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Generate vector shape fills using text prompts

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Illustrator

Illustrator

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  1. Illustrator User Guide
  2. Get to know Illustrator
    1. Introduction to Illustrator
      1. What's new in Illustrator
      2. Common questions
      3. Illustrator system requirements
      4. Illustrator for Apple silicon
      5. GPU performance
    2. Workspace
      1. Workspace basics
      2. Create documents
      3. Learn faster with the Illustrator Discover panel
      4. Accelerate workflows using the Contextual Task Bar
      5. Toolbar
      6. Default keyboard shortcuts
      7. Customize keyboard shortcuts
      8. Introduction to artboards
      9. Manage artboards
      10. Customize the workspace
      11. Properties panel
      12. Set preferences
      13. Touch Workspace
      14. Microsoft Surface Dial support in Illustrator
      15. Undo edits and manage design history
      16. Rotate view
      17. Rulers, grids, and guides
      18. Accessibility in Illustrator
      19. View artwork
      20. Use the Touch Bar with Illustrator
      21. Files and templates
    3. Tools in Illustrator
      1. Tools at a glance
      2. Select tools
        1. Selection
        2. Direct Selection
        3. Group Selection
        4. Magic Wand
        5. Lasso
        6. Artboard
      3. Navigate tools
        1. Hand
        2. Rotate View
        3. Zoom
      4. Paint tools
        1. Gradient
        2. Mesh
        3. Shape Builder
      5. Text tools
        1. Type
        2. Type on a Path
        3. Vertical Type
      6. Draw tools
        1. Pen
        2. Add Anchor Point
        3. Delete Anchor Point
        4. Anchor Point
        5. Curvature
        6. Line Segment
        7. Rectangle
        8. Rounded Rectangle
        9. Ellipse
        10. Polygon
        11. Star
        12. Paintbrush
        13. Blob Brush
        14. Pencil
        15. Shaper
        16. Slice
      7. Modify tools
        1. Rotate
        2. Reflect
        3. Scale
        4. Shear
        5. Width
        6. Free Transform
        7. Eyedropper
        8. Blend
        9. Eraser
        10. Scissors
        11. Dimension
    4. Generative AI (not available in mainland China)
      1. Generate scenes, subjects, and icons using text prompts
      2. Generate vector patterns using text prompts
      3. Generate vector shape fills using text prompts
      4. Recolor your artwork using text prompts
    5. Quick actions
      1. Retro text
      2. Neon glow text
      3. Old school text
      4. Recolor
      5. Convert sketch to vector
  3. Illustrator on the web (beta)
    1. Illustrator on the web (beta) overview
    2. Illustrator on the web (beta) FAQ
    3. Troubleshooting issues FAQ
    4. Keyboard shortcuts for Illustrator on the web (beta)
    5. Create and combine shapes on the web
    6. Add and edit text on the web
    7. Apply colors and gradients on the web
    8. Draw and edit paths on the web
    9. Work with cloud documents on the web
    10. Invite collaborators to edit on the web
  4. Illustrator on the iPad
    1. Introduction to Illustrator on the iPad
      1. Illustrator on the iPad overview
      2. Illustrator on the iPad FAQs
      3. System requirements | Illustrator on the iPad
      4. What you can or cannot do on Illustrator on the iPad
    2. Workspace
      1. Illustrator on the iPad workspace
      2. Touch shortcuts and gestures
      3. Keyboard shortcuts for Illustrator on the iPad
      4. Manage your app settings
    3. Documents
      1. Work with documents in Illustrator on the iPad
      2. Import Photoshop and Fresco documents
    4. Select and arrange objects
      1. Create repeat objects
      2. Blend objects
    5. Drawing
      1. Draw and edit paths
      2. Draw and edit shapes
    6. Type
      1. Work with type and fonts
      2. Create text designs along a path
      3. Add your own fonts
    7. Work with images
      1. Vectorize raster images
    8. Color
      1. Apply colors and gradients
  5. Cloud documents
    1. Basics
      1. Work with Illustrator cloud documents
      2. Share and collaborate on Illustrator cloud documents
      3. Share documents for review
      4. Upgrade cloud storage for Adobe Illustrator
      5. Illustrator cloud documents | Common questions
    2. Troubleshooting
      1. Troubleshoot create or save issues for Illustrator cloud documents
      2. Troubleshoot Illustrator cloud documents issues
  6. Add and edit content
    1. Drawing
      1. Drawing basics
      2. Edit paths
      3. Draw pixel-perfect art
      4. Draw with the Pen, Curvature, or Pencil tool
      5. Draw simple lines and shapes
      6. Draw rectangular and polar grids
      7. Draw and edit flares
      8. Trace images
      9. Simplify a path
      10. Symbolism tools and symbol sets
      11. Adjust path segments
      12. Design a flower in 5 easy steps
      13. Create and edit a perspective grid
      14. Draw and modify objects on a perspective grid
