Inkscape/C4/Trace-bitmaps-in-Inkscape/English
Title of script: Trace bitmap in Inkscape
Author: Arthi and Shital
Keywords: Difference between raster and vector image, various raster and vector formats, convert raster image to vector
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Opening Slide | Welcome to the Spoken Tutorial on “Trace bitmap in Inkscape” using Inkscape. |
Learning Objectives (Slide) | In this tutorial
We will learn the
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System requirement (Slide) | To record this tutorial, I am using
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Show the images | The images used as examples in this tutorial, have been provided in the Code Files link.
Pause the tutorial here and download the images on your machine. |
Show the images | Here are the 2 images on my desktop. |
Point to the images | Linux.png is the raster image and Linux.pdf is the vector image.
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Zoom into both the images | Both the images may look similar.
We will know the difference only by zooming into the image. Let's do so. |
Point to the first image | Now, the first image looks pixelated because a raster image is made of up pixels. |
Point to the second image | But the second image does not pixelate because a vector image is made up of paths. |
Raster image formats (Slide) | Some of the raster image formats are
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Vector image formats (Slide) | Some of the vector image formats are
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Compound formats | The formats that can be both vector and raster are
<<PAUSE>> |
Point to both the images | Let us now learn how to convert this raster image to vector. |
Open Inkscape | Open Inkscape.
Now, we will import the raster image. |
Go to File >> Import | Go to File and click on Import. |
Path menu >> Trace Bitmap | Now, go to Path menu and click on Trace Bitmap. |
Point to the dialog box | A dialog box opens up. Under the Mode tab we can see various options. |
Point to the image | Make sure the image is selected. |
Point to the Brightness cutoff option | By default, Brightness cutoff option is selected.
Under Preview, check the Live Preview option to observe the changes. |
Point to Preview window | As you can see in the Preview window, Brightness cutoff finds the difference in brightness. |
Click on Edge detection | Now click on the second option, that is Edge detection.
As the name indicates, it finds only the edges. |
Click on Color quantization | Color quantization traces along the boundaries of reduced colors. |
Click on Invert image >> Uncheck | Invert image will invert the colors of the bitmap if you think it looks better inverted.
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Click on Multiple scans | Multiple scans is good for multiple colors. |
Click on Brightness steps | Once again Brightness steps finds the difference in brightness. |
Click on Colors | Colors finds an amount of colors specified. |
Click on Grays >> Uncheck Smooth | Grays is similar to Colors, but finds only grayscale colors.
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Point to the dialog box | Now we have seen all the tracing options.
You can choose from any of these according to your requirement. |
Click on colors option | I will choose Colors options by clicking on it. |
Click on OK >> Close the dialog box | Now click on OK and close the dialog box. |
Point to the traced image | The traced image in created on the top of the original image. |
Click and move the image | Click and move the image to one side in order to see both the images. |
Zoom in to the images | The image is now converted into vector.
Zoom in to the images. |
Point to both the images | As mentioned earlier
And we can also see the paths very clearly. |
Delete the original image | Now, delete the original image. |
Go to Path >> Break Apart | Select the image. Go to Path. Click on Break Apart. |
Double click >> Move images apart | Now double click on the image. Stack of images are created on the top of the other.
Click and drag them aside to make it visible. |
Select the images except black >> Delete | Next let us learn how to edit the vector image. I will edit the black image.
So delete the other images. |
Add nodes on the head area | Make sure the image is selected. |
Change the colors | Go to Path. Click on Break Apart. |
Fill and Stroke >> reduce opacity to 50 | Under Fill and Stroke, reduce the opacity to 50.
Now you can see the parts clearly. |
Change the colors of the image | Next let us change the colors of the image. |
Increase the opacity to 100 | You can change the colors according to your imagination.
Now select all the parts and increase the opacity to 100. |
Press Ctrl + G | Press Ctrl + G to group them all together. |
Select the image >> click on the Nodes tool. | Now let us add some hair-style.
To do so, select the image and click on the Nodes tool. |
Select the node >> drag upwards..... Do so for all the new nodes. | Add nodes to the head area.
Now move the nodes a little up as demonstrated. |
Point to the image | Let me now save the image in both raster and vector formats. |
Save the image as PNG | First save it as raster, that is, in PNG format.
Go to File and then click on Save As. |
PNG >> Image-vector | Change the name as Image-raster. Click on Save. |
Point to the image | Next let us save the image as vector, that is, in PDF format. |
File >> Save As | Once again, go to File and click on Save As. |
Save the image as PDF | Change the extension to PDF
Change the name as Image-vector. Click on Save. |
Open both the images | Now let us go to the desktop and check both the images. |
Point to both the images | You can clearly identify the difference between the two images. |
Summarize | That's all for this tutorial. Let us summarize.
In this tutorial, we have learnt the
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Assignment | As an assignment, select the train image which is given in your code files link and convert it to a vector in Grays.
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About Slide | The video available at the following link summarizes the Spoken Tutorial project. Please watch it. |
About Slide | The Spoken Tutorial Project Team conducts workshops and gives certificates for those who pass an online test.
For more details, please write to us. |
About Slide | Spoken Tutorial Project is supported by the NMEICT, MHRD, Government of India.
More information on this Mission is available at this link. |
Acknowledgment | We have come to the end of this tutorial.
This is Arthi and Shital from IIT Bombay, signing off. Thanks for joining. |