How to Convert a Bitmap to Vector Art

Vector images are often characterized by smooth lines, flat colors, and simple shapes.

Bitmap images are those we see every day: on websites, in our digital photo collections and nearly anywhere else you can imagine. Images in bitmap formats, such as JPEG, PNG or TIFF, are stored as an array of pixels. While capable of depicting anything whatsoever, from photographs to simple line drawings, bitmap images lose quality when increased in size. Vector images, on the other hand, such as EPS, SVG or WMF, are made up of mathematically calculated lines, shapes and colors---capable of infinite resizing and distortion without becoming grainy, but limited to the application of logos, clipart and the like. Conversion from bitmap to vector is a difficult process, but fortunately many excellent programs are available to do it.

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Instructions

- 1
  
  Try Vector Magic. This is a program both usable online in your web browser and available for download, capable of converting between many popular bitmap and vector formats. Vector Magic features a very user-friendly interface, and can be used for free online for a limited number of images. You can then purchase a monthly subscription, or download the program for a one-time fee. A downloadable free trial is also available for both Windows and Mac.
- 2
  
  Download Xara Xtreme. This is another vector conversion program, for Windows and Linux. The Windows version costs less than most competing programs, and allows export to Windows Metafile or WMF---a popular clipart format supported by few convertors. The Linux version is not only completely free but open source as well, and is nearly as feature-rich as its commercial counterpart.
- 3
  
  Use Vector Quick. This is an online service that will hand-trace bitmaps into vector formats, giving you much cleaner and more accurate results than most conversion software---great if you just want to convert a logo or two, but need good results. The service is very inexpensive, and is guaranteed to return your outputted vector image in less than 24 hours.

Master New Media: How to Convert Bitmaps into Vectors

Photo Credit floral background - vector image by Vania from Fotolia.com

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How to Convert a Bitmap to Vector Art

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