AI and pattern editing

[klingler]

Folks,

I'm in that learning curve where I'm struggling to learn how to use Adobe Illustrator (CS3) to create good quality carve-able patterns. I've searched the forum looking for some sort of tutorial on the subject, but have found nothing that get's too deep. I have a basic understanding of the Live Trace feature, but it's not giving me the detail I'm looking for. Thanks folks.

[www.go3d.us]

AI has a unique feature called gradient mesh. You might want to take a closer look at that.

Good luck!

[bjbethke]

Folks,

I'm in that learning curve where I'm struggling to learn how to use Adobe Illustrator (CS3) to create good quality carve-able patterns. I've searched the forum looking for some sort of tutorial on the subject, but have found nothing that get's too deep. I have a basic understanding of the Live Trace feature, but it's not giving me the detail I'm looking for. Thanks folks.

I don’t have CS3, The ones I have used are CS2 and I just got CS4 around the first of this year. They work about the same, a few more extras in the newer ones.

I found a few You-Tube videos that aren’t too bad for learning, I download the Videos in a Flash file and review the from time to time, (I use the Movavi Flash converter It works great for me) and it was free at the time I downloaded it, it is about $29.99 now - maybe?

The Draw and the live trace are good function, also learn how to use layers to add Grayscale gradients – try to make them look like the pattern images you get when you use the scanning probe.

Here are three of them you may want to look at. Hope this helps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DzpT8POAME

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MOlYMVTnJY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0yNFH99cWg

[klingler]

Thanks guys, I just had a chance to go through those videos. Good stuff. I'm sure it will take me some time to get used to, but I'll get it!

[robbrigg2]

Folks,

I'm in that learning curve where I'm struggling to learn how to use Adobe Illustrator (CS3) to create good quality carve-able patterns. I've searched the forum looking for some sort of tutorial on the subject, but have found nothing that get's too deep. I have a basic understanding of the Live Trace feature, but it's not giving me the detail I'm looking for. Thanks folks.

What are you trying to use for your patterns? Pictures or gif's? Illutrator is good but I have found that to get the most detail from a pattern I need to make a large scale file in AI and then import it into Photoshop (regardless of weather it s a picture or a graphic. I then convert the file to greyscale, and save it as .png file. if there are ridges I go back and resave the fil with a 1.0 Guassian Blur wich flattens the image some. I only us the blur if the image dose has the spike one import into designer.

If you have a file you want to start with, and would like me to walk you through the steps I use I would be more than happy to do so just send me an email and we can go from there.

Robert (robbrigg2@aol.com)

[klingler]

Wonderful Robert. The files I'm working with are b/w images. I'll send you one and you tell me what you think. I've done some messing with it and was able to get something better than what I started with, but it's not what I want it to look like.

Thanks,

[dbfletcher]

Any chance you can post the image here... and then robert can explain his steps and we can all follow along? This could turn out to be a very educational thread. Perhaps users of inkscape or Corel will chime in with how to get the same results for each step? I'm invisioning each step be clearly labeled by a number and each step also be in its own post within the thread. Additionally the starting image and the completed image or each step attached as a thumbnails.

What do you think Robert... are you up for it?

Doug Fletcher

[robbrigg2]

Any chance you can post the image here... and then robert can explain his steps and we can all follow along? This could turn out to be a very educational thread. Perhaps users of inkscape or Corel will chime in with how to get the same results for each step? I'm invisioning each step be clearly labeled by a number and each step also be in its own post within the thread. Additionally the starting image and the completed image or each step attached as a thumbnails.

What do you think Robert... are you up for it?

Doug Fletcher

I have no problem with that. I have Corel 8 (old but effective) and some others I will do what I can and hopefully it will help

[klingler]

Here's the picture I'm working on... and one of my attempts to get a good pattern from it. Not exactly the outcome I'm looking for.

Edit - Sorry, the trace attempt didn't convert to jpg very well when I uploaded it.

[Steven Alford]

your second picture is solid black.