Use Adobe Illustrator Live Trace
Adobe Illustrator's Live Trace tool is designed to change your bitmap image files into vector-based drawings. The best feature of a vector image is that it can be resized without losing any quality. Follow the tutorial below to learn how to use the Live Trace tool.
Steps
- Select the image. You can open your picture by going to File > Place > Select. Finish by clicking OK.
- Select your picture and move to the tool bar. Click Object, scroll down to Live Trace and select Tracing Options
- From the Tracing Options box, you'll be able to choose a color mode. Note: the other two options are "grayscale" and "black and white." Select "Max color: 6," and click Trace.
- If you need a more detailed picture, you can easily change your max color. For example, the screenshot below has "Max color: 60" selected.
- If you're unsure of how to proceed, feel free to compare the different max color settings. Unless you're a veteran at using Live Trace, this is a good way to determine the quality of your work.
- Convert your image to a vector file. Click on the picture and follow this path: Object > Expand > tick Object and Fill. Click OK at the end. Your picture will convert into a vector file.
- To complete the process, click on the vectored image and go to Object in the tool bar. Select "ungroup." Or you can simply right-click on the image and select "ungroup."
