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  • Help making a bleed for cutting out a complex graphic – illustrator

    Posted by Simon Worrall on March 1, 2022 at 12:43 am

    Hi all.

    I am tearing my hair out with this one.

    I have a multicoloured JPEG graphic which I want to contour cut round the edge of the shapes.

    It needs to be exactly on the edge, but I need to bleed the graphic outwards so when I cut it I dont get any slivers of white.

    Now this is obviously tricky, because of the complexity of the colours at the edge. The only way I know to do this is to go into photoshop and manually paint in a bleed in all the different colours.

    I hope Im explaining this properly.

    Surely there is an illustrator genius here that knows how to do this?

    Jamie Wood replied 2 years, 4 months ago 6 Members · 11 Replies
  • 11 Replies
  • Martyn Heath

    Member
    March 1, 2022 at 6:48 am

    Hi simon, i have come across this issue a few times. What i normally do is inset the cutline slightly to give you say half a mm – 1mm bleed. For what you lose on the image i dont think its noticeable.

  • Kevin Mahoney

    Member
    March 1, 2022 at 10:42 am

    Morning chaps. In the past, when I can’t be bothered to mess about doing artwork, I’ve copied the image, pasted in back & put a heavy gaussian blur on it which spreads the colour past the edges. Flatten the blurred layer & applied the cutline. Should save you a fair bit of time

    • Martyn Heath

      Member
      March 1, 2022 at 1:43 pm

      thats a darn good idea

    • Simon Worrall

      Member
      March 1, 2022 at 9:33 pm

      Kevin that sounds like it will work!

      Thanks😅

    • RobertLambie

      Administrator
      March 1, 2022 at 9:58 pm

      That is a very good idea, hadn’t thought about that either, Kev. 👍

      I have tried the smudge tool and slightly dragging it. but as much as it works, its time consuming, inconsistent and looks a mess until contour cut. 🤣

    • Jamie Wood

      Member
      March 2, 2022 at 10:24 am

      Yup, that’s a really good idea 👍

      • This reply was modified 2 years, 4 months ago by  Jamie Wood.
  • Alan Jerome

    Member
    March 1, 2022 at 12:20 pm

    Hi, will this help, just used the image on the site. Removed whit background and created a contour line in illustrator or whatever view as outline if it helps.

    Regards

    Al

  • RobertLambie

    Administrator
    March 1, 2022 at 9:54 pm

    Hi Alan

    I think it is creating the “bleed colours” he is having problems, mate.
    so when he is contour cutting the image parameter, if the blade is out a bit, he isn’t left with white showing at parts. if that makes sense?

    I haven’t tried it yet, but I think Kev’s suggestion of adding the Gaussian blur effect in photoshop will work in creating its own type of bleed because it will make the image expand out with the parameter and create its own type of bleed.Hi Alan

    I think it is creating the “bleed colours” he is having problems, mate.
    so when he is contour cutting the image parameter, if the blade is out a bit, he isn’t left with white showing at parts. if that makes sense?

    I haven’t tried it yet, but I think Kev’s suggestion of adding the Gaussian blur effect in photoshop will work in creating its own type of bleed because it will make the image expand out with the parameter and create its own type of bleed.

  • Kevin Mahoney

    Member
    March 1, 2022 at 11:39 pm

    The gaussian blur can all be done in illustrator too mate, would have to photoshop the white background out first though, tried it earlier with Simon’s image & works fine

    • Alan Jerome

      Member
      March 1, 2022 at 11:49 pm

      Hi Kevin, thanks i will have a go in illustrator as i am not used to Ps great thanks for pointing this out.

      Regards

      Al

  • Alan Jerome

    Member
    March 1, 2022 at 11:43 pm

    Hi Rob, now i see what you mean thanks. Never done a Gaussian blur effect effect so somthing i will have to try and have a go how to do this. Learning something new as i go along thanks for the update.

    regards

    Al

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