Is there a way to clean this vector file up?

[CES020]

I have a couple of files on the deck right now, customer supplied vector, and they are a real mess. I need them to stay vector but some changes need to be made (there is too much "construction" geometry behind the scenes) but I'm struggling to figure out how to do that.

I thought it would be a simple thing to do, but I'm stumped. I've been trying different things in Illustrator and CorelDraw and I haven't figured it out yet. Hopefully it's something simple I'm missing.

Imagine if you were trying to cut the attached shape out of vinyl. What it looks like on screen and what it's going to cut, are two different things. I've tried welding, simplifying, and a number of other tools. I even tried to use the smart fill in Corel, but some of the lines are strokes, not fills, so that's not working either.

Any suggestions?

 

[J Hill Designs]

suggestion: charge for your time

 

[eahicks]

Those kind of files, I always open the AI or EPS file in Photoshop, save that out as a TIF. Then I import into Flexi, and vectorize, with sharp edges. May require a little detailed cleanup, but if you save a high res tif, usually the vector turns out very well.

 

[J Hill Designs]

Those kind of files, I always open the AI or EPS file in Photoshop, save that out as a TIF. Then I import into Flexi, and vectorize, with sharp edges. May require a little detailed cleanup, but if you save a high res tif, usually the vector turns out very well.

great suggestions here

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

I would say your best bet is to vectorize a tif. Like they said. There is so much going on in that file. Stuff that looks like it doesn't even correlate to the final image.

 

[fresh]

Those kind of files, I always open the AI or EPS file in Photoshop, save that out as a TIF. Then I import into Flexi, and vectorize, with sharp edges. May require a little detailed cleanup, but if you save a high res tif, usually the vector turns out very well.

We would do the same thing... In Corel, you can convert the image to bitmap and then outline trace it OR we would just painstakingly redraw it. You can make use of the Transform tool (rotate option)... It actually might not be that hard to recreate if you are good at Corel.

 

[J Hill Designs]

I would say your best bet is to vectorize a tif. Like they said. There is so much going on in that file. Stuff that looks like it doesn't even correlate to the final image.

basically its a bunch of white 'coverup' fills that you are seeing

 

[Dennis422]

Use Pathfinder in Illustrator and Unite all of it. You will get one shape and you will be able to cut with no problems.
Unite is the top left icon

 

[7oaks]

I'd send it to Eric and see what he can do with it.

Ken

 

[Dennis422]

Upsy, that will not work.
Just realized the white shapes

 

[Mainframe]

Select your graphic to be edited, go to object, path - outline stroke, go to pathfinder filters, select merge, then go to the toolbar, draw a box, any size, (draw it away from your graphic out in the open all by itself, fill it with no fill, no stroke,select it, go to select menu, select same fill and stroke, then hit delete.

Clean file

 

[shoresigns]

I don't know about Corel, but this is incredibly simple in Illustrator:

1. Select all, then Pathfinder > Merge
2. Direct Select a black piece, then Select > Same > Colour, Select > Inverse, press Delete key

If there are strokes and/or effects that need expanding, obviously do that first.

 

[CES020]

I don't know about Corel, but this is incredibly simple in Illustrator:

1. Select all, then Pathfinder > Merge
2. Direct Select a black piece, then Select > Same > Colour, Select > Inverse, press Delete key

If there are strokes and/or effects that need expanding, obviously do that first.

Yeah, that doesn't work, it's too many hidden things used to draw it.

I saved it as a tiff, traced it using black and white, and it came out decent. Not as clean as I'd like, but I'm not a "tracing" wizard, so I still don't have that dialed in to get the best results.

Thanks for the help so far, it's been most helpful.

 

[shoresigns]

Yeah, that doesn't work, it's too many hidden things used to draw it.

I saved it as a tiff, traced it using black and white, and it came out decent. Not as clean as I'd like, but I'm not a "tracing" wizard, so I still don't have that dialed in to get the best results.

Thanks for the help so far, it's been most helpful.

There's a few rare instances that it may not work, but normally the merge function would erase all those hidden things that you don't need. Can you post the original file for us to have a look at? If only for the education of figuring out what the best approach would actually be.

 

[d fleming]

Print it, scan it, vector it. I wouldn't want to do it in corel or illy, wouldn't want to be the poor guy weedin it either. Still, if they can't supply a clean vector you charge for your time perfecting that mess. To be honest I would probably import to my signlab and play with it a bit before giving up and scanning, the weld tools in sl are excellent for this stuff.

 

[bob]

Typical Illustrator product. The operator creates a visual image via overlapping objects and layers and then, since it's all done with vectors and it looks like what it wants, figures that's all you need. Complete with useless strokes to further confuse things.

Convert it to a black and white hi res jpg and then use Corel's tracing facility. Or give it back to where it came and tell then to give you something in one color on one layer with no overlapping paths.

 

[AnthonyRalano]

I am sure there are many ways to do it. My method, if it is an .eps, is to open it in Photoshop at 600 dpi. Save as a .png or .jpg. Bring it into Vector magic and hit the magic green button. Export as an .eps. Import in Flexi, ungroup, and then delete the white color leaving only the black. Sounds like many steps, but takes me a couple of seconds.

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

Its a lot of time but not hard.

Do back minus front or front minus back to each element until you get only a few layer with no overlap.

You probably have 1000's of objects so it may take awhile.

 

[CES020]

Thanks for the suggestions to everyone, d fleming took the file and spent almost no time at all on it in Signlab and emailed it back to me. I think he said it took 30 seconds.

Thanks Dave! I appreciate the help!

 

[Vinylman]

More information Please

Can you tell us what the final artwork will be used for? If it is just a decal, I would create a very tight outline of the artwork and Print then cut the outline.
Number one, this artwork will be a nightmare to weed, and you will spend a lot of time, [like you haven't already] just to get it ready to apply.

Number two, I hope you are on HIS clock trying to clean up this piece of {%@&^} customer supplied "artwork".

ONE WAY I might have approached this in Illustrator would have been to use the direct select tool and selected one of the "BLACK" sections, then go to the "select" drop down menu, to "SAME", and select same color fill. Once all the similar pieces are selected, use the "Pathfinder" "unite" option. Repeat this with one of the "WHITE" sections of artwork, then follow the same steps. once you have the two colors then pick both of the elements {Black, and White} and using the "Pathfinder" subtract one color from the other. This may work? If you put the original file up here for us to "play with", you might get your answer.