Hello. I have been doing a process for years and there has to be a better way of doing this.
If I have a vector design that has an object that is using the background color as part of its design and I want to remove the background but not mess up the design I have to do a weird work around. I add a background color so the white space is filled with a color then I select the design and convert it to a bitmap then I trace the bitmap and I am left with different objects and I can delete what I want and not screw up the whole design. In this photo the first design has a black circle (background). When I delete the black circle because I only want the airplane I loose everything except some accent marks and text. If I do my work around and convert to bitmap (I have to crop the photo sometimes to only have what I want to trace) and trace then I get vector elements out of what used to be negative space. The design is not normally as crisp as original due to the conversion and tracing. Seems like there should be an option to select all the elements of a design it would make new objects out of negative space and if there are over lapping areas it would weld them together etc. In some cases welding or back minus front etc. works it does not make new objects that when deleted have negative space under them, as in nothing overlaps. Any ideas?
Gregory Peck said:When I delete the black circle because I only want the airplane I loose everything except some accent marks and text. If I do my work around and convert to bitmap (I have to crop the photo sometimes to only have what I want to trace) and trace then I get vector elements out of what used to be negative space.
What you can do with vector tools - e.g., Boundary, Weld, Trim, Smart Fill - is going to depend very much on the structure of the vector content with which you started.
If you share the original vector file, some people might be willing to look at it, and then offer suggestions for how they would approach the problem.
I assume you're talking about an object similar to the FEDEX logo where the arrow is not only part of the background space but is the background color, is that correct?
Yes that is a pretty good example. Also I do this process if I use text and have to add a thick outline. I use this art for laser engraving and the machine can not read line weight so I have to convert all to objects with hairline outline or no outline. So I make my text add the heavier outline convert to bitmap then trace the bitmap. Is there a better way to do that?
Yes some times the vector tools can work but on artwork with lots of details or potential objects its easier to to the bit map then trace. Seems there should be some way to convert everything to individual objects
In the case of the FEDEX logo I'd draw the arrow, fill it white and assign the outline as needed, no outline for print, and the outline required for the device for cut or print and cut.