inkscape trace bitmap color make 1 object

#Inkscape trace bitmap color make 1 object free

I have Inkscape but am not opposed to anything else that makes design EASY, SIMPLE, DUMB GUY TERMS. I don’t understand stacks, scans, layers, or anything else remotely close these “technical” terms.Īll I want is the absolute easiest way to take a simple image found on a Google search and convert it to something that I can work with. I’ve watched Youtube videos, read online tutorials, and read info thus far on this thread and am still completely confused. This takes the nice paths out of photoshop’s selection and turns them into vector artwork in AI.īack to this…AGAIN…So life shouldn’t be so hard for an old simple minded guy that just wants to make some neat stuff on his CNC router. Anyway you can do something different if you have AI (maybe GIMP/Inkscape can do this too?) with your selection instead of filling it in, you can convert your selection to paths, and then 'export paths to illustrator). So now you can fill with the correct color (as below) - and never use JPEG for this as you get compression artifacts, PNG is a way better way to do this. You can invert the selection (command-shift-I) now you have the hearts. So now you have the opposite of what you want.

#Inkscape trace bitmap color make 1 object free

So the way I solved it was to bring this into photoshop (or GIMP - free if you don’t have AI) and then selected the white background area with the magic wand tool (don’t do a color select or you get all the bleed through points where the paper is showing inside the hearts). Your biggest problem is that your client gave it to you with what looks like a scan of a printout, and the ink/toner didn’t do a good job covering. Make sure your dimensions are in inches so it will import to the laser correctly.So I took a look at your original file. You can also just type in your desired dimensions in the top toolbar. Holding the CTRL key as you drag will scale your object proportionally. You can scale it up and down by dragging the outer arrows. Using the “ select and transform objects” tool (F1), select your object.

Once you’ve finished cleaning up your edges, you’ll want to check the size of your object and make sure it’s to scale. Moving these handles will adjust the curve of the lines attached to that node. Select a node and grab one of the handles. Click F2 to activate the “ edit path by nodes” tool. The extra nodes have been removed which resulted in a much smoother curve.Īnother way to smooth curves and lines is by adjusting the node handles.

Now, you can click the “delete selected nodes” button in the top toolbar. You can select them by shift+clicking the nodes you want to target. Along the top you’ll notice there are still a lot of extra nodes. Select your object again with the “ edit path by nodes” tool (F2). It’s important to clean these up because the laser will cut them exactly as seen here. The lines for this object are pretty bumpy and jagged. Zoom in tight and view your image in Outline display mode. This again will depend on the quality and complexity of the image you began with. The next thing you’ll want to do is inspect the edges of your object to make sure things are straight and smooth. Select your object and go to the “Path” menu again. The good news is there is a very simple solution. If you can simplify the laser’s path, you are going to get better results. We need to get rid of these because the laser follows a map from point to point (node to node.) If a path has too many nodes, it will not be usable for manufacturing. You can see that this image most definitely has way too many. Depending on the quality and complexity of your image, you may have an unwanted amount of nodes. Select your object with the Edit path by nodes tool (F2) again. Select your vector object and move it to the side. Your image is now a vector object with paths and nodes.

When you’ve got everything dialed in, click “ Update” and “ OK”, and close this dialog. Keep an eye on the window that shows what you’re changing as you change it. You’ll want to adjust the rest of the settings according to your image. In the dialog, select “ Color Quantization,” and set your Colors to 2. With your raster image selected, go to the Path menu and select Trace Bitmap (Shift+Alt+B). You’ll also notice the edges are a little fuzzy or pixelated. If you use the “ edit path by nodes” tool (F2), you’ll see that we have no nodes to select. If you still need some help understanding why you need to convert files for laser-cutting, check out our article, “Why We Require Vector Files for Laser-Cutting.” Okay, let’s get started!Ĭreate a new document in Inkscape and import your raster image.