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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Colorado USA
    Posts
    710

    Default Bitmap Tracer Blues

    Wow. As much as I dislike admitting it, I suck at using the Bitmap Tracer. A client gave me a Bitmap of a hand-drawn logo. It's pretty good for hand-drawn. However, I need a vector image of it. So, I thought I would put it through the Tracer. Much to my dismay, I can't figure out HOW to use the dang thing. And I need this logo bad.

    Who here knows HOW the Tracer works and how to use it to trace a logo?

    Thanks for your help,

    Mark

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2000
    Location
    Harwich, Essex, England
    Posts
    21,895

    Default Re: Bitmap Tracer Blues

    Xara's bitmap tracer is very old and unless it's a very simple image really not up to the job.

    I suggest you try Vector Magic Online. I believe you can get one free go, so watch their video first.

    I tend to hand trace objects. Can you attach your logo?

    http://vectormagic.com/home
    Egg

    Intel i7 - 4790K Quad Core + 16 GB Ram + NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1660 Graphics Card + MSI Optix Mag321 Curv monitor
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  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Colorado USA
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    710

    Default Re: Bitmap Tracer Blues

    Here it is, Egg:

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	rindner-hypnosis-logo-5b.jpg 
Views:	171 
Size:	27.6 KB 
ID:	115173

    I found Vector Magic online and it is GREAT! But it does cost more than my Xara DPX software. Wow.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2000
    Location
    Harwich, Essex, England
    Posts
    21,895

    Default Re: Bitmap Tracer Blues

    Vector Magic should make a good job of that, you get 2 free goes.
    Egg

    Intel i7 - 4790K Quad Core + 16 GB Ram + NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1660 Graphics Card + MSI Optix Mag321 Curv monitor
    + Samsung 970 EVO Plus 500GB SSD + 232 GB SSD + 250 GB SSD portable drive + ISP = BT + Web Hosting = TSO Host

  5. #5

    Default Re: Bitmap Tracer Blues

    The font is Zapfino One that has had a hefty outline applied. Further modifications were done on the letter 'y'by connecting its tail up around to the letter 'n'. the first lowercase 's' has been modified with the lower section connecting to the letter 'i' and the letters 'H'and the last 's' have been squished a bit.

    I've attached a quicky rendition for you to modify if you desire.

    Mike

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	capture-000462.png 
Views:	159 
Size:	146.5 KB 
ID:	115175
    Attached Files Attached Files

  6. #6

    Default Re: Bitmap Tracer Blues

    BTW, though some of the settings seem arcane, the free vector drawing application InkScape uses a good tracer (Potrace).

    None of the tracing applications do a great job on everything. There will almost always be hand work, both in processing an image before tracing and post-trace cleanup and adjustment. I've used them all.

    In your example, I would make a copy of the logo and remove the lettering on one version to just trace the shoosh. On another version I would remove the swoosh to just trace the letters.

    In this case, I had the font so used it. I converted the type to curves in the above XAR file.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    San Diego
    Posts
    362

    Default Re: Bitmap Tracer Blues

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark321 View Post
    Wow. As much as I dislike admitting it, I suck at using the Bitmap Tracer. A client gave me a Bitmap of a hand-drawn logo. It's pretty good for hand-drawn. However, I need a vector image of it. So, I thought I would put it through the Tracer. Much to my dismay, I can't figure out HOW to use the dang thing. And I need this logo bad.

    Who here knows HOW the Tracer works and how to use it to trace a logo?

    Thanks for your help,

    Mark
    No matter what the bitmap tracer does, even a good one that's high priced or is made by an army of eggheads...it'll never look as good as tracing it yourself. I've tried them all. They all kinda suck.
    See my some of artwork and hear some of my music at www.kniteforcerevolution.com

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    21,283

    Default Re: Bitmap Tracer Blues

    Thank you Xhris, very good instructions and excellent results
    yes... bitmap tracing can be a great time saver...
    -------------------------------
    Nothing lasts forever...

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    Dunoon, Scotland
    Posts
    4,778

    Default Re: Bitmap Tracer Blues

    Does it really save time "handrawn"? I've never found any bitmap tracer on the market at this time to save time if it has to be placed in a doc. which has a background which differs from the background in the bitmap. I include Vector Magic, Inkscape and Illy CS5 and above they all make you have to work to get a trace which is acceptable to a professional standard. Like most folk here I think it is much more important to develop your vector drawing skills than have to rely on crappy auto-trace features.

    Think of the time that you spend on preparation of the bitmap before tracing: knocking out the background, increasing the Threshold values, having the right resolution, colour sampling. conversion to grayscale/LAB, using Levels. This all adds time because you have got to place a clean doc. into your auto-trace programme.

    Then you have all the hassle once you done your trace to tidy that up too: Path Fitting, stray points, too many control points, Corner Angle, converting trace for Live Paint groups and so on, and so on.

    Best to just practice your speed in hand tracing using your "Shape Editor" F4. My opinion here is from experience because most of my drawings start as a sketch are scanned then brought in to Xara/Illustrator as a bitmap and I didn't want to draw the shapes out twice so I trialled out all vector auto-trace featured programmes.
    Design is thinking made visual.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    21,283

    Default Re: Bitmap Tracer Blues

    there again we could say it's even quicker to draw freehand in one go, with a brush tool, than it is to waste half your life pushing nodes and handles around with a shape tool - of course you will have to have spent a year or five practicing how to do this in one go, but all things require practice

    I'm an artist, not a designer; it is wholly unfair to label auto-trace 'crappy' or 'sucks' just because it is not suitable for what you do, in your estimation - it saves me loads of time [but has to be said xara is not my favourite] in vectorising line art alone which is much easier to draw first in raster - in fact, drawing freehand in raster and then vectorising is way quicker than even the xara freehand drawing tools, which have a mind of their own unless you draw really slowly, and even then they still want to offer me directional options I don't need [aka wobble]

    I know only too well what saves me time and I was simply thanking Xhris
    -------------------------------
    Nothing lasts forever...

 

 

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