      15. Use objects as symbols for repeat use
      16. Draw pixel-aligned paths for web workflows
    2. Measurement
      1. Measure and plot dimensions
    3. 3D objects and materials
      1. About 3D effects in Illustrator
      2. Create 3D graphics
      3. Map artwork over 3D objects
      4. Create 3D Text
      5. Create 3D objects
    4. Color
      1. About color
      2. Select colors
      3. Use and create swatches
      4. Adjust colors
      5. Use the Adobe Color Themes panel
      6. Color groups (harmonies)
      7. Color Themes panel
      8. Recolor your artwork
    5. Painting
      1. About painting
      2. Paint with fills and strokes
      3. Live Paint groups
      4. Gradients
      5. Brushes
      6. Transparency and blending modes
      7. Apply stroke on an object
      8. Create and edit patterns
      9. Meshes
      10. Patterns
    6. Select and arrange objects
      1. Select objects
      2. Layers
      3. Expand, group, and ungroup objects
      4. Move, align, and distribute objects
      5. Align, arrange, and move objects on a path
      6. Snap objects to glyph
      7. Snap objects to Japanese glyph
      8. Stack objects    
      9. Lock, hide, and delete objects
      10. Copy and duplicate objects
      11. Rotate and reflect objects
      12. Intertwine objects
      13. Create realistic art mockups
    7. Reshape objects
      1. Crop images
      2. Transform objects
      3. Combine objects
      4. Cut, divide, and trim objects
      5. Puppet Warp
      6. Scale, shear, and distort objects
      7. Blend objects
      8. Reshape using envelopes
      9. Reshape objects with effects
      10. Build new shapes with Shaper and Shape Builder tools
      11. Work with Live Corners
      12. Enhanced reshape workflows with touch support
      13. Edit clipping masks
      14. Live shapes
      15. Create shapes using the Shape Builder tool
      16. Global editing
    8. Type
      1. Add text and work with type objects
      2. Reflow Viewer
      3. Create bulleted and numbered lists
      4. Manage text area
      5. Fonts and typography
      6. Convert text within images into editable text
      7. Add basic formatting to text
      8. Add advanced formatting to text
      9. Import and export text
      10. Format paragraphs
      11. Special characters
      12. Create type on a path
      13. Character and paragraph styles
      14. Tabs
      15. Find missing fonts (Typekit workflow)
      16. Arabic and Hebrew type
      17. Fonts | FAQ and troubleshooting tips
      18. Creative typography designs
      19. Scale and rotate type
      20. Line and character spacing
      21. Hyphenation and line breaks
      22. Spelling and language dictionaries
      23. Format Asian characters
      24. Composers for Asian scripts
      25. Create text designs with blend objects
      26. Create a text poster using Image Trace
    9. Create special effects
      1. Work with effects
      2. Graphic styles
      3. Appearance attributes
      4. Create sketches and mosaics
      5. Drop shadows, glows, and feathering
      6. Summary of effects
    10. Web graphics
      1. Best practices for creating web graphics
      2. Graphs
      3. SVG
      4. Slices and image maps
  7. Import, export, and save
    1. Import
      1. Place multiple files
      2. Manage linked and embedded files
      3. Links information
      4. Unembed images
      5. Import artwork from Photoshop
      6. Import bitmap images
      7. Import Adobe PDF files
      8. Import EPS, DCS, and AutoCAD files
    2. Creative Cloud Libraries in Illustrator 
      1. Creative Cloud Libraries in Illustrator
    3. Save and export
      1. Save artwork
      2. Export artwork
      3. Create Adobe PDF files
      4. Adobe PDF options
      5. Use Illustrator artwork in Photoshop
      6. Collect assets and export in batches
      7. Package files
      8. Extract CSS | Illustrator CC
      9. Document info panel
  8. Printing
    1. Prepare for printing
      1. Set up documents for printing
      2. Change the page size and orientation
      3. Specify crop marks for trimming or aligning
      4. Get started with large canvas
    2. Printing
      1. Overprint
      2. Print with color management
      3. PostScript printing
      4. Print presets
      5. Printer's marks and bleeds
      6. Print and save transparent artwork
      7. Trapping
      8. Print color separations
      9. Print gradients, meshes, and color blends
      10. White Overprint
  9. Automate tasks
    1. Data merge using the Variables panel
    2. Automation with scripts
    3. Automation with actions
  10. Troubleshooting 
    1. Fixed issues
    2. Known issues
    3. Crash issues
    4. Recover files after crash
    5. Safe mode
    6. File issues
    7. Supported file formats
    8. GPU device driver issues
    9. Wacom device issues
    10. DLL file issues
    11. Memory issues
    12. Preferences file issues
    13. Font issues
    14. Printer issues
    15. Share crash report with Adobe
    16. Improve Illustrator performance

