Is there a way to clean up this text graphic image up?

So I have a file that I want to enlarge and then print out to frame and hang on the wall. Problem is I don't have a high resolution version or the native file. So I was wondering, is there a way to clean up this image in Xara (there are lots of stray pixely dots around the text) so I can get a nice, clean, sharp graphic that can be enlarged and printed?

Please excuse the cuss word, although it does sum up my expertise in this area quite nicely, lol.

PS: I am using Xara Photo & Graphic Designer 9

Why not re-make the image yourself? It would probably be a lot easier than going to the trouble of trying to clean it up, and your result would be better looking, I'm sure.
Bob.

I don't have the time, interest or expertise to do that. I'm hoping someone who knows how to clean it up (or if it is possible in Xara) will respond. I might even be interested in paying someone to do it.

any better? [zipped cos it's a bit big and forum will shrink it]

What expertise? Can you trace? I do this all the time with Xara. Sometimes a client is using a specific font, that either I cannot find, or is so costly to purchase, that its not worth my money to spend it for just one job. So I scan the font/graphic, import it to Xara, zoom in then use the pen tool to draw straight lines to trace the entire graphic or font. For areas that need curved lines, I select the points of the straight lines I created then convert them to curves. That's it. This works for any graphic, also used to clip photos to a photographed objects edges. There is no expertise necessary to trace an object. If you have Xara and you can trace with a pen tool, you have all the expertise necessary to accomplish the task.

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Originally Posted by handrawn

any better? [zipped cos it's a bit big and forum will shrink it]

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Oh, darn, it's still really pixely/blurry, especially enlarged. But thanks for trying!

an alternative - better for print maybe...

but what bob and gameprinter have said is true - for best results need to remake it

yes it will be blurry - you need special software to even make half a decent go at it I think, without redrawing it

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Originally Posted by Gamerprinter

What expertise? Can you trace? I do this all the time with Xara. Sometimes a client is using a specific font, that either I cannot find, or is so costly to purchase, that its not worth my money to spend it for just one job. So I scan the font/graphic, import it to Xara, zoom in then use the pen tool to draw straight lines to trace the entire graphic or font. For areas that need curved lines, I select the points of the straight lines I created then convert them to curves. That's it. This works for any graphic, also used to clip photos to a photographed objects edges. There is no expertise necessary to trace an object. If you have Xara and you can trace with a pen tool, you have all the expertise necessary to accomplish the task.

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I have never been able to get the hang of the curves and all that drawing/tracing stuff, and I wouldn't have the time to spend to do that myself anyway. I was just hoping there was some quick kind of tool that could zap away the background and all the errant dots, and then maybe sharpen the graphic/font image.

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Originally Posted by handrawn

an alternative - better for print maybe...

but what bob and gameprinter have said is true - for best results need to remake it

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Oh, that is a lot better! I think you're right, though, about the remaking it.

Soooo, I wonder if anyone here would be interested in being paid to redraw/trace for me to recreate it. If so, please let me know what something like that would cost.

well I used threshold to remove the noise and then sharpen - maybe a program that will up-sample in a clean way will do it, but that is not xara AFAIK

one last go - here it is in vector, maybe not a perfect trace, but see if you can use it

Give a man a fish, etc....

Create a Bitmap Image - True Color - 300dpi resolution. This will not make the image sharper but it will give you more pixels to work with.

Zoom in to 300-400%

Open the Levels dialog and move the white triangle to the left until the noise around the text disappears. If need be, use the black eye dropper to sample the thinnest part of the lines to beef up the density.

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Originally Posted by handrawn

well I used threshold to remove the noise and then sharpen - maybe a program that will up-sample in a clean way will do it, but that is not xara AFAIK

one last go - here it is in vector, maybe not a perfect trace, but see if you can use it

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Thank you; however, I'm unable to open the file. Says it's .svg format (I have no clue what that is).

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Originally Posted by gwpriester

Give a man a fish, etc....

Create a Bitmap Image - True Color - 300dpi resolution. This will not make the image sharper but it will give you more pixels to work with.

Zoom in to 300-400%

Open the Levels dialog and move the white triangle to the left until the noise around the text disappears. If need be, use the black eye dropper to sample the thinnest part of the lines to beef up the density.

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Thanks, Gary.

How do I get the bitmap image to 300 dpi? I've tried saving the file and exporting it into a bitmap image, but I don't see any option to set the dpi on age of the settings.

Also, where exactly is this levels dialogue box?

sorry here it is in xar - should have done that in the first place - its slightly rough in places because its not redrawn, it's autotraced

[svg is a vector - you can import it - but it comes in clipped and you need to unclip it]

When you export the file to JPG, for example, the first panel is palette options, the next panel is Bitmap Size, this is the panel you set your resolution.

When you say you don't have time to trace a graphic... you don't have 15 minutes to 1/2 hour to spare, that's all it would take me to retrace this.

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Originally Posted by handrawn

sorry here it is in xar - should have done that in the first place - its slightly rough in places because its not redrawn, it's autotraced

[svg is a vector - you can import it - but it comes in clipped and you need to unclip it]

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Thank you, I will check it out.

I have no clue what "clipped" means or how to "unclip." (I think I mentioned I have NO expertise with this program. You guys are talking over a complete novice's head, lol.) So do I need to know how to do that to open this file or something?

Also, can you tell me more about this autotrace? Is that something in Xara?

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Originally Posted by Gamerprinter

When you export the file to JPG, for example, the first panel is palette options, the next panel is Bitmap Size, this is the panel you set your resolution.

