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Problem: EPS/PDF? Converting to Vectors...


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AraVitz

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Hello there all you Guys (and gallzzz)

I haven't been around much lately.. unfortunately my life won't allow me right now. Nevertheless I have been reading some stuff every now and then.

Right now I have a little problem.
And I'm pretty sure there's a tutorial about it somewhere.. but I just don't have time to go look for it and knowing myself I will get caught up in all the interessting stuff on the site and this forum.

So here's my problem perhaps one of you guru's can give me a hand.

I regulary need to convert all kinds of images (JPG, BMP, PSD) to EPS or PDF (for paper advertisements) but somehow I do it different sometimes.

for Example I converted a PSD (grayscale) to EPS and when I reopened it It PS asked me what scale and size and pixels/inch I wanted it to have...

Yet when I converted another PSD (CMYK and RGB) to EPS today that didn't happen. So it wasn't 'vectorized'

Does anyone know what I did wrong? or different?

Well thanxz allready!!!

Grtxz

AraVitz
 
What programme are you using to create these paper advertisments are you using Acrobat or quark,indesign etc?

the reason why i ask is i dont understand why you would want to convert them to eps,maybe this is how you like to do things but if your doing stuff for "print" then you can place any kind of jpeg or tiff file into your layout programme without needing them to be pdf or eps.

Lemme know what your doing and what programs your using and i will be able to help :righton:
 
Hmmzzz..... well... it's kinda complicated...

But well.. it's like this...

One of my friends started a Company/Shop he sells tanned skins..

Reebok, South-American Cow, Normandian Cow, Sheep and calf.

Well anyway.. I use Photoshop a lot, for fun and for the web...

Now he's putting advertisements in the papers all over..
but these papers want the advertisements delivered to them in EPS of PDF. Also when I want stuff printed on T-shirts and clothing I need to deliver it in EPS and PDF.

Me myself I make all my imaging in PS cos I just love it..
And the advertisements are originally WORD files from my friend I then screen capture what he makes in WORD (it's his design not mine) and put in in a PSD. Then I need to convert it to EPS or PDF (vectors) because that's what they want at the Paper.

(I know Quark I used it once for a book, I never use Acrobat except for a reader though.)

Well.. Still hope someone can tell me what I'm doing wrong in PS cos I really wanna know.. besides that if you (Gurch) think there are better ways to handle my stuff please do tell!!

Thanxz again!!

Aragorn

ps: I put the files I'm working with on the net...

http://crew.difine.nl/PhotoshopGurus/

the one looierij copy.eps is the way I want it done.. I dunno how I got that one right...

the other one is the one I want converted correctly.. it's eps allready.. but it is not 'vectorized'
 
im really confused about what you mean as "vectorised" if your using photoshop then your images will be rasterized.I think this is the case of right tool 4 the job and if your sending things to a paper firm i.e 4 colour print process using litho plates then yeah they will want it as PDF or eps.

And for this you will need a vector based program like illustrator to get the "vectorised" thing that you are talking about.
Adobe illstrator is great for page layout like you are using and has 2 export options...PDF.......and EPS :righton:

and if there are images that you have done in ps and want on yoru designs you can place them into your illustrator file.
Photoshop really isnt the right app to b using if you wanna do this easily,id be using illustrator but then i dunno your situation (financial) and whether you can obtain it soon.

other than that i really dunno about achieving what you want in PS cuz well TBH i wouldnt be using it to start with so i wouldnt know(if that makes sense)

sorry if this isnt what you wanted to hear and good luck with it all :righton: :)
 
Well I'm very thankful to start with just because you put time into my problem... even though we haven't solved it... yet..!

What you're saying about illustrator is right..
and getting illustrator is no problem for me...
Actually I think I got it somewhere on cd...

What I mean with Vectorized is that I save a image as en EPS or PDF with PS and then when I want to re-open it in PS (or another Program) it will ask me for Size and pix/inch. So that every time I open the file I can resize/shape it and change the pix/inch without loss of detail.

Just like when a picture is saved with illustrator..
I want to be able to change it's shape in PS without losing detail.

I Know it is possible.. because I did it before... problem is I did that by accident.. and I just can't figure out how I did it!

I know I can use Illustrator just as easily.. but now I know it Can be done.. it's like an obsession.. I just need to know How it's done!!

