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quickshow:quicktrace [2019/06/12 18:26] Bob Varkevisser [Editing the image after it has been traced] |
quickshow:quicktrace [2019/10/29 15:49] Bob Varkevisser [Comments] |
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+ | ====== QuickTrace ====== | ||
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+ | The **QuickTrace** tool allows you to quickly trace graphic images such as bitmaps stored in BMP, JPEG or GIF format. | ||
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+ | The main features of the **QuickTrace** tool are shown and described in the picture below. | ||
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+ | {{: | ||
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+ | As shown, you simply select a image file, choose a trace mode, make a few adjustments, | ||
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+ | ===== Selecting the image file ===== | ||
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+ | To select an image file, click on the Open image button. This will display a standard Windows file dialog box, where you can navigate to and select the image to trace. | ||
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+ | ===== Choosing a tracing mode ===== | ||
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+ | The QuickTrace tool offers three separate tracing modes: | ||
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+ | - Color separation mode (best for high-quality company logos and business card graphics) | ||
+ | - Highlight separation mode (best for lower-quality images and continuous-tone photographs) | ||
+ | - Centerline mode (best for line-art such as hand drawn images) | ||
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+ | ===== Applying Noise Reduction ===== | ||
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+ | The **QuickTrace** tool has a check box that will apply a **Noise reduction** filtering. This may be handy for images that have small specks or severe JPEG compression artifacts. Just try checking and un-checking the box to see which way provides the best looking output image. | ||
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+ | ===== Choosing a number of colors ===== | ||
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+ | When the tracing mode is set to **Color separation**, | ||
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+ | ===== Adjusting the Separation level ===== | ||
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+ | When the tracing mode is set to **Highlight separation** or **Centerline**, | ||
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+ | ===== Modifying the overall size, position and rotation angle ===== | ||
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+ | The four buttons under the preview window allow you to control the size, position, and rotation angle of the shape. These work in exactly the same way as the [[quickshow: | ||
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+ | ===== Displaying the traced image momentarily ===== | ||
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+ | To display the traced image that you have created, simply click on the Show it now button. | ||
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+ | ===== Saving the QuickTrace to a cue ===== | ||
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+ | You can save the **QuickTrace** to a cue for more permanent storage or for use later. Simply drag and drop the preview window (or the **QuickTrace** tab itself) to a cue. Everything about the **QuickTrace** will be saved into the cue, including the size, position, rotation, speed, color and font as seen in the preview window. | ||
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+ | ===== Editing the image after it has been traced ===== | ||
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+ | Once you drag and drop the traced image to a cue, you can use the [[quickshow: | ||
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+ | ===== Comments ===== | ||
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+ | **Below additional information from Aaron McDonald, Support Manager.** | ||
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+ | Text and logos are the most difficult images to re-create in laser as text is the hardest thing to draw with laser scanners. | ||
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+ | For a comparison, look in the " | ||
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+ | QuickShow and BEYOND have a feature called QuickTrace and BEYOND has a Picture Tracer that is slightly more sophisticated than QuickTrace. | ||
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+ | If QuickTrace or the Picture Tracer in BEYOND do not get you the results you want you may need to get your hands dirty, or hire an artist, and take the time to create your laser content in the proper way (90% of laser art is hand drawn in some way even if someone eventually produces the content in an art application like 3D Studio Max). I hand trace 90% of all the laser frame content I produce as I want my work to be close to perfect, and quick and dirty is rarely close to perfect. This is where laser frame creation becomes an art form. | ||
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+ | ---- | ||
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+ | See Also | ||
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+ | * [[quickshow: | ||
+ | * [[quickshow: | ||
+ | * [[quickshow: | ||
+ | |||
+ | [[quickshow: |