Help with this effect

[Jim C]

OK, I posted this a few years ago, but I can't seem to find the old post.
So I have these graphics I believe they are 1 bit tiff monochrome and when opened in Illustrator or Corel the color can be set to any color. In corel you set color with stroke and in Illustrator with fills.
All so it seems they have a dither or diffuse to them so once saved as vector it kinda looks like a blur. I hope all this makes sense.
How is this done . I just can not remember how this was done.
Here are samples of what I am talking about.

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

Almost looks like photoshop> brush tool> dissolve

 

[jfiscus]

Those are monochrome bitmaps that you can add fills to.
Illustrator supports creating bitmaps under Effect>Rasterize.
Photoshop creates them also, once you have your image created change the image mode to grayscale and then to bitmap.
You can place that bitmap into other programs, etc and add fill colors.

 

[Jim C]

Thanks to both of you guy's for the reply. I did figure out how to make the 1 bit tiff, but I didn't see a choice to make it monochrome.
All so I still can't figure out how to get that effect that looks like a dither or diffuse or what ever it is that gives it that kind of blur look
in a .eps file. Look at those graphics I have attached to see what I mean.

 

[vid]

For me to create your examples, it would be a multi-step/multi-file process using Photoshop and Illustrator.

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To start, I would create the art using Photoshop ...or at least the art that needs the effect. For terminology, lets call the effect a dither.

Using layers for each color --- black on one layer, red on another, etc. ---- set the layer transparency from normal to dissolve for each color that you want the dither effect.
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> Create the art with appropriate dither gradations.
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Once complete, save this as a working file.
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This will now need to be deconstructed to make it color editable in vector software. Each layer will need to be saved as an individual file and then all colors changed to black.

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The method I choose to do this is by exporting the layers as files. File > Scripts > Export Layers to Files...

For file type, choose Bitmap (BMP) 16 bit > Run. These files should be saved to common folder for further manipulation.
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Once these individual layer files are saved, open them in Photoshop to convert the colors to black and to a 1 bit bitmap.

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Image > Mode > Grayscale > (Discard/OK)

The colors will be a variation of gray. They will need to be changed to black. I do this with levels.

Image > Adjustments > Levels > Slide the black slider all the way to the right, or type in 253 where the 0 is > OK
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The final step in Photoshop is to convert them to a 1 bit Bitmap.

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Image > Mode > Bitmap > Choose your Resolution. For Method, 50% Threshold works. (Any other choice should yield the same result. The gradation type had already been established by using the dissolve transparency earlier in creating the art) > OK

File > Save > (1 bit) OK
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...and now finally, open your vector software and place/import the Bitmap files in the order you want them to appear and appropriately aligned --- changing the colors accordingly.

Save As: *.EPS

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Hope that makes sense...



The key to making single color editable raster images work in vector software, is that it is a 1 bit BMP file.

 

[Rick]

I remember this post...

http://www.signs101.com/forums/showthread.php?13687-Help-with-Graphics-Effect&p=125141#post125141

 

[Jim C]

HMMMM! this is strange cause I can't find it nor can I get to the link you posted.

 

[J Hill Designs]

HMMMM! this is strange cause I can't find it nor can I get to the link you posted.

It looks like its on the 'dark side' (premium subscribers only)

 

[Jim C]

Yea but I am not a premium user how is it that a post I started is in there??