How Do You Change Vectors in Illustrator?

Modifying vectors in Adobe Illustrator involves several techniques depending on what you want to change. Let's explore the key methods:

Changing Vector Colors

To change the color of a vector object:

Select the object: Use the Selection Tool (V) to choose the vector shape or group of shapes you wish to recolor.
Access the color tools: Utilize the color picker (double-click on a color swatch in your tools panel) or the Color panel to select your new hue. You can use the various color modes (RGB, CMYK, etc.) to achieve your desired outcome.
Apply the color: Illustrator will automatically update the selected vector(s) with the new color. This works for simple shapes and complex, multi-colored vectors. For more intricate adjustments, explore the Appearance panel to alter individual fills or strokes. This method is confirmed by several resources including a Reddit post (https://www.reddit.com/r/AdobeIllustrator/comments/wly2sg/change_color_vector_art/) which describes changing colors of vector art.

Altering the shape of a vector involves using the direct selection tool (A) to select and manipulate individual anchor points and paths:

Direct Selection Tool (A): Allows for precise manipulation of individual points, making it ideal for fine-tuning curves and corners.
Shape Tools: Use tools like the Rectangle, Ellipse, or Polygon tools to create new shapes or modify existing ones.
Pathfinder Panel: Merge, combine, subtract, or otherwise alter the shapes of multiple vectors.

Working with text within vectors requires slightly different steps depending on whether the text is still editable:

Editable Text: If the text is a live text object, you can directly edit the text within the text box. Use character and paragraph styles to modify the appearance.
Outlined Text: If the text has been outlined (converted to paths), you may need a plugin like Astute Graphics Vector First Aid to make it editable again. Once converted to paths, it can be manipulated as a standard vector object. This was pointed out in the Adobe Community forum.

Converting raster images (like JPGs or PNGs) to vectors utilizes Illustrator’s Image Trace feature:

Place the image: Import your raster image into Illustrator.
Image Trace: Select the image and use the Image Trace panel to convert it into a vector. Experiment with the presets and options to optimize the result.
Expand: Once traced, ensure you expand the object to make it fully editable as a vector. Several sources confirm this process, including this Reddit thread (https://www.reddit.com/r/AdobeIllustrator/comments/17ia0vi/how_do_i_convert_a_png_to_vector_in_adobe/).

Removing unwanted vector elements is straightforward: