Importing Images Attempt...

[Arlo Kalon 2.0]

I designed some vehicle graphics in Macromedia Fireworks that were similar to what you might see at www.auroragraphics.net. By way of example, let's say one was similar to the Nike "swoosh", it was drawn 50 inches long, and had a diamond plate steel TIFF image used as the fill. I then exported it to a storage folder, and then went into Composer (GA 6.2) and attempted to place the image to print on the Edge. For some reason, the image always comes into Composer under an inch long! - no matter what file type I try. Of course, when I try to resize it back to the 50 inches it becomes way unacceptably pixellated. Am I completely on the wrong track here as to how to produce filled graphics similar to the Aurora Graphics I mentioned?
Dave Kellems / Ft. Worth, TX

 

[Fred Weiss]

It's hard to say where the problem lies for sure and it's been a long time since I worked with GA 6.2 (I currently run two seats of Omega 2.0.2). Here are some things to consider or to experiment with:

1. Make note of the actual pixel dimensions rather than the size in inches of your image. Most Edge users agree that the ideal size for an image is 100 pixels per inch of output dimension. So if you are doing a fifty inch print then you should create an image with pixel dimensions of 5000. More is overkill and GA 6.2 is a 16 bit application with some limitations on how large a file it can handle. Omega is 32 bit and much quicker and more powerful. What pixel dimensions are you working at in Fireworks?

2. My recollection of GA 6.2 is that it always imported the image at its true size at 300 dpi so it always needed resizing if it wasn't sized and saved at 300 dpi. In other words, as in the above example, a 5000 pixel image at 100 dpi would import as an image that only measured 16.667".

3. Files types and color modes ..... If you are saving TIF images, I recommend that you have that image in a color mode setting of CMYK. If you are saving as JPG, then use a color mode setting of RGB. When the image is imported into Composer, it is interpreted into CMYK but with different setting than were originally set in your image editor. This is necessary because thermal resins such as are used with the Edge require different percentages to achieve the same color as compared to an inkjet. I prefer JPG because it is RGB and the Gerber interpretation of RGB to CMYK is superior to Gerber's interpretation of CMYK to CMYK. But I digress .... main point is use the correct color mode for the file type you are saving in your image editor.

4. Composer does not show you the actual image in its workspace. For whatever the reason, supposedly to save on file size, a thumbnail representation of the image is used. The controls for this are located in the Image Fill Dialog. There is a control for Thumbnail Bits per Pixel and another for Thumbnail Resolution. (See screen shots.) A setting on each slider farthest to the right will provide you the best thumbnail in Composer but at a sacrifice of a larger saved file size. The underlying image, however, is what is used to print with so the question becomes: Are you being fooled by the low rez thumbnail into thinking your image isn't any good?

All that having been said, if you want to send me an image file that is known to be giving you a problem, I'll be happy to analyze what the problem is and provide you with feedback and solutions. Just attach to an email and send it to the email address in my signature.

 

[Tony Teveris]

Import Images

The only thing I can add to Fred's thoughts are to make sure when saving images from other applications, be they TIFFs, JPGs, etc that you do NOT save any "alpha" channels. I have seen this time and time again. No Gerber software handles these channels at the moment.

 

[Arlo Kalon 2.0]

THANK YOU! Haven't had time yet to try these suggestions, but I am overwhelmingly impressed with level of knowledge and HELP in here! Are you REAL or product of my most wishful imagination!!!
\Dave
BTW... I do think I'm being "fooled" by the thumbnail - I didn't know it represented that way.

 

[Fred Weiss]

I'm a product available in several flavors and in 16 oz., 1 liter and the all new 2 liter size. :Big Laugh

 

[Baz]

Dave ... Why design your graphics in fireworks? Why not design your vectors in GA and import your original .tiff fill picture in GA also.

If you have to use fireworks ... why not just save the vector file and import it into GA along with the .tiff.

I've never worked with fireworks so i dont know how it is but it comes to my mind that your .tiff file is affected when you save it from fireworks. What settings does (fireworks) it have ... maybee it saved it at a lower resolution.

 

[Fred Weiss]

Fireworks is kinda like Photoshop but more web design oriented, so you may be correct that Dave may have designed the fill at too small a size. I tend to think that woming in at 1 inch is the tipoff on this one since GA likes to resize to actual size at 300 dpi when importing.

If you have ever done any vector editing and exporting with GA 6.2 you would never make that suggestion. Dave would benefit greatly from upgrading from GA to Omega.

 

[Baz]

I've worked with GA 4.1 until 2002. The shop i used to work at still uses it :.

Vector editing, importing and exporting with it never gave me problems. But since we didnt have any digital capabitlities then, i only imported picture files verry seldom, so i wouldnt know exactly how picture files would be affected.

Aurora graphics decals come in two files. One is the .tiff file and the second is the vector art to use as a cutline. If GA 6.2 cant place a high res picture in composer and work with a vector line overtop then i think it is definately time to upgrade :Big Laugh

 

[SKJ]

May be a tile issue!

I have not worked with Fireworks myself, but I am extremely familiar with Macromedia web products. My suspension is that Fireworks is tiling your TIFF diamond plate steel image (that is probably 1" wide) across the 50" picture that you created, which makes perfect sense for a web application.

When brought into another program that doesn't understand the tiling it just displays the 1" picture.

This is just a guess.

Did I mention that I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night! :Big Laugh

Steve

 

[Arlo Kalon 2.0]

I got the GA 6.2 as part of pkg deal w/ Edge & plotter on ebay - & will get Omega soon. Fireworks, unlike Photoshop, is a killer app for vector work actually. Designing in GA has never been quite "intuitive" for me with complex stuff. I always did page setup in Fireworks @ full size "canvas" for vehicle graphics, and set it @ 300 dpi. Baffles me how a say 60" long graphic imports into GA at less than an inch long - unless like Fred says, I'm seeing a thumbnail of it - haven't tried it again yet tho. As for importing a tif into GA... how would one then go about setting it as a fill for a shape? I've been told it can be done in Omega, but so far no salesman knows what it is I'm asking there! Basically, what I'm up against is designing auto graphics like I pointed to in www.auroragraphics.net (I had several of their cd's of graphics that came up missing at the cycle factory I was at previously, and don't wanna pay for more of 'em ya know?). Designing the shapes is of course a breeze - it's just getting custom fills into 'em in GA that I can't figger out. I'd be interested in yer opinion of Fireworks for designing some Edge stuff if ya check out program specs @ Macromedia.com. As always - THANX!!
Dave (I'll be posting pix of the best cycles I did mebbe this wknd)

 

[Arlo Kalon 2.0]

Total "aside" here - I just noticed FRED lives in Lake Worth, FL. I just got back from Lake Worth, TX from lettering a van this morning. Bet your lake is prettier than this one!
Dave

 

[Baz]

how would one then go about setting it as a fill for a shape?

From my experience with Casmate, Illustrator and Flexi ... Position your vector file overtop of the picture and select both, click on "create mask".

 

[Fred Weiss]

Our lake is actually the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.

In GA or Omega, you simply set your image and cut path to be on the same type and color of vinyl and insure that there is no fill or stroke set for the cut path. Position the cut path where you want it on the image. If a fill or stroke is, for some reason needed, then manually turn on cuts for the cut path. In Preview mode you will see a representation of the fill and cut path with everything outside the cut path gone.