Sharpening the edges of an image and Vector Shapes help please

**nikola247** · 04 May 2006, 05:20 PM

Good Evening

I am hoping that someone will be able to help me out here, as I am getting very frustrated..lol..

I have a couple of chinese symbols that my Mums friend drew for me, and I scanned them onto pc, and then made psp x brushes out of them, but the edges are a bit rough, and I wanted to smooth them, and I also wondered if there is any way of converting the brushes I have made out of them into vector shapes after smooting them, or does anyone knw of a company that would do this for me for a fee.

Hoping someone can help me.

Thankings in advance
Nikki

**Kman** · 04 May 2006, 10:16 PM

Hi, Nikki. I am sure your images can be vector traced using a
program such as Xara Xtreme, which I have. The question is,
are you wanting to maintain these images in a vector format?
If so, what vector file format? If not, then are you wanting the
images "re-tooled" (sharpened) by using vectors, with the final
final end products being some bitmap images. If you want the
outcome to be bitmap files, what file format?

Can you post some high-quality images of the Chinese characters
that you want re-worked?

Answering these questions and posting the Chinese symbols would
elicit a better, clearer response from folks here.

Thanks.

Ken

**nikola247** · 05 May 2006, 03:08 PM

Hi Ken,

I am sure I replied to your reply, but it seems to have disapeared

Thank you so much for that.

I have got the 15 day free trial of xara, and it seems excellant, thank you so much. I have done a couple of the symbols on there, and saved them as tiff's, then made them into tubes, but is there an option to save images as vector files to work in psp.

The reason I ask is that I really want them as vector shapes, so that I can make them as big/small as I like without losing any sharpness.

I was also wondered how I can make the image below more sharper in xara, as it all seems to be on one layer, I did try tracing this one in xara, but it looked carp..lol..

I wouldnt mind if I really couldnt get this image below in a vector shape, just as long as I can get it looking crisper. My mums friend drew it for me from a picture, and I scanned to my pc, and the edges were rubbish.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56...kiessymbol.jpg

I think photobucket resizes pics, I have it saved in various formats, and it looks smaller looking at it on photbucket..lol..

Once again, thanks alot Ken.

Kind Regards
Nikki

**nikola247** · 05 May 2006, 03:15 PM

Hi Ken,

Just another quick question, sorry...

You know in xara when you use the freehand and brush tool, I used that for my other symbols, but where the line ends it is soooo square, is there an option to either make it more rounded, or feather out like a paintbrush

Sorry to be a pain.

Kindest Regards
Nikki

**-=Drifter=-** · 05 May 2006, 04:12 PM

How's this?

**nikola247** · 05 May 2006, 04:16 PM

Only me again Ken,

I have sussed out how to make the ends of the lines feather out

I just need to know how to turn what I design into vector shapes that I can use in paint shop pro x now.

I love this xara its wicked..hehe.. thanks so much.

Kindest Regards
Nikki

**nikola247** · 05 May 2006, 04:18 PM

Wowww drifter, that looks much better

How on earth did you do that so quickly..lol..

Ive been trying for about 4 months now

hangs head in shame..

Kind Regards
Nikki

**nikola247** · 05 May 2006, 04:24 PM

Hi Drifter, thanks so much for that, it looks excellent, if I wanted it as a bit bigger image, could you possibly let me know how you did it so quickly..lol.. so I wouldnt have to pester you to do another one.

All I need to know now is how to convert these into vector shapes if it is at all possible, have been 'googling' and trying different things for ages now, so hopefully it can be done.

Once again, thanks drifter.. very kind of you

Kindest Regards

Nikki

**-=Drifter=-** · 05 May 2006, 05:03 PM

Well, if you have Xara Xtreme you can open that .xar file i attached and make it any size you would like and it will remain crisp as a cracker at any size at all, larger or smaller.
All i did was put your drawing on a layer and lock it, then make a new layer and traced over it by hand. Didn't take long at all.

**nikola247** · 05 May 2006, 05:09 PM

Awww... thanks so much Bob, I really appreciate that. I have opened it in xara now, and can see what you have done, bless you.

Have a good weekend.

Kindest Regards
Nikki

P.S. If anyone knows how to convert these xara files into vector shapes for paint shop pro, I promise I wont bug you again for a while..lol..