How do I make a vector image of a photo to put into a very large print poster

[kdwpilgrim1]

I am making a large (6 ft by 2 ft) banner and need to put images based on photographs into the image. I cannot get large enough image files for the resolution needed. Hoped I could create a vector image using Illustrator that should be scaled to fit into the poster. I saw how to image trace the image, but cannot find information on what I do with it now. Again this is for a print product, not a webbased or screen product.

[Kris Hunt]

It's not worth it. What you're trying to do will not look good. And there's no reason you can't find high resolution photos that are similar to those. All you need is 150 ppi, and at 24" wide, that works out to 3,600 pixels in width. iStock's images are around 6,000 pixels in width.

[Doug A Roberts]

not to be a naysayer here, but taking a raster file, tracing it, scaling it to 6ft wide, then making a raster file out of it sounds a little bit crazy.

what kind of images are you starting out with, and what sort of results do you expect from this?

[Bill Silbert]

Once you're satisfied with the result of the image trace (using one of the presets available in the Image Trace Panel—accessible through the Window Menu) make sure that you use the Expand button that will appear in the control panel (CC 2017 version and earlier) or the properties panel (CC 2018 version) while the traced image is selected. That will make the finished product into editable vector art. See screen shot:

Note that as vector art your finished product is not dependent on resolution. You can scale it up without any loss of quality.