Help with making Vector?!

Hey all, the image that I have uploaded onto this was hand made and crafted using paint. My cousin helped me make it for my youtube but now I also need to be able to get it on shirts and stuff. Thus, I must have the image vectored. Please help? I don't have photoshop or the money to hire someone to turn this into a vector image... for%20davidd.jpg

Tags: computer, help, image, new, stuff, vector

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Permalink Reply by Ningmaster Tom on August 7, 2012 at 3:56am

Inkscape is an open source vector graphics editor, maybe you could try that? :)

http://inkscape.org/

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Permalink Reply by David Bayer on August 7, 2012 at 6:10pm

I actually already have it downloaded but I have no idea how to use it. I have tried watching videos and all but it isn't in my field of specialty.

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Permalink Reply by idkusername on August 10, 2012 at 3:59pm

I don't have my Inkscape copy right here with me, but I'll try to explain as well as I can, using steps:
1. Import your image, then maybe lower the opacity of that layer so you can differentiate when you start drawing in vector.
2. Look up how to load in colors on your own, I don't remember quite how to do that.
2. Then basically draw the shapes! Use shapes like rectangles and ovals for those that you have in your original image. There should be a Fill & Stroke toolbar-dialog thingy somewhere that you might have to pull up from some menu. Obviously that chooses the width of the outline of each shape and the fill color. There's a way to do gradients too (bacon, hands, silverware).
3. Use the Bezier Curve tool to draw points. The less points, the better, because otherwise your corners will look choppy. Use it for objects such as the moustache that don't have a geometric shape.
4. When you finish drawing the shape using Bezier Curve (you must close a shape), you can curve the lines, delete unnecessary points, and of course change Fill & Stroke options.
5. I don't know if it's the same for everyone, but I use Pg Dn and Pg Up to re-order shapes that are (sort of) their own layer.
6. If you lose a shape (can't click on it because it's beneath other things), use the XML editor. I think it's on the edit menu.
7. Then save it as a svg. Of course, delete or fully lower the opacity of the original image layer before using as T-Shirt image ;)

I hope that helped at all, it's an EXTREMELY easy program to start using, well at least the basics. I haven't gotten very in-depth with Inkscape yet. :)