Raster to Vector in Photoshop

One of the earliest decisions a designer has to make while coming up with a logo is whether or not the image needs to be a vector image, or a raster image. If the designer changes his mind after designing the image, it is important he knows how to convert the file.

What is Vector?

Vector images are made up of curves that your computer can manipulate in order to maintain the highest degree of sharpness when the image is made larger or smaller. Vector images are good to use for logos and graphics that are primarily word based. Photo editing software, like Photoshop, cannot edit vector images. Illustrator is a popular vector image editing program.

What is Raster?

A raster image, also called a bitmap, uses pixels to create the picture. Because the pixels are fixed, when the image is enlarged, they become more visible to the human eye. Raster images are good for photographs, or images that need deep, rich, complex colors. All photo editing software will edit raster images, but Illustrator will not.

Converting a Raster to Vector

To convert a raster image to a vector image, make a selection of the area/shape you want to convert, then select "Make Work Path" in the Paths palette in Photoshop. Define the tolerance somewhere around the default of one pixel. If you make the tolerance too small, you will have more detail, but more clean up to do; too high and you will lose the detail. Experiment until the shape is as close to your original image as possible, then select "Export > Paths to Illustrator", which will result in an (.ai) file. Finally, open the file with Illustrator and begin cleaning up the image.

References

• Photoshop Support: Vectors and Bitmaps