[Vincent Rosati]

Hello brother,
Firstly, I’d recommend STR Podcast…
https://www.strcast2.org/podcast/weekly/040311.mp3
A brief commentary about tattoos is at the 1h36m mark.
Anyway, it’s a starting point.

Vince

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[Vincent Rosati]

What I might do to improve this would be something like:
1: Cut the paths, half way between the problem corners and the adjoining corners.
2: Adjust the corner radius effect on the ‘problem’ corners, until they are acceptable.
3: Re-join the paths.

Vince

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[Vincent Rosati]

Are you mixing RGB & CMYK in the workflow?
Starting with a CMYK Illustrator file, then importing into Gimp?
Typically CMYK to RGB is fine, it’s usually RGB to CMYK conversions that cause problems.
However, if Gimp doesn’t natively handle CMYK it would be impossible for me to say how it will actually handle a CMYK file.

I’m not too familiar with Gimp, but I just did a search for ‘Gimp CMYK’ and found this:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/CMYK_support_in_The_GIMP

Could have to do with an Gimp import issue, presuming the original file is CMYK.
Looks like you’d either have to go with a purely RGB workflow, or get a CMYK plugin for Gimp.??

Are you also using some other rip software for the printer, or are you printing directly from Gimp?
Does Gimp have a color picker so you can check the all blacks once you are in that app?

Also, I’d probably use the TIFF format (with LZW compression, if Gimp supports it) instead of JPEG. It’s lossless and I think Gimp can import it.

Vince

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[Vincent Rosati]

As you’ve noticed, Illustrator can be quite tricky for pixel accurate graphics due to sub-pixel positioning, especially when creating graphics for games, and particularly when you’re using strokes that are center-aligned or outside-aligned.

It sounds like you’re using all of the correct tools.
Have you tried checking object and object group dimensions in the Info palette?

I might check that Illustrator’s raster effect settings and the rasters in Photoshop both have a ppi of 72.
Not sure that ppi would be the issue, unless you’re using screenshots created on a Mac, I suspect that it’s the components of the export not being adequately sized somehow.

Are you able to select all of the objects that constitute the 1024×768 artwork while in Illustrator to verify the correct size before export.

Some solutions that I’ve occasionally used for this type of thing or icons/web logos is to use ‘registration boxes’.
In Illustrator, either an empty rectangle that has whole number/integer pixel dimensions around the object, or a solid/color-filled rectangle shape off to a corner that uses this rectangle to take advantage of Photoshops snap feature for placement. Then finally, to paste into Photoshop in a NEW document – Once rasterized, finally paste it into the target document.
The ’empty rectangle’ approach can be group of objects.
The ‘color rectangle’ approach can also be a group of objects, but more typically for accurately registering a series of pasted objects as individual Photoshop shape layers.
To reiterate, possibly the most important part is to paste into Photoshop as a new document, then copy/paste this into the target file.

I’m not sure if this would help to address your exact issue or if I’m explaining clearly enough, but these are my initial thoughts.

Vince

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[Vincent Rosati]

Can you ensure that your Illustrator / File / Document Color Mode is set to CMYK. Then make sure you’re viewing CMYK in the Color palette.
The C: 75 M: 68 Y: 67 K: 90 color is pretty rich, but might not produce the color that you want.
C: 40 M: 0 Y: 0 K: 100 seems like a very dark blue.
H: 344 S: 11 B: 0 seems like a muddy red, possibly a dark brown.

Are you using a new medium, have you used it before?
Are you trying new inks?
Does the printer have any test patterns or any other tests that you can print for diagnostic purposes.

Once in a CMYK color space, would it be possible to try some pantone colors, from Swatches palette / Open Swatch Library / Color Books / then maybe Pantone Solid Coated.

Vince

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[Vincent Rosati]

3653_livetrace.zip [CS4]

To deal with the flattened edges you’re going to have to increase the canvas size in Photoshop.
To get a better trace you’ll have to also increase the size of the artwork while in photoshop, even if your original is a raster, maybe by 3x or 4x with Bicubic Smoother.

I think you can achieve a decent trace with this source image, though not ‘perfect’.
The only other option, of course, would be to redraw the artwork in AI or tweak an expanded trace to meet your satisfaction. You could do this in less than an hour, so it may or may not be worth the effort.

The attached file uses the supplied image enlarged by 3x (though 4x might be better), and includes the custom trace settings.

Vince

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[Vincent Rosati]

My mistake captain.
Maybe upload your image, or any similar image that would produce the same results?

You say…
‘how to expand the bounding box in Illustrator so that the edges of the raster image don’t get cut off when I do a live trace’

You’re saying that part of the image is being cut off.
What is this part that’s being cut off? Why not open the whole image in Illustrator so it isn’t cut off.
It sounds to me like you’re expecting Illustrator to create something out of data that doesn’t exits. This isn’t reasonable, and I don’t believe that’s what you’re trying to do. This is why I’m saying that it’s not clear to me what you’re trying to do, what result you’re trying to achieve.

I don’t think you can make the bounding box larger than the object bounds. You could put an empty rectangle around it, and that would make the bounding box bigger, but you wouldn’t be able to live trace it.

Just trying to help.

Einstein said – ‘No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.’

Vince

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[Vincent Rosati]

I’m not sure that I’m totally following the issue.

But to answer your question of…
Is there a way to expand the bounding box [in Photoshop] without actually resizing the artwork on a raster image, or does someone have any hints as to what I can do to avoid the edges being cut off?

Photoshop: Image / Canvas Size

Vince

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[Vincent Rosati]

It’s probably best to do this in Photoshop.
The car image as the background. Then the logo as another layer. Then Edit / Transform / Distort or Perspective to the logo.
If you don’t have PS and have to use Illustrator, you could try applying Effect / 3D / Rotate with Perspective to the logo.

Vince

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[Vincent Rosati]

Possibly:
https://forums.creativecow.net/thread/245/862208#862208

Vince

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