Viewing 9 posts - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)
  • What's the easiest way to vectorise an image?
  • gozarch
    Free Member

    Hello all.

    What’s the easiest way to vectorise an image, preferably that doesn’t involve some fancy software? I want to use this charity logo on a jersey and it would be better without the white background (apart from the bit in the pink shape).

    Any suggestions gratefully received.

    Thanks,
    Julie

    PrinceJohn
    Full Member

    There isn’t really – the easiest way would be using illustrator’s live trace option & then filling out the bit’s its missed.

    No idea if there is a free version of Illustrator like GIMP (Open Source Photoshop)

    I think adobe offer a 30day evaluation period these days tho?!

    poly
    Free Member

    inkscape might do it for you. i’ve had reasonable success with it in the past and that was on less distinct shaped than you have. do you need it vector though or just the background
    removing? as many packages can select a transparent colour…

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...
    Latest Singletrack Videos
    nickjb
    Free Member

    Can you ask them for it?

    Failing that I’d use something like ‘what the font’ to find the fonts out then all you need to do is vectorise just the oval logo, which should be pretty easy.

    CountZero
    Full Member

    As above, really; I used to do this all the time years ago where the firm was supplied with printed logos and we needed vector versions for digital output from an image setter. I’d scan the logo and import it into CorelDraw, later Illustrator after moving from PC to Mac, then draw over the top and bin the bitmap when finished. That way any colour can be used to fill inside the lines.
    I did use Autotrace, but it tended to put hundreds of extra nodes in, and make straight lines and curves all wonky, needing lots of work to clean up.
    Trace in illustrator is much better now, but I’m really not sure if there’s a cheap or free equivalent. CorelDraw is very much more intuitive to use than Illustrator, and is what I’d recommend, but I have no idea about costs these days, it’s years since I used it.
    There’s a real knack to placing nodes, then dragging handles to get the vector lines to follow the underlying logo correctly, but once you get it, it’s brilliant fun, I used to love re-drawing logos, did hundreds of them. Best job I ever had. 🙁

    the-muffin-man
    Full Member

    If you email me – themuffins29 [at] gmail [dot] com

    I can send it to you in ai, eps and pdf formats.

    I’ve just stripped it from a pdf downloaded from their website. This is a trick I’ve used loads of times for various logos, and its saved me hours of work!

    CaptJon
    Free Member

    I’ve just stripped it from a pdf downloaded from their website. This is a trick I’ve used loads of times for various logos, and its saved me hours of work!

    I love you can do that.

    gozarch
    Free Member

    Gawd bless STW! Big thanks to the-muffin-man in particular, and to everyone else for their suggestions.

    *warm glow* 😀

    CountZero
    Full Member

    Muffin-man, nice one, I hadn’t thought of looking for a .pdf file! Obvious, in a way, but I’ve been out of the pre-press line of things for a while, and forget the tricks of the trade… 😀

Viewing 9 posts - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)

The topic ‘What's the easiest way to vectorise an image?’ is closed to new replies.