Export Photoshop Paths to Illustrator

The short answer

Photoshop can hand its vector paths to Illustrator. These are the paths drawn with the Pen tool, made from a selection, or stored as shape outlines. The usual way is the Paths to Illustrator command under File > Export, which writes an Illustrator file. You can also copy a selected path in Photoshop and paste it into an Illustrator document. Either way, Illustrator receives editable anchor points and curves that you can refine, fill and save as a vector logo.

Only the path geometry moves across. Fills, strokes, layer effects, pixel content and colour settings stay in Photoshop. The paths usually arrive with no fill and no stroke, so they can look as if nothing was exported until you select them or switch to Outline view. Expect a clean skeleton of the logo that you will finish in Illustrator, not a styled replica of the Photoshop file.

Where this fits when redrawing a logo from a sketch

In a sketch-to-vector job, the hand drawing is a raster scan or photo. Paths built over it in Photoshop are true vectors, but the scan itself is pixels. Exporting paths sends the vectors to Illustrator and leaves the sketch behind. If you want the sketch as a reference underlay in Illustrator, place it there separately. Remove or hide it before delivery so the final file doesn't carry an embedded raster image alongside the artwork.

Tracing in Photoshop and exporting is a valid route, especially if the drawing work is already done there. Many designers place the scan directly in Illustrator and trace it with the Pen tool, which skips the export step. That choice is a matter of workflow preference, not a technical requirement.

How to move the paths and finish the logo

Starting materials

• A Photoshop document containing the logo's paths, preferably saved as named paths in the Paths panel rather than a temporary work path
• The original sketch scan, kept on its own layer for reference
• Any lettering, either already converted to paths or with the font available and licensed for logo use
• Notes on the intended colours, since colour will be reapplied in Illustrator

Step 1: Prepare the paths in Photoshop

Open the Paths panel and save the work path with a name. A temporary work path is replaced the next time you draw a new one. If parts of the logo exist as shape layers, select each layer and check its path in the Paths panel. If the export dialog doesn't list that path, duplicate it as a saved path first.

If you made paths from a selection, for example by selecting the dark ink of the sketch and choosing Make Work Path, inspect them closely. Paths generated from pixel selections often have extra anchor points and slightly lumpy curves that need cleaning later.

Step 2: Handle live text

Live type layers are not paths, so the export does not include them. If the lettering must come across, convert the type to a shape or create a work path from it in Photoshop, then save that path. Converting text to outlines does not settle font licensing; check that the typeface's licence allows use in a logo. Hand-lettering traced from the sketch is already path artwork and needs no conversion.

Step 3: Export or copy

Choose File > Export > Paths to Illustrator. In the dialog, pick a single named path, the work path, or all paths, then save the resulting Illustrator file. The paths keep their position relative to the Photoshop canvas. You can also select paths with the Path Selection tool, copy them, and paste into an open Illustrator document. Menu wording and paste behaviour can differ between application versions, and no version-specific details were available for this guide. Check your own version if a command looks different.

Step 4: Make the paths visible and build the artwork

Open the file in Illustrator, select all, and apply a temporary stroke or fill so the shapes appear. Then rebuild the logo properly:

• Join or close open paths that should be solid shapes
• Combine shapes with counters, such as the holes in letters like O or A, into compound paths so the inner areas cut through
• Use Pathfinder operations where overlapping pieces should merge into one clean shape
• Remove stray points and smooth uneven curves inherited from selection-based paths
• Apply the final colours as swatches, with a colour mode that suits the delivery, such as CMYK or spot colours for print and RGB for screen

Step 5: Final inspection

• Outline view shows only clean vector shapes, with no hidden duplicates or empty paths
• No raster images remain: confirm the sketch scan is deleted and nothing is embedded or linked
• All text is either outlined or documented with its licensed font
• Compound shapes render with transparent counters, not filled holes
• The artwork still looks correct when scaled far up and far down
• The saved formats, such as AI, EPS, PDF or SVG, actually contain the editable paths; open each file to confirm rather than trusting the extension

Rights to check before you start

Redrawing a client's own sketch for them is routine. Redrawing an existing logo is different: the ability to download or open a file doesn't grant permission to modify the artwork, use its fonts, or reproduce a trademark. Confirm that the person commissioning the redraw has the right to authorise it.

Evidence gaps

No subject-specific sources, version numbers or measurements were available for this guide. The workflow above reflects generally documented behaviour of Photoshop and Illustrator. Exact menu names, dialog options and paste behaviour may vary by release, so check them against the version you are using.