Knowledge is power!!.. hahaha..

may the force be with you!!

Aragorn

ps: if anyone else reads this and has ANY idea What the PEEP *#*($() PEEP I'm talking about PLZZZ reply!! Post your brainwave! (or brainfart, cos even those are highly valued!!)

laterz..
 
Hi AraVitz, welcome back. (even if you had to "sneak" back in) [shhh] :bustagut:

Go with just PDF files. A lot of printers nowadays are asking for and can work with them. PDFs use 32bit gradients so colour is not a problem. And the type can be saved as either Vector or embedded. That's cool too.

I'd stear clear of EPS if it's possible. There's just more to do with them and incompatibilities can arise. With PDFs, there's no worrying about that.

BTW... PDF files are not "vector". Only the type "can" be converted to vector, but it's not a manditory setting.

Good thing too PS can save as PDF now too.
Any problems doing that AraVitz?
 
Joh Maestro!!

Thanxz a lot...
At least I now have a better understanding of PDF and EPS and vector stuff...

Though my question is still not answered...

so perhaps something is wrong with my question...


Perhaps someone can explain me this...

http://crew.difine.nl/PhotoshopGurus/

the photos at that url... if you open them one of them askes you to give put in the size and pix/inch of the file... so basically every time you open it you can determine it's size anew...

but the other one, also EPS.. doesn't ask for these parameters and is always the same size and pix/inch..

what is the difference? why does one ask for it and the other doesn't..

Laterz!!

Aragorn
 
Gooie dag, Aravitz!

There is some confusion going on there...
First, there is EPS and EPS... most EPS that you find in the clip art collections are indeed vector files...

But the EPS's that Photoshop produces are raster, encapsulated into Postscript... (that's what EPS means) IF the contents is raster, it won't be automatically rasterized.

Usually, the print companies embed the Tiffs and EPS in Quark, and they prefer these formats because you can insert a Clipping Path in the file. It is, in other words, a Vector Mask.

So, once again, the EPS you can make in Photoshop are not vector ones, if the content is not a vector...

I wrote a tutorial in the current issue of Computer Arts (83) about techniques to vectorize pictures in Photoshop...

The result won't obviously have the subtle gradations that raster drawings have, but it can transform a Photo, or even logos into vectors (Even when saved as Photoshop EPS, if you check the "include vector data") The next time you will open that file, it will ask you the resolution.

To summarize, the key would be for you to recreate the designs as vectors in Photoshop, don't forget to check out the "Include Vector Data", and you've got a file that will need to be rastertized at the next opening.

The PDF produced by Photoshop will keep the vectors (not only the text, Mark ;) )but do "remember" the resolution they were created at. (So the rasterizing is not the indication that a file containts vector data.)
 
Hey there Pierre,

Thanks for all the extremely useful info.. Seems I just didn't really know what rasters and vectors were all about.. seem goes for EPS it seems...

You're tutorial is in computer art right..
can I read it anywhere else by any chance?? I'd like to check it out...

by the way.. spreek jij nog meer nederlands dan alleen goeie dag??

hehehe...

well I'm off to try and check out some of Pierre's advice.

Seeya all laterz...

Aragorn
 
Pierre.. I still have one little question...

why is it that I can't always check the 'include vector data' box?

Do I have to create the vector data first or something???

I gotta read you tutorial..

Later!

Aragorn
 
Ahhhhh.... a subject matter that interests me immensely... ;)
sPECtre: I wrote a tutorial in the current issue of Computer Arts (83) about techniques to vectorize pictures in Photoshop...
Click to expand...
B7 Pierre! I'm with AraVitz! Would you care to link (share) here? S'il vous plait? ;\ S'il vous plait, mille fois! :D :D
 
Aravits, You do need to have vectors (either text, or custom shapes, or vector masks) in your file if you want to retain them in your file. Vectors files that have been rasterized are bitmap and not vectors anymore...

The file formats that can retain vector info without being rasterized are PSD, PDF, and the "new" Tiff (the ones produced by Photoshop 7). The EPS (and DCS, the special EPS with spot colors, you don't encounter them unless you work in the print industry) containing vector being rasterized the next time they'll be opened in Photoshop.

