Expert: Kevin Stohlmeyer - 8/6/2010

Question
QUESTION: I have an image that I have created on my Mac in Photoshop. I have to send it as
a CAD file to a company that uses a PC and they are saying they cannot open my
file. They told me that they need an .ai, .dxf. or .dwg file and that is has to be
converted to Windows format. I have tried exporting the file with those suffixes
and they are not readable on a pc.

ANSWER: Hi Eloise,

Photoshop does not convert over to those file formats so Im curious how you were able to export out to a .dxf or .dwg?

What they are looking for is a file from Illustrator, not Photoshop. It has nothing to do with Mac or PC. Normally when a company asks for a CAD or .ai file it is line work or a technical drawing that requires paths and strokes, not a raster file from Photoshop.

Unfortunately, your file is not in the correct format. Even if you were to place the file in Illustrator and save out from there, it is still not correct. You will have to redraw this using paths and shapes in Adobe Illustrator to give them what they want.

Thanks

Kevin

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Kevin,

Thanks for your reply. Sorry, I should have mentioned that I opened the file in
Illustrator when I tried to export it as a .dxf and .dwg. Is there a quick way for
me to trace the Photoshop shape in Illustrator? And if I do manage to
recreate the image in Illustrator, how do I save it on my Mac in order for
them to open it successfully on a PC?

Thanks again,

Eloise  

Answer
Hi Eloise,

If you have CS3 or newer, you can use the Live Trace function. Select your placed image, and in the options/task bar above you have a button called "Auto Trace" (CS3) or "Live Trace" in CS4 and newer.

Here is a link to a PDF explaining how to use it:

http://www.adobe.com/products/illustrator/pdfs/creating_vector_content.pdf

Thanks

Kevin