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Hi, here is a translated tutorial of lovely vector halftones, as per requested by one of the folks in the forums.
The original Russian page is here
Effect halftone usually done in raster editors (Adobe Photoshop, Corel Photo-Paint, etc.). In such a vector can be done by tracing a raster image, but the result leaves much to be desired: roughness, angularity and redundant nodes sharply limit the scope of application of this effect (eg Cutting Plotter). But Nevertheless, there is a way to create simple and beautiful vector halfton, on the implementation of this method in the editor CorelDraw and will be discussed. I think nestoit go into the theory of construction, all will become clear after the example. To begin with the same draw the line and rotate it 45 degrees (Freehad / Besier / Pen Tool caught with Ctrl, and Ctrl Thus we turn, or in a window вбить 45 Angle of Rotation in the Property Bar), the size of the line set times, say five (not Required five, it is not crucial, but more convenient to choose the «flat» numbers, understand why a little later), in this example is 70 mm.
Now the tool Ellipse Tool (F7) draw two circles, the size of my example of 10 and 1 mm, but may itself vary according to the desired result. Choosing Interactive Blend Tool make their move and let the line check Blend along full path in the properties of the transition. Now a little матчасти: number of steps is calculated as follows: the size of the control lines divide by 5, and takes 1 to our line (70 mm) are 13 steps total of 15 objects, 50 mm for the line - it is 9 steps and 11 objects. The thing is that in order to achieve the desired effect, it is important to get the same distance between the centers of neighboring circles in vertical, horizontal and diagonal, and the easiest way to do this is located at a distance obviously taken the necessary number of objects, sounds wildly, understand, but later everything became clear.
So after a breakdown (Edit> Break Apart or Ctrl + K) blind to the objects (which can be grouped or merged, who as a matter of convenience), one element of the future halftona ready. By the way I advise copying unbroken Blend where something aside, to read. You can begin to overlap: Duplicate Distance set the value in the horizontal (X) - 10, the vertical (Y) - 0, and then several times Ctrl + D, where everything is done correctly obtain accurate horizontal halfton by setting an offset X - 0, and on Y - 10, get vertical, and the values of 5 to give the coordinates of the two diagonal shift, the positive (5, 5) upwards, and negative (-5, -5), respectively down.
To not wear button «D» in CorelDraw a docker Step and Repeat (a combination of Ctrl + Shift + D), it sets tezhe coordinates and the displacement of the necessary number of duplicates, push the button «Apply» and save a few seconds of precious time and a a resource life of the keyboard.
Well, doing halftone in linear vector is easy, but if you want to make it like a wave? You can spend a little more time to build everything by hand, but there are simpler alternatives, and each of them can be used so I consider everything in my opinion the most effective. Method 1: Manual. To get started, decide to form and draw the outline.
Now you need to build elements in accordance with the form. Set Nudge Offset equal five, and Duplicate Distance: X - 10, Y - 0. Then put the top part of halftone «Waves» and duplicating it by pressing Ctrl + D to periodically shifts the arrows on the keyboard in accordance with the bend shape (down - down and right, up - up and left).
You can slightly modify the way (for this element halftona should be a group of objects). The difference is in the manual arrangement of the elements of pre-formed auxiliary grid. Since the distance between the centers of deliberately chosen, to build a correct and smooth halfton not be a problem, all you need - draw a grid with cell size of 10 mm (by overlapping lines rotated by 45 degrees with a step on the horizontal - 10mm) and it points to align objects .
With included attachment to objects (Snap to Objects pane properties (Alt + Z) to drag the elements at the center circle - just highlight an item, roll the center of a circle until you see the corresponding caption in blue «center» tyanem traps and near the intersection of the control lines to be built inscription «intersection», sdublirovat you can right-click or left neotpuskaya space (with a space neat, if you overdo it on top will be unnecessary duplication).
The resulting grouping halfton / merge, crop, paint, etc. etc., there is already a technical process ends and imagination begins.
For a simple effect to do a manual alignment, and not much time will be required to chegoto more complicated, but I would not if I could not find a way to automate this process. A bit of theory: the manual way to show the principle of construction, that is correct for the effect you need to make some of the elements (in this case taken by the horizontal and vertical distance of 10 mm between the centers of objects). Arrange a lot of the same elements can be hood, place them in a certain order hood on the road, but the order in this case must be strict, mean, and the path should not be normal and special. Consist of the elements of a certain length (a multiple of five in our case), and even perpendicular. You can draw a path through the same pre-established grid, or to edit pre-drawn. But it is possible, and by tracking low-resolution bitmaps. Thus, a preliminary outline for the transfer to the two-screen with the resolution at which the size of pixels wakes about 5 mm (all depends on the size, just-in value is unlikely to get, if someone knows a way to share). Then bitmam trassiruem with the greatest detail (Detail) and the lowest smoothing (Smoothing).
Now you need to fit the size so that the length and height of resulting «steps» was a multiple of 5 mm. I just drew a line frihend Tuloma former pixel size (at sites with attachment included) was the size of five millimeters, brought up to five or copied percentage (Scale Factor) in the properties of the entire facility. That's me and waited in frustration and the initial name of the second mode of «automatic» had to add the prefix «floor». I do not know but what algorithm works Power Trace and Corel Trace 12 which I tried with different settings, but the size of pixels, they feel different in different parts of the raster, the logical explanation that I nenashel, so I do not have a little fix future path leveled some segments of grid ( «downed» segments was not a lot of cryptic way of an object just fell into the net). Well, all that is left is to put the pivot center of the group at the center of smaller circle sdublirovat and make peretekanie hood appointing prepared the way and set the distance between the sites flows to 5 mm.
Conclusion: what advantages this halftona to raster? Descending the general advantages of vector graphics to raster, you can mention a few points: 1) the effect may consist not only of circles, and of absolutely any shape of objects or even groups of objects, and 2) as the main element is created through the hood, you can halfton do not similar objects from a peretekaniya one another (eg a square circle, a shape of a star, etc.), and 3) the same thing only in color ... In general, all limited only by your imagination. Good luck!