Instructions on how to do vinyl portraits on tile

Tips, Tricks and Tutorials for using Inkscape
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sfandm
Posts: 102
Joined: Fri Apr 10, 2009 10:37 am

Instructions on how to do vinyl portraits on tile

Post by sfandm »

OK, here are the directions I use to make my tiles with vinyl portraits.

I have Print Shop Pro, SCAL, and Inkscape that I used to make these. I can't tell you if another photo editing sw program would work or if so, how to use it, but at least you will get the idea. Note: anytime I use a tab at the top of any of the sw programs I have mentioned, it will be started with an * so that you don't miss any of the steps.

Open your photo editing sw.

Choose the pic that you want to use by going to
*Insert
*from file
find the photo you want and double click on it.

Crop your photo first.

Turn your photo black and white.

Save as a jpeg on your desktop.

Now open up Inkscape

*Import

Find the saved jpeg on your desktop, and import it into Ink.

*Path
*Trace Bitmap

Choose 3 on your #'s, and make your settings "Grays"

It gets a little tricky here, I sometimes like what the preview pic looks like and other times I have to change the Threshold, along with other buttons in the Trace Bitmap box. If you like the preview, then click

*Update
*OK

Close the box.

Now seperate the two pics, and move the original to the side.

Click on the new pic, and go to
*Object
*Ungroup

Click off the new pic and right back on it.
Seperate the three pieces, I normally come out with a gray, background, and a light shade of black.

I delete the background and if I need to use some of the gray, I delete the nodes I don't need and change that color along with the other to black, using the bottom color bar.

I then position the two pieces together, and select all.

*Path
*Object to path
*Object
*Group

*File
*Save as

and name your new improved black pic. I always save it to my desktop for faster location.

Open your SCAL program. Make your pic fit to page or whatever size you wish, and cut. Just remember tho, the smaller the pic, and more detailed the cut, the more weeding you will need to do.

Someone try these steps and let me know if they work good for you.

I wanna see finished pics of your creations.

Sonya
wnlbutterfly
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Jan 08, 2010 12:54 pm

Re: Instructions on how to do vinyl portraits on tile

Post by wnlbutterfly »

I have put in hours trying to get this to work. ALMOST successful...but here are some of the problems I seem to run into.

When I group and then color everything black I have nothing but face, no details in the hair or such. I took out the background, but left the other gray, grouped, and the outline shows it looking pretty good. Saved. When I open in SCAL2 however, it has a funky line going from the bottom right hand corner across to the middle left-hand side. It almost looks as if a node was moved. But when I got back into Inkscape it looks fine.

Granted I am a newbie and this is probably an ADVANCED technique.

When you said #'s on 3, could you be more specific? Is that in the Tracebit pop up box, or Cricut setting?

THANKS for any help you can give!
Sweetness4713
Posts: 4918
Joined: Sun May 24, 2009 5:35 pm
Location: Timmins Ontario Canada Shania Twains hometown.. SCAL 1,2,3,4 Silhouette, Inkscape.47 Vista

Re: Instructions on how to do vinyl portraits on tile

Post by Sweetness4713 »

It would be the tracebit popup box.. If she's ungrouping that would mean it's the number multiple scan box is set to 3 layers... brightness steps and then check off grays... This is so she only has 3 layers to ungroup.. To get the parts you want to keep you would have to go to the threshold box above.. and I do believe she said she grouped the 2 images together...
btails
Posts: 635
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2008 10:03 am

Re: Instructions on how to do vinyl portraits on tile

Post by btails »

Have been wanting to do this so bad and just had bought print shop pro hoping it would be more compatable on my Vista and older , but the best HP all in one printer.....thanks !!!
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