I could have done a better job with video. If you continue to watch, it will use illustrator to make the slides.

In this case, converting to vector allows for you to have the protein appear to be embedded in the membrane. If you have a background color in your final figure other than white, you will want to convert it to vector. The raster image (.png) has a white background and it will look bad. Converting to vector is a workaround and it only works marginally well and it may not work in the every case. So, if you find that you don’t need to convert it to vector in your case, I would highly recommend keeping it in the raster format and not vectorizing it. Better would be to find a way to save the image with a transparent background or use photoshop to remove the white background.

@@AdobeIllustratorforScientists Thanks for the detailed reply. I use Swiss-Model to make my protein models, which I believe gave me the option to export as a .png and a very high-res one at that, so I was a little unsure about the requirement about making a vector out of it. I found that it caused a lot of artifacts on the .png (at least, that's the best way I can describe it), but I was thinking that it might allow for more customization down the line. For now, simply having a .png (or, as you say, removing the background in Photoshop) seems to work best if you are able to do so. Hopefully I interpreted that correctly, I do not use Illustrator enough to feel super confident about my methods.

Thank you for the interest. I've been wanting to create a new video. I have a few ideas I need to put to action.

Draw a bunch of circles that overlay each other. Select all the circles. In the pathfinder menu (Window>Pathfinder) click on the merge icon under Shape Modes. This will turn it into a cloud shape. Go to the Control menu (Window>Control). Fill the cloud with white or grey and adjust the opacity.

You are welcome!

Will do! Give me about a week.

You can adjust the size of the rows and columns using the direct selection tool. Click and hold the left mouse key and drag the mouse over all the points along the column divider. Then, use the arrows on your keyboard.

Pattern brushes can't handle gradient fills. Go to Object>Expand Appearance. Try again. If it still doesn't work, do Object>Expand Appearance again. That should work.

@@AdobeIllustratorforScientists thank you

Are you using a Mac or PC?

I agree hands down. There should be a flowchart tool.

@@AdobeIllustratorforScientists Its a shame Adobe doesn't have something like Visio or Omnigraffle. It seems like a massive oversight considering how well it would fit into general oeuvre of the Adobe offering. I did a bit of research and installed a Plugin called Auto Flow on Adobe XD (their wire framing software). It's not ideal.. but after 20 minutes of playing around with it, it's OK.

You need to make sure you zoom in and move them until the endpoints snap together. Let me know if it works.

You may also need to activate snapping to objects see here. beeldbuijs.nl/how-to/illustrator-wont-snap/#:~:text=Make%20sure%20that%2C%20in%20the,ALT%2DCMD%2D').

Glad you liked it!

Thank you! Glad it helped!

Thank you!

Yes, but it doesn’t work as well. I explain it in this video at 10:00. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qImWlmeipseVnNksi=LySSMK3TT7Pi33mi

Illustrator can do that with 3D rotate, but I think the program you are looking for is blender.

Glad you like them!

Glad you like it!

Thanks!