How do you turn a Photoshop vector image into a Microsoft editable clip art/image?

Question

So here's my problem:

I made some vector images (e.g. figures of people, houses, apples, etc.—ones that you use for infographics). I made them for practicum but since my practicum is ending, I need to leave these stuff to my placement, where no one is well-versed with any kind of photoediting software.

My best bet for them if they want to recolor these images is PowerPoint. However, I don't know how to turn them into a Microsoft clip art that may be subjected to functions like "Fill Color". Whenever I use fill color, it just fills up the background, not the intended area. Fill Color only works the intended way when you create the image out of autoshapes in PowerPoint.

So my question is, does anyone know how to turn an image (i.e., vector image) to an element that is editable by Microsoft office applications?

Thanks!

Answer 1

You can't with Photoshop. Photoshop isn't designed to create true vector files. There is no way to save a real vector file from Photoshop This is a common misconception. Using vector tools does not mean you can save the file as a vector file.

If you use a true vector application, such as Adobe Illustrator, you can export art as a wmf (Windows Metafile) or an emf (Enhanced Metafile) which is the Windows version of a vector clip art. Both these formats allow for basic recoloring of fills and/or strokes separately within Powerpoint which can be useful for icons or pictographs.

You should be able to insert an emf or wmf, ungroup, then ungroup again and refill any piece.

If you have created images in Photoshop using the vector tools, you may be able to use File > Export > Paths to Illustrator from within Photoshop to transfer artwork to Illustrator from Photoshop.