Vector Images with Paint Shop Pro 7?

[Crazy Cooter]

I've downloaded a couple non-mame vector images from the web and only a selct few will even open with PSP7 (Paint Shop Pro 7).  After doing some research, it seems that vector images can be made with PSP7 and I would like to start doing so for some cab art.  Has anyone used this program?  What file type should it be saved as and were the results adequate?

Here's a quick tutorial I found for starting vector images in PSP7:
http://ronstoons.com/part1.htm

[Crazy Cooter]

Well I played with PSP 7's vector stuff... spoke with a friend that uses Illustrator... Played with Illustrator CS... Long story short:  I'm short a case of beer, he's short his Illustrator 10 CD    

Much better program for doing this IMO

[neuromancer]

Here's a quick tutorial I found for starting vector images in PSP7:
http://ronstoons.com/part1.htm

It looks like there are only three tools. It would probably be OK for really simple things.

Bob

[Ravage]

Actually... I'm gonna stand up and defender PSP for vectoring...

Firstly: Its faults:
1. Its hideously RAM expensive - you load a adobe package and you soon relaise that moving large bitmaps around is a doddle. However, to evctor with PSP large files are important. Ok. damn.. within the first fault point i've got the the crux: Points. PSP stores the vector co-ordinate as a bitmap style x/y bitmap point. The thing is, at say 400% zoom, the difference between left ahnd size of pizel 400,400 is different from the right of pixel 400,400. It means you cant truly trust straight lines.
2. No .ai export. Claims it does - but it doesnt save the dtata as a AI file. You have to export as .WMF or .EMF (windos meta or enchanced meta files). PSP7 had *lots* of problems as WMFs and you had to juggle between the to. Nowadays .EMF works everytime for me in PSP8
3.thats it

Now its pros:
1. To me, it is the fastest tracing program going. Adobe has its shortcuts and ways of doing things and I'm *still trying* to become  a expert i cant even get a 90 degreee right-angle to be truly 90 degrees ina  edit situation. The adobe point system sucks big time:
With PSP, its simply a case of placing a point, going to the next point on the curve (not over 90 degrees),point, press CTRL 1 (curve before point), edit the curve. next point, ctrl+1, edit the point. close the vector with ctrl_shift_c and its done. Works like AI, cropping does the opposite direction. has layers exactly like AI. It rocks - i can vector a file 5 time quicker with PSP. Saved as a PSP file. With first release of PSP7 you couldnt delete the bitmap but a service pack (i nagged and moaned on a newsgroup about!) changed that and now PSP8 is very fluid at it!
Then I save it as a EMF, import it into AI and do the tweaking from there as no doubt it lookks and behaves better in AI

If someone tells me there was way of converting a point - or setting the default next point as a curve before point in AI and I could increase my output by 100%!

By the way - regardless of which package bezier curves suck for a newbie.... Curve befores (or curves after if your cocky) as 5X more easy and adobe hides this behind a dozen clicks per point... or am I wrong... TELL ME!!!!

So... to conclue... PSP has a home when it comes to vectoring - only in the initial trace. Not in the final format / clean-up. Trtust me, two shortcuts and you can vector *anything*

Regards
Rav

[mahuti]

The help docs that ship with Adobe apps are your friends. They have detailed instructions on the keycommands you need to use to change the path tool on the fly.

1. I you create a point, hold shift, make the next point... you have a straight line, shift-click again, above or below, and you will have a perfect right angle.

2. You can also use the align tool to easily force to points to make a right angle.

3. When you make a corner point, and want to make the next point, you can just click-drag when you place the next point and it will be a curve point. OR, you can option(maybe ctrl on PCs)  click an established corner point to make it a curve point in Illustrator.

Anyway, all of the relevant information can be found in the "adjusting paths" section of Illustrator CS help docs(or something comparable for Illustrator 10, 9, etc) I guess it takes practice... but I can bang out a full bezel, cpo, or side art in a few hours with illustrator. When possible, I actually use a pen & tablet to trace, and then clean up later... that makes it really fast.

As far as PSP goes, it has always looked like good app to me... I tried it last about 7 years ago, and it was a good program then. Everytime I've looked at it since, it still looks fine. If you have a copy, and it's familiar to you, use it. Don't worry about everyone else. It's often rather easy to convert one vector file to a vector file in another program, so don't sweat it.

[Ravage]

ok.. for a start. i spent the evening battlign with paint shop pro 9 - they've trully buggerred up all the merits i was banging on about yesterday - and its buggy as hell... leave it guys!

So forced between a hell of a evening with PSP9, i htought i'd try some techniques with Ai... I find that if I click, hold, do the curve then click on the point with the alt button in it converts to a curve before and I'm fine ... VERY long winded, but I'll perserve...