posted
Not trying to start a debate here, just relate my musings on the subject. I just got done cutting a 'W' out of vinyl. (As i was weeding it, I thought, "what am I going to transfer this onto?" Duh-gee dude, weed it and scan it on the release liner. "Oh right, I was just testing myself to see if I knew that")
Anyway-y-y-y, I scanned it at 598, then scanned it again at 100. I took them both into Corel trace. The lower res image ended up with less nodes. I just wanted to try both resolutions at the same time, same artwork, etc.
I was thinking about it, thinking maybe the higher resolution would provide a smoother edge, but then it occured to me that maybe since the image is larger, the trace program asigns more nodes. Any thoughts?
-------------------- 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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When you wake up in the morning..think about it again..
-------------------- 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
[ May 18, 2006, 12:24 AM: 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
I'm thinking you know something I don't, something that's obvious . Hmmm, just an oversight on my part, if I think about it hard enough, I'll get it. Yeah, that's what I'll do.
-------------------- 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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posted
If you add resolution, you add pixels. If you have 10 nodes on a path for a given resolution, it stands to reason you would have closer to 20 nodes if you doubled the resolution. The path will be twice as long.
That's my take. I'm no expert in autotracing. The technology has changed so much. With older versions of Illustrator, the tracing tool used the screen resolution. Illustrator CS2 has cool new tracing tools with a lot more control. I haven't messed with them much yet.
My mind wanders. And that's not a good thing, 'cause it's too small to be out there alone. Posts: 3129 | From: Tooele, UT | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
James, the plotter has a stepper motor driving it, and there becomes a stage where excess nodes can't really be noticed or plotted when going to super high resolution at small sizes- it just takes ages to plot as the plotter thinks it has to travel through every node, though you cannot percieve the difference.
Simplify what you can as much as you can!
PS I just tried the autotracing function in Illy 2 and it's brilliant! It applied common sense to a not so good scan, and made it exactly what it was supposed to be. It just took me a while to work out how to 'release' or free up the vectors so I could use them.
[ May 18, 2006, 05:26 AM: Message edited by: Ian Stewart-Koster ]
-------------------- "Stewey" on chat
"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7014 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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posted
sometimes less is more - for example a simple "gumdrop shape" or "water droplet" might require very little tweaking; a more complex subject would be better edited with more nodes - that's where the "smoothing tool" & erasure comes into play - it's fun to do when you have the time - unfortunately in most busy one man operations such as mine I have little play time - if too complex to do I would send it to the "Vector Doktor" as others here have recommended - I'm still saving my "Free introductory scan" for the time I REALLY need it - I find Gerber Omega almost flawless for design & output. . .just wish they would hurry up & deliver my up-grade - why is it taking 2 weeks for 2.1????
-------------------- Carl Wood Olive Branch, Ms Posts: 1392 | From: Olive Branch,MS USA | Registered: Nov 1999
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posted
I don't think the resolution itself makes more nodes ... but that the higher resolution would pick up more imperfections that would be interpreted as shapes.
as a test ... in photoshop make two black boxes on a white background, turn/skew one box. Save the boxes image as a high res. and a low res. bitmap. Trace them both the same and see.
[ May 18, 2006, 07:36 AM: Message edited by: Mark Matyjakowski ]
-------------------- Compulsive, Neurotic, Anti-social and Paranoid ... but basically Happy Posts: 2677 | From: Rochester, NY, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
Just to clarify my what I wrote above: I hand cut the 'W'. I see now that must've looked wierd
-------------------- 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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posted
If we do that and it has more nodes after the resolution is greater we just delete the extra nodes and smooth it before running it. It only takes a minute in the Omega, no? Or maybe I don't understand again?
posted
If you have the right program nodes can be quickly removed and the lines smoothed or squared without difficulty. In graphics already existing in your computer node count should not increase with a size increase unless they're hidden (stacked) nodes.
P
-------------------- Pierre St.Marie Stmariegraphics Kalispell,Mt www.stmariegraphics.com ------------------ Plan on knowing everything before I die and time's running out! Posts: 4223 | From: Kalispell,Mt 59903 | Registered: Mar 2000
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. Hmmm, just an oversight on my part, if I think about it hard enough, I'll get it. Yeah, that's what I'll do.
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