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But now I am reading that photoshop can't export to vector.
That seems like a flat out falsehood.
Shape Layers and Type Layers (without faux-styles at least) should be able to output just fine as vector and type data in pdf (and eps).
And have you tried simply opening the psd file with Illustrator with »Convert Layers to Objects«?
Could you please post screenshots with the pertinent Panels (Toolbar, Layers, Paths, Options Bar, …) visible?
Thanks!
Unfortunately you seem to have »painted yourself into a corner«.
The instances of placed Vector Smart Objects are not vector content, so there is none save for some Shape Layers and a few Type Layers that could be output as such.
An issue I had not foreseen is that the Color Overlay Layer Style on the Type Layers will not work out in Illustrator.
But by removing those I could at least get the Type Layers as editable text in Illustrator. (see screenshots)
It should in principle be possible to collect the placement information of the vector Smart Object instances and then place the contained vector content in an Illustrator file at the corresponding scaling and postions with a Script (but that would not do anything for all the pixel Layer Masks yet).
Creating such a Script would seem a lot of work and, unless the task is a very frequent one, hardly worth the effort.
If you decide to recreate the design in Illustrator please remember to use Linked files or Symbols for the elements that are used more than once per ai-document.
The Smart Object is the embedded or linked file, the things you see and edit in the Layers are its instances.
The Smart Object may be a vector file format (ai, pdf), the instance/s of the Smart Object is/are not.
They are plain pixel content, accordingly they exist and will be displayed in the image’s pixel grid.
I suppose this may not be emphasized very much in tutorials on Smart Objects, but Photoshop is in essence still pixel image editing software (with limited vector capabilities; funnily enough a very few of Illustrator’s path editing features are inferior to Photoshop’s).
Maybe someone has already created a Script for cases like this (though your use of coloring layers and layer masks would still involve pixel content).
I can’t recall seeing one on this Forum yet but maybe you should start a new thread asking specifically about such a Script and mark it »Actions and Scripting«.
Ok, I have a question...
When you're in Photoshop, and you place a linked vector file, does Photoshop immediate rasterize that vector file? Because I placed all vector files. They aren't just labeled with pdf or ai extensions -- they are legitimately vector files 100%. I double-checked all of them. So, if Photoshop is supposedly supposed to preserve the vector Smart Objects, is there a setting I have in Photoshop that is causing the these vectors to turn into pixel layers?
By @sarahpeller
I already told you: The instances of Smart Objects are pixel content. How else do you imagine that Smart Filters could be applied to them?
That Vector Smart Objects contain vector data does not change that.
That's my question. Does Photoshop always automatically rasterize ever vector placed into a Photoshop file?
I already answered that.
The Smart Object is the embedded or linked file, the things you see and edit in the Layers Panel (edit: and on the Canvas) are its instances.
The Smart Object may be a vector file format (ai, pdf), the instances of a Smart Object are not.
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