Preset

Specifies a tracing preset.

Mode

Specifies a color mode for the tracing result.

Threshold

Specifies a value for generating a black and white tracing result from the original image. All pixels lighter than the Threshold value are converted to white, all pixels darker than the Threshold value are converted to black. (This option is available only when Mode is set to Black and White.)

Panel

Specifies a panel for generating a color or grayscale tracing from the original image. (This option is available only when Mode is set to Color or Grayscale.)

To let Illustrator determine the colors in the tracing, select Automatic. To use a custom panel for the tracing, select a swatch library name. (The swatch library must be open in order for it to appear in the panel menu.)

Max Colors

Specifies a maximum number of colors to use in a color or grayscale tracing result. (This option is available only when Mode is set to Color or Grayscale and when panel is set to Automatic.)

Output To Swatches

Creates a new swatch in the Swatches panel for each color in the tracing result.

Blur

Blurs the original image before generating the tracing result. Select this option to reduce small artifacts and smooth jagged edges in the tracing result.

Resample

Resamples the original image to the specified resolution before generating the tracing result. This option is useful for speeding up the tracing process for large images but can yield degraded results.

Note: The resample resolution is not saved when you create a preset.

Fills

Creates filled regions in the tracing result.

Strokes

Creates stroked paths in the tracing result.

Max Stroke Weight

Specifies the maximum width of features in the original image that can be stroked. Features larger than the maximum width become outlined areas in the tracing result.

Min Stroke Length

Specifies the minimum length of features in the original image that can be stroked. Features smaller than the minimum length are omitted from the tracing result.

Path Fitting

Controls the distance between the traced shape and the original pixel shape. Lower values create a tighter path fitting; higher values create a looser path fitting.

Minimum Area

Specifies the smallest feature in the original image that will be traced. For example, a value of 4 specifies that features smaller than 2 pixels wide by 2 pixels high will be omitted from the tracing result.

Corner Angle

Specifies the sharpness of a turn in the original image that is considered a corner anchor point in the tracing result. For more information on the difference between a corner anchor point and a smooth anchor point, see About paths.

Raster

Specifies how to display the bitmap component of the tracing object. This view setting is not saved as part of the tracing preset.

Vector

Specifies how to display the tracing result. This view setting is not saved as part of the tracing preset.

Select Preview in the Tracing Options dialog box to preview the result of the current settings.To set the default tracing options, deselect all objects before you open the Tracing Options dialog box. When you’re finished setting options, click Set Default.

For a video on using Live Trace, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0043. For a tutorial on tweaking Live Trace options for the best possible results, see www.adobe.com/go/learn_ai_tutorials_livetrace.