Vector Vec break my neck

Hi guys. OK, I'm attempting to take some images in photoshop and trace them to vector. Does anyone know how this is done? Yah?

Wish I did. I've had my eye on Illustrator since I came to this board. But I've got other things to buy 1st. I think we have it at work, so I could just use it on my free time there, but when my work day is over, I really don't feel like sticking around to play with it.

We just got Dreamweaver Ultradev Fireworks Studio on Monday, and I do believe that Fireworks is a vector program, but, yet again, no time to play with it.

But if you want to trace something in PS to make it vector, then you must already have a Vector Art program correct? If so, then just make it in that program.

You know I just got a tip. Using the Trace Contours filter on seperate layers at different threshold settings for each layer, then overlay blend each layer. Hope this works, I'm going in.

The way I make things vector:

I generally use freehand by macromedia but I'm sure illustrator or CorelDraw will do it too.
take your scan and open or import it into a vector based application. move the imported image to the background layer and then lock that layer.

now using the trace tool I usually initially try to make it trace it automatically. if I don't like the results I'll change the specifications of the trace tool and try again (on a new layer though, I always save the old traces just in case I need something off that layer.) after several trys I can usually fit together a pretty nice graphic. after getting what I'm looking for I unlock the background layer and delete the object I was making the trace of. next save or export it as a .ai (illustrator extention) make the image where you can take it to flash, photoshop, or about anythiung else you might want to take it to.

I have even traced photos in freehand and gotten some nice results.

I have yet to see the AutoTrace function of any application produce results that don't need massive amounts of manual point tweaking.

The best way to approach this almost-always-tedious task is to have a really firm grip on using the Path tools to begin with. And the higher the resolution of the raster image you need to trace, the better. When I need to trace a logo, or some text that a client hasn't provided the font for, I'll scan it at a minimum of 600 p.p.i.

The problem with auto-trace functions is that the paths they create always contain too many anchor points, and their adherance to object outlines is just way too loose. When I've tried this, I generally spend more time tweaking the paths than it would have taken me to draw them manually in the first place.

I've said it 10 million times before, and I'll say it again: "Learning to use the Path tools is one of the best investments anyone can make in expanding their set of skills."

Thanks guys.

adobe streamline is a program that converts images into lineart. How about that. I havnt' used it (on account that I dont use Illustrator), but I'm sure it works well. (coming from good 'ol Adobe)

Adam...

Read the first line of my post above.

It applies to Streamline as well.

You are right U23,
knowlege of the path tools are very very valuable most of the time there is alot of manual tweeking needed..., but like I said... I do 'initially' try an auto trace several times on multiple layers with drasticly differents settings...then pick and choose portions on those layers I can and/or can't use...and alot of times after deleting a thing or 2 here and manually tracing a thing or 2 there...I get some nice results....


It should be said though, that the more complex the image the more likely auto tracing is to not work.

U23 you should coin that phrase:

"Learning to use the Path tools is one of the best investments anyone can make in expanding their set of skills."

I have been working hours on end recreating graphics for a company that seems to have lost all their original vectors or their originals were created in a paint program and now they need them for not only print but for use in flash too.

Doing them is not a problem for me as I have used vector programs nearly 7 years now. It's just boring and time consuming and I'd rather be creating instead of recreating. But, I am the only designer in there that knows how to use vector tools. The rest never bothered to learn or even try them out. Oh this is a web design firm, to be clear on that. I suppose these web designers thought they wouldn't have a need to learn how to use vector programs or tools.

But you are absolutely right about auto-trace and streamline. That funtion and program adds way too many anchor points and just takes too much time tweaking them when you could have just recreated them from scratch.