Hello everyone!

First off, this might not be the right forum section or place to post and for that I'd like to apologise in advance.

I'm trying to help my son by creating a new logo, etc for his team. Now I've done that but they also need team jerseys and those require the logo as a vector file.
I have to be honest, I have completely exhausted my knowledge and physical capabilities. My hands won't do it anymore and it's becoming difficult to be precise.. arthritis.
Therefore I was wondering if one of you lovely people could help me out in turning said logos (1 logo plus team title) into vector.

Of course I'd be more than happy to pay for your help!

Thank you so very much,

jvf

Hi,

You got the bitmap of your logo ? Then you can try to vectorize.
create a new empty document.
import the bitmap (File/Import)
vectorize (Path/Trace (not sure of the spelling, I'm using french version) ; shortcut is shift alt b)

Results may vary depending on the complexity of original logo

Trace Bitmap, which v1nce suggested, is an automated way of converting a raster image to vector. So it would not require a lot dexterity. It might take a short learning curve, and in the end, might not turn up a satisfactory result. Just thinking of a typical sports team logo, I think it might work.

If you could provide the raster image, I'm sure one of us could do the trace for you. Some people, and I'm thinking it was v1nce who did a great trace for someone else recently, can do a great job of it. I think he used GIMP to tweak it before doing the Inkscape trace.

If you can't get an acceptable trace, and the logo already exists, I'd be glad to "hand trace" the logo and give you a basic file. I'm actually doing that for someone else (in another topic) right now, so I couldn't start right away. But probably the middle to end of next week I could. However, the logo needs to already exist. I'm pretty good at using Inkscape to trace existing images, but I can hardly draw them from scratch to save my life, lol

Thank you so much for your responses.
I have tried, but I just don't have the concentration. I certainly don't shy away from learning something new, but recent events have turned my mind into a useless blob, hence also the difficulties with my hands.

To the logo.. I originally created in C4D and it looks like this and the team signature like this. Can you assist me on how I could provide a raster image please?
Question, once it's been vectorized, will it keep all of its original colours?

I so very much appreciate all of your help! Please let me know how I could possibly show my gratitude?

jvf

Hi jvf,
Actually that signature will trace very well with Trace Bitmap. The logo perhaps not quite as well, but for someone who knows what they're doing, I think it could work.

You've already provided raster images (links to the PNGs) They should retain their original colors, but if they don't, for some reason, we can easily change them back.

However, when I searched C4D (since I hadn't heard of it) I learned that it's a 3D modeling/animation program, which sounds quite similar to Blender. That leads me to wonder if you might actually already have, at least the logo, in a vector format. If you have an SVG file, or another vector format that can be easily converted, that would be SO MUCH better than an automated trace of a raster format! And if you do, in fact have such a file, the screenprinter might even accept it as is!

So let us know If you still need the traces, and no one else has had a chance to do it, I can probably do it around the middle to end of next week.

For me, you could show gratitude by helping someone else with some knowledge or skill that you have, and that someone else needs. This world needs all the kindness we (as world citizens) can offer. If nothing else, donate some food to a food bank or shelter. Or maybe even easier, find a small child in your life, and read to them

Hey brynn,
You're right C4D has such a preset which would allow me to export it to AI. Unfortunately I would have to apply the 'Toon & Sketch' effect turning the logo into a more cartoon looking image.
So I would really like to take you up on your offer please if you do not mind and if you have the time!

On another note, I need to thank you for being such a selfless person.
It's not very often I come across someone like you. I'm very active with several charities and schools, or try to be whenever I physically can. I'm personally in huge debt to charities such as Cancer Connections or Macmillan, and I'm always trying my best to pay back the help and support they've offered to me and my family.

Thank you so much!

I'm sorry I haven't been here in a while, I just got back home. I hope no one thinks I have been ignoring anyone or anything.

I can start on this now. I'm not clear if you still wanted the automated trace, or a "manual" trace?

I have recently learned that gradients like it appears are used in parts of the logo, may not be screenprintable. If you can find out more about that, it will help me know how to draw it manually. Actually the automated trace would result in something that's probably "screenprint-ready", and do it better than I could draw it. So unless you learn that the printer can handle gradients, the automated trace would probably be perfect.

Let me know

In this case I would say let's go with the automated trace please.

Thank you so very much again, I can't tell you how grateful I am!!