When you say you don't have time to trace a graphic... you don't have 15 minutes to 1/2 hour to spare, that's all it would take me to retrace this.

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Exactly, I do not have the time to do that kind of tracing (or the patience, in all honesty). I just want this done. I'm not trying to learn how to be a power Xara user.

I did export the file to Window Bitmap, but there isn't any box that says "resolution" or "dpi" to change. Is it called something else that I should be looking for?

.

you wont need to unclip in the xar I posted, I have done that [it was clipped [clipview] to the area of the page in the program it was made in]

in xara autotrace is 'bitmap trace' but I can never get xara to smooth the lines as well as inkscape which is what I used, but even then some of the edges are a bit rough as I said; vector magic may be better but it's not free


@Gary - yes fishing is good; but so sometimes is not barking ;)

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Originally Posted by Gamerprinter

When you export the file to JPG, for example, the first panel is palette options, the next panel is Bitmap Size, this is the panel you set your resolution.

When you say you don't have time to trace a graphic... you don't have 15 minutes to 1/2 hour to spare, that's all it would take me to retrace this.

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It might take YOU only 15-30 minutes, but it would take me far longer and my tracing would not come out perfect. I've played with that stuff before and I just don't have the skill level.

I never export to BMP, and I notice that there isn't a resolution setting, rather pixels and percentage. Do you have to export as BMP, you could choose TIF, which maintains color fidelity and has a resolution setting. I generally export to JPG so I can a smaller file, though I export at with no compression. Again, the panel labeled "Bitmap Size" is where you set resolution.

I won't argue, but tracing is not power using Xara. I would consider myself a Xara power user, however, tracing is fundamental skill and a very low 'power use' activity.

BMP files have no internal tag for a resolution setting, so you can't set one...

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Originally Posted by handrawn

you wont need to unclip in the xar I posted, I have done that [it was clipped [clipview] to the area of the page in the program it was made in]

in xara autotrace is 'bitmap trace' but I can never get xara to smooth the lines as well as inkscape which is what I used, but even then some of the edges are a bit rough as I said; vector magic may be better but it's not free


@Gary - yes fishing is good; but so sometimes is not barking ;)

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Oh, this is best one yet! Great job! Thank you!

ok - it's not perfect - some of the curves are 'wobbly' - but if tracing by hand is low power user , this must be pedal-power :D

its vector so you can resize it as you like

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Originally Posted by handrawn

ok - it's not perfect - some of the curves are 'wobbly' - but if tracing by hand is low power user , this must be pedal-power :D

its vector so you can resize it as you like

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Thank you so much! Now I can get it printed up and put on the wall, lol.

And I just tried to hand draw some lines to fill in a couple blank spots and I am hopeless. How on earth do you guys get nice smooth, even curves? Mine are always wobbly and all over the place. I just haven't been able to get the hang of moving those anchor points and arrows (or whatever they are called). Aaargh.

i think all of those who can do that are guilty of patience and perseverance
especially when using software
there's no easy way to learn im afraid
just dogged hard work

edit: i love the poster by the way :-)

Clearly this isn't Fuss's work.
Why are you all helping him pirate someone else's image?

frank is right patience and perseverance - aka practice and more practice

I draw freehand - in other words I don't bother with nodes and reshaping the line afterwards I just 'draw the line right in the first place' with a touch sensitive graphics tablet - of course this is not an exact science, I would not recommend drawing up the plans for a nuclear power station this way, but for cartooning it is a real time saver; but it took 5 years before I was good enough to draw this way for serious work

@AndFarr

you have half a point - although they are not good enough for commercial work I have removed the vector files from the posts

if I was sued for every time I had copied someone else's work to hang on a wall, or a CD or a DVD I would owe a lot of people a lot of money I have not got... it is good to know there are still some around who never do this..

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Originally Posted by AndFarr

Clearly this isn't Fuss's work.
Why are you all helping him pirate someone else's image?

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First of all, I am not a he, I am a she.

Second of all, I do actually have permission from the artist to use it. I was going to buy her artpiece, but she told me since she lives South Africa and I am am in the U.S. it would cost a fortune just to ship it and she didn't want to risk the piece getting damaged (it's actually a paper quilling piece). I gave her the suggestion about maybe turning it into a 3d printable file that she could sell. As thanks, she gave me permission to print the image in the meantime for my personal use. At size, it looks fine in print, but I wanted it bigger, hence the problems.

So why not ask a person instead of jumping to conclusions?

I for one reckoned from the start that you would have permission Fuss - you are an established member, I reckon you know the rules

But I have removed the vector art as it was meant for you only....[which was the half-point]

Sorry, just right click on the image and select Create Bitmap Copy. Then set the color depth to True Color (no transparency) and the Resolution to 300dpi.

i had fun drawing this

nice one frank ;)

your experience is showing ....

thanks steve
just showing it can be done quickly and easily in xara
all it takes is a little effort

Hope I attached it correctly

Is missing a few lines... And you might have to straighten a few others... But if you can't do a little work yourself... You will have to do without!


Attachment 103086


Done with Vector Magic... Awesome program!

I edited the file name for any easily offended people... Sorry about that

Dang Big Frank beat me to it with a better job! I only read the first page...

vector mazgic has indeed done a great job on that
it missed a line on the bottom and some lines are curved where the original isnt
but it's a good program based on that result
i vectorise freehand cartoons
but i redraw freehand line drawing because its more exact

Vector Magic is the best bitmap tracer around (Xara would do well to license it). It works especially well with low resolution images.