When a user chooses an avatar as a virtual identity for different social networks or videogames, many times we can ask how he made this image so similar to his face without suffering great deformations and at the same time being sharp.
This person what he did was to vectorize an image that was composed of a bitmap in a file that can be expanded considerably without losing sharpness. In order to do this work he had to resort to different tools.
In this article we will talk about what it means to vectorize and what are the alternatives we have to do this task in an easy and fast way. In addition, we will include all the step-by-step steps to use the Adobe Illustrator program on a computer or from our mobile device.
Index:
What is to vectorize an image and what is the use of doing it?
Pixels are the smallest units an image has, they are indivisible and show a certain color in a compact way.
When we change these pixels to geometric figures that are dependent on each other, we are generating a vector image. In this way we will be able to enlarge the image size and obtain a better resolution of it, since these vectors do not suffer from the deformities that the bitmap set has.
The most commonly used geometric figures are lines, circles, ellipses, Bezier and Bezigonos curves . For example, if we have a circle and we want to vectorize it, we will have to take it according to its diameter, the center and also consider the radius to be able to expand it.
What kind of programs are needed to create a vector of a photo?
To be able to vectorize a photo we can do it according to the following tools that we name below:
Bitmap software
As we mentioned earlier, in order to display images on our screens, they have to be translated into pixels or bitmap through a double-entry structure pattern of colored dots, to which we will call matrix.
The bitmap software what they do is convert those maps into vectors, that is, they work in the form of an art workshop where they create and edit the different photographs on a “work table” according to the controls and functions. Many of these tools work with mathematical systems.
Online Tools
These pages are an excellent alternative for beginner users. Through these tools we simply have to upload the image in a file in the format JPG , PNG , BMP and GIF .
In a short time you will return a vectorized image with extensions SVG , EPS and PDF , which can be downloaded without any restriction .
Steps to vectorize an image from any easy and fast device
When we need to convert a bitmap of a file into a vector image, we can choose different programs regardless of what type of device we are carrying out.
We will show you below the steps necessary to vectorize an image in an easy and fast way:
With Adobe Illustrator
To use this program through our computer and convert a bitmap of an image, for example, in PNG format into vectors, we will follow this guide:
- Once we have the program open we select the image
- We look for the option “Window”
- We click on ” Image tracing ”
- Select photo from “ Hi-Fi ”
- Then click on “ Ok ”
- We look for the “Source image” option and click on it
- Press Expand
At this time we will have a vectorized image with thousands of points. What we have to do now is edit it.
When we have this software installed on our mobile device, we will have to do the following steps:
- We open the Illustrator Capture application from our mobile , so we can take a photo, if we don’t already have it saved in another destination
- We choose the option “Forms”
- We select “+”
- We seek to correctly frame the image to which we will take the picture of the drawing we want vectorize and wait a few minutes
- We select permittedPerfect•
- We verify that the image is in shape and close the application
At this time we will have to open another software module to continue with our steps. If we already had the image and we don’t need to take the picture we will need to start from this stage.
We follow the steps:
- We open the app Illustrator Draw
- We choose the format with which the image will count, these can be: Large portal, letter (vertical), Android tablet (vertical), Android tablet (landscape) a square
- We choose the “My projects”
- tab Select ” Forms of library ”
- We choose the image and then edit it
- We click on send to Illustrator CC
Next, we will go to our computer and the image will open with which we can finish editing.
With Vectormagic.com
When we need to vectorize images in a simple way, we can use the Vectormagic online tool .
Next we will show the necessary steps:
- We enter the website
- We have two alternatives one is to drag directly in the image to an area indicated by the Internet site and the other is to choose the image through its location. For this last option we search “Choose the image”.
- We select the location of the same looking for the folder where it is located.
- We click on “Accept” .
- Next, it will show us a process of loading the image and editing it.
- It will indicate the level of detail it has the same, to which we can indicate if it is a digital image or a drawing, giving us the option to process as an illustration.
- Later we choose the level of details and colors .
- For a more advanced edition we can edit the result by dividing the segment
- Once we are satisfied with the work, we select “Download the result” .
List of the best programs and websites to automatically vectorize images
As we mentioned above we have two alternatives to convert a bitmap image into a vector document.
To do this, we need to decide which path to choose . If we choose a software that we have to install it on our computer or mobile device or a website that we can not do for free without the need to download anything on our computer.
Next, we will show the best tools that exist for each of these two alternatives:
GIMP
With this program we can avoid our images in an advanced way, since it has different controls that will allow us to make specific measurements according to each of the needs that we have. It is available for the Windows operating system and we can download it through BitTorrent or directly.
INKSCAPE Draw Freely
This professional image editor will allow us to vectorize each of our files in a really perfect way. Thanks to this application we can have results with few steps and without wasting much time learning how to use it.
It is available for Windows, MacOS and Linux operating systems. It is characterized by being an open source software.
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
This creative graphic design tool will allow us to create true works of art in a very precise way since it has controls with which we will be able to perform our task in the best professional way.
It is available for Windows and Mac operating systems or a 15-day free trial.
Autotracer
We can create our vector graphics with very few steps from raster images. Simply we have to load the file or enter the URL , giving us a maximum dimension of 5000 x 5000.
It allows us the option to choose the amount of colors from monochrome to 256. It is a completely free tool and easy to use.
Vectorization
It allows us to convert our pixel images into true vector graphics with very few steps.
Like the previous page, are very simple steps we can get a really good result . We simply have to upload the file or copy the URL. It allows us to choose the output format being SVG, EPS, PS, PDF, DXF. The maximum load limit is 3000 x 3000.
Online Convert
Offers the possibility to add this tool as an extension of our Google Chrome browser . We can convert images into vectors through the choice of our file , whether it is in our browser or in the cloud. We can also do it by entering a URL.
It gives us the possibility of making optional adjustments such as modifying size, color and DPI.