Digital Art Zone

Does anyone know how to convert a .PNG to a vector format? I’m loking into getting my shirt designs screen printed and they usually require vector format.

...PSP can do it.

...I think Inkscape (free) can do it as well.

Programs like Adobe Illustrator can “trace” images, thus turning them into vectors. I’m sure that comparable programs have similar features as well.

Images with blocks of solid color, like cartoon/illustrations are much more vector-ready than say a photographic image. What kind of images are you trying to convert.

Well, I don’t know if I can show you the original, but here is a thing I put together for advertising.

Made in Photoshop Elements.

you’re better off doing it manually in XARA or Serif or whatever vector illustration package you use.  Tracing bitmaps is not designed to do what you’re trying to do.

You COULD use OCR, and that would probably work better than trace.

Kyoto Kid - 18 November 2012 09:10 PM

...PSP can do it.

...I think Inkscape (free) can do it as well.

Inkscape is very good at it - IMO just as good as some very expensive trace programs, according to my own tests. But no matter what program you use the result depends very much on the source material. Cartoon-like material generally trace quite well while photos usually don’t give very good results.

We had a discussion about it in a newsgroup a while ago where someone asked if it was possible to convert a small picture of a wedding bouquet into vector format, so it could be magnified without loss of quality. I offered to give it a try but seeing the picture I knew in advance that it probably wouldn’t turn out very well. You can see the result here if you click the link below, the left picture is the original magnified several times in Irfan View, using Resample, best quality setting, the right is the left picture traced into vector format in Inkscape.

Below is a sample of a scanned cartoon, the left picture is the original, the right is the original traced in Inkscape. Here the traced picture is actually better than the original, as you can see.

http://miscfiles.net/temp/vk/

I have Inkscape downloaded, but not installed yet. Do vectors have to be saved as a certain file type? Dumb question, I know…

LightofHeaven - 19 November 2012 03:17 AM

I have Inkscape downloaded, but not installed yet. Do vectors have to be saved as a certain file type? Dumb question, I know…

The only dumb questions are those never asked…

There are many vector formats, so what format you want to save your drawing in depends on what other programs it’s supposed to be compatible with. Usually you save your project in the format the program you’re using uses internally, in this case SVG, for your own use (e.g. if you want to open it later and continue working on it). If you’re going to send the file to someone else, ask them which format they want it in and save or export the file in that format.

Note though that not all programs do an equally well job when they save/export in another format than their own, so sometimes the files may be more or less incompatible with the programs you want to import them in.

Gotcha. Thanks.

BTW, looking a your avatar, are you a karateka too?

Sorry, double post…

LightofHeaven - 19 November 2012 04:12 AM

Gotcha. Thanks.

BTW, looking a your avatar, are you a karateka too?

No, I believe more in defending/protecting yourself by keeping the right mental attitude. Not even the best martial artists can beat you then. Mind over matter. But practising martial arts is probably good physical and spiritual exercise, much better than normal sports…

Quote: “...the right attitude not only has the power to turn every circumstance to advantage but can change the very circumstance itself.

For instance, when a man comes to kill you, if you remain in the ordinary consciousness and get frightened out of your wits, he will most probably succeed in doing what he came for; if you rise a little higher and though full of fear call for the divine help, he may just miss you, doing you a slight injury; if, however, you have the right attitude and the full consciousness of the divine presence everywhere around you, he will not be able to lift even a finger against you….

I have had innumerable examples of the power of right attitude. I have seen crowds saved from catastrophes by one single person keeping the right attitude. But it must be an attitude that does not remain somewhere very high and leaves the body to its usual reactions. If you remain high up like that, saying, “Let God’s will be done”, you may get killed all the same. For your body may be quite undivine, shivering with fear: the thing is to hold the true consciousness in the body itself and not have the least fear and be full of the divine peace. Then indeed there is no danger. Not only can attacks of men be warted off, but beasts also and even the elements can be affected.” 

(from “Powers Within”, by Sri Aurobindo & The Mother)

I totally know what you mean and I agree. The movies can teach you that kicking butt is what the arts are about, but attitude is what the arts are really about. I’m a first degree black belt, and although that doesn’t mean much, I have had many pedopl ell me how much I inspire them or that I’ve changed their life or saved them. I always think “What did I do?” In fact, I’m only just beginning to slowly realize it’s not solely in what I do, but also my attitude.

It’s still a mystery to me. I dunno. If you look for HavenDL on YouTube, maybe you’ll understand\ why.

I can see where you’re coming from.   May I recommend this book to you, it may help you understand some of the “mystery”.

http://tinyurl.com/cz5bfnp

Also, check your PM…