Vector Conversion Services

[T Shirt Farmer]

Thanks to all for your input especially Dan for the extensive/intensive reply.

This vendor has been extremely valuable to my company for many years digitizing but appears not to be a good fit for vector conversions.

Super cool of Inkman to reach out and provided a file that was exactly what i would expect to receive from vector services. Matthias also hooked me up with another vector source which again is very considerate indeed. Maxi Vlead looks like a top notch provider as well i will send a job to them as well.

[Dottonedan]

OK let me cut to the chase on this mess. I made an assumption that I did not include in my previous babble.
Lets go back to the providers reply statement....
This file is entirely automated and that is why you are unable to release it as there is an object after object.

My assumption, ( we all know what happens when we assume ) from the reply is this "artist" ran the file through  vector conversion software never was touched by human hands so to speak, cashed the check and sent back the entirely automated art.
To quote Pink Floyd......Welcome my son to the machine
mooseman

Glad it’s all hashed.

[screenxpress]

OK let me cut to the chase on this mess. I made an assumption that I did not include in my previous babble.
Lets go back to the providers reply statement....
This file is entirely automated and that is why you are unable to release it as there is an object after object.

My assumption, ( we all know what happens when we assume ) from the reply is this "artist" ran the file through  vector conversion software never was touched by human hands so to speak, cashed the check and sent back the entirely automated art.
To quote Pink Floyd......Welcome my son to the machine
mooseman

I suspect you hit the nail on the head.  I recently had a .jpg image I wanted to convert to a vector for use in Corel and ran it through open source Inkscape.  While Inkscape usually does "meets-minimum" result, I got a scaleable file with duplicate overlapping nodes everywhere and took quite a bit of time to make it usable.

[T Shirt Farmer]

OK let me cut to the chase on this mess. I made an assumption that I did not include in my previous babble.
Lets go back to the providers reply statement....
This file is entirely automated and that is why you are unable to release it as there is an object after object.

My assumption, ( we all know what happens when we assume ) from the reply is this "artist" ran the file through  vector conversion software never was touched by human hands so to speak, cashed the check and sent back the entirely automated art.
To quote Pink Floyd......Welcome my son to the machine
mooseman

I suspect you hit the nail on the head.  I recently had a .jpg image I wanted to convert to a vector for use in Corel and ran it through open source Inkscape.  While Inkscape usually does "meets-minimum" result, I got a scaleable file with duplicate overlapping nodes everywhere and took quite a bit of time to make it usable.

I got a scaleable file with duplicate overlapping nodes everywhere and took quite a bit of time to make it usable.

This is exactly my experience with more than one vendor, takes way more effort than it should to make usable..

[inkman996]

Thats why i suggest exporting it in high resolution and tracing it with a quality program. You will have a much friendlier file to work with afterwards.

[Frog]

I use Ignition artwork, and was surprised to learn that rather than trace, they re-draw.

[3Deep]

I use Ignition artwork, and was surprised to learn that rather than trace, they re-draw.

I've used Ignition when we've got real busy and needed the help, they do a great job and price ain't to bad, I'm lucky I've got just a little skill to trace,draw etc my own stuff when I have the time.

[Rockers]

I use Ignition artwork, and was surprised to learn that rather than trace, they re-draw.

I just make sure I tell who ever I ask to vectorize my artwork to not use Illustrators Trace tool. I make sure to provide a as much detailed description of what I want them to do as possible. As a matter of fact tracing is the more accurate description of what you want to get done. It implies you want a precise copy of the original, while re-drawing could as well mean you might want to get improvements made to a certain artwork. Leaves room for interpretation if you say re-drawing.

[Dottonedan]

I agree.  When getting this work done by a source that serves this industry, they know what you want. At least most often. When you get it from a source that does work for all kinds of things, the terms we use become grey, or used loosely.  “Automated”.  That one alone is vary grey.  Automated in what way?
That can mean automated as in “live file” in a manor that it can be changed as needed. Affects with new words etc.   vector conversion. I’ve seen way too many vector conversions that are not like the original. And then, I’ve see just as many that are straight auto traces with CMYK and bazillions of elements of real photos that were to be a vector recreation.

it really boils down to like Rockers said. Really explaining what it is that you want. We should not assume our screen printing terms for what you want, is what they use that term for.

[blue moon]

the big issue with this file is the gradients. Automated tools do not work well with them. It has to be done manually.

Learn to use the Illustrator tool. It does a great job on 95% of the files we might see in our industry. Run it multiple times with different setting. Have one with more straight lines another for more curves, varying amounts of black level and then combine it all in the end (use individual elements from each setting). It's a tool like any other. Better you get with it, better the results. Gradients will have to be done by hand though. . .

pierre