Can I automate illustrator?

[Kingsly]

No luck. From scratch, what exactly should i do? I feel like i've tried every action and batch variable on the planet!
Oh, and i have 524 frames. (oddly, I had 710, but when bridge finished live tracing I was eft with 524... but the filenames match??!!

 

[Blue Velvet]

At this stage and if it was me, I'd try to run an action over them in Illustrator to save a more user-friendly file format that Photoshop won't choke on... then set up a simple action to convert and run the batch in Photoshop. Maybe an export as TIFF or PSD... assigning a keyboard shortcut like F2 to the action and getting through 500 or so that way will be awkward but not impossible.

My feeling it's one of those problems that's far easier to sort out in person than over teh intraweb as it's easy for me to lose track of what stage you're at... but you're so close. Really you are.

I'll give a bit more thought. In the meantime, someone may chip in with more help...

 

[Kingsly]

Thanks. Actually I'm re-tracing at a much lower framerate, so In the end Ill have ~350 images instead of ~700

EDIT: Erm... I am really starting to loose it with Bridge/illustrator. When I batch it randomly decides to just NOT process some files. For instance, it may go 301, 302, 304, 305, 306, 307, 310.

So my source folder contained 356 images.
My processed folder contains 243 images.
Arrrrhghhhhhh!!!!!!

 

[beatsme]

Thanks. Actually I'm re-tracing at a much lower framerate, so In the end Ill have ~350 images instead of ~700

EDIT: Erm... I am really starting to loose it with Bridge/illustrator. When I batch it randomly decides to just NOT process some files. For instance, it may go 301, 302, 304, 305, 306, 307, 310.

So my source folder contained 356 images.
My processed folder contains 243 images.
Arrrrhghhhhhh!!!!!!

when you batch in Illustrator, you generally want to turn the speed down some. I've found that having a batch action run as fast as possible is unwise as it tends to skip over some files, much as you just said.

rig your batch options for either "step by step" or put in a 1 second delay...it should fix your problem.

 

[Kingsly]

when you batch in Illustrator, you generally want to turn the speed down some. I've found that having a batch action run as fast as possible is unwise as it tends to skip over some files, much as you just said.

rig your batch options for either "step by step" or put in a 1 second delay...it should fix your problem.

How do I do that? Illustrator only lets me batch 'live trace' via bridge.

 

[beatsme]

How do I do that? Illustrator only lets me batch 'live trace' via bridge.

bridge I am unfamiliar with, though if you were to batch in Illustrator (and I think you can batch this through Illustrator...have you tried?) what you would do is select "Playback Options," which I have highlighted in the pic below. When you select that, you get the dialog box shown in the other pic. If you select "Step by Step" or put in a delay, it should keep it from missing files.

 

[Kingsly]

I set it to step by step and it still skips files.

and I think you can batch this through Illustrator...have you tried?

Yes, and it kindly asks be to do it via bridge. It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.
Also, I tried recording an action, but illustrator doesn't want to record 'live trace'

 

[corywoolf]

Creative Cow has a video podcast on this.

http://feed.stashmedia.tv/feed/2006/7/17/a-scanner-darkly-developing-the-look.html
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=111087911

 

[Kingsly]

Creative Cow has a video podcast on this.

http://feed.stashmedia.tv/feed/2006/7/17/a-scanner-darkly-developing-the-look.html
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=111087911

thanks, now If only I had after effects...

Im mad™

<rant> Okay, I am seriously going to shove a wireless mighty mouse down someone at Adobe's throat. First of all, it wants me to go through adobe bridge, which is basically Adobe' s own (bad excuse for) Finder, IMO.
than from there I select the images and tell it to live trace. it then launches illustrator and gets to work... now the only problem is when its done files are missing. so It will go: 1, 2, 3, 7... and so on. I have set a 2 second delay in illustrator's action preferences, but since this is Bridge's show, I think it ignores my command. IF I could get it to process ALL of the files then all I need to do is convert to PNG and Im home free
but the kind folks ad adobe systems incorporated don't want it to be easy. So I have to use photoshop, which keeps telling me the freaking action that I want it to preform is "unavailable at the moment, please try again"!~!!&#^$&*&)@^#$@!!!
i've been at this for days, its driving me crazy. Someone PLEASE help! </rant>

thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

Perhaps If I could edit the default trace to have color... then setup an action using the 'insert menu item... I don't know anymore... I think Im loosing my mind.

