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d3d
d3d aka Leon Ryan is a 36.56 year old boy, has been a member since August 23, 2005, has scored 25,134 submissions, giving an average score of 2.13, helping 420 designs get printed.
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you'll need to fiddle with applying it to make it suit what you're doing. but here's how I make halftones in Illustrator CS2. the left version is using a gradient base for halftones in a single direction, and the right is using Feathered objects to get halftones all around the border. works on any shape.

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speedyjvw
   speedyjvw on Jul 17 '07 at 6:25pm
thats actually really easy

cool dude
chelly
chelly on Jul 17 '07 at 6:51pm
i don't have illustrator, but i'm commenting here so i can find it some day
Joelnz
   Joelnz on Jul 17 '07 at 6:55pm
awsome thanks man
Rock Deputy
   Rock Deputy on Jul 17 '07 at 6:59pm
nuts to halftones! what's the secret behind your oh-so amazing textures? Is there some Photoshop brush or voodoo incense that grants you the ability to vectorize solid concrete?!?
wullagaru
   wullagaru on Jul 17 '07 at 7:00pm
now I just need cs2
Ste7en
   Ste7en on Jul 17 '07 at 7:04pm
Aaron yelled at me for making halftones like this
Rock Deputy
   Rock Deputy on Jul 17 '07 at 7:11pm
Paths to Illustrator



That will create an AI file that can be used in pre-CS2 Illustrator. From there you'll need to fill in the paths created which, unfortunately, is more hassle than Live Trace but the results are basically the same.
tracerbullet
   tracerbullet on Jul 17 '07 at 7:12pm
nice!
Rock Deputy
   Rock Deputy on Jul 17 '07 at 7:12pm
wullagaru, the same principles apply to Photoshop (pre-CS2).



1. Create a new file, in Grayscale.

2. Create a gradient shape (using seletion tools)

* or create a solid black shape then Gaussian Blur (to achieve the "gradient")

2. Filter » Pixelate » ColorHalftone (must be in Grayscale Mode)

3. Select » ColorRange - select black (or use MagicWand to select the black)

4. Click the button at the bottom of the Paths palette called "Convert Selection to Paths"

5. File » Export » Paths to Illustrator



That will create an AI file that can be used in pre-CS2 Illustrator. From there you'll need to fill in the paths created which, unfortunately, is more hassle than Live Trace but the results are basically the same.
d3d
   d3d on Jul 17 '07 at 7:15pm
i make my textures by live tracing photos of gravel and reeds and stuff, then layering them. or else you could download a font called Cocaine Sans from DaFont.com. the lowercase p is just a nasty chunk of mess that makes a good texture.
wullagaru
   wullagaru on Jul 17 '07 at 7:18pm
yeah ive dont that cody and it works okay theree are som eslight glitches with that process btu it works
herky
   herky on Jul 17 '07 at 7:19pm
awesome tips, thanks very much.
Rock Deputy
   Rock Deputy on Jul 17 '07 at 7:26pm
next question:



How do you cultivate hair growth just below your bottom lip? I'm inexplicably bald in this one area...
eskimokiss
   eskimokiss on Jul 17 '07 at 7:46pm
good ol flavour savour
eskimokiss
   eskimokiss on Jul 17 '07 at 7:48pm
good ol flavour savour
d3d
   d3d on Jul 17 '07 at 7:53pm
rub stuff on it and the hair will grow as a natural barrier to abbrasion. i learned it from bricklayers who carry bricks on their shoulders and grow a handy hair padding to protect their skin.
ladykat
ladykat on Jul 17 '07 at 7:57pm
Hey, thanks for posting this!
pickledbib
pickledbib on Jul 17 '07 at 8:07pm
nice tip d3d... my current sub uses a similar method.



btw - I'll be trying that regrowth method for my head... I'll get back to you about the results.

stubbythumbs
stubbythumbs on Jul 17 '07 at 8:10pm
wow... and i've been copying a channel, pasting it into a new grayscale file, and converting it to bitmap in halftone mode.
d3d
   d3d on Jul 17 '07 at 8:13pm
whatever works for you is cool. i'm sure my way is probably wrong if you asked anyone who knows what they're doing, but it's what i stumbled upon and it works for me.

i only discovered it after my Breaking Up design, in which i drew all the damn little dots by hand.
squintygirl
squintygirl on Jul 17 '07 at 8:41pm
That's really helpful. I'm bookmarking this blog, even though I don't design.
_Wheels03
   _Wheels03 on Jul 17 '07 at 8:43pm
Will this work for Illustrator 10? I'll give it a try...
noponies
   noponies on Jul 18 '07 at 2:47am
nice tip. Its quite different in Illy CS3, well a few less steps in some places and more in others. I'm gonna make some video tuts, so when I do that, I'll make one showing what you showed...
littleDlite
littleDlite on Jul 19 '07 at 1:00am
do you have any other tuts i can use to practice with this program ???
d3d
   d3d on Jul 19 '07 at 1:41am
Wheels, i don't think Live Trace existed before Illustrator CS, so it won't really work the same. Somebody may know how to make it work, but I don't sorry. I already had CS2 before I ever attempted halftones.



