Converting Photoshop images to SVG

[Geobop]

All of the images on my websites are jpg's and png's created in Photoshop. I'm wondering if it's time to learn how to work with SVG.

I discovered that Photoshop can export images as SVG, but I ran into some problems. I was then told that true SVG images can only be created with Illustrator.

So I'm wondering if there's any way to salvage my Photoshop images, or if I have to start from scratch.

Most of the icons were downloaded from a site that offers a choice of png or svg, so I can go back and get those images in SVG format. However, I commissioned the image of Bill Gates in the top left corner.

So if I want to recreate this image in Illustrator, I assume I would get the SVG images of the icons and create a new background in Illustrator. But is the Bill Gates image a lost cause?

I just realized that, in the future, it would probably be best to have any images I commission made in SVG format, which can easily be changed to a jpg or png, right?

Thanks.

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[Bobby Henderson · Accepted solution]

Vector-based SVG images can usually be opened in Illustrator directly without much problem, edited further and exported back out to SVG again. It's a lot easier starting out with vector-based graphics and converting them into PNG images than going the other way around from pixel-based artwork to vector.

Photoshop has some rudimentary vector path creation tools, that on the fundamental level are not bad at all. I have often scanned hand-drawn sketches and used Photoshop's Pen tool among other things to trace new, clean, vector paths over the scanned artwork and then export the paths in Illustrator format. I've also done the same thing with certain kinds of customer provided pixel-based artwork that had to be converted into vector format. Photoshop is very responsive at it. That's not the original intended use for Photoshop's Pen tool; originally it was for creating clipping paths for things like "floating" photo objects in Photoshop EPS files.

The vector object creating and editing tools in Adobe Illustrator are vastly more fleshed out than those within Photoshop. On top of that there is a variety of plug-ins available that greatly extend the capabilities of Illustrator.