# Illus.CS - bitmap to vector?



## Morgan19 (Nov 24, 2004)

I've been seaerching Google and haven't found anything yet, but is anyone aware of a plugin for Illustrator CS (running on OSX) that will convert a bitmap image to vector? (Or even if there's a functionality in Illus. already built in?)

m19


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## ElDiabloConCaca (Nov 24, 2004)

This was one of the first links Google presented me on a search for "illustrator bitmap to vector":

http://www.creativepro.com/story/feature/18132.html?cprose=3-46

You may also want to look in Illustrator's help files: do a search for "auto trace."


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## mseydel (Nov 24, 2004)

hmm. What's the intent here? To embed a raster element in a vector file? 
Or completely convert a raster photo or image into vector information?
The link listed in the above post regarding auto trace will work, but it's 
pretty time-consuming. Depending on your skill level in Illustrator, you may
have an easier time making a banana (the example in the above link) from scratch in Illustrator than 'converting' it from raster...

For many output needs, using a clip path in PS and applying various filters to the PS file will allow you to 'fake' an Illustrator look for your pagefile...though you'll never gain the malleability that a native Illustrator file would have...


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## fryke (Nov 24, 2004)

You can also use Photoshop to actually trace and create a path. Use the magic wand to select the form you want as a path, create a new working path, save that path and then -> Export -> Export path to AI. Depending on what you want, that is. I'm sure you're aware that you'll never get 'perfect' vectorised graphics from any such process, right?

In the olde days, Adobe had an application for it, called Streamline. I sometimes miss that one... *sigh* (might still be able to find it and run it in Classic, though...).


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## mseydel (Nov 24, 2004)

jeez, I almost forgot about Streamline...that worked wonders for me a few times...odd that Adobe hasn't built something along those lines for the CS Suite...


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## ElDiabloConCaca (Nov 24, 2004)

As far as I know, the functionality of Streamline is built into Illustrator in the auto-trace and path functions.  I wanna say Illustrator 8 was the first to have the auto-trace function, but I'm not sure.  I know it was there in 10, but previous to that, I'm not sure.

Streamline was a damn good piece of software, though.  Still got a copy of it here and my buddy uses it daily in Classic...


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## Natobasso (Nov 24, 2004)

I don't think it was in anything earlier than Illustrator 10. I have Streamline 2.0 and it's neat, but not all that useful much of the time because of the bloated, jagged images it creates. However, it does come in handy when you want to make a complex raster image more readily printable by a silkscreen machine which takes more kindly to vector images.


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## Natobasso (Nov 24, 2004)

Found a great site with articles: http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/bitmaptovector/

Found Adobe's site with Streamline 4.0: http://www.adobe.com/products/streamline/main.html


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## texanpenguin (Nov 24, 2004)

The lack of OS X-based Streamline was (and is) Adobe's biggest mistake, as far as I'm concerned.

I used it with thrice-daily regularity on my PC, and now, on my Mac, I can't run it without Classic (which is never good, because then you need Classic drivers for your scanner)...

I haven't played around at all with Illustrator's bitmap tracing functions.


Flash does a reasonable job of the task, if not somewhat ridiculous in simplicity of the functions.


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## Natobasso (Nov 28, 2004)

Look in Illustrator CS for "Auto Trace". They incorporated Streamline into Illustrator.


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## texanpenguin (Nov 28, 2004)

Auto Trace is a joke for anyone who's ever used actual Streamline. Streamline was perfect - it was exactly on the border between complex and simple; manual and automated that made it so perfect.

I can't use Auto Trace for any of my needs (converting Paper cartoons to paths). Streamline did that with one click of my fingers.

I don't want to be clicking fifty times on my picture to make a hodge-podge of paths that don't relate in any way to the thing I've drawn.


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