Begin with a vector or text element of your choice. For this tutorial, lets download a world map vector EPS by Studio 7 Designs on Vecteezy and import it onto the canvas (Ctrl+R).

Be sure to uncheck the options under the Render as images section in the Vector File Options dialog (see Figure 1a), to make sure that the EPS is imported as a vector element, and not a bitmap.


The map vector were using is already filled black, but if your own vector element isnt yet, set its fill color to a solid #000000.

(If youre working with a text element, you can skip this step.) Ungroup the imported map vector (Ctrl+Shift+G) and join the paths together (Ctrl+Shift+J) to create one compound path of the whole map (see Figure 1b).

With the map vector still selected, change the Fill Edge setting to Hard in the Properties Panel (see Figure 2).


Change the Fill Texture to Grid 4: 100%, also in the Properties Panel (see Figure 3). Leave the Transparent option unchecked.

We want the dots to be black, and the rest of the fill to be white (youll see why in the step after this), so we apply an Invert Live Filter to the map (see Figure 4).


Next, apply a Convert to Alpha Live Filter to the map (see Figure 5). This will keep the now-black dots opaque, while making the white part transparent. From this point on, you can apply more elements and filters to customize your map vector. The next few steps provide some examples of what you can do.

Use the Rectangle Tool to create a background for our map. Send the rectangle to the back (Ctrl+Shift+) and give it an aqua-like gradient (see Figure 6).


Select the map and set its Layer Blend Mode to Luminosity. Apply a Color Fill Live Filter (Blend mode: Normal; Color: #FFFFFF; Opacity: 100%) and a Drop Shadow Live Filter (Distance: 2; Color: #000000; Opacity: 100%; Softness: 0; Angle: 315)

And there you have it: a map vector with a dot matrix effect! If you want a bit of variation, go back to your map vector and try out a couple of other fill textures: Line-Horiz 4 (see Figure 8) and Line-Vert 2 (see Figure 9).