For the people having an hard time figuring what we are talking about, hop to Page 53 and 54 of Photoshop's User Guide, there is a section titled "About bitmap images and vector graphics"
Or in Help>Photoshop Help (F1), go to the index, and in "V" you'll see "Vector Graphics > About"

To see if you've got a vector mask and not a bitmap one on a layer, the vector one has a vertical line before the chain icon.

Ik ben van het Franstaalige paart van Belgie, maar, ik ken en beetje Nederlands (het was mijn tweede taal, nu, mijn Engels is toch beter, nee? )

CA tutorial: Sorry, but by contract, I cannot give it away for a certain period. :( AFAIK, the mag should be available in Netherlands and US....

You'd have to buy the mag (issue #83) to read it... (and no, I'm NOT paid by the number of issues sold ;) ) I am still waiting of rhte issue they are supposed to send me. I just saw a part of it thanks to a member of Computerarts.co.uk 's forum

The technique involves simplification of the image, the use of different methods to select a given level of shade, then using the convert selection to path icon to turn it to Vectors.

There is also an action set, with different rendering styles.
 
Geeezzzz

Sounds simple [confused]

Hmmzz well.. I'll try to figure out what exactly it is you do...

I had a file and added a vector mask.. but just doin that doesn't convert it to vectore instead of raster does it?!

So.. well.. I'll slap it around a bit.. and get back here..

Btw for all who want to know Aragorn is my real true firstname.
But my friends often call me Ara or AraVitz... (btw my lawyer's name is Moscowicz wich is pronounced the same.. )

anyway..

Leuk dat je wat nederlands kent sPECtre.. dat is cool!! maar je engels is inderdaag net wat beter!! En voor Franstalige mensen is dat over het algemeen een groot compliment geloof ik!!

Well guys thanxz again!! Seems this is an interesting topic to more people than just me!

Laterzzz

Ara
 
indeed, adding a vector mask doesn't do all the work for you... I wish it was that simple!

Here is a side technique developped by Mathias Vejerslev from mine (thus not tied by contract) to transform a black and white pencil drawing to vectors :
-----------------

Make sure you?ve got a suitable high resolution.

Add a top threshold Adjustment Layer, and set threshold to make sure the file is monochrome.

Ctrl-click RGB channel, then go Select>Inverse.

Go to Paths palette and click the "Make Workpath from Selection" icon.

Name the path.
----------------

You can now save the file with vectors.
 
cool.. thanxz.. me za is going to try it right away!!

Besides that! want to announce that I am officially from today on a Cab driver besides being a Student!!!

Laterz...

Ara
 
Thanks sPECtre! :righton: I'll be heading off to find Issue #83 of Computer Arts... and, in the meantime, I appreciate your further input and the "side technique" that you just shared on this subject matter. :D

8) Congrats AraVitz! Cabbies make "good bucks" in this city and it seems a fitting part-time job for a student! You set your own hours! :)
 
aragorn (should I say Grand Pas? -aragorn's nickname in the french verion of LOTR)
I checked your two images... there is no need to use a certain technique for them: just use fonts, and make sure that you keep vector elements...

Make sure that the rectangles are drawn using vector shapes, and not bitmap ones... the technique is used to convert bitmap drawings/photos to vectors, not necessary if you design using vectors directly. (wich is very possible in your case, if future works you do are similar...)
hope this helps.
 
Call me what ever you like...

but it's Strider in the English version...
although I have many names... haha...

Anyway Wbiss thanks for you support on being a Cabbie...
although being a Cabbie in the netherlands is different from the states/canada or basically anyother part of the world.. it Is indeed a cool job!! The bucks are ok.. and the times are fine... but driving a Big Merc or VW or even BMW is what's coolest about it..

Ok back to Graphics...
Actually.. I took the Images from a Screenshot.. because I was doing it for a friend.. and he already made the logo's in WORD.. jup MS Word believe it or not...

So the easiest way to put it in PS was to zoom in as far as possible and make a Screen shot...

that though made the image flat.. and I had a Bitmap..

do you have any tips on how to do it differently??

thanxz for all you advice so far!!!

Aragorn
 
If word and PS are on the same PC, select the text in word, copy, and in PS, Create a text box (text tool, click and drag) then paste...
adjust al the kerning and spacing, and you should be done...

If they are not on the same PC, there is not so much text, you could re-type it on top of the screeshot (then delete it) using, of course the correct font...
 


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