Trace or draw from scratch

[jen0dorf]

Hi

I need to convert the attached graphic to an xar.

Question for you helpful guys, trace or start from scratch?

thanks

Ian

[roguefx]

Hi Ian,
Depends on what you want.
Trace can give good results but I would probably drag the graphic till it fills a full A4 page lock that layer and then draw over the top to create a nice tidy new logo that you can scale to any size.
It will be more accurate and the shapes simpler that way.

[pauland]

Looks reasonably easy to reproduce, so I wouldn't trace it.

[Soquili]

Ian I think hand trace is what you originally meant in your post. That is opposed to using the bitmap trace.

Hand trace would be my suggestion, the same as Paul and Roguefx.

[Egg Bramhill]

Hand trace Ian, but try using a larger bitmap.

[Xcellent]

Hi

I need to convert the attached graphic to an xar.

Question for you helpful guys, trace or start from scratch?

thanks

Ian

Sorry this might be not a tip for you, but if you have Adobe Illustrator CS2 and above, try its tracer, it gives fantastic and clean results.

[Xhris]

Sorry this might be not a tip for you, but if you have Adobe Illustrator CS2 and above, try its tracer, it gives fantastic and clean results.

My tracer tutorial (available here) has shown that this is not always true, and that there are better (and cheaper) tracers than AI's out there.

[Xcellent]

My tracer tutorial (available here) has shown that this is not always true, and that there are better (and cheaper) tracers than AI's out there.

I have read through your document and all i can say is i never use default options (as you did in your comparison chart), while modifying options in xara. I always fiddle around with any settings. Illy CS2 has heaps of useful settings for tracing options which is fully customiseable.

The bitmap adjustments pre tracing is worth alot itself in illy, and then there are trace settings. Xara has only trace settings itself (except noise removal). the preview button is fantastic too in illy, any changes on the settings and you see the traced output in 'realtime' (depends on the dimensions, color depth of the bitmap..!)

I can speak only for myself when i say i get better and cleaner results, esp black/white tracings out of illy.

[ss-kalm]

Blow it up as big as you want, and draw over it.

[Xcellent]

Blow it up as big as you want, and draw over it.

I do agree if you want the BEST and MOST clean result.