how to get cut lines on a photoshop image

[David Rogers]

Impossible in Photoshop.

It has to have a vector cut line – do it in Corel, AI or Signlab (depending on your RIP software).

Overlaying the cutline as a vector over a JPG has been my most successful way of doing it…then EPS export.

[Peter Normington]

Dave, it is possible to do cut lines in ps very easy if you just want to contour cut an image, just create a path

sample attached just drop it into signlab it should also work in versa works

Ps will, as you see embed the cut path in a jpg

PSD arent allowed on the boards, so zipped

Peter

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Attachments:

dave copy.zip

dave.zip

[Gareth Howells]

damnit my trial has ran out 🙁

[Peter Normington]

quote Gareth Howells:

damnit my trial has ran out 🙁

so now what are you going to use for your designs?

you will need to use corel, adobe or one of the dedicated sign packages,
did you not think of this before you ordered your printer?

Peter

[David Rogers]

quote Peter Normington:

Dave, it is possible to do cut lines in ps very easy if you just want to contour cut an image, just create a path

sample attached just drop it into signlab it should also work in versa works

Ps will, as you see embed the cut path in a jpg

PSD arent allowed on the boards, so zipped

Peter

Excellent Peter – learn something new every day.

[Simon.James]

out of photoshop you can export you path to an A.I. File

you can the open the AI. File in Illustrator if you have got it???

then place the photoshop file under file edit..

rename the path to CutContour and its all ready to print and cut out of illustrator.
you can save it has an eps file or a pdf…

not sure about Corel draw should do the same i think, but i have never used corel.

anything you ever want to know about the sp you will find videos on by doing a you tube search its all on there ready to watch….

hope this helps

Simon – Cardiff

[Chris Key]

As Simon says (wahey!) You can export a path from Photoshop by going File > Export > Paths to Illustrator. The good thing about these paths is they can be imported straight into Corel (ctrl+I) without having to make it an EPS file

[Gareth Howells]

sorry to be a pain but i need a dummies guide. i have been reading about this for many evenings now and still getting nowhere…

i really need to get some money back on my machine and have been offered alot of sticker work so…

if someone can help via msn or perhaps pop in, were in Liverpool. i would be happy to pay for your time. thanks

gareth

[Peter Normington]

Gareth I am not sure why you cant do this, you have all the software, in signlab it is very easy, and I am sure its similar in flexi, why dont you just watch the demo videos on cadlinks site? or ask your software supplier to guide you through the process?

Peter

[Phill Fenton]

First lesson is to understand the difference between a rasterised image and a vector drawn image. You need to combine a vector image (cutline) with a rasterised image (that which you have produced in photoshop).

[Nicola McIntosh]

quote Phill Fenton:

First lesson is to understand the difference between a rasterised image and a vector drawn image. You need to combine a vector image (cutline) with a rasterised image (that which you have produced in photoshop).

😀

[Peter Normington]

quote Phill Fenton:

First lesson is to understand the difference between a rasterised image and a vector drawn image. You need to combine a vector image (cutline) with a rasterised image (that which you have produced in photoshop).

Yes, I agree listen to Bob Marley, he was a great rastoriser of music

Peter

[David Rowland]

For programs like the Adobe and Corel programs, I used Lynda.com to get me up to speed so I could use it, however I do prefer Corel.

[Peter Normington]

quote Dave Rowland:

For programs like the Adobe and Corel programs, I used Lynda.com to get me up to speed so I could use it, however I do prefer Corel.

You were always one for the ladies Dave….

[David Rowland]

quote Peter Normington:

quote Dave Rowland:

For programs like the Adobe and Corel programs, I used Lynda.com to get me up to speed so I could use it, however I do prefer Corel.

You were always one for the ladies Dave….

She takes my money each month too, even if I don’t use her

[Gareth Howells]

hi all, im trying to do the job with illustrator as im now using a mac. i have only photoshop and illustrator available to me now…

i have made some jpeg images in photoshop to advertise my business, i want to contour cut the images and having a hell of a time.

whats gonna be the easiest way for me to do this ? is anyone local for me to come see the process?

thanks

gareth

[Nicola McIntosh]

quote Dave Rowland:

She takes my money each month too, even if I don’t use her

ouch…..you not chappin at the bit :lol1: :lol1:

[Peter Normington]

quote Gareth Howells:

hi all, im trying to do the job with illustrator as im now using a mac. i have only photoshop and illustrator available to me now…

i have made some jpeg images in photoshop to advertise my business, i want to contour cut the images and having a hell of a time.

whats gonna be the easiest way for me to do this ? is anyone local for me to come see the process?

thanks

gareth

Gareth what business are you wanting to advertise? no dis but it can hardly be printed stickers can it?
Peter

[Gareth Howells]

heheh, eventually yes. the designs are great but its getting the contour cut to work lol.

