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how to change a JPG picture to vector picture?
- Thread starter Ewwa
- Start date
You'll hate me because I have no answer to this question. It's just good to see that there are folks out there with similar problems. I'm going nuts trying to figure out how to change a PhotoShop image into a vector image without manually tracing it. The auto-trace tool doesn't seem to want to trace the entire drawing. AUUUGH!
askIllustrator
Technical User
It involves a program having the ability to look at the image on a pixel by pixel basis and decide where one shape stops and the next shape starts. Your comp doesnt know weather its a face, a boat or a logo, its just sees a grid of pixels. There is software such as Streamline from Adobe and the trace bitmap function in Flash from Macromedia but they will never do well with a full color image. They are mainly for pulling a solid black object off of a white background. "Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." -Einstein
try this.
When youre in photoshop, any selection you make (wether its with the magic wand, the lasso, etc) can be converted in a path.
For example
Let's say the jpg youre trying to vectorize is Marge Simpson's head.
Open the jpg in Photoshop (I use v.7). Using the magic wand select her yellow skin. Go to your "Paths" pallete. There will be some tabs on the bottom. Click the 3rd from the right, "Make path from selection"
Once you do this, you'll see something labed as "work path" appear in the pallete.
take this path and duplicate it by dragging it down to the "duplicate" icon on the right of the "Make path from selection" icon.
Repeat this process with her blue hair, her white eyes, her black pupils, etc etc.
Save your document as a psd.
Open it in illustrator, select it and ungroup. Press control+y or command+y to view your paths in wireframe mode!
GOOD LOOK
When youre in photoshop, any selection you make (wether its with the magic wand, the lasso, etc) can be converted in a path.
For example
Let's say the jpg youre trying to vectorize is Marge Simpson's head.
Open the jpg in Photoshop (I use v.7). Using the magic wand select her yellow skin. Go to your "Paths" pallete. There will be some tabs on the bottom. Click the 3rd from the right, "Make path from selection"
Once you do this, you'll see something labed as "work path" appear in the pallete.
take this path and duplicate it by dragging it down to the "duplicate" icon on the right of the "Make path from selection" icon.
Repeat this process with her blue hair, her white eyes, her black pupils, etc etc.
Save your document as a psd.
Open it in illustrator, select it and ungroup. Press control+y or command+y to view your paths in wireframe mode!
GOOD LOOK
Keltron
Your method works up until where you say <SAVE YOUR DOCUMENT AS A PSD>. Instead of doing that you should go to File and choose Export>Paths to Illustrator. This will save an AI file. Open that in Illustrator and Bobs-your-uncle. A PSD opened in Illustrator will only retain the raster information.
Your method works up until where you say <SAVE YOUR DOCUMENT AS A PSD>. Instead of doing that you should go to File and choose Export>Paths to Illustrator. This will save an AI file. Open that in Illustrator and Bobs-your-uncle. A PSD opened in Illustrator will only retain the raster information.
Denice - as Jaquan mentioned earlier, Streamline will try and convert a raster to vector image. But if it is a photo with continuous tone, it hasn't got a hope.
And with regard to using the magic wand to select the pixels of a particular colour for conversion to paths - it doesn't do a very good job either as you get very ragged edges, as the edge of the selection traces around the square edges of the pixels.
By far the best way is to open the JPG in Illustrator, lock it on its own layer and after making a new layer, use the PEN TOOL to trace around those parts of the image you want to vectorise. This gives much smoother curves than trying to use the MW in PS and saving the paths.
And with regard to using the magic wand to select the pixels of a particular colour for conversion to paths - it doesn't do a very good job either as you get very ragged edges, as the edge of the selection traces around the square edges of the pixels.
By far the best way is to open the JPG in Illustrator, lock it on its own layer and after making a new layer, use the PEN TOOL to trace around those parts of the image you want to vectorise. This gives much smoother curves than trying to use the MW in PS and saving the paths.
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