Learn how to use Generative Shape Fill to add detailed vector graphics to shapes.

  Generative Shape Fill is a beta feature in Illustrator on desktop now available for testing and feedback.

Generative Shape Fill, powered by Adobe Firefly, lets you fill shapes with detail and color in your own style.

Simply select a shape, provide a brief description of the fill you have in mind, and set the required creative controls. Illustrator swiftly generates multiple variations as output for you to explore. Once you try them out, choose the one that best suits your artwork. Each variation is arranged in logical groups, allowing you to do further edits easily.

Try it in Adobe Illustrator
Follow along with a sample file to learn how to quickly generate a vector shape fill.

Open Illustrator

Fill a shape with vector graphics

Generate unique fills guided by the outlines of shapes and optional text prompts.

  1. Use the Selection   tool to select the shape you want to fill with vector graphics.

    You can use shapes such as open and closed paths, basic shapes, grouped objects, and compound paths. You can also select multiple shapes.

  2. In the Contextual Task Bar that appears, select Gen Shape Fill.

    You can also access Gen Shape Fill from the Object menu, the context menu when you right-click the shape, and the Quick Actions section of the Properties panel.

  3. In the prompt field, type in a description of the fill you're looking for. As you type, prompt suggestions guide you along, helping you add more detail.

    The prompt is optional, but without it, the fill will be based entirely on the outline of the shape.

    If you don't want prompt suggestions, select View all settings, and then toggle off Suggestions.

  4. Use the options in Shape strength and detail   as needed:

    • Shape Strength: Move the slider to adjust how closely the fill must match the shape's outline. When set to High, the fill will fully match the outline. When set to Low, the fill will have contours closer to that of real-life objects without always fully matching the outline.
    • Detail: Move the slider to adjust the level of detail required in the fill.
    Outline of a fish with a promt, a fill with Shape Strength set to Tight, and a fill with Shape Strength set to Loose.
    Adjust Shape Strength for your unique requirement.

  5. Use the options in Style Reference   as needed:

    • Style reference: Leave Auto enabled if you want the style of the fill to match the style of the objects (vector or image) surrounding the selected shape. To pick a style from a specific object in your artwork, select Choose asset or Replace asset. Then, either select the object or draw a lasso around it.
    • Effects: Apply one or more preset effects. Select Clear all to remove the effects.

    Select Clear all next to Styles to remove the style reference and the effects.

  6. Select View all settings   , and in the Gen Shape Fill dialog box that opens, select Color and Tone to refine the colors for your fill, as needed:

    • Color Presets: Apply a color preset.
    • No. of colors: Leave it as Auto or set the number of colors you want in the fill.
    • Specify Colors: Specify up to 12 colors. To edit or remove a specified color, select it and then make the changes in the menu that appears. Select Clear all next to Specify Colors to remove the specified colors.

