Create Contour Cut

[ceaves]

Whats the easiest way to create a contour cut from a .jpg? I'm trying to print/cut this image on transfers and figure there's an easy way somehow to create the contour cut.

 

[Cross Signs]

 

[Tony McD]

if it was a vector, it would be easy.

best way is to use the bezier pen tool....and trace a line around it.

 

[bob]

That would very much depend on just what software you're herding.

In Flexi it's relatively simple. DO Bitmap->Tranparancy and select the white outside the image. You might have to mess with the tolerance to get it just right. Then select the transparent bitmap and do Effects->Contour Cut and there you are.

In Corel you bring it into Draw, do Edit Bitmap, then in PhotoPaint create a mask of the image, create a new object from that mask, fill the new object with a solid color, like black, and use Save to return both the original object and the new object back to Draw. Trace the mask object and get rid of the mask bitmap. Now you have both the original bitmap and the vector outline of it.

In Adobe or any other graphics software you no doubt do something similar but exactly what those steps might be I can't say.

 

[ceaves]

Thanks I have both Flexi and Corel, I'll give it a whirl and report back.

Appreciate the help.

 

[Dennis422]

Open in Photoshop, select outside white area and then inverse selection. Go to the "Path" panel and click on the menu icon in upper right corner and select "Make work path". After you do that, click on the File in the menu bar and click on the "Export Work Path To Illustrator". It will export that path as an editable vector shape/path that can be edited.

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

Thanks I have both Flexi and Corel, I'll give it a whirl and report back.

Appreciate the help.

In flexi it is super simple. We do a different method.

take .jpg and use vectorize tool. The overall picture might be crappy but you just want the lines on the outside. Now delete outside white box. Select all and create border and there you go.

 

[ceaves]

When I try to make transparency in Flexi, it changes the bitmap but when I select it, it still has the big ole box around it??

 

[ceaves]

....and them damn white feathers on top are giving me fits when tracing

 

[Jackpine]

....and them damn white feathers on top are giving me fits when tracing

After you make a vector use vector tool and edit your contour line.

 

[Dennis422]

There you go, from a screen caption to the outline in 90 seconds

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

There you go, from a screen caption to the outline in 90 seconds

doesn't help the guy if you do it for him. Next time he will ask same question again.

 

[Dennis422]

doesn't help the guy if you do it for him. Next time he will ask same question again.

I do not think he will be able to use this one, not the one that came from a low res screen caption.
He'll have a better result if he uses the original high res pic.

 

[ceaves]

Thanks guys, took just a bit but we got it usuable. Used trace in Corel and then edited the line in Flexi.

Thanks again for the help

 

[bob]

When I try to make transparency in Flexi, it changes the bitmap but when I select it, it still has the big ole box around it??

That big ole box is still the boundary of the bitmap regardless of transparency. But a contour cut applied to it will ignore the transparent pixels and just consider the visible pixels. Thus you contour just the image.

 

[jtinker]

My way may be too complicated but this is how i do it...

Step 1: Open photoshop and duplicate that image
Step 2: Select all the white using the magic wand tool
Step 3: Go to Select > Invert
Step 4: Create a New Layer
Step 5: Fill with solid color> Black, Green, Blue, Etc

Step 6: Open Flexisign / Corel Draw / Illustrator
Step 7: Import The Image to Print
Step 8: Import Solid Fill Image
Step 9: Convert Solid Fill to Vector
Step 10: Change from fill vector to wireframe/hairline depending on what software you opened. (For corel draw you have to select the ContourCut color from your pallet or create one)
Step 11: Size and move as needed.