I usually only use photoshop and been recently getting a lot of vector requests. Does anyone have a specifice way or technique they would like to share. I would greatly appreciate it, thanks!!!

Use Illustrator or Inkscape for vector images.

Photoshop is a bitmap editing tool, while it does have some vector capabilities they are not ideal.

Depending on the file itself - you could use Livetrace in Illustrator - it works well sometimes but then sometimes, it fails miserably.

You should probably start taking Illustrator seriously - I seem to be spending more and more time on Illustrator nowadays along with Flash.

A high quality bitmap image will look just as good as a vector image, unless the file is big in dimensions and turns out to be a large file then it may be worth using vector.

I think my main concern is learning the whole illustrator program I mean I guess if I learned photoshop on trial and error I guess you guys are right there is no other way than to tackle it directly!! Thanks everyone for your great input you don't know how much I appreciate it and helpful it is, keep it coming hehe, PS This site rocks!!!

If you have PS CS4, it has much better vector capabilities than it's predecessors, you just have to learn to master the pen tool.

I think Corel Trace or Corel Knockout would help you on this issue.

Thanks everyone for the info, it helped

Originally Posted by LadynRed

If you have PS CS4, it has much better vector capabilities than it's predecessors, you just have to learn to master the pen tool.

LadynRed: I was very surprised to see the difference in CS4's vector abilities too. The pen tool is definitely tricky to learn isn't it? Once you do though it's great. I've only used it a few times in PS but I use it all the time in Illustrator. New avatar? I like it!

I know you can convert vector layers in Illustrator to PS keeping the layers intact (most of the time) but it never looks as good. Being in print design - I have always used Illustrator for logo's

Illutrator is my first love and still my favorite. I love the way you can draw, paint and create your own colors for gradients. It's also got some great tools for manipulating text. Most of my artwork is done in Illustrator.

pbmedia: A good way to learn the pen tool is to trace over different shapes with it. once you get the hang of it you can draw freely and easily. I still use the tracing method if I'm in a hurry or want curved lines combined with straight lines. I will trace over PART of a picture to achieve one shape. For example if I want to draw an open book, I will trace the top part of a heart then stretch the lines out on each end so it looks like the top pages of an open book. I'm not very good at drawing smooth lines especially freehand, that's why I do it this way. The smooth tool works good in Illustrator but it changes the anchor points too much for my liking.

if you decide to use it and need help - send me a message - I'm pretty familiar with Illustrator and will help in any way that I can.

I'm using Corel -> Trace Bitmap

Sadly Photoshop was not built for vector images. That is Illustrator's job. Your best bet is learn how to the pen tool. That is as close as you can get. Once you have drawn your shape/image you can export to Illustrator. However it's best do all vector graphic creation within Illustrator.

there is a very good pen tutorial here http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/to...hensive-guide/ i found this very usefull a while back.

Originally Posted by JohnnyLaw

Sadly Photoshop was not built for vector images. That is Illustrator's job. Your best bet is learn how to the pen tool. That is as close as you can get. Once you have drawn your shape/image you can export to Illustrator. However it's best do all vector graphic creation within Illustrator.

I agree

I concur. I am embarassed to admit that when I started designing... the first program I used was "The Logo Creator." Obviously it didn't allow me to use my creativity to the fullest. Since then I have turned to Illustrator and Flash. I have NEVER looked back. Photoshop is great for touching things up... but in my opinion all the real pros are using Illustrator. Trust me, make the switch. You won't regret it. May take some time getting used to though.

What I have found in my work is that big and small companies want a logo that brands them and it must be versatile. i.e. they will want to be able to put it on anything from material or vinyl to glass or ceramic. You almost HAVE to use Illustrator for that. especially big companies because they are usually the ones who want the versatility. Corel Paint has their version of Illustrator but I believe it was originally designed for arhicitects and engineers - it doesn't have the same tools and versatility that Illustrator has. Most importantly you need to create logos in vector art so that they can be manipulated onto any material source without loosing its resolution and Photoshop can't do that. (at least not yet)
\

I found a kindred spirit in you RobK!
I have not come across too many people who appreciate (or LOVE in my case) Illustrator as much as I do. It's been my favorite since the beginning. It's not because of the vector style. I just feel that as far as drawing & painting your own artwork it has the most versatility and freedom. The ability to mix your own paints and gradients is the best thing since sliced bread in my opinion. I feel like I'm actually painting with oils or water colors - I mean like it's real paint! Of course I love it's drawing capabilities too and I actually think it's a better text program than MS Word. It has a lot more flexibility then pagemaker but I don't know InDesign yet. This winter/Spring I'm finishing up Advanced Photoshop - next Fall I'll be taking Advanced Illustrator and Dreamweaver - can't wait I know its going to be a blast!

I normally use illustrator...and may be its because I am familiar with that..

U can use Vector Magic to covert a PNG to vector with just one click.

It all depends what you are trying to accomplish. Vector (illustrator) and bitmap (photoshop) are 2 different animals and are best handled by the right tool. Very seldom you get good compromise. Check lynda.com for excellent video tutorials on how to handle them for the web. Pen tool ( bezier curve) is not that bed it takes a little of getting used to.

It's still better if you use Illustrator because in that software you can easily vector your desired image.Photoshop can also do that but it's really hard to make it perfect, you must have the talent on how to use the pen tool.