how do I create an outline around images first?

[Steve Underhill]

Group together and duplicate the group of images.
Weld them so you have one solid block the same shape as the images.
Fill > none
Outline > hairline
There’s your cut line

If you have a cutter offset just reduce the contour by 1mm or so so you don’t get any border round the image.

[Phill Fenton]

Make a copy of your collection of images – then paint them all one colour so that you can combine (weld) them all into a single shape. Use this as you outline which you can then place back on top of your original collection of images 😀

[John Wilson]

Cheers steve

It’s for cut and print jobs

Is there an option in corel to make the outlines a little larger so there is a slight white border???

[Steve Underhill]

Just contour the cut line, then >
break contour group apart
and delete the smaller one.

[Chris Wool]

in x3 its called create boundary under effects then contour to suit delete boundary

Chris

[John Wilson]

Cheers guys…… getting there slow but sure

Never really used Corel that much

[Steve Underhill]

quote Chris Wool:

in x3 its called create boundary under effects then contour to suit delete boundary

Chris

LIES!!!
All of it.

Err thanks for that Chris, I never even bothered to use that before.
I did it my own special long way round as described above.

[Barbara Eden]

Even your ‘long way round’ is shorter than mine Steve. As advised in Xpes ‘guide’ I’ve always used Bezier,then shape tools to make cut lines Duh!! 🙄 🙄 🙄
So thanks for the tip Chris 😀 😀
Barbara

[Nick Minall]

Also in X3 if you make some overlapping objects you have the "Create new object that surrounds the selected objects"

Nick.

[Steve Underhill]

I remember the guy from xpres showing us how to use the bezier curves to create cu paths round objects, I said at the time do you not have an option to create a boundary he said no.
So found my own way of doing it.
Thanks Tom.
👿

[Alan Drury]

If you have images rather than objects try Powertrace, once launched slide the detail slider to the left. Boundary etc will only work properly on vector objects.
Alan D

[Chris Wool]

also works on bitmaps you have altered shape with the shape tools

chris

[Bryan Cabrera]

quote Chris Wool:

in x3 its called create boundary under effects then contour to suit delete boundary

Chris

Thanks for that tip Chris. I use Corel a lot and never used that. I usually just make a copy of the objects and weld as already mentioned. I am sure I will use this often. Thanks again.

[Steve Underhill]

Oh now look how his heads grown, he wont get it through the Saltash tunnel now

[Chris Wool]

could be touch and go steve, i will be trying in a bit.

[Steve Underhill]

I wont be going anywhere in this weather except indoors, bacon sarnie, cup of tea then painting the living room.
Theres a new list of toll charges I see

Motorcycles free
Cars 50p
3 or more axles £2.50
Lorries £5
Enormous heads £7.50

Better not go too often

[Chris Wool]

nah made it

[Steve Underhill]

Ah you went over the Tunnel didnt you, the old A38 way,
Yea thats it.

[Chris Wool]

rumbled again get back to your shirts, or paint brush
just playing with the new target colour print crystal prints nice first time, will see after application.

sorry to tread person

chris

[Steve Underhill]

Post a pic of them after

[Gert du Preez]

Listen carefully, I will say this only once…

In Corel, what I do is to cut and paste the graphic, then give it a black fill with black outline. If I want the outline to leave a 2mm gap around the image, I make the outline 4mm and check the "behind fill" box in the outline menu. Now, here is the good part – check the "rounded corners" and "rounded line caps" in the outline menu. Corners will now be radiussed i.s.o. acute. Convert the whole shebang to a Black & White Bitmap, right click on bitmap, select "trace bitmap. This will open Corel OCR. Click "Trace by outline" and close OCR. This will place the trace in your worspace in Corel. Ungroup, and delete any unwanted parts, combine, no fill, hairline outline, select your cut path for outline. Now paste back your original graphic. This gives you a nice cut path with radiussed corners – easier to cut and weed, and better if applied to a car where a rag may catch on sharp points.

This is better than using the "contour" command, since you often get a few nodes that seem to reach for the roof! Try contour on something with an acute point – you’ll see what I mean!

If your original graphic is small, (lets say 25 x 50mm) enlarge image by 500%, then go through all I described above, then reduce size to 20%.
You can even create cut paths around bitmaps like this, alhough it does require a bit more operator input.

I even use this technique to radius corners on vinyl cut graphics intended to go on cars.

Hope my desription was clear enough. It sounds long winded, but I can do this in less than 1 minute.

[Warren Beard]

I don’t use corel only Illustrator and what I do is copy and paste in to photoshop, select outer area with wand, create path from selection then export path to illustrator.

Open file and a cut and paste path in to original document and align.

job done.

Thanks for listening 😉

Warren