We have produced a lot of sketches lately for people that want to have them sent as "jpegs" thru their e-mail and we seem to be getting more and more requests.
Well we've managed it a few times but its a major task...the colors are nearly never right and sometimes it even drops part of the sketch.
So my question is...does anyone have a "short cut" where all you need do is hit "Export" and have the "plt" convert itself to a "jpeg" suitable for sending via e-mail?
"plt's" aren't real happy about being converted to anything but "eps" or "ai" files.
Is there a special piece of software (shareware or otherwise)that facilitates this need or have some of you found a way to do what I describe without banging your head on the wall.
Posted by Dave Grundy (Member # 103) on :
Monte..Ya know what I'll say. Start using CorelDraw!!!!
Sorry I can't offer any help with that Gerber stuff. Posted by Doug Allan (Member # 2247) on :
the "printscreen" button on the keyboard might work, except for all that other toolbar stuff. By the time you crop it out, you end up using 2 programs anyway
Posted by Devin Fahie (Member # 3961) on :
I use Signlab for my Edge, after converting to a bitmap you can push a button, and Signlab will automatically send an e-mail with the attachment. You just fill in the address & the message, it goes through Outlook, etc. Pretty cool feature, use it quite a bit.
Posted by Tom & Kathy Durham (Member # 776) on :
Are you coloring your layouts in vinyl or edge colors? We try to color everything in edge color for proofs even if we convert and cut it in vinyl.We then "save as" a jpeg, and don't really have any problems sending the file. We do try to reduce the orginal down to about 5" wide before saving as a jpeg. Hope this helps
Posted by Donna in BC (Member # 130) on :
Devin, could you elaborate just abit more?
I get frustrated with Signlab as you can't export as a jpg. So I've been saving the file as an ai, then importing it into Corel, then saving as a jpg. Pain in the butt.
Your way sounds easier!
quote:after converting to a bitmap you can push a button,
How do you convert a vector drawing to a bitmap?
What button do you push after that?
Thanks in advance!
Posted by Dawn Ellis (Member # 3529) on :
Donna, I export JPEG's from SignLab all the time. First I make a copy and then reduce the size to 8.5 x 11. Select it, go to Transform in task bar. Use "render to bitmap", I do the resolution at 110. Press apply, then go to File in top left of task bar, go to "export image" and you have the option to export as a JPEG.
Posted by Arthur Vanson (Member # 2855) on :
I no longer export jpegs from drawing programs since using a little snapshot app. called UltraSnap. With the magnifying glass you can get single pixel accuracy when selecting an area. At the press of a mouse button you can choose to add a border, drop-shadow, buttonize, sharpen, feather etc. You can resize by percentage or maximum width/ height etc. Output is adjustable under advanced options. It may not come wi’ the lutes and shawms, and a’ the whustles of it’s bigger brethren, but altogether it’s a grand wee application.
I know you all love Old English almost as much as you love Brush Script so I thought I’d treat you to this example of an UltaSnap jpg image (@ 82dpi with shadow). Ornaments from Mike Jackson's Americana collection.
Posted by Terry Baird (Member # 3495) on :
Hi Arthur...I'd love to check it out, but the link won't display.
Posted by Rick Sacks (Member # 379) on :
I drag my mouse across the illustration in Flexi and highlight it and hit Control-C and then go to my email program and hit Control-V. I find the copy paste works without converting to a .jpg.
Posted by Arthur Vanson (Member # 2855) on :
Hi Terry, I'm getting the same thing at the moment, says too many people are accessing the page. I did get in using the home page, then clicking the 4th link up from the bottom, left column.
However, I think it's just a question of timing although clicking on or copying and pasting this URL into your web browser's address bar may be worth a try:
Monte - I've had the same problem with colors. My solution was to export to .ai, tweak the colors in CorelDraw and then save as a .jpg. It involves a few steps that probably aren't necessary, but my computer skills are around the third grade level.
But, as you say...it works for me.
Posted by Jillbeans (Member # 1912) on :
Monte... I have the same problem. How I wish I would have been more computer-savvy when I set up my Gerber-based system! But alas, hindsight is 20/20. I recently got CorelDraw to try and rectify the export situation. However, I have not had time to learn this software & I am in Draw-Denial. I think I will eventually be able to convert to a .jpeg, but who knows? It may take years. Bob Gilliland of InKnowVative in Harrisburg is an expert at this sort of thing...perhaps he could be of some help? Sincerely- JILL Posted by Henry Barker (Member # 174) on :
Monte,
I regularly exort from Omega, using the jpg ext in export, find the colours always are more realistic than an exported ai or eps file.
When sending an ai file I normally change to Edge colours as has been mentioned and export, opening in Illustrator and changing any colour differences before sending on to the customer.
It seems abit long winded and have never understood why Omega is the way it is with colour all my old GA job files went a funny colour when changing to Omega, I've got used to that!
Saving as Edge colours eliminates the problem you get when opening exported files in another programme and seeing all the centres of letters filled.
Another thing I did was save a version of my old gspctvr (the old GA import/export filter) on my desktop, and if you want a quicker way just save a copy of an Omega plt as a 6.0 or 6.2 and you can export it problem free if its a complicated file lots of colours and you don't want the hassle of trying to match Edge colours to that particular job.
If I export as a jpg I normally mark the job down to a width of 200mm to get a good viewable file.
Just add that when "exporting" a jpg I go to "save as" and there you see the list of files you can save as, this works well too for ai if saved in Edge colours first.
