Participant

Question

Converting layered psd file to vector?

Forum|Forum|13 years ago
May 22, 2012
8 replies
246751 views

I need to convert a layered psd file to a vector file but have never used illustrator (cs5). Could someone please help me with the steps I need to accomplish this? It is a logo I've created that is all white on a transparent background. I'm on a mac, OS 10.7.4

Thanks for your help!!

Gleeful_perspectiveB82C

Participant

You can export SVG file! After import into illustrator!

TajhWaps

Participant

Open the psd file in ilustrator and simply convert to object. It is best to open all layers in photoshop. some elements might be missing and therefore recreated in illustrator but the majority of your image should be there. If some layers are stuck together, try to fix it in photoshop or illustrator. If you fix it in photoshop you must open and convert to object again after saving the psd. If you correct anything in illustrator you wont have to close it, therefore you can just fix it and export it as a png (recommended)

gibsonion

Known Participant

Will a CC photoshop file open in Illustrator CS5 though? I can't remember if I'd tried this already and had an issue with compatibility.

R

ryanh7936294

Participant

This video is the best resource that I have found to address the issue. In photoshop I make sure I separate layers into folders based on color.

1- shift+command click each layer box

follow video

Converting a Photoshop File to Adobe IllustratorVector File.mp4 - YouTube

B

bingandham

Inspiring

I'm having issues importing the PSD into Illio.

The file imports with layers, however a few layers are merged onto one layer while others are fine. All layers are not within any folders. The ones that are merging are smart objects (vector) as well as a rasterized layer. The type layers are exporting as layers. Any ideas?

buglegirl101

Participant

I appreciate this thread-- and I agree that it will take a ride on the learning curve to step out from behind the ease of photoshop into the world of 'pens' and 'points' in illustrator. I've tried the short cut way, and it just doesn't work for me. So, I'm about to dive head-first into the Lynda.com tutorials. Seems there is just no easy way to learn illustrator in a few minutes-- so, here I go. But, can I say with all due respect to Adobe, I MISS CORELDRAW--where the learning curve was SHORT!

gibsonion

Known Participant

I recommend trying Affinity Designer, I just bought it myself, they've got a free trial and it's on special offer at the moment for $40 lifetime fee, it's really nice to use, lacks some of the more advanced features of Illustrator for the moment like Live tracing, but they're constantly updating it and have a road map to bring the features inline with Adobe's and hopefully surpass it. The zoom level on the thing is just stupid, it's specified to allow a 10,000,000% zoom, which is totally unnecessary, but pretty cool, although the farthest I've been able to push it so far is about half that before my computer wigs out. Which is still impressive. But most importantly it works exactly how I would want Illustrator to work on an intuitive level and even more awesomely it's completely cross-compatible with Adobe files and can export as PSD & AI compatible EPS so can just be added to an Adobe central workflow.

Doug A Roberts

Community Expert

...lacks some of the more advanced features of Illustrator for the moment like Live tracing

they should keep it that way.

Luke Jennings

Inspiring

I would change your logo to black and tell the silkscreen person it prints in white ink. When they get a white on white file, they might be confused. If you want to keep it white, make it a spot color white (100% spot color).

You can save your layered Photoshop file as a Photoshop pdf, this will convert your type to outlines when you open it in Illustrator. Use Press Quality and preserve photoshop editing capabilities on. You can re-open this file in Photoshop to edit it, but once it is opened and saved in Illustrator, you won't be able to open it in Photoshop again as a vector file. Actually, just send the Photoshop PDF, there is really no need to open the PDF in Illustrator at all, unless you wanted to add to it.

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Wade_Zimmerman1

Inspiring

If it is all white on a transparent background that is is simple in Photoshop select the white Select>Color Range or witht he magic wand if itis all white this should be fairly easy.

the Go to the Path Panel and from the flyout select Make Working Path and then from the same flyout menu Choose S aave path and give it a name

then go to File>Export>Paths to Illustrator

You can either then open or placethe resulting document in Illustrator

In Illusrator you will have to fill the paths with wwhite and make the paths that make up a shape with a whole in it into a compound path select them both and Command or Control 8

J

jstewgAuthor

Participant

How should I handle the text layers? I created them on a path. Will those paths be exported (with the text) to Illustrator if I don't do anything to them?

gibsonion

Known Participant

Not to pick on the original poster, but I just don't understand the extremely common problem of so many people wanting to design a "logo" and default to using Photoshop to create it. To me it makes about as much sense as trying to use Microsoft PowerPoint to edit a video. Funny thing: some people (especially those in the military and federal government) think PowerPoint is a logo design tool.

I won't get into the differences between a real logo and "logos" that are really complex graphical compositions/illustrations or just out and out phone book ads.

Whatever branding thing the designer is putting together, if it is ever intended to be used on everything from business cards to billboards the finished design needs to have its primary base version consist of 100% vector-based graphics. Better still, make it able to work in a single ink color and be legible at very small print sizes. It's actually easier to design a logo in Illustrator than in Photoshop. At best, Photoshop has a pretty crude vector tool set -a tool set not originally designed for creating logos and graphics but rather doing things like creating clipping paths around photographic objects.

I deal with customer provided "logos" all the time. Most arrive either as a JPEG or Photoshop PSD file, and typically with the pixel count of a decent sized web page graphic. The customers get glassy-eyed with confusion when told about the differences between fixed resolution raster graphics and scalable, resolution independent vector graphics and why us sign people almost always need the latter. In the end the customer gets to spend more money on design charges, either by us re-creating the graphics in vector form or having the designer who originally made it do the same. Often the original designer can't do the vector conversion because he either doesn't have Illustrator (Inkscape is a free open-source alternative) or just doesn't want to mess with it.

It's because I hate Illustrators workflow, it's so much less intuitive than Photoshop on so many levels and why it's that way I have no idea. It just is and they could make it so much nicer to work with, hell they could just add some decent vector facilities into Photoshop and make everyone's life easier, even simple things like dragging element around page or adjust fonts is a major headache by comparison. so until they create a vector program that is not as clumsy and frustrating to work with, I'll stick to working with Photoshop and convert it afterwards in Illustrator when I need to vector it. Which is perfectly sufficient and saves me a crap ton of time rather than having to deal with the fact that Illustrator would double or even triple design time.

Monika Gause

Community Expert

Which steps to take depends on the nature of your logo.

Get aquainted with the pen tool, the shape tools, the pathfinder panel, how to convert stokes to shapes and much more. The manual is a good starting point.

Don't expect that you will be able to accomplish this task with just a few steps.

And BTW: did you by chance already create shape layers in Photoshop? Then you could open the PSD in Illustrator and convert your shape layers to objects.

J

jstewgAuthor

Participant

Yes, I already created the layers in Photoshop. I have to send the logo to be screen printed for some tee shirts, so unfortunately, I don't have much time to learn all the tools, etc. in Illustrator. I was hoping for some fairly easy suggestions for a novice like me. Thank you!

W

Wade_Zimmerman1

Inspiring

In Photoshop go to Type>Create Paths and the type will be clean outlines adn you can export the typ path along witht he other paths

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