Is it possible to convert a bitmap image to a vector image? And if so, what program can it be done with? I have a few things I'd like to put into a flash document that constitutes a school project. Thanks for the help, pimps.

i have not done it, but it MIGHT be possible in illustrator..

Hmm. One of the few programs i DON'T have. Well, that'll change by the end of the day. Thanks for the insight though.

My experience from working with image editing tells me that automatic converters never give you a pleasing result. The algorithms used for rendering pixelated images to bezier curves usually sees and draws things differently than a human would have done by hand. The only exception to this would be if you have a monochrome line-art image, then the sheer simplicity of the original leaves little for the converter to screw up.

However, if you do some hand editing in Adobe Illustrator you can get good enough results. So if you want to incorporate an image in flash you have to live with pixels or recreate the image in Illustrator.

Also, by saying vector, you must mean bezier curves right? Vectors are straight lines like on a 3d model , while bezier curves are curved lines on a 2d surface, a technique thats used in post-script, illustrator, flash and what not.

I've done it before in Photoshop (though it'd be the same process in Illustrator). As long as it's a line art type illustration (meaning flat solid colors instead of photorealistic), it's not too bad; just a little time consuming to draw all the paths with the Pen tool. I like to blow up the original image to the size I want (yes it looks pixellated), then trace over it, hiding the original every so often to see how it's coming.

Quote: Originally Posted by sandalfon My experience from working with image editing tells me that automatic converters never give you a pleasing result. The algorithms used for rendering pixelated images to bezier curves usually sees and draws things differently than a human would have done by hand. The only exception to this would be if you have a monochrome line-art image, then the sheer simplicity of the original leaves little for the converter to screw up. However, if you do some hand editing in Adobe Illustrator you can get good enough results. So if you want to incorporate an image in flash you have to live with pixels or recreate the image in Illustrator. Also, by saying vector, you must mean bezier curves right? Vectors are straight lines like on a 3d model , while bezier curves are curved lines on a 2d surface, a technique thats used in post-script, illustrator, flash and what not.

You're right, I did mean bezier curves. Sorry, seem to have taken the noob pills this morning instead of an aspirin. And I've resigned to screwing with just forming boxes, circles, and lines to what i need in Photoshop/Flash, as the images i was looking to use are basically photos, and now that you mention that it won't work too well with those, I've decided to cheese it up and draw the stuff myself.