Ok, I've imported the images, created the new file, and am ready to go with the tracing. But I notice that the logo is a lot bigger than the team name. I just want to make sure that they are in the relative proportions that you want.

Also, should I have them both in the same file, or do you need 2 separate files? If in the same file, should the logo be on top or the team name (text).

Edit
I've seen messages where people say that they need each color on a separate layer, for screenprinting. Will you need that done?

Hi brynn,
Thank you for your effort, you're a big help!

Yes, it would be two separate files as the team name goes on the back and sleeve.
I haven't heard back from the jersey designer but I'm guessing that they need to be done separate too, as I overheard him once saying he prints them layer by layer.
Is this doable? Please let me know if I'm asking too much. <3

Not at all. I should be able to finish tonight or tomorrow, at the latest. Maybe here within the next couple hours, if all goes well

Ok, so here's what happens to the gradients. On the left is the original PNG, and the trace on the right. This is using 7 colors. You can see that the automated trace breaks up the gradient into continguous blocks of solid color. For the small areas, it's just 2 colors. But for the large main object, well, you can see what happens. If I increase the number of colors, it results in more and smaller blocks.



That's what you need to discuss with the printer, as thoroughly as possible. If those blocks of color are ok with you, then I'll upload the file. Or maybe you'd prefer email? If you'd rather I email them, please use the forum's private messaging to send me your email address. PMs are completely private, and safe for sharing email addresses.

These are your options, as I understand things
1 -- Use the file as it is, with the color blocks.
2 -- Make the main object one single color.
3 -- Maybe the printer knows some kind of trick. In that case, I need to know what he needs in the file, if anything different.

Except for that, they're finished

Hi,

Wouldn't it be quite easy to "union" (not sure of the correct word, I use a french version, what I'm talking about it ctrl +) the 4 red shapes, then applying a radial gradient?

I don't know very much in textile print, but doesn't the logo need to be simplified? Will the gradient render well? Or won't the impression be more expensive?

Anyway, I did a manual trace of your logo if it can help :


If you need to remove the gradient for your logo to be printer-friendly, it will be very easy for you.

I'm not sure what 4 red shapes you're thinking of unioning. Do you mean the blocks of color that result from the automated trace? The Union process will choose one of the colors and apply it to the new unioned path....or maybe it will average the 4 colors, I'm not sure. I just posted the trace result to show jvf how the trace engine handles a gradient.

I don't know much about screenprinting either, but I think that the gradient will be a problem. I think he'll have to make a decision about eitiher using a solid, or perhaps another process instead of screenprinting. I know there's a way of putting designs on clothing using some sort of spraying technique, which can simulate gradients, somewhat. But I have no idea if that's available for jbf's project.

brynn wrote:I'm not sure what 4 red shapes you're thinking of unioning. Do you mean the blocks of color that result from the automated trace? The Union process will choose one of the colors and apply it to the new unioned path....or maybe it will average the 4 colors, I'm not sure. I just posted the trace result to show jvf how the trace engine handles a gradient.

Yes, these are the shapes I was talking about. I think the unioning would tkate the lower shape's color.

As you say, the automatic trace can not handle the gradients correctly.

brynn wrote:I don't know much about screenprinting either, but I think that the gradient will be a problem. I think he'll have to make a decision about eitiher using a solid, or perhaps another process instead of screenprinting. I know there's a way of putting designs on clothing using some sort of spraying technique, which can simulate gradients, somewhat. But I have no idea if that's available for jbf's project.

I don't know very much about that either, but I think that simpler shapes/colors can give a better result.

The SVG that I gave yesterday has gradients, but IMHO the best thing to do is to remove them.

Brynne,
first off, great job!
If you're still working on this, I just wanted to make a quick comment, if you wanted to simulate the gradient (for example the silver gradient located around the left middle in the red logo), you can use interpolation vs a gradient.

Thanks dee. I'm still waiting for comments from jvf, before I can finish.

But here's the thing. I just happened to pull a t-shirt out from the bottom of a drawer, that I hadn't worn in a while, and it has a gradient printed on it, clear as day. So I think there must be a way to use gradients in printing fabric. I'm thinking there must be more than one way to do it.

In another topic, druban offered some more detailed info about screenprinting, so I think I will have to do some research about that.

Meanwhile, if jvf uses the kind of printing where gradients are allowed, Mathieu147 made an SVG for them. If not, I can send the automated trace.