Vectormagic software any user here?

[Rockers]

We are still looking for a software that does a better job then the trace function in Illustrator. Is Vectormagic, especially the desktop version any good or does it do a considerably better job then Adobe Illustrator?

[GraphicDisorder]

We are still looking for a software that does a better job then the trace function in Illustrator. Is Vectormagic, especially the desktop version any good or does it do a considerably better job then Adobe Illustrator?

We use it, love it.  Was way better than CS3 illustrators trace, 5.5 is a bit better though than 3.  Still give Vector Magic the nod.  I don't have the latest Adobe yet so can't comment on if it beats that still.

[Gilligan]

Everyone says the new adobe is good but I just guess I don't know how to work it.

Where as Vector Magic is a lot more intuitive.

There still maybe better ways than what we are doing but we typically let it run in automatic mode and then reduce from there, this means it "runs" more times than it "should" but I seam happier with the results than trying to tell it what I want from jump street.

This of course is on the dirtier of images, though I pretty much run everything this way.

Brandt is this basically what you guys do or is there a better way?

[Sbrem]

I use Illustrator CS6, and it's trace function is much better than earlier versions. I took a photo of a wall graphic last week, ran it through a trace, and it was very useful. And I usually don't like traces, I can always tell the difference. I looked at one of the sites someone recommended last week, and the prime example they displayed as a jpeg to vector conversion would not get the nod here... maybe I'm just picky. It's an image by image call really.

Steve

[royster13]

Screen capture videos might be useful.....

[Gilligan]

I use Illustrator CS6, and it's trace function is much better than earlier versions. I took a photo of a wall graphic last week, ran it through a trace, and it was very useful. And I usually don't like traces, I can always tell the difference. I looked at one of the sites someone recommended last week, and the prime example they displayed as a jpeg to vector conversion would not get the nod here... maybe I'm just picky. It's an image by image call really.

Steve

Vector Magic isn't the end all be all... it's just another tool, it takes the place of live trace here.  We then drop it in Illy and finish it up.  There is a button right in VM to open the results in Illustrator.  VM just gives you a LOT more INTUITIVE controls over your trace than Illy does.  No oddly named presets.  For us we pick unlimited but then we pick the color pallet that best suits the image based on it's results.  Illy doesn't have anything (that we can find) that allows you to pick your pallet... just seems like you can pick a preset and tweak a little bit.  Again, we may be missing something, I just have tried to use Illy a few times to "save a step" and I end up spending WAY too much time futzing with it.

[royster13]

http://www.jon.hk/2012/06/image-trace-comparison-illustrator-cs5-cs6-and-vectormagic/

[GraphicDisorder]

Everyone says the new adobe is good but I just guess I don't know how to work it.

Where as Vector Magic is a lot more intuitive.

There still maybe better ways than what we are doing but we typically let it run in automatic mode and then reduce from there, this means it "runs" more times than it "should" but I seam happier with the results than trying to tell it what I want from jump street.

This of course is on the dirtier of images, though I pretty much run everything this way.

Brandt is this basically what you guys do or is there a better way?

Were we often use it is when we have a fairly clean image but its just too small for whatever we need, we will pop it in there in auto mode and crap you not it really does great job often do nothing to it and its ready to go.  At times it will be more involved and obviously at times no vector trace deal is going to save it and real work will need to be done. 

Another thing we use it for is sometimes creating a shape in photoshop (high res) is easier to do than creating it in vector, so if you need some odd shape that you want vector but don't want the extra leg work create it super big in Photoshop, vector magic it and off you go. 

To add to that sometimes with logos you get say a small PSD from a customer but it wont trace, you can turn off layers one at a time grab a jpg of each, vector magic each, reassemble.  Sometimes works.

[cyw]

Does anyone remember when the guys were just developing Vector Magic and they put a few beta versions out to us for testing?
Old board. Many years ago.
I did a similar test using Corel trace, Illy and Vector Magic side by side.
Wonder if the results are still floating in cyber space somewhere??
Anyway, for what it's worth, I've been using VM ever since.

[Sbrem]

My curiosity got the best of me, so I uploaded an image that I just traced yesterday with Illy, and I would say the results are very similar, like 95% the same. When I did it in house, I opened the jpeg in PS, exported to PhotoZoom  Pro which does a very good job enlarging raster images and smoothing them out, saved as a bitmap tif, took to Illy, traced, and reduced to the final size. I imagine VectorMagic is doing similar things to make the best trace it can. For $8.00 a month, that's pretty damn useful...

Steve

[Gilligan]

You can buy it for $300 as well... this gives you a button to press or drag and drop into illustrator.

[inkman996]

Vector magic has been one of the most useful tools I have had for years. What I really ouse it for most is when I get insane out of control vectors either full of nodes, or insane amount of similar colors. I can in Corel convert it to a high res graphic, export as a TIFF and trace in Vector Magic. The beauty is Vector Magic works great with colors and you can condense the palette down to a working amount of colors. Corel ttys to do this with their tracing software but it does not woe well at all, plus Corels trace software requires you to down sample large images which is counter intuitive to me.

[blue moon]

just tried in Illy and I am getting similar results to VM with a little bit of adjusting the controls. VM does seem to square off the round edges in some cases which would be a no-no. I can see it being useful as another tool besides the Illy.

pierre

[balloonguy]

I stopped using it a couple of years ago. The ai trace is much better than it used to be. If I can not get it done in 10 minutes or less I send it out. I find it is faster/cheaper to let the pros do it. I have a local that gives me great rates so my customers rarely question the additional cost.

[whitewater]

we have been using it for awhile...since when it was free!


Someone mentioned it a few years ago on one of the old boards.