PSP converting to .ai format

[matauri]

I have designed artwork in PSP & need to send it to signwriters, and they request it in .ai or corel format. (they require it as vectors)

If I try to save it as .ai from PSP I get a black & white image, no vectors.

I have tried exporting it as vector shapes, but it is in .jsl format, & they dont want that.

What am I doing wrong? And how can I do it right? :-)



Cindy

[waanagaran]

I'm not so sure about this but I think you cannot convert a PSP file into vector graphics (or an ai file). When you export it to Illustrator, the layers are sort of flattened (or rasterized) so you can no longer work on individual layers. The next best thing to do, I guess, is to do it all over again (in the requested format).

[matauri]

Yeah...I kinda thought as much myself. Thats why I thought I would see if there was a way. The signwriter seemed to think you could save it from photoshop to Ilustrator format, but I havent had any luck yet.


Cindy

[mikmik]

Maybe I am in time to save some trouble.
Export it from psp to a .jpg.
Then import it into illustrator and save it, it will be converted to .ai.

I hope I've got the teminology right. I have only seen PSP about 8 month ago and I can't remeber.

BUT, that is exactly what I do with my images. I am always importing jpegs, gifs etc. into flash and then when I save the file, it converts to .fla.

Another way may be to work out of PSP and into Illustrator in raw (tiff, I think) format.

I hope this helps, I am not worldly enough to know those software, or awake enough yet!

[mikmik]

I don't think I understand matauri

from photoshop to Ilustrator format, but I havent had any luck yet.

But first you said this

I have designed artwork in PSP

PSP or PS? If PS,

The Paths to Illustrator command lets you export Photoshop paths as Adobe Illustrator files. This makes it easier to work with combined Photoshop and Illustrator artwork or to use Photoshop features on Illustrator artwork. For example, you may want to export a pen tool path and stroke it to use as a trap with a Photoshop clipping path you are printing in Illustrator. You can also use this feature to align Illustrator text or objects with Photoshop paths.

To use the Paths to Illustrator command:

Draw and save a path or convert an existing selection into a path.
Choose File > Export > Paths to Illustrator.
Choose a location for the exported path, and enter a filename.
Click Save.
Open the path in Adobe Illustrator as a new file. You can now manipulate the path or use the path to align Illustrator objects.
Note that the crop marks in Adobe Illustrator reflect the dimensions of the Adobe Photoshop image. The position of the path within the Photoshop image is maintained, provided you don't change the crop marks or move the path.

( Quoted from Adobe PS 7.x Help files )

I still think it should work using the 'two step'. Only thing is that you lose the layers, as waanagaran mentioned.

[matauri]

Graphic was oringially done in PSP.

Signwriter needs it in Illustrator format (.ai) or Corel (.cmx), so I presume they use Illustrator maybe. In any case, they require a vector image.

I thought I would be able to jsut save it from PSP to .ai format, or another vector format, but when you save data in these formats, the file contains raster data only.

So, I tried to import it over to Photoshop, because the signwriter informed me that it would be done from there. But, PS doesn't appear to support the 2 formats I can save a vector image in with PSP (EMF & WMF).

I also have Corel 6 which I tried it in also, but I couldn't get as good a resolution, and the vector were in black & white only..it didnt seem to vector colours.

I dont however, have Adobe Illustrator.

Now I know prob the most logical thing to do would be to recreate the image in Photoshop, but because I have been so slack in learning to use it to its full potential (often relying on PSP exclusively for graphics), it would take some time to figure how to get the image to look as I want it. Time I havent got a lot of. I am supposed to have this image into the signwriters in a couple of days.

So thats why I am turning to the experts...hoping to find an easy solution :-)

(hope that all made sense)


Cindy

[cyanide]

What's PSP ?
Is that Photoshop ?

Either way, if your image was done in bitmap mode, then you have no choice but to do it over again as vector

There are some third party programs that will convert an image from bitmap to vector, but normally doesn't come out that well.

Simply importing/exporting an image to a vector program like Illustrator, the image will still be bitmap
For signage, you do need to create it in vector in the first place. That way, it can easily be stretched to fit the sign. The bitmap image, even in Illustrator will look distorted and blurred when stretched

I hope I'm making sense

[matauri]

PSP=Paint Shop Pro

Cyanide it has been created as a vector in PSP, just not a vector I can export in the format they want.

I just kind of figure there must be a way to save a vector image from PSP to Photoshop, so I can then save it as an Adobe Illustrator vector image (.ai)


Cindy
.

[cyanide]

OH, sorry.

Not familiar with PSP.
Can you export to eps ? eps would work as well

[matauri]

Tried that Cyanide....but the file ends up containing raster data only :-(



Cindy