what do you use to vectorize?

[signswi]

Honestly if after one year of being a design student (or if you came into the field organically, a year as an employee) if you haven't mastered the Illustrator pen tool you're doing something really wrong.

 

[Steve C.]

Depending on complexity, I like to trace manually with corels pen
tool. More complex subjects, I use Flexi trace tool, usually have to fuss a bit
with various settings. It's about the only thing I really like about Flexi. Then I
export to corel to edit nodes, if needed.

 

[d fleming]

Signlab

 

[wes70]

I usually use corels trace and then delete and adjust nodes manually.

Me too!

 

[SightLine]

Scan it on a scanner. Bring the file into photoshop and clean the scan up a bit. Then onto illustrator where I either recreate it from scratch with shapes and the pen tool or tweaked live trace then clean that up.

 

[Fitch]

Buy a tablet - it vectorises direct and once you get the hang of it - minimal cleanup.

Cheers - G

 

[JetFastPrinting_Dana]

did you try the Live trace tool in Illustrator

 

[cnc602]

Corel Trace or manually with Corel Draw

 

[mark galoob]

i use the vector doctor...he makes it so i dont have to screw with that stuff at all, i make money selling the finished product, and i can focus on my business

mark galoob

 

[James Burke]

I use a cocktail of Adobe Illustrator, AutoCAD & SignLab


JB

 

[TheSnowman]

I'll normally use the Vector Doctor, but if it's nothing too nuts, I'll use Inkscape...that's the ONLY thing I've ever used that program for...but it sure does better than Illustrator...and it's free, so doesn't hurt to have sitting around.

 

[signmeup]

Buy a tablet - it vectorises direct and once you get the hang of it - minimal cleanup.

Cheers - G

This sound interesting. I have a tablet but I don't know how to vectorize with it. Unless you mean just use it like a mouse and manually trace the bitmap...

Can you give any more details?

 

[WildWestDesigns]

This sound interesting. I have a tablet but I don't know how to vectorize with it. Can you give any more details?

I don't think it's an option with my Cintiq either. I would have thought Wacom would have included that with the Cintiq, but no telling these days.

Although, all kidding aside, I think manually tracing was what was meant. Which it really does help having the Cintiq for that.

 

[The Vector Doctor]

This sound interesting. I have a tablet but I don't know how to vectorize with it. Unless you mean just use it like a mouse and manually trace the bitmap...

Can you give any more details?

Yeah maybe a misunderstanding. No tablet makes it automatic, you still have to do it manually. Having a tablet just makes it less cumbersome IMO

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Yeah maybe a misunderstanding. No tablet makes it automatic, you still have to do it manually. Having a tablet just makes it less cumbersome IMO

I just had a thought, could you set up a macro on one of the buttons on either the Intuos or the Cintiq to run an Auto Trace?

I really haven't done much in the way of exploration with regard to those buttons on the side, but I wonder if that's something that you could do with it.

Just a thought.

 

[The Vector Doctor]

I just had a thought, could you set up a macro on one of the buttons on either the Intuos or the Cintiq to run an Auto Trace?

I really haven't done much in the way of exploration with regard to those buttons on the side, but I wonder if that's something that you could do with it.

Just a thought.

What would be the purpose? It is only one click in Illustrator from the menu. That still does not fix the shortcomings of an autotrace

 

[WildWestDesigns]

What would be the purpose? It is only one click in Illustrator from the menu. That still does not fix the shortcomings of an autotrace

Not in my version of Ai. It's 3 or 4.

No, it doesn't solve the shortcomings of it even after tweaking the settings, just more of an efficiency standpoint as far as cutting down the 3 or 4 clicks that I have to do versus the 1 button on the cintiq.

 

[iSign]

There is a lot of software that will create vectors...

The results are...
...a total and often entertaining lack of judgement.

I think bob just described the malfunction in the social skills sector of his brain

When it comes to editing/cleaning up a scanned vector image, I still absolutely love my old ScanVec Inspire 1.6. The editing tools are amazing.

funny nobody else seemed to read this part of the question either... well almost nobody.. a few people mentioned transparencies..

I think drawing with the least felty of a pen, and the least absorbent of a paper (or mylar) is crucial.. and then we are conditioned to scan at higher resolutions, but a lower res can help minimize line irregularities from the ink bleeding into the papers fibers.. then like phototec said, you can blur, bump contrast, repeat & straighten out those lines further prior to an auto trace...