Create your own vector images
This post is an extension of Prezi Tip 2 where I explained the importance of getting the flavour of your Prezi right.
In that post I showed you the difference between raster and vector images, and hopefully after reading it you understand that vector is definitely the way to go when using Prezi.
The 2 main benefits of using vector art in Prezi are:
- No pixelation when zooming into an image
- Vector images are lower in file size
Since I wrote Prezi Tip 2 it’s been bothering me that not all of you will know how to create your own vector images, or have access to expensive software that does it for you. I felt like I had dangled a big carrot in front of you and then left you hungry!
Well it’s time to feed all of you so here’s a couple of ways you can create your own vector images and really benefit from everything I explained.
www.vectormagic.com
The easiest way to create vector images is by having something do it for you. Vector Magic is a great online conversion tool that creates vector images for you in seconds. You only need to enter an email address to register and get some free conversion tokens. You’ll need to pay for it eventually, but its very cheap and saves you lots of time.
- Find a raster image you’d like to vectorize and save it to your desktop
- Go to www.vectormagic.com
- Click ‘Upload image to trace’ from the home screen
- Select your raster image from step 1 to see a vector comparison like the below image
- Once you are happy with the image click ‘Download Result’
- Enter an email address to register and download the new vector
- Whooppeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
www.inkscape.org (The free option)
If you’re a bit of a scrooge like me then you’ll definitely want to download Inkscape. 1-Because its free, 2-Because it has a trace tool, and 3-Because its free. Inkscape is an open source vector graphics editor that enables you to import raster images and trace them to create a vector image. You can then save them as a .PDF file and import them into Prezi.
- Go to http://inkscape.org/ and download the software
- Check out this YouTube tutorial on tracing and follow the steps
- Once the trace is done go to File>Save As and select .PDF as a file type
- Open Prezi and insert the new pdf vector you just created
- Cha ching!
Now get Vector’ing
Obviously there are pro’s and con’s to either option you chose. If you don’t want to spend a penny then use inkscape as its free and has a whole host of other great benefits besides the trace tool. However, Vector Magic is so quick and easy that it’s easily worth the small price attached to it.
If you have any other useful and/or free ways to create your own vectors please let me know and share it with the community.
All the best,
Russell (aka The Prezenter)