    Select Clear all at the top of Color and Tone to remove all color settings, and Clear all in the Gen Shape Fill dialog to remove all settings.

  7. Select Generate in the Gen Shape Fill dialog box. Variations of the fill appear in the Properties panel. The first variation automatically appears on the canvas as a generated object, indicated by   on its bounding box, filling the shape. The shape remains on the canvas independent of the fill. A Generative Object layer is also created in the Layers panel.

  8. In the Contextual Task Bar, use the arrows to preview the variations and select the one that best suits your artwork.

Manage the generated variations

When you select a generated object on the canvas, its linked variations (the set of variations from which you selected one) appear in the Variations section of the Properties panel, allowing you to manage them contextually.

You can centrally manage all the variations generated in your document using Generative Shape Fill and Text to Vector Graphic in the Generated Variations panel (Window > Generated Variations). Even if you delete a generated object from the canvas or its linked variations from the Properties panel, they aren't deleted from the Generated Variations panel. On the other hand, if you delete a variation from the Generated Variations panel, it's no longer available as a linked variation for the object on the canvas. You can always undo the deletions by pressing Ctrl + Z or Cmd + Z.

Generate Similar isn't available for variations generated using Generative Shape Fill.

Repeat shape fill generation

You can run Generative Shape Fill on an object created using Generative Shape Fill. Unless you ungroup the object, the new output will follow the original shape's outline.

Suppose you generate fill-1 on a shape with Shape Strength set to Loose. Then, you generate fill-2 on fill-1 with Shape Strength set to Tight. Fill-2 will match the outline of the original shape, not that of fill-1. If you want the output to match the outline of fill-1, you need to ungroup fill-1, and then generate.

Manage linked variations

If you ungroup a generated object, it loses all its linked variations.

When you run Generative Shape Fill on an object created using Generative Shape Fill, the new object inherits all the linked variations.

When you create a copy of a generated object, the copy inherits all the linked variations. Deleting one instance of a linked variation won't affect the other instance.

Provide feedback on your output

Hover over a variation, select More options   , and then select one of the following:

  • Good result or Poor result: Rate its quality
  • Report variation: Report it if it's harmful, illegal, or offensive

Frequently asked questions

Who can access Generative Shape Fill in Illustrator?

Generative Shape Fill is available in the Illustrator app wherever Adobe provides services, except in mainland China. It's designed to be safe for commercial use.

Is Generative Shape Fill in Illustrator a part of users’ existing subscription or do they have to pay an additional fee for this capability?

Illustrator users can access Generative Shape Fill in the app and get access to generative credits for priority processing of generative AI content as a part of their license.

Why did you bring Generative Shape Fill into Illustrator?

Illustrator is one of the Creative Cloud apps that natively integrates Adobe Firefly, Adobe’s powerful generative AI technology. Users can now leverage the power of Adobe Firefly directly in the Illustrator app to enrich their creative processes and outputs.

How is Generative Shape Fill different from other tools in Illustrator?

Generative Shape Fill is a generative AI capability powered by Adobe Firefly. Unlike other Illustrator capabilities, this capability enables you to create detailed, editable vector illustrations from an existing shape using a text prompt.

Will Generative Shape Fill replace existing tools in Illustrator?

Generative Shape Fill is a generative AI-powered capability intended to complement existing tools in Illustrator.

What are the system requirements to use Generative Shape Fill?

Generative Shape Fill works in the Illustrator app, so it shares the same system requirements.

Do you need to be connected to the Internet to use Generative Shape Fill?

Yes, in order to use Generative Shape Fill, you must be connected to the Internet.

What regions and languages is Generative Shape Fill in Illustrator available in?

Generative Shape Fill is available in the Illustrator app wherever Adobe provides services, except in mainland China, and supports over 100 languages.

What are generative credits and are they applied when using Generative Shape Fill?

Generative credits are applied when using Generative Shape Fill. Learn more about what they are and how many are applied.

What are Content Credentials and do they apply to Generative Shape Fill in Illustrator?

Content Credentials are a new kind of tamper-evident metadata that get added to the assets generated using Generative Shape Fill and exported as .jpg, .png, or .svg files. They increase transparency around the origins and history of the assets they are applied to. Learn more about Content Credentials.

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