It may turn out that you suddenly need to convert a regular bitmap image to a vector format. If you have never dealt with vector graphics before, or if you have very vague ideas about it, then probably the first thing that comes to your mind is to find the converter program on the Internet, load a bitmap image into it, and how it is usual to get a finished result. But not so simple.
It is not worth relying on the so-called converters from raster to vector, since far from all of them give the desired result. Most of these programs trite one format into another, for example, in JPG in EPS, but the essence of this does not change. And all because the raster and the vector are fundamentally different things and you can’t directly convert them directly. If a bitmap image is a set of dots - pixels, then a vector image is inherently a mathematical formula, so the approach to it should be completely different.
By the way, the same EPS can store both vector and raster objects. Nevertheless, there is a way to translate a regular picture into a vector, only it is called not conversion, but tracing or vectorization. There are two main types of tracing - manual and automatic. With manual tracing, the raster image opened in the vector editor is circled along the contours on a new layer, after which it is colored. With automatic vectorization, all these actions are performed by the program.
For example, in the vector editor Adobe Illustrator, a separate option is provided for these purposes. To convert a picture into a vector, open it in the editor, select it with the mouse, and then select in the top menu Window -> Image Tracing.
This will open a small toolbar where you can choose the most suitable template. By default, Illustrator converts the image to black and white vector "silhouette".
To create the most realistic image you should choose a preset “High precision photography”. Instead, you can also set the maximum value for the parameter "Color accuracy" using the slider, while other parameters will be selected automatically. Before starting the vectorization process, make sure that the mode is still set to "Color", and the palette Full-tone. Press button "Trace" and wait for the conversion process to complete.
For more comfortable and quick work in the toolbar, we advise you to check "Preview", in this case, tracing will be performed immediately after changing any of the parameters. Finished image can be saved in any compatible vector format. In Adobe Illustrator, the image can be exported to the native AI format, as well as EPS, AIT, SVG (SVGZ), FXG, and, of course, to PDF.
