop without this feature, and you’ll wish you had turned it on.
Obsidian finally feels complete.
