[I WAS the One]

is there an easy way to convert a raster logo art on a vector? I know how to doit the old style (remaking it on illustrator or freehand) but I'm asking about a way to doiy more simple , like an application or something like it.. maybe I'm dreaming but I'm pretty sure that somebody already create a program where you can open a tiff file and convert it to vector some how... if you know if that kind of MAGIC application exist please let me know.

thanxs

[Corys]

Streamline from Adobe is the only product that I know of...

it still works, but hasn't been updated in years...

[I WAS the One]

I have Streamline... I just have to start up my MDDG4 on OS 9 and work with that old app, but I doubt that there is the solution... it will be lot of work.... and the client is very cheap

[Corys]

FWIW, streamline has worked good for me in classic.

[dadder]

Originally posted by I WAS the One:
is there an easy way to convert a raster logo art on a vector? I'm pretty sure that somebody already create a program where you can open a tiff file and convert it to vector some how... if you know if that kind of MAGIC application exist please let me know.

thanxs

if you have photoshop, just simply use your magic wand tool to select the black area, convert your selection to a path and then export your path to illustrator - bada bing! don't know exactly how far back photoshop included export paths to illustrator - had to at least be version 6.

[I WAS the One]

it helps... thanxs, but I think I will recreat it again in freehand...
thanxs

[GORDYmac]

Flash does it also.

[himself]

CorelTRACE does this as well. It is part of the Corel Graphics 10 suite (too bad they don't offer it as a standalone). It runs natively in OS X, and it does a really good job at vectorizing. The only problem... it is slow as something you've never seen before on OS X. I don't know if it is still available anywhere, but it's worth a shot.

[arcticmac]

there's a command line utility called autotrace (or something like that) available through fink that will do it. my experience is that it doesn't do the greatest job but it might be worth it to try, and then you can fix any little bumps that it puts in that you don't like

[eggman]

Macromedia Freehand has this built in and does as good a job as any of the tools I've seen, which isn't a ringing endorsement.

I used to use Streamline which does have more parameters you can set... and supposedly this helps get better results, although in my experience you spend more time twiddling sliders and get pretty much the same outcome: namely, a good starting point which requires varying amounts of manual clean-up.

However, it looks like there's an OS X alternative to Streamline called Sihouette, which is $359 USD for a standalone program, or $299 for an Illustrator plugin.

I haven't been motivated to lay out that sum for a tool like this, but if you think you are likely to do a lot of vectorization, I suppose that a good tool could pay for itself in time saved hand-tracing.

[mr. burns]

flash.

[I WAS the One]

Originally posted by eggman:
Macromedia Freehand has this built in and does as good a job as any of the tools I've seen, which isn't a ringing endorsement.

I used to use Streamline which does have more parameters you can set... and supposedly this helps get better results, although in my experience you spend more time twiddling sliders and get pretty much the same outcome: namely, a good starting point which requires varying amounts of manual clean-up.

However, it looks like there's an OS X alternative to Streamline called Sihouette, which is $359 USD for a standalone program, or $299 for an Illustrator plugin.

I haven't been motivated to lay out that sum for a tool like this, but if you think you are likely to do a lot of vectorization, I suppose that a good tool could pay for itself in time saved hand-tracing.

TOO EXPENSIVE!!!!! for a vector application with lots of limitations... I choose flash instead

[godzookie2k]

I use streamline if I"m doing anything batch, flash for one off stuff. but I'd rather jjust trace it, it does a better job.

[Talk2Angus]

all these things u guys r talking about is tracing the image not one of them trulu converts it from raster to vector!!
U can not do that apparently?
I asked a few people in our company and that was the general answer!

[THE MAC GOD]

So what is the best app for a more complex image that you want to convert to line art (vector)?

[I WAS the One]

for me, streamline from adobe did a great job.

[madmacgames]

there is a tool built into Illustrator to do this. Never used it on complex images or logos, but for your average logo, it seems to work pretty well if you get the settings right.

[PookJP]

Originally posted by madmacgames:
there is a tool built into Illustrator to do this. Never used it on complex images or logos, but for your average logo, it seems to work pretty well if you get the settings right.

What is this tool?

[THE MAC GOD]

Originally posted by PookJP:
What is this tool?

[madmacgames]

Originally posted by PookJP:
What is this tool?

On the tools window if you click and hold on Blend Tool (beside the dropper in AI CS), it will expand out and show the Auto Trace tool (looks like a bezier curve with a gradient fill underneath it.

The settings for the auto trace are in Preferences -> Type & Auto Tracing.

I've used it to vectorize simple logos and it worked quite well for that after playing with the settings some and sometimes taking a couple tries at a good spot to auto trace different parts from. haven't tried it on anything else though.

[euchomai]

Originally posted by madmacgames:
On the tools window if you click and hold on Blend Tool (beside the dropper in AI CS), it will expand out and show the Auto Trace tool (looks like a bezier curve with a gradient fill underneath it.

The settings for the auto trace are in Preferences -> Type & Auto Tracing.

I've used it to vectorize simple logos and it worked quite well for that after playing with the settings some and sometimes taking a couple tries at a good spot to auto trace different parts from. haven't tried it on anything else though.

Dang, you are right, that was a very cool find! I wonder why more publicity wasn't made over that?

[godzookie2k]

man I could never get that stupid thing to work right. Someone has to tell adobe to pay some indian guys to shove streamline into illustrator.


FWIW I've been doing more of my autotraces in flash lately.