Photoshop/Illustrator pros....

[Fat Elvis]

Does anyone have an idea of how I can turn this picture into a vector image? I'm really only interested in the blue dots. That, or how I would create a similar image...basically, I'm looking to create a diamond out of dots that looks like a drop of water rippling through it.

Thanks

[Bambi]

Use the live trace option in Illustrator.

[Groves]

Be more clear what youre after. Have demonpenz fire up MS paint if you need to.

You're looking for the halftone pattern to use diamonds instead of dots?
Photoshop can do that easily. Just start with any picture of a ripple that you like.

You need it to be a vector image for......cutting out of vinyl? Embroidery work? Wrapping a vehicle?

[Fat Elvis]

Be more clear what youre after. Have demonpenz fire up MS paint if you need to.

You're looking for the halftone pattern to use diamonds instead of dots?
Photoshop can do that easily. Just start with any picture of a ripple that you like.

You need it to be a vector image for......cutting out of vinyl? Embroidery work? Wrapping a vehicle?

I think I got what I was after, but using a half tone image and then going back in to alter the hue/saturation might be a good idea.

[ClevelandBronco]

If you're looking to replicate all of the subtle glowing that you're seeing from the individual dots in vector, you're in for many hours of work. The way the original raster appears to me, each of those dots glows slightly differently depending on its position in "space." If you can live with the dots as individual outlined elements, the live trace could be helpful, but unless you have access to an ultra high res version, you're going to end up with a rather ham handed trace.

[Fat Elvis]

Use the live trace option in Illustrator.

I tried that, but it came out pretty rough; there are a lot of gradiations of color in there. I was wanting to remove the black background and convert the rest of the image to a vector image.

[Fat Elvis]

If you're looking to replicate all of the subtle glowing that you're seeing from the individual dots in vector, you're in for many hours of work. The way the original raster appears to me, each of those dots glows slightly differently depending on its position in "space." If you can live with the dots as individual outlined elements, the live trace could be helpful, but unless you have access to an ultra high res version, you're going to end up with a rather ham handed trace.

I wound up going into photoshop, removed the backgroud (black) and then went back over the the dots with the burn tool and then played around with the saturation and hue. Rotating it 180 degrees seems to have helped as well for some reason in terms of making it look more realistic.

[ClevelandBronco]

I tried that, but it came out pretty rough; there are a lot of gradiations of color in there. I was wanting to remove the black background and convert the rest of the image to a vector image.

If you have to have vector, play with the contrast levels in Photoshop until you can live with what you're seeing, then use the magic wand (and play with settings on it as well) to select the dots (don't use the "contiguous" setting on the wand or you're in for an evening of selecting). Save the selection as a path and export the path to Illustrator. God knows what you'll actually end up with. Expect a considerable amount of trial and error but pray for a lot of luck instead.

EDIT: Or do what you did, then go to the wand and save the selections as paths and open the paths in Illustrator.

[Fat Elvis]

This is what I wound up with....not great, but it serves the purposes I need.

[ClevelandBronco]

This is what I wound up with....not great, but it serves the purposes I need.

I'm curious. If that's kind of what you were after, why did you think you wanted vector?

[mikey23545]

UFO?

[Fat Elvis]

I'm curious. If that's kind of what you were after, why did you think you wanted vector?

So I can resize it easily.

[ptlyon]

What's your vector victor?

[Strongside]

That's not easy...at all. Only way to do it and have it not turn into a jeggy (yes, that's a technical term) piece of shit is to make the dot matrix in a flat form in illustrator and copy the path. Paste it into photoshop (a large document at 300dpi) as a shape layer. Keep the shape layer a vector but copy a new layer (command/J) and turn off the old one. Rasterize the new layer and skew the image to match the plane that you'd like it to be on. To do this, select the layer (make sure 'transform controls' is selected at the top), hold down command and drag the top corners in and down until it looks right. When you're happy with the skew, go to filter>liquify. This will open your matrix in a new window and you'll be able to size your brush and create that dip until you're happy.

This image was more than likely done in a 3d program such as Maya or Blender, but you can cheat it if you have the skillz.

Source: 8 years of art/creative direction in advertising (holding the hands of kids just out of college and teaching them Adobe though they think they already know it all.)