[ January 17, 2004, 10:33 AM: Message edited by: Henry Barker ]
Posted by Golden (Member # 164) on :
Monte wrote me about this topic and I sent this back as an email, but it appears a lot of people could use the information:
GA doesn't have a JPG or Bitmap export. (Omega does) If you have Image Rip for GA, it can export a BMP, but that is a specialty program.
However, you can do it easily.
1: Just resize your graphic on your screen so it fills an area about the size you want to send someone...in other words about 4" x 5" on your screen.
2: Hit Print Screen on your keyboard. That copies everything on your screen to the clipboard.
3: Open Photoshop or Photopaint or similar editing software. I know Photoshop better. Click File>New>Enter. The information about the size will already be filled in from the clipboard and you will get blank white page. Hit Control-V or go to Edit>Paste to paste it in. Control-E or Layers>Flatten Image to get rid of the extra layer.
4: Use the Crop tool to crop away all but your image area and save as a JPG in any folder you want.
If Photoshop is already open, it takes about 20 seconds to do, maybe less. I did the attachment directly from this email in about 15 seconds using normal shorcut commands.
PrintScreen> switch to Photoshop > Control-N > Enter > Control-E> Select area with cursor> then Image>Crop (or use the standard Crop tool in the toolbar which is select area >Enter)
Hope this helps! It IS easy to do, and you can do it in any program, and at any time, and get any part of the visible screen including toolbars. It will capture the screen with fills on, or off as desired. Normally, for web attachments, you want relatively small images. The grab will take them from the screen at the size they appear, so you can adjust the final output by resizing your program screen prior to doing the Print-Screen. One other thing to note: once you crop the image in Photoshop, it might appear blurry due to the fact is is either reduced or enlarged from the actual size. Double click on the little magnifying glass in the toolbar and it will display the image at full size, making it as clear as the file will appear in an email or attachment.
The image above is a screengrab of the right side of my Photoshop screen showing the Navigator, Swatches, History, and Layers. Notice in the History tab: New, Paste, Merge Down, Crop. That's basically it!
Mike Jackson
Edit> One last thing...you don't NEED to buy any specialty screen grab software for this operation. I have HyperSnap on my system, but I only use that on articles when I am trying to show the cursor or selection boxes in the grab. If you hold down the ALT key when you click Print-Screen, it will only get the current program screen and not the entire video window.
[ January 17, 2004, 11:01 AM: Message edited by: Golden ]
Posted by Monte Jumper (Member # 1106) on :
Thanks Mike Jackson...we'll give this a shot!
Posted by Olde Lang Signs (Member # 336) on :
Monte, I am using GA 6.21 & use the same technique Mike described. Sometimes I will make one extra step. I minimize all windows & right click on the desktop. From the pull down menu, I click "properties". Then select the "settings" tab from the display properties box. I change the settings of the "screen area" to the highest possible, in my monitor's case it's 1600 x 1280 & select apply. A box appears that says, "Windows will now resize yur desktop. This could take a few seconds, during which your screen might flicker. If Windows does not appear correctly, wait 15 seconds, & your original settings will be restored. Then, my desktop changes, making all of my icons look smaller. During that 15 second interval, I maximize my Graphix Advantage window, then select "show filled", zoom in as close as I want to the image I want to send & then hit the print screen button to copy the screen to the clipboard. After 15 seconds is up the screen returns to normal.
The only thing different with this step is the resolution of the image is a little higher, unless the display settings you are using are already at the maximum. Good Luck, Jeff
Posted by Devin Fahie (Member # 3961) on :
Donna,
I understand exalty what you mean. As you know before exporting anything other than an .ai or a cdr. file you need to transform it into a bitmap. I usually save the file at about 150 dpi when sending to a customer. I know what you mean about saving as an AI, then importing into another program to send, I agree, pain n the butt! If you explore the "WEB" button, you will see different options, if im not mistaken if you click on "Generate Proof" that will take your image/graphic and set it up in a e-mail format for you. Very easy! You do not need to be a member of Signtopia for this. I wiah I was better with words to explain this in more detail for you. Please feel free to call me at the shop anytime, id be more than happy to go over this with you, as well as pow-wow about Signlab! Good luck Donna, hopefully this wil save you some time & fustration!
Posted by Doug Allan (Member # 2247) on :
looks like I'm in good company with the printscreen solution, but Arthur, that Ultrasnap sounds even better. I tried to access their site from both links several times with no luck. I did a google search & found several free download sites advertising it, but they all link back to the same mediachance page whice still says "too many people at once..."
Arthur, does your software have an email address for them?
Posted by Arthur Vanson (Member # 2855) on :
Doug and Terry, Happily it's shareware and can be freely distributed. The terms are: use for 30 days then dump it, or contribute if you wish to carry on using it. Let me know if you would like me to e-mail the zip file to you. Unfortunately it can only capture as good as the screen resolution, if your Gerber screen image is as jagged as Mike's sample then that's what you will get. Use it with CorelDraw's enhanced view and the results are superb. For web images about 500 pixels wide or less, have the sharpen filter engaged.
Posted by Barb Schilling (Member # 13) on :
Mike Jackson, Thank you! Thank you!
You just saved me a bunch of extra work. I have been printing the sketches on the ink jet, scanning the print, and saving as a jpg. Ugh. Extra time and steps not to mention the ink and paper!
I found if I made the image pretty tight in the composer screen,(not much white space)it comes out to a good email resolution. I sent myself a couple of samples to check it out.
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