How do I convert a bitmap to vector?

Maintaining Transparency of a Graphic file after converting to Vector

• Using Adobe PhotoShop, Streamline and Illustrator, I am converting and reading graphic files to make-ready to send to a commercial printer. I need some to be transparent and I have done so in PS, but after I convert to vector art in Streamline, the internal areas of the artwork are no longer transparent, it becomes white. Like the inside of a wheel or a doughnut, becomes white instead of transparent, while in bitmap format, it is comepletely transparent. Am i missing an option somewhere when making it transparent or vectoring?

• Answer:

  Hello Dbky1, From what I can find, it appears that Streamline does not work in the way you think it does. The following discussion at Adobe's user to user site http://www.adobeforums.com/cgi-bin/[email protected]@.1de5eb21 describes the way that objects are converted. To quote... "So essentially you end up with a black circle then a white circle placed on top of the black circle. This is why you are seeing what appears to be another layer." This was in response to a user's question about how the image "changed" (turned black) when they selected a portion of the image. This sounds like the same symptom you are having. You may also get a "better answer" from that user to user forum as well. Now that I think about this more fully, it might be possible to treat your "doughnut" as a "C" (with the edges of the C pulled close together) to get the right effect, but I can't confirm that would work. I can also see that it may introduce artifacts you don't want either. A few other good references include: http://www.medicalart.net/pages/guides.html About half way down it notes that white may not be transparent. References to free (or low cost) tools that may do the equivalent steps http://www.tivea.net/Graphic_Utilities.html see Autotrace, Kvec; others may be OK as well (e.g., conversions to SVG). If one of these work, you should be able to get the converted file back into the Adobe tools. Good search phrases include: streamline convert vector graphics transparent which provided the references I provided (as well as several others). If this does not give you a solution to the problem, please ask in a clarification request so I can dig some more information out for you. --Maniac