This is routine for most of you, I guess. Today I finally got sick of loking for the right image all over the net, drew my own with a sharp felt pen, scanned and traced it in Corel 10. The lines looked not too bad on the screen, but when I cut it it was all jagged. So please have patience and explain this computer rookie how to clean up those lines so I can get a smooth cut. (I cut straight from Corel) I'd love to make my own collection of images that way. Thanks for your time.
[ August 31, 2002, 01:49 AM: Message edited by: Lotti Prokott ]
Posted by Doug Allan (Member # 2247) on :
If your good with the bezier (sp?) drawing tools, use your scan as a template. lock it or send to another layer, maybe change its color, then draw new contours over top of it.
Another way I've done some is with a digitizing tablet. (I got a small Wacom 4" x 5" for about $100)slide your original drawing under the clear overlay sheet, then using a wireless pen-type stylus you can select the drawing tool by clicking with the stylus, using the tablet like the mouse pad, access your pen tool, then trace the art on the tablet, (while looking at the art on the tablet, not the monitor) I have found a huge improvement in jagged edges doing this, over scanning.
Also you could try a paper that doesn't absorb, & a pen that doesn't bleed & draw as large as you can scan, or bigger if you have easy access to reducing size on a copier & reducing the size of irregular ink bleeds into paper fibers.
Another thing is we often tend to think higher resolution scans are better, but after a point the higher res. only picks up more of the jagged edges in the original.
Posted by Curtis hammond (Member # 2170) on :
read don coplands "how to" vector. he just did it
Posted by Tim (Member # 1699) on :
I use a good old Sharpie, but draw on clear sheet stock, like the stuff for overhead projectors. It wont bleed like it does with paper. A scan is only as good as what you begin with. If your comfortable with adjusting the curve settings in your trace software, you can achieve smooth cuttable artwork with little or no node editing.
Posted by Mark Matyjakowski (Member # 294) on :
and work in wireframe mode ... so you can see all the nodes
enhanced mode can give a false sense of clean on the screen
Posted by Desire Rusovsky (Member # 2876) on :
Hi Lotti, I don't know Corel Trace, but I'm pretty sure you could adjust the pixel sensibility of your trace. You could also soften the edges of your scan in an image program (Photoshop?)
Posted by Dave Grundy (Member # 103) on :
In addition to what others have said...(especially about working in wireframe and using your sacn as a template to draw manually over top) Start playing with the node characteristics buttons. Those are the ones across the top of the page that say "convert line to" Straight line", "curved line","cusp", "smooth" "symmetrical" (when you pass the cursor over them). Those last three will really straighten out those jaggies for you.
Oh, and be sure to zoom in on your work as you go. The closer in you are the better you can control the placement of nodes and how a line is shaped.
[ August 31, 2002, 09:38 AM: Message edited by: Dave Grundy ]
Posted by Mark Neurohr (Member # 2470) on :
Amen what Dave said! I either scan or say import a .bmp, get into node editing mode and begin to clean up. I try to zoom into a specific area and concentrate on only there (maybe divide the artwork into quarters). My most useful tools are: Linierize (convert into straight lines), curve edit, add/delete points and move points. There are others, but I find I use these the most.
Posted by Lotti Prokott (Member # 2684) on :
I have read and re-read Don Coplen's step-by-step and learned from it, but I still find it difficult and time consuming to draw over the image if it is a comlex one. So is it possible then to get clean lines with the right adjustments, or does one always have to draw over it to get a decent cutable version? I'll be trying out all your suggestions, and practice with those drawing tools, thanks Posted by Bill Biggs (Member # 18) on :
I have been scanning and converting bitmaps for quite some time, You can adjust the way corel trace handles pixels to be quite a bit smoother than the default. I do not have corel ten but 8 and nine adjust quite well, experiment with this first and you will have better scans on good artwork. If your artwork is not black and white you can still do what the guys suggest and trace. I always clean up my bitmaps prior to tracing as much as possible, while doing that you can see where the jaggies are going to come into play. Converting to curves after you scan will take a lot of that out, auto reduce will also help. All of it takes practice and time. I personally prefer to create mine one point at a time over the color scans. I use sign lab myself and it has a program called accu scan that does an amazing job. Also Vinyl Master Pro has a good scanning program. And it is a fairly economical program. Bill
Posted by Stephen Deveau (Member # 1305) on :
Lotti
We all wish it could be that easy but not at this moment!