littleD, i'll occasionally post what I know and the other designers here will be doing the same. Search the blogs for "Tips" and you should find quite a bit of handy info.
tobasco
tobasco on Jul 20 '07 at 3:12am
You're my new hero d3d. Could we perhaps go out sometime and I'll buy you a mocachino?
d3d
   d3d on Jul 20 '07 at 3:17am
i can't. you're a kiwi. it wouldn't be right.
shirtflirt
shirtflirt on Jul 20 '07 at 3:19am
kiwis v aussies



american's v mexicans v canadians
tobasco
tobasco on Jul 20 '07 at 3:25am
Fair enough. I get used to those sorts of rejections.



So it goes (love Kurt Voengut)



I'm still going to use your illustrator tips though! So there!
tobasco
tobasco on Jul 20 '07 at 3:27am
That's the way life is I guess!



But I don't hate aussies really. I'm not a Rugby supporter.



Did you know that the wife beating figures go UP when we win a game MORE than when we lose.



That's just fucked up.
15 days later
menosketiago
menosketiago on Aug 04 '07 at 5:55am
THANK GOD! I've been dyong to learn how to create halftone gradients! :D
menosketiago
menosketiago on Aug 04 '07 at 5:55am
thank you is due!
13 days later
jgreene777
jgreene777 on Aug 17 '07 at 6:08am
CS3's LiveTrace function has this really handy "Ignore White" button that allows you to skip the last step.



And the "hollow arrow" is the Direct Select Tool.;)
d3d
   d3d on Aug 17 '07 at 6:39am
i never knew that in 8 years of using it. shame on me. that CS3 feature sounds good though.
GallyAl
GallyAl on Aug 17 '07 at 6:54am
When I live trace is doesn't work right..am I being stoopid? (again).
d3d
   d3d on Aug 17 '07 at 6:59am
it works best for people under 7 feet tall.



you might need to fiddle with some settings under the live tracing options, though i use the defaults so i don't know what to suggest. how exactly is it not right?
GallyAl
GallyAl on Aug 17 '07 at 7:08am
Just traces as a kind of blob instead of neat little circles. Also, shut up! Or else I'll bring my 7 ft ass round to yours for a fight! ;o)
d3d
   d3d on Aug 17 '07 at 7:19am
maybe adjust your corner angle setting or something. mine traces the individual halftone dots as blobs too though instead of clean circles. i don't let it bother me.
GallyAl
GallyAl on Aug 17 '07 at 7:21am
it bothers me...it bothers me big time!!
Bramish
   Bramish on Aug 17 '07 at 7:22am
Alice, unless you're planning on printing it MASSIVE, it won't be noticeable.



If only you were as Illustrator savvy as me.
backtozero
backtozero on Aug 17 '07 at 7:22am
ZOMG! Now I get it fully!

Thanks d3d for this blog, and thanks to Rock Deputy for teaching how to do this Photoshop!



yay!!
GallyAl
GallyAl on Aug 17 '07 at 7:29am
I'll print you massive in a minute *shakes fist*
ai illusora
ai illusora on Aug 17 '07 at 7:33am
I almost see 70% of the subs using this method.
d3d
   d3d on Aug 17 '07 at 7:37am
yeah it's everywhere these days
tesco
   tesco on Aug 17 '07 at 7:48am
90% it looks like shit. What a crazy fad.
29 days later
danielson
danielson on Sep 15 '07 at 1:34pm
If you don't want rubbish blob shapes, you just need to adjust the path fitting in the live trace options. The lower you go, the longer it takes though!
11 days later
lucindyation
lucindyation on Sep 27 '07 at 2:02am
BEST TIP EVER!



Yuss.

Not that I use halftones, but still, nice to know how...
36 days later
fc gravy
fc gravy on Nov 02 '07 at 8:36am
help please...



i hav (old) illustrator 9, i was fine doing this method until i reached the live trace bit. this stupid illustrator doesn't have it! without updating my illustrator is there another way of doing that step using AI9??
31 days later
beeskneesindustries
beeskneesindustries on Dec 03 '07 at 11:23am
I have the same question as fc gravy but about CS. Any options there?
beeskneesindustries
beeskneesindustries on Dec 03 '07 at 11:50am
Actually, scratch that. Rock Deputy's instructions worked perfectly for me, and it seems like they'd work for just about any version, right?



Thanks so much!

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