these ones tho are for advertising my other business , i sell laptops also …

[Peter Normington]

stick to selling laptops mate
but if you post up the designs, then maybe someone will walk you through the process,
😀

Peter

[Gareth Howells]

peter , i thought this forum was for helping people. not for making sly comments. im quite sure if shown i can do this properly. i have an mcse and ccna so IT is my business but as i said before i am very new to the printing scene.

this is obviously a simple task as the majority of printers i have met are far from it professionals and doing this nicely. this is why i bought the machine in the first place…

if you want to be funny then please have a go at someone else as i am only learning, my apologies for not getting what people are trying to tell me.

thanks

[Nicola McIntosh]

gareth we have all been where you are now….dont worry you will get there, with the help from others on the UKSB, and this IS the forum to get that help as you rightly said…..good luck 😀

nik

[Peter Normington]

Gareth, you have two forums running your question, I have only given advice,
I have suggested ways for you to solve your issues, I will not offer any further suggestions

Peter

[Jay Austin]

Hello

If u private message me your msn I can talk you through it on there as it took me ages to work out how to do cut line in ps but easy once u no how !!

I will try to help where I can

[Colin Aburrow]

Hi Gareth

I know where you are coming from as I am just waiting delivery of my new kit and have just started realizing that although being print industry a while now, that I don’t know how to do that either and I must admit it’s very easy once you have been shown and there always seem so many ways to achieve the same result now days with all the software available.

So sorry guy I too might be asking for some so called "basic advice"

Colin

[Martin Oxenham]

Heres a simple explanation for you newbies……There are two types of images that we now use in signmaking, Vector and Raster. Most people from a sign background have been used to working in vector format as for years they have only had Plotters. Vector images are made of hollow lines and points just like if you took a pencil and drew a circle this would be a hollow vector line. You can view this on a computer as a hollow outline (wireframe) or a filled in solid circle. When you send this to a cutter it just sees the line and cuts it just like drawing with a pencil. Now if you have a complicated logo you will have lots of lines and shapes. This type of image can be 100 ft tall and will be the same quality as 1" tall because its made of lines and points. You can not cut photos or gradient images this way.
Nowadays the sign business has changed with the invention of printers for outdoor use. And now we all have these we have to work slightly differently.
We can now produce the other type of image which is a Raster type.
This type of image is a solid image made up of blocks of colour or pixels. It can not be viewed as a wireframe or skeleton image. These can not be cut out because there is no pencil type line to follow.
This type of image is dependent on the quality of the image. The more pixels in the image the larger it can be printed before it becomes grainy just like a photograph.
Different programmes make images in a different way and are used for different types of images.
Photoshop is a professional Raster type programme and gives you the ability to manipulate colour and photos on pixel images, you can import vector images but as they are put into the page they basically become a pixel image so are no longer cuttable. Illustrator is primarely a Vector based programme with the ability to add in raster pixel based images but does not let you do much to the raster image.
Signmaking programmes like Flexisign or Signlab tend to do both in lesser amounts…IE Flexsign has the ability to manipulate or make raster images but does not have the range of Photoshop.
Raster images are either in Bitmap, tiff, or Jpeg extensions so if the file is in one of these formats you know it will be a photo or print only image, you will not be able to cut it as it is.
Vector files will be AI, Pdf or EPS as this preserves the vector information but it also supports and keeps the raster information so you can have a bitmap pixel based image and have vector cuttable lines. If you scan an image it will be a raster pixel based image no matter what programme you do it in.
If you have a printable only logo you can do one of two things either add a cut line (vector) so the shape can be cut which you will need to add in a vector based programme and the rest will be printed, but the size you print it at will be dependant on the pixel quality (the vector part can still be any size). Or you can turn it into a vector image by tracing it or basically drawing around the solid shapes. You will then be able to cut it out but you can not have shades or gradients etc as these need to be printed onto something.
So signmaking nowadays is a combination of both, and you have the choice of using vector only cuttable images or raster pixel printable images or a combination of both.
I hope that explains it in a nutshell.

[Jason Davies]

If your not used to it, just drop the image into illustrator and plot your path around it. Photoshop is a little more complicated.

[David-Foster-]

No disrespect Gareth, I haven’t read your welcome intro so don’t know where you are coming from. I gather you are an IT guy selling laptops as one business, and want to do printed signs and stuff as another? So you have bought a £10k printer and want to be able to do this? Have I got that right?

EDIT: Sorry just found your intro, good luck. Buy 2 books, Phill Fentons book and Mike Stephens Mastering Layout book

[Gareth Howells]

hi all, thanks for all the help and advice but i did manage to get sorted in the end. i am using corel draw for creating cut lines and it works a treat. i am selling lots of custom stickers at the moment and the machine is working nicely. thanks again