Sharpie markers, Scans ,or otherwise we still need to do a Clean Up.
But once you know your program to convert your image with...Then it becomes a "Snap" for your Vector translation!!!!!
So follow your Nodes to the finest line of your drawing....
Posted by Deron Johnson (Member # 2475) on :
-(menu) Trace -By Advanced Outline (opens a new tool bar just above image.) -(menu) View -bitmap & wireframe (shows you original file as well as wireframe results)
-now just adjust the settings on that new toolbar & click 'apply' on the far right side of it to see the new results. by hovering pointer over the settings, you can see what they do. by playing with these settings, you can get a feel for how it cleans things up. Even though i've been cleaning up images with nodes for a long time, i still use CorelTrace because it saves time, then you can finish editing in coreldraw by editing nodes as others have previously mentioned.
Posted by Bill Biggs (Member # 18) on :
Deron and I had the same idea, I traced a very small magazine picture of a penguin at 600dpi here are the results in a jpg image of my corel 9 screen you can see the settings and the results, except for the jpg image distortion. Try it you'll like it.
Bill
[ September 01, 2002, 04:35 PM: Message edited by: Bill Biggs ]
Posted by Steve Purcell (Member # 1140) on :
I'm with those who recommend drawing your original on velum or some other smooth paper using a rapidograph pen.
Less tooth + less bleed = less nodes.
Posted by LEE ATTEWELL (Member # 2407) on :
Hey Lotti,
I ( like you) am a newbie at all this, but I do find trying to get the original image as an eps is worth the time rather than trying to re draw a horrid design. Find out if you can who did the original art and beg... I MEAN BEG for an email of it. Failing that, I'm with Stephen you've got to bite the bullet and re draw.
Good luck,
Lee
Posted by Golden (Member # 164) on :
Lotti, Now you may be respecting the time it takes us to do commercial quality digital "clip art"! It takes a long time to get it right.
I prefer "on screen digitizing".
If you still want to use the raster to vector program, here are a few other techniques for generating camera ready "scanable" art.
1. Technical pens on velum 2. Low bleed marker pens on velum 3. Dekor screen ink on wet media acetate, lettered with a brush. 4. Rubylyth, cut with a stencil knife
These usually give you very clean artwork, if you can manipulate the tools. Try scanning your artwork at different resolutions. 200dpi and 300dpi often give better raster results than 600dpi.
Good luck, Mike Jackson
Posted by Shane French (Member # 2098) on :
Hey Lotti,
If your image is jagged but doesn't lack detail, try this:
1. Scan in your image at a relatively low dpi: e.g. 300dpi, and adjust your scale to 2-300% of original size on your scanner (if your software/scanner supports this. Otherwise just start with an oversized image). Use the line-art mode and save as a tiff-black/white.
2. In CorelTrace, open your tiff and trace using the basic trace at a relatively low accuracy (start lower and work your way up if you are losing too much detail).. If your image is large enough, you can use very low detail.
When you use the low detail settings with a large image, Corel will usually "average down" all of the little bumps and jaggies that your felt pen may have left. Because you are using such a big image (in physical dimensions, not resolution) you avoid losing too much detail.
Hope that helps you. -shane
Posted by Lotti Prokott (Member # 2684) on :
Awesome help from all of you, now I really want to get good at this thing! I'm afraid Stephen hit the nail on the head: I was looking (hoping, wishing) for the five minute scan-trace-cut-solution... Time for another confession: Before getting computerized myself, I harbored a "real signpainter" over "anybody-can-use-a-computer" attitude. Well....accept my appologies, I changed my mind! And yes sir, Mr.Jackson, you do have my respect Thank you all, I'm sure this post will not only help myself, but quite a few others. (Hi,Lee )
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