How to make a bitmap graphic look it's cleanest

from WinCustomize Forums
Some of the first icons I made were of a few different guitars that came from bitmap and jpeg type graphics that I tried to make as clean as possible. I failed miserably!!

I literally edited each pixel and feathered and manipulated them as much as I could only to come up with a result that was not very pleasing.. I'd really like to make some improvements on them. Is there a way to change them from bitmap to vector type graphics? I used Paint Shop Pro originally to edit them, and I'm learning to make icons now with CorelDRAW.

Any kind of help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
This is what one of them looks like:
http://skins3.wincustomize.com/DonnaG/dock/thumb_000-28EC_f.jpg

Donna
icons
6,145 views 8 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
You can't really turn bitmaps into vector. You however can import your bitmaps into CoreclDraw and remove the background nicely and do other things if you like.

One link you can check out -> http://www.cedesign.com/html/whitebg.html

See how much that helps
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Thanks, Skinner Weaksid. I read a little bit of the article and will try some of their suggestions tonight when I get home from work.
Start11 - Customize the Start Menu and Taskbar in Windows 10/11.
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
You can do a better job blending if you know ahead of time if the image will be used on a light or dark background.
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Actually, there are programs that attempts convert bitmaps to vectors. Illustrator has a function like this, and I've seen others as well. However, it usually doens't work too well unless it's a somewhat minimalistic bitmap.
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Any kind of help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

My advice would be ..... stop using someone elses graphics to convert, and make your own. You can create them as vector from the start that way.

Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Maybe I should rephrase my question.


Let's say I take a digital snapshot of my Martin guitar, this one: http://donnag.wincustomize.com/photos.aspx?a=1&p=8&SID=4571&UID=790191
and I want to take the jpeg image and make an icon from it. What steps can I take to make sure I create an icon with the highest image level I can? I don't want a generic guitar. I want this guitar, with all it's nuances. Maybe that's not possible, I don't know. Maybe I should just make a generic accoustic guitar and be satisfied with that. But I'd really like to make an icon of this particular model.

In my CorelDRAW Suite there's a program called Trace. It's pretty cool and it does in fact change the bitmap into a vector image, but the image it creates makes it so perfect/simplistic (which I believe Developer thomassen is referring to) that it takes away from all the detail of the guitar. I want the detail, but clean detail. Maybe I want too much.

Just thought I'd ask.

Thanks to everyone. I appreciate all the advise given. Moving onward!!
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
ok there is a peice of Corel software that does it, be prepared for a lot of vectors, though.
Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Converting a raster picture to vector always makes it a little more cartoony.

How big is that picture? If you has object desktop, there's a program that convert PNG into pretty good icons. My brother, which is not a good artist, made a amazing thumb drive icon that way.