6 comments

[ 2.7 ms ] story [ 17.0 ms ] thread
The image chosen to demonstrate this idea depicts twining vines; it isn't just a series of "independent" abstract blobs and ignoring that fact leads to some awkward / inelegant shapes.
As good as the image tracing has gotten over the years, using the stock image trace function is never going to be as good as re-tracing the image yourself with the pen tool to get the exact curves and lines correct. Do it once (or twice or three times if you want a couple slightly different wreath shapes), then either make the shape a brush or use the blend/steps tool to create as many repeats as you want. Or option/alt drag to make a copy and build it yourself.

That will cut down on the finicky stuff and give you a better result in the end.