I want to get some vinyl images cut for our van. My son created the image on some pirated software he no longer has and I now have an image in an XXX.png file. Vinyl guy needs a vector based file/image.
Any ideas how I get from one to the other if I can?
Can YOU open the .png?
Open>save as> pick an image format.
If you can't open it, there's online image editors.
Or send it to me and I'll save it for you or get open office... sorry ... Libreoffice image (freedownload) (.png is an open office image. The Linux format)
I can open the file but don't have much in the way of options for "save as".
Don't know what the vinyl guy can open. He just said he needs vector based.
I can open the file but don't have much in the way of options for "save as".
Don't know what the vinyl guy can open. He just said he needs vector based.
Vinyl guy should be able to easily open png. Depending on the contents, conversion to vector based can be time-consuming and fiddly. I don't blame guy for wanting it vector based to start. The conversion isn't nearly as simple as raster to raster (eg png to jpg or bmp) or vector to raster. Raster basically has a colour value for every pixel, vector is more like a cad file with lines and curves between points. Vector allows easy and smooth scaling but a person or software needs to decide where to draw those lines and points to best represent the original image. It can easily go wrong and need clean up.
EDIT:
If bitzz isn't successful, I will take a crack at it. I have been successful before but not 100% of the time. Some images I just gave up on and let them live as raster.
That's the expensive howitzer sized cannon to deal with it. It will work for sure if you can get past the cost and initial learning curve. Hopefully he can find a cheaper and easier way to get to the end goal.
Vectorizing a raster image is normally a manual process. It does look like there are a bunch of online tools that claim they can do it for you automatically
What you need is a graphic design student somewhere in your family, or to get some new software for your son
Download Adobe illustrator, you can demo it for 30 days.
Open or place PNG into a new Illustrator doc
Do a Image trace.
You might have to fiddle with it to look correct.
Delete PNG and save vector file.
I would save it as ai, eps, and pdf versions, this way you have fall back
There might be some online website you could explore as well as @TwistedKestrel suggests.
I want to get some vinyl images cut for our van. My son created the image on some pirated software he no longer has and I now have an image in an XXX.png file. Vinyl guy needs a vector based file/image.
Any ideas how I get from one to the other if I can?
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Having a vector file might not be all he needs. If the image is color, it may need to be separated and laid up for vinyl. The good thing is most people that work with vector files have no trouble separating and laying up for vinyl.
If they are small, (under 12" tall) send them to me and I'll cut them for you. We have a vinyl printer for complex bitmap printing, and a CNC vinyl cutter for solid layup cuts.
Vinyl guy should be able to easily open png. Depending on the contents, conversion to vector based can be time-consuming and fiddly. I don't blame guy for wanting it vector based to start. The conversion isn't nearly as simple as raster to raster (eg png to jpg or bmp) or vector to raster. Raster basically has a colour value for every pixel, vector is more like a cad file with lines and curves between points. Vector allows easy and smooth scaling but a person or software needs to decide where to draw those lines and points to best represent the original image. It can easily go wrong and need clean up.
You'd be surprised at how inept a lot of sign/print shops are. My wife does a lot of logo printing, cutting, 3d-engraving, and embroidery in her little side hustle. A lot of the small shops send their stuff out over Fiver when it comes in bitmap format. Partially because they are not all that skilled at working with 'paint' type files, and partially because they don't know how to do proper conversions. Finally, conversions aren't perfect -- complex images might need time consuming separating and connecting to support the final mediums.
Take that simple ADV guy above. I got that in PNG, then converted it to SVG. Fortunately, the tool was smart enough to separate the colors, so I had 3 layers - white, black and orange. White was easy as I tossed that out because my tank is white. Orange was easy, cut as is. But the black had to cutouts where the white and orange colors are -- I had to eliminate all the orange cut lines on the black level because the orange has to be layered on top of the black otherwise the shrink and stretch under the sun would open up a seam between the orange and black.
That's the .png file above. @bitzz has sent me it in imgur. I'm looking to get 2 vinyl cuts - one for each side of the van - approx 2 feet in length. Probably in black.
Sounds like the "vectoring" is a bit of work so the vinyl guys wants to pass on that maybe.
Correct. GIMP is akin to photoshop. It has some limited vector ability but I haven't tried to use it so I can't comment on suitability. Inkscape would be closer to illustrator as it is vector focused.
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