HOW TO CONVERT BITMAP IMAGES TO VECTOR IMAGES?

[Guest]

Hi everybody!Is it possible to convert bit-map images to vector images on Photoshop 6/7? Or is Adobe Illustrator necessary for this? I am trying this so that I can get rid of the pixels at higher image sizes.Thanks.Dr. Jinesh ThomasResident in Internal MedicineGauhati Medical CollegeINDIA.

[Guest mikehaska]

Dr. Thomas,Unfortunatly, here is no way to convert a bitmap to a vector image. The next best thing to do is to "re-trace" the image. To do this, insert the file (in Illustrator the command is File > Place), and put it in the centre of the screen. Next, simply draw on top of the image, covering up everything seen in the bitmap with elements created in Illustrator. Once done, delete the bottom picture, and you should have a relativly good facsimile.You can always rasterize a vector to bitmap, but never the other way.BTW, the "Hangar Chat" forum would have been a better place for this post.

[Guest]

HiThere is some kind of software that can do an automatic vectorization of a raster file. I think you can download a demo from TracTrix www.trixsystems.com. Our company planned on using it to convert scanned drawings to editable files. The major draw back is that it is relatively crude. But maybe worth a try?

[Guest]

Thanks for your replies. And Mats, I did check out the trixsystems. The image is rather...... not so fresh. I needed to reproduce the small photographs of the brain stem cross sections and the spinal cord in high detail for a symposium. Thanks for the help. EDIT: Ooops, sorry, I overlooked the Hangar forums. Thanks for pointing out. Reagards,Dr. Jinesh ThomasResident in Internal MedicineGauhati Medical CollegeINDIA.

[Guest]

>I needed to reproduce the small photographs of the brain stem cross sections and the spinal cord in high detail for a symposium.Oh ok. Then TracTrix is definitely not suitable. It's really best when having black on white drawings. Not photos. Well, well... :-)

[Guest NetBoyz]

Use Adobe Streamline. But a vector image will always convey less detail than a bitmap. db

[Guest]

Thanks for the info on Adobe Streamline. But since I cannot compromise any detail for the Neurology symposium, I guess, I have to rely on high quality photographs. Got some in the meantime. ;)Thanks for your help. :-)Dr. Jinesh ThomasResident in Internal MedicineGauhati Medical CollegeINDIA.

[Guest danowat]

Unfortunatly, here is no way to convert a bitmap to a vector imageWrong, I do it all the time for work.If you want Dr Thomas I have an old DOS program that can do this for you.It is freeware so I can send it to you if you likeDan.

[Guest]

Thanks very much for your reply, Dan. How big is file size? Yahoo has a 6 MB limit. My e-mail is jineshthomasm@yahoo.com and thanks very much again.Dr. Jinesh ThomasResident in Internal MedicineGauhati Medical CollegeINDIA.