Vectorizing a Mural

[GoWestRob]

Hey guys,

One of our clients has a giant mural on the side of their building that they'd like to turn into a shirt.  The thing is huge and a pretty big undertaking to vectorize.  We've previously used vectorizing services like Ignition Drawing, we gave them a shot for the mural and the result was not so hot.  Lots of layers, transparencies, feathering, things that don't translate very well to screen printing.  Our request for a revision to make it more printable didn't do enough.

Any other suggestions for a giant vectorization undertaking?

[Dottonedan]

Does it really need “vectoring”?  Post up the pic and lets review.

[Frog]

I'm with Dan on this one. Let's see the pic you sent Ignition.
Ignition, amazingly actually re-draws our crappy raster art. Not a magic button software trace.
Your image may well do better being treated as raster and sepped accordingly.

[3Deep]

I agree a nice high quailty pic with a very good camera and take it into photoshop

[GoWestRob]

Great question, however it does need vectoring as they'd like to use it for poster and other items that we will not be supplying and want the consistency across items.  They know we're middlemanning the vectorization and only getting the t-shirt portion of the deal.   It's super cool art but I'd rather not post it, these guys like to keep it confidential.

[Dottonedan]

Then I think your only option would be to have a screen print artist take the file and make it production ready. Like many screen print (designs departments) will have designers that will do the art, and 1 or 2 separation artist, will take their art and make it printable. You need one of those guys.
I do that, but I'd like to look at the art to see what I'm getting into.  You may also be happy to know, many other "vector printers" outside of apparel, may not need the file "broken down" like we do. Like poster printers or even billboard printers will print digitally. Kust printing a raster image.  So what you have, is usable for mot of the other people. All you need to worry about (I think), would be your separations for your own job.

[GoWestRob]

Sounds great guys, thanks for the help.  I'll dial in what the client is looking for with the file a little more and see if that can help dial in the approach a little better.  Much appreciated as always.

[tonypep]

I may have a guy who would probably do exactly what you need with open comm. Send me a P-Mail if you like
tp

[Sbrem]

Like most everyone else, I'd sep it in Photoshop, vectorizing so often looks like, well, vectorizing. Unless meticulously re-drawn in Illy or Corel, and we also use Ignition Drawing. It gives our artist, who could do it, more free time to do other work. We did this for a huge mural that's right in our downtown district a few years ago. The artist had us do it in grayscale, 3 shades, since there were way too many spot colors, which cost-wise wouldn't fly. However, the second run added a black screen so they could print on red...

Steve