Is it possible to convert a selection to a vector path in XDP 19?
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Is it possible to convert a selection to a vector path in XDP 19?
Do you mean if it is a bitmap?
Boy, if I have three overlapping blobs and I Join Shapes, Ctrl+J, I get one pathed shape, following winding rules.
Otherwise you can Add Shapes, Ctrl+1.
Acorn
I wasn't fully clear.
Gary, yes, I made a selection path of a logo in a png file with transparency and hope to convert it into a vector path. That will allow me to scale up the logo w/o artifacts.
the closest you get to a vector path in xara is an outline - how did you make the 'selection path' if you used a drawing tool you are already there ?
You might be better off tracing the logo with Xara's vector tools.
I use Vector Magic https://vectormagic.com/ to convert a bitmap to vector paths. You may be able to do a free trace on their website.
Boy, "selection path" is not much clearer.Quote:
Originally Posted by Boy
Upload the PNG logo and I'm sure TGers will offer assistance.
Acorn
Clearly, I was not clear enough..... :-)
I started with a .png file with transparency and selected the logo by using the magnetic lasso tool. The result is, what I called, a selection path. My question was, can I convert this to a vector path. The magnetic lasso tool works much faster in this case than the shape tool.
I also tried various free online converters but results were not so good. Vector Magic gave a great result but I have to buy a subscription to be able to download.
What I will do is use the magnetic lasso tool. Thanks for all the help!
Can you post the logo? I have a copy of Vector Magic, I can probably save you some trouble.
And yes it would be great if the Magnetic Lasso produced a vector shape.
You can right click on the mask and choose copy using mask, than paste it and you will get the shape as a vector path (filled with the bitmap).Quote:
Originally Posted by Boy
if you only want the shape than you can change the type of fill an of course the stroke thickness as you like.
I hope that was useful.
Marco, you beat me to the same approach! When you scale, you do not get the outline jaggies, which improves the overall presentation.Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco D
Acorn
late to the party but yep, way to go, a while since I even thought about magnetic lasso...
be aware that if you use this across an actual shape, rather than just on the transparency boundary you may get artifacts:
Attachment 133384
I have given a size to the outline [path] of the paste to emphazise this
That was the one I was looking for. Thanks, Marco!Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco D
Now I found out there's also an option to 'Mask copy' (as opposed to 'Copy using mask'). This becomes available when you select the mask in the P&L gallery. Pasting the selection in a regular layer produces a shape that can be filled and given an outline to create a perfect vector logo.
This shows once again what a versatile app XDP really is! I wish they'd restart the development of the vector and bitmap tools and make it really the best designer app.
ah well, affinity designer beta now has a vector flood fill tool , no more messing about breaking shapes... but xara is going a different way...Quote:
I wish they'd restart the development of the vector and bitmap tools
Amazing. I just tried an with a little editing and cut and paste and a few incantations it works perfectly.
Boy, all Mask Copy is the normal Copy ("using Mask") (Ctrl+C).Quote:
Originally Posted by Boy
If you want the Lasso Line rather than the Fill, use Clock Mask and drag to the MouseOff layer.
The Fill has no Line Width, the Line has one that is 1px.
This is useful as there is no simple way to transform a Line into a Shape or the converse.
(A closed Line does not take a Fill; a Shape with no Fill and a Line Width is not a closed Line).
Acorn
It seems to me that this could be modified to create a new vector tool (isn't there always a clamor for new vector tools?) for tracing solid shapes.
I traced the shape, then cut and pasted and the pasted shape was a closed vector path.
That's XDP for you, Acorn. Always more ways to skin a cat. The important issue here is that highly accurate selection paths can be converted to vector paths, which then can be edited at will. In my case, I managed to create a perfect vector logo from a bitmap.Quote:
Originally Posted by Acorn
Boy, which is good to hear.Quote:
Originally Posted by Boy
I mistyped 'Clock' instead of Clone.
@Gary, If you use the Region Painter Tool or other masking tool, you create the Mask layer.
Anything can be drawn with these Tools or taken from any other layer and moved into the Mask layer.
When there, any part of the masking shapes that covers your selected object on a normal unlocked layer can be copied, cloned or deleted; treat it as a cookie cutter where the cutting is not removed from the original.
It took me a time to discover holding the Alt key and spinning the mouse wheel adjusted the diameter of the Mask or Region painter tools and Mask and Region were complementary.
The one thing I overlooked just was my Guides layer was unlocked and so I have lots of dashed red lines included in my work.
Acorn
The other nice thing with this tracing method is that, with the the mask shape selected in the P&L gallery, you can refine the selection with the Shape Tool. I noticed that around sharp corners and such this might be necessary.