I'm using Inkscape to vectorize scanned, written letters. Usually, I do some light image editing and then apply Inkscape to trace to get a nice smooth contour. However, I'm a beginner and I do not understand the parameters well. With my latest scan I really struggle to get good results as the edges always turn out jagged. Not sure what I do differently from before.
Could you please guide me with the optimal steps on the following image, so that I understand the best procedure to get a smooth result?
I did an experiment here. I took your image, converted it to grayscale. I adjusted the brightness and contrast...and did the "trace bitmap" in Inkscape (without changing anything in the settings). The result? Well, it depends on the effect you want. If you want, try this one I'm posting, below and give us feedback.
@Guerreiro64 That result still looks fuzzy along the edges. I think this time I used bad lighting for the photo.
@Aero Blurring actually gives good results! Thanks. So it seems I have to play with preprocessing more, rather than the tracing tool.
I somehow expected that the tracing tool would have a knob to fix my boundaries, as the picture is made from plain curves. Some kind of boundary smoothness/scale parameter.
Blurring works for now, but maybe some way to find the perfect center line, too?!
Hmmm... I already expected that you wouldn't like the result, because I didn't like it myself. I recommend treating the scanned image by Gimp. I took some screenshots (they are in the attached zip file). Here's what I did:
1) Open the image in Gimp.
2) Go to Colors > Desaturate > Desaturate. In "Mode", choose what looks best (in this case it was "Luma");
3) Colors > Brightness-Contrast. Move the controls until you get a balance between light background and dark text, in this case.
4) Filters > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Do not use very high values.
5) Colors > Levels. First, drag the black slider (the one on the left) a little to the right. Then drag the white slider (the one on the right) to the left. The controls should be close together, in the center, but not glued together.
6) Export the result as png image. Open it in Inkscape.
Beginners' Questions How to adjust "Trace Bitmap" (with this image)?
Inkscape.org
I'm using Inkscape to vectorize scanned, written letters. Usually, I do some light image editing and then apply Inkscape to trace to get a nice smooth contour. However, I'm a beginner and I do not understand the parameters well. With my latest scan I really struggle to get good results as the edges always turn out jagged. Not sure what I do differently from before.
Could you please guide me with the optimal steps on the following image, so that I understand the best procedure to get a smooth result?
Trace
The trace will probably look jaggy regardless of settings, so I'd use Path>Simplify a few times to smooth the results, then tweak manually.
This is a google translation of a manual i'm writing. Maybe it will help you:
https://juliomtneto-gitbook-io.translate.goog/o-manual-do-inkscape-pt-br/caminho/tracar-bitmap?_x_tr_sl=pt&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=pt-BR&_x_tr_pto=wapp
I did an experiment here. I took your image, converted it to grayscale. I adjusted the brightness and contrast...and did the "trace bitmap" in Inkscape (without changing anything in the settings). The result? Well, it depends on the effect you want. If you want, try this one I'm posting, below and give us feedback.
@Guerreiro64 That result still looks fuzzy along the edges. I think this time I used bad lighting for the photo.
@Aero Blurring actually gives good results! Thanks. So it seems I have to play with preprocessing more, rather than the tracing tool.
I somehow expected that the tracing tool would have a knob to fix my boundaries, as the picture is made from plain curves. Some kind of boundary smoothness/scale parameter.
Blurring works for now, but maybe some way to find the perfect center line, too?!
Hmmm... I already expected that you wouldn't like the result, because I didn't like it myself. I recommend treating the scanned image by Gimp. I took some screenshots (they are in the attached zip file). Here's what I did:
1) Open the image in Gimp.
2) Go to Colors > Desaturate > Desaturate. In "Mode", choose what looks best (in this case it was "Luma");
3) Colors > Brightness-Contrast. Move the controls until you get a balance between light background and dark text, in this case.
4) Filters > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Do not use very high values.
5) Colors > Levels. First, drag the black slider (the one on the left) a little to the right. Then drag the white slider (the one on the right) to the left. The controls should be close together, in the center, but not glued together.
6) Export the result as png image. Open it in Inkscape.
Nice! This definitely helps me understand the tools and strategy for some simple clean-up.