 

[Blue Velvet]

Maybe it's best to stick to Illustrator and Bridge's limit of batching 10 images at a time through Live Trace... after all, you've wasted enough time already going through this so you might as well take the time to do it properly.

I would include in the action saving as EPSs or AIs to another folder so they're all there and complete. Then working on a duplicate of that folder, then batching those EPSs or AIs in Illustrator to export as TIFFs or PSDs to yet another folder...

Then finally batching those TIFFs or PSDs in Photoshop to PNGs to a final destination folder.

 

[beatsme]

thanks, now If only I had after effects...


Perhaps If I could edit the default trace to have color... then setup an action using the 'insert menu item... I don't know anymore... I think Im loosing my mind.

it might be a little late in the game for this question, but:
why trace so many frames? what are you trying to do? can you post one of the frames you want to trace (and one you have traced would be good too) so we can see what it is you're doing?

I'm asking because there might be a better solution to your problem...

 

[Kingsly]

it might be a little late in the game for this question, but:
why trace so many frames? what are you trying to do? can you post one of the frames you want to trace (and one you have traced would be good too) so we can see what it is you're doing?

I'm asking because there might be a better solution to your problem...

The funny thing is this clip means nothing to me. Its simply a proof of concept for a future film which hasn't even been shot yet.

 

[Blue Velvet]

You can get an almost identical effect in Photoshop running the Cutout filter over your original BMPs.

Filter>Artistic>Cutout

You may have to experiment with the settings to get the effect you want and you also may have to fade the filter afterwards but it's a fairly close match and obviously it will then be a lot easier to batch the whole lot in Photoshop.

 

[Kingsly]

You can get an almost identical effect in Photoshop running the Cutout filter over your original BMPs.

Filter>Artistic>Cutout

You may have to experiment with the settings to get the effect you want and you also may have to fade the filter afterwards but it's a fairly close match and obviously it will then be a lot easier to batch the whole lot in Photoshop.

Thanks. I've been using ink outlines... which gives an interesting effect...but at this point I am willing to do anything!

 

[beatsme]

You can get an almost identical effect in Photoshop running the Cutout filter over your original BMPs.

Filter>Artistic>Cutout

You may have to experiment with the settings to get the effect you want and you also may have to fade the filter afterwards but it's a fairly close match and obviously it will then be a lot easier to batch the whole lot in Photoshop.

I agree completely...converting all this to vector doesn't make much sense.

and you can, by the way, set up an Action in Photoshop to apply the same effect uniformly to all the frames.

EDIT: Photoshop files will be a lot easier to work with, too. There'd be tens of thousands of points per frame if you vectorized all of those images...you don't want your poor machine to have to slog through all of that.

 

[corywoolf]

I agree completely...converting all this to vector doesn't make much sense.

and you can, by the way, set up an Action in Photoshop to apply the same effect uniformly to all the frames.

EDIT: Photoshop files will be a lot easier to work with, too. There'd be tens of thousands of points per frame if you vectorized all of those images...you don't want your poor machine to have to slog through all of that.

Yes, but vector is the only way he can get more realistic cartoon effects. Using pixel based effects will only result in mush, or a really cheesy looking cartoon effect. I would stick with Illustrator and download the trial version of AE. Just use the Creative Cow Video Podcast to walk you through it all. Good luck.

 

[Kingsly]

Yes, but vector is the only way he can get more realistic cartoon effects. Using pixel based effects will only result in mush, or a really cheesy looking cartoon effect. I would stick with Illustrator and download the trial version of AE. Just use the Creative Cow Video Podcast to walk you through it all. Good luck.

The cutout looks good and all and is probably fine for what I'm doing, but not as good as live trace.
Which episode is that podcast, by the way. Can I achieve something like this using shake?

and you can, by the way, set up an Action in Photoshop to apply the same effect uniformly to all the frames.

I just set up an action that applies cutout, then sharpen more, and closes. Is there a better way?

 

[beatsme]

I just set up an action that applies cutout, then sharpen more, and closes. Is there a better way?

hard to answer without knowing exactly what you're doing and what your intended goal is, though I'd say if it does what you want it to do then it's probably fine.