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Thread: Losing image clarity when putting images into Corel Draw

  1. #16
    I know about upping the dpi by just entering it, I have one customer who insists on sending me thumbnails sized pics, like 75 x 75 pixels--I just engrave them direct in halftone, and the engraving area for them is only about 10x10mm, and just raising the DPI does help!

    Before I go further, just want to reiterate that 99% of my work is 2 colors- actually, more accurately would be ONE color, BLACK, since the other color is "nothing". So while I give props to PowerTRACE for tracing colors, that doesn't help me much, especially since I just cannot get a satisfactory simple black outline trace unless the original is pristine and large.

    This is from an actual job last week. It's not pristine OR large. My customer sends me sayings and names and such to put on SIC cups. This is one from last week, a name and a date. I chopped off most of the name for this test...

    First, I copied this into Corel directly from the email.
    Just to make a liar out of me, note the DPI. I haven't touched it!
    Also note the size, pretty small at 2.53" across...
    trace1.jpg

    So I throw it into Trace, and proceed to try and get a decent result.
    I tried a few options but went 'line art', and spent quite a bit of time moving sliders trying to get it to look good.
    Every time I moved a slider I had to go into 'settings' and change the colors back to 2. Irritating...
    But this was almost the best I could muster. I did get it a little better but not much...
    If I went more detail, the hard lines got harder. Less and the holes would fill in.
    trace2.jpg
    --Changing smoothing would make some areas smoother but others flatter...?? Why can't it just outline what it sees?

    So I copied it into Corel Paint, changed it to grayscale, and exported it as a TIF, then imported into Casmate...
    trace3.jpg

    This is a zoom-in... note it's major pixelated, and I've done nothing to help that, it's still as-is from the email.
    trace5.jpg

    So I clicked "vectorize", and in less than one second- no kidding- done! --check out the lines, very smooth, no choppy edges...
    Casmate doesn't try to guess at corners or curves or smoothing or detail, it just simply outlines dark, and does a great job.
    Now, Casmate DOES have a secondary option called 'enhanced corners', where I can choose smoothing and detail settings, just like Trace-
    and guess what? The results are a lot like Trace, rounded corners and squared off round edges. Nah, I'll just use one click and done
    trace6.jpg

    Below is a screenshot of the Corel job in the link below, with the original emailed image on top, middle is Corel Trace's version, bottom is Casmate.
    I removed the name pieces from the vectors...
    trace7.jpg
    For simple black/white tracing from user file to laser, there's no contest. I did zero editing to any of this, other than the grayscale change necessary for Casmate.
    Oh, and to pull out all the second holes from the Trace version. All inner holes were doubled up...
    The Corel file below is a version 10, feel free to open and check it all out. If someone can figure out how to make a decent Corel Trace from the original, I'd love to know how! While I love Casmate, it's just another step I'd just as soon avoid if I can get Trace to work!

    TraceTest.cdr



    .
    Last edited by Kev Williams; 09-18-2017 at 7:55 PM.
    ========================================
    ELEVEN - rotary cutter tool machines
    FOUR - CO2 lasers
    THREE- make that FOUR now - fiber lasers
    ONE - vinyl cutter
    CASmate, Corel, Gravostyle


  2. #17
    Kev
    I'm working with my Mac with Parallels so this is my first attempt at using it for such an exercise. First, your file that you posted is not what you used for the trace. Therefore I can't demonstrate Trace, apples to apples so to speak.

    With a simple black and white I use quick trace--just one click.

    As an aside, I thought I was being very clever in buying this MacBook and Parallels, Win 10, and X7. I was far less than clever.
    Mike Null

    St. Louis Laser, Inc.

    Trotec Speedy 300, 80 watt
    Gravograph IS400
    Woodworking shop CLTT and Laser Sublimation
    Dye Sublimation
    CorelDraw X5, X7

  3. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Null View Post
    Kev
    I'm working with my Mac with Parallels so this is my first attempt at using it for such an exercise. First, your file that you posted is not what you used for the trace.
    oh, but it is!! In the Corel file, the very top is the image I traced, the other 2 are the results...

    this is the wireframe view-
    trace8.jpg
    ========================================
    ELEVEN - rotary cutter tool machines
    FOUR - CO2 lasers
    THREE- make that FOUR now - fiber lasers
    ONE - vinyl cutter
    CASmate, Corel, Gravostyle


  4. #19
    Kev

    I'm now on my working pc. I stand corrected!

    My quick trace with one click appears to be as sharp as yours but the inner holes have to be edited. That may be more time consuming than your process.
    Mike Null

    St. Louis Laser, Inc.

    Trotec Speedy 300, 80 watt
    Gravograph IS400
    Woodworking shop CLTT and Laser Sublimation
    Dye Sublimation
    CorelDraw X5, X7

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