Where pirate flags (and perhaps, pirates themselves) are concerned, we are now deep into Vector Territory. Which is that portion of the map where even the hardiest of computer-graphics buccaneers disappear, and eventually return as ghosts. Which is where you come in. In this video, I unghost you. Which is to say, I expand the Live Trace object from the previous movie into a collection of static path outlines, and then divide the various colors (black, white, and red) across three layers. If that’s not plain-and-simple skin and bones, I don’t know what is.

Here’s the official description:

In this exclusive preview of his upcoming Illustrator CS5 One-on-One: Advanced, Deke McClelland shares six phases in the creation of an authentic five-by-three-foot pirate flag. Deke uses Illustrator to expand, separate, and prepare a piece of artwork for output to any medium. Look for the full course to be released in its entirety later this year.

Topics include:

• Expanding a Live Trace object into path outlines
• Separating commonly colored paths to a layer
• Resizing the artboard and creating a full bleed

Don’t forget, members of dekeOnline can download the pirate flag artwork files by going to this link.