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Creating a vector contour for a photo

The Vector Doctor

Chief Bezier Manipulator
A tablet allows for this type of speed. Constantly clicking and dragging with a mouse makes a job like this take longer. I believe I am 25-30% faster using a tablet vs a mouse
 

The Vector Doctor

Chief Bezier Manipulator
An older Wacom Intuos 3. Love it.

My ideal situation would be a Cintiq 22 or 24 but those are a bit pricey and I really need to try one out before committing that much money to see if it would help further. At the very least, if this tablet fails me someday or I want to upgrade I would go for the newer Pro models with touch
 

WildWestDesigns

Active Member
An older Wacom Intuos 3. Love it.

My ideal situation would be a Cintiq 22 or 24 but those are a bit pricey and I really need to try one out before committing that much money to see if it would help further. At the very least, if this tablet fails me someday or I want to upgrade I would go for the newer Pro models with touch

Having worked with both the Intuos 3 (and Intuos 4, but I use the 3 much more as I have more pens to go with it compared to the 4) and both the Cintiq 21UX and the Cintiq Companion, the Cintiqs are far more efficient and much much more natural.
 

ktyler1320

New Member
I apologize for the large size. I tried to reduce the file size but not so much that the screen is unreadable

This video is in response to the occasional request for how to create a contour path on a photo to remove a background or for cutting around

I welcome any comments or questions.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ksnzpbtot9yner5/cut contour vector.mov?dl=0

Is there still somewhere I can see this? I clicked the link but it doesn't work any longer. Thanks
 

klmiller611

New Member
Nicely done, I think I could come close to that speed with a tablet. The mouse is slow, as the old phase goes sort of like drawing with a brick.

Best
Ken
 

scott pagan

New Member
great tutorial.

i think understanding the pen tool is one of the best lessons to learn in illustrator.

another tip i would share is do an offset path of .25" to .5" and use that as a bleed mask to print less ink (waste) outside of cut areas for cut to bleed items. conversely, you can offset the path and use the "cut path" you created as a mask for the photo, and the new offset path as your white border cut path, leaving you with a nice even border depending on the type of finish cut for the job.
 
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