TRACE workshop · 15–25 minutes
A focal print with offset impressions.
Build a richer separation, move selected impressions and keep a clean version beside the expressive one.
Choose example images or your own. The same guide stays within reach in the studio.
Bring the right source.
The photographer and camera offer small focal details against a complex background. Use this ordinary photograph or a scene of your own; start with a clear subject before adding expressive misregistration.
Inspect the sources and credits →Leave with useful files.
A clean PNG, an offset PNG, a layered SVG and a project containing the versions.
You can create and follow the workshop for free. Watermarks, dimensions, animation length and production packages depend on the export option; check the format guide and Free / Pro before planning a delivery.
The work, step by step.
01 / TRACE
Separate subject and background
Open Start → Tonal print. Place the focal area over the photographer and camera. Compare Quiet background and Focal priority with Broad, Balanced and Fine detail; apply the clearest five-ink interpretation.
- Check your work
- Camera, face and jacket remain distinguishable while the background stops competing.
- If it goes wrong
- Move or enlarge the focal area before raising overall detail; more detail can bring back background fragments.
02 / TRACE
Keep an aligned reference
In Plates, inspect each ink. Keep individual registration and automatic Offset at zero, then preserve this clean version in History.
- Check your work
- The clean print is readable without doubled edges and remains recoverable.
- If it goes wrong
- If the background is still fragmented, return to Start and simplify it before adding offsets.
03 / TRACE
Move only one or two plates
In Plates, select a plate and move it slightly horizontally or vertically. Keep the others registered. Compare small shifts before choosing a large one.
- Check your work
- The offset follows a deliberate direction rather than creating noise everywhere.
- If it goes wrong
- Reduce the displacement if it opens distracting gaps through the focal subject.
04 / TRACE
Choose texture or solid ink
Compare the plate surface options. Flat ink gives a graphic composite; photo texture retains detail in the raster result. Keep the choice that serves the print.
- Check your work
- The treatment still reads at the intended viewing size.
- If it goes wrong
- Do not expect photographic texture to become editable vector texture in SVG.
05 / TRACE
Compare the set
Preserve the offset version in History and compare it with the clean version. Export each selected state separately, giving the files distinct names after download.
- Check your work
- The two files form a purposeful pair, with the same source and color system.
- If it goes wrong
- If the difference is barely visible, judge at full output size before increasing it.
06 / TRACE
Keep the editable separation
Export a layered SVG and a project backup as well as the two PNGs. Pro includes additional production and plate-package options; inspect their contents before using them in a print workflow.
- Check your work
- The chosen offsets and inks appear in the real files. The project restores both source and editable settings.
- If it goes wrong
- Check the target print application and materials separately; browser previews do not prove physical registration or color accuracy.
Make a second interpretation.
Save the Start style and apply it to another photo. Keep the ink family; refit focal detail and tonal bands for the new lighting, then choose whether the same offset helps.