posted
Hi everyone, I would really appreciate it if someone out there can tell me how to edit a vector hand lettered script. I scanned the lettering and masked out the background in Photo Paint. No matter how I masked the script(Anti-alaising,etc.),I still had stair-stepping from the pixels on the edge so I wanted to make it a vector instead of a bitmap for clean crisp edges at any size. I got as far as importing that cpt file into Corel and tracing the bitmap using trace by outline mode. It looks great but the areas of the script that are closed are solid in my saved vector version. I would like to edit those out so I can apply a color or an outline just as I do with any font without it filling in the closed areas as well as the lettering itself. How do I get those areas out? I do hope I am explaining this enough so you understand my dilema! Thanks to all who consider helping me!
-------------------- Lori Schory Lori's Signs & Graphics N1552 Powers Lake Road Genoa City, WI lschory@charter.net Posts: 12 | From: Genoa City,WI | Registered: Mar 2004
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I scanned the script at 300 dpi and the file size is 4 MB. Color mode is RGB. Arthur, I don't understand combining the inner and outer lines. I'm sorry.
-------------------- Lori Schory Lori's Signs & Graphics N1552 Powers Lake Road Genoa City, WI lschory@charter.net Posts: 12 | From: Genoa City,WI | Registered: Mar 2004
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Lori..if it is a hand lettered script that you have scanned....
My personal favourite way is to scan at something like 600 DPI, import it into Draw. Use wireframe view and manually draw over top of the bitmap.
However you choose to do it, as Arthur says, you can "combine" all elements of the script and the inner parts of "a"s and "o"s etc. will be correct
[ January 25, 2006, 06:39 PM: Message edited by: Dave Grundy ]
-------------------- Dave Grundy retired in Chelem,Yucatan,Mexico/Hensall,Ontario,Canada 1-519-262-3651 Canada 011-52-1-999-102-2923 Mexico cell 1-226-785-8957 Canada/Mexico home
posted
Next time, if you're scanning handlettered script, use greyscale instead of RGB. That will make a smaller file. And then, sometimes it helps to reduce the contrast in the bitmap file before opening it in Trace.
I usually do something like Dave does. But instead of using Wireframe, I put a transparency on the imported bitmap and draw with a bright outline in Enhanced view. Seems to me that in Wireframe everything would be black. But I'll have to try that and see.
-------------------- Bruce Williams Lexington KY Posts: 945 | From: Lexington, KY, USA | Registered: Mar 1999
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I work in greyscale first, smooth the edges by slightly blurring, then convert to black and white- when it is traced, the jaggies are gone and I get a nice smooth vector object.
-------------------- Michael Clanton Clanton Graphics/ Blackberry 19 Studio 1933 Blackberry Conway AR 72034 501-505-6794 clantongraphics@yahoo.com Posts: 1736 | From: Conway Arkansas | Registered: Oct 2001
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I skip the trace part, it is rarely clear anyway. Import the photoshop file into Corel and start drawing. Draw the inside letters first with middles and all, then Combine, and apply a contour, break the contour apart and group all together. Everything is then vectored. I love Corel!
-------------------- Scott Baker Posts: 102 | From: Binghamton, NY ----- USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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I have been meaning to get in touch with you. I am interested in how your procedure works. We are located no more than 25 miles apart. I will be contacting you soon for a demonstration (if you don't mind).
Thank you in advance...
Harvie Loomis
-------------------- Harvie Loomis Loomis Signs 76 Cortright Hill Road Newark Valley, NY 13811 (607)642-8616 tozrox@frontiernet.net Posts: 47 | From: Newark Valley, NY 13811 | Registered: Jul 2000
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"I skip the trace part, it is rarely clear anyway. Import the photoshop file into Corel and start drawing" ------------------- Right on, Scott. And don't forget that the geometric shapes, especially ovals, can follow nice contours with a little tweaking.
-------------------- Bruce Williams Lexington KY Posts: 945 | From: Lexington, KY, USA | Registered: Mar 1999
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I have great success with Trace- I have learned over the years how to tweek the original image and settings to make it do just about everything I want. If it is a crappy low-res image to start with, I do just redraw it faster than trying to trace.
-------------------- Michael Clanton Clanton Graphics/ Blackberry 19 Studio 1933 Blackberry Conway AR 72034 501-505-6794 clantongraphics@yahoo.com Posts: 1736 | From: Conway Arkansas | Registered: Oct 2001
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Ok forgive my ignorance, but when y'all say redraw, do you literally redraw with pen and paper, a drawing tablet, or is it a option in corel? thnx Bj
-------------------- BJ Carter ABC Signs & Graphics Appomattox,Virginia Posts: 31 | From: Appomattox, VA | Registered: May 2004
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posted
'Draw' in Corel refers to using the bezier tool, probably about fourth down on the left toolbar (below select tool, which is the arrow)
It's the tool that you click a node into being, then drag a line, click for another node, and so on, 'till you've made an object, in this case a line over the image that you're vectorizing. In this kind of work, best to have the last node on top of the first node, so that you've made an object of sorts, not a line with loose ends.
Next double click on the 'shape' tool, the one just below the select tool. There will be a box that appears on your draw screen. This is the node edit box. You'll have to experiment with it, I don't have the time to explain it all here. One of the features of node edit: click on a part of the line you've drawn. A black dot will appear. Go to a little box in the node edit that has a curved line between two dots, click there. That section of your drawing will now be a curved line, you can adjust it to just the right curve.
All this from version 8, other versions may differ.
-------------------- James Donahue Donahue Sign Arts 1851 E. Union Valley Rd. Seymour TN. (865) 577-3365 brushman@nxs.net
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what's for lunch, Benjamin Franklin Posts: 2057 | From: 1033 W. Union Valley Rd. | Registered: Feb 2003
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