Need help

[Scrappile]

This is not really a pattern making question, it is a resizing of a pattern question.  I like to do segmentation.  My patterns are usually a picture I have downloaded from the internet  a picture of (a cartoon character or the like).  They are usually too small so I need to enlarge them considerably.  When I do the lines get very blurred, do to enlarging the pixels (?), I guess.  I do not understand this stuff.  My question is, is there software, (Prefer free of coarse) that I can use to enlarge such a picture, without having the distortion?  Needs to be easy for an old guy like me.  I like NW costal Native American art.  I down load a picture and need to resize it.

[Wichman]

I'll try

There are two separate and very different ways of handling images on the computer; 1. raster (or bitmap) and 2 vector.

1. raster. This is used for pictures with lots of colors and detail. This cannot effectively be enlarged by very much. The computer just adds more pixels around the original, lots of different ways to try and enlarge, but beyond a certain point very ineffective, as you have noted.

2. Vector. The format uses lines and points on a line. If a line width is specified then the line stays the same width no matter how much you enlarge the image.

One way around this is Inkscapes "trace bitmap". When this is used the program attempts to draw lines around the parts of the bitmap with large differences (light/dark red/blue, etc). There are options to do the tracing by hand, and that can get pretty tedious depending on what you want.

[jr42]

I use Inkscape it's free, lot of videos on the internet on how to use it.

[don watson]

I use Inkscape but I have had a lot of problems lately. I hope you get what you want using Inkscape as it always was a very good free programme for image manipulation and I think you also understand the basic raster/vector formats so you should be good soon.

[Dave Monk]

i use Inkscape and enlarge it. I will then use the Bezier tool and trace it so I get thin lines. Happy to do it for you if you would like. 

[FrankEV]

On 9/21/2023 at 12:31 PM, Scrappile said:

This is not really a pattern making question, it is a resizing of a pattern question...I need to enlarge them (images) considerably.  When I do the lines get very blurred...

Any kind of image file will get buurry when enlarged.  There is no way (that I know of) of working with individual pixels of an Image file.  To manippulate an image file it must be converted into a vector file or similar using a suitable cumputer program. 

You really need to download the free IINKSCAPE program which allows you to convert an image file (JPG,PNG, bit map, etc) into an SGV file that then can be maniulated without loss of detail.  That being said, although image files of graphics work well, some actual photo images are not handled well,  as Inkscape needs sharp lines or distinct color separations to produce a good SGV file.  A Trace Bitmap command creates the vector file, but it must be realized it most often needs a little, if not sometimes a lot, of clean up work to make a usable Scroll Saw pattern.  In simple terms, vector file is nothing more than a computer generated highly detailed, tracing of the image.

It would be worth your while to learn the Trace Bitmap command and then the ability to resize (enlarging, reducing, stretching, rotating, etc) as neded, if nothing more.  Of course, than there is the ability to edit the image (eg; change line weight, change fill colors, add bridges, move or delete linework, and much more.) which is very helpfull to convert an image file into a scrollable pattern.  You can print the pattern directly from Inkscape but I have had some issues doing so.  I save a copy of the SGV to a PDF for printing and sharing purposes.

Inkscape is not very intuitive but, unless you like reading the "How To" books on Inkscaoe that are available, with a lot of trial and error, a little patience, and time,you can learn to use its basic functions.  There are a lot of things you can do that I haven't even began to learn.

[Scrappile]

31 minutes ago, FrankEV said:

Any kind of image file will get buurry when enlarged.  There is no way (that I know of) of working with individual pixels of an Image file.  To manippulate an image file it must be converted into a vector file or similar using a suitable cumputer program. 

You really need to download the free IINKSCAPE program which allows you to convert an image file (JPG,PNG, bit map, etc) into an SGV file that then can be maniulated without loss of detail.  That being said, although image files of graphics work well, some actual photo images are not handled well,  as Inkscape needs sharp lines or distinct color separations to produce a good SGV file.  A Trace Bitmap command creates the vector file, but it must be realized it most often needs a little, if not sometimes a lot, of clean up work to make a usable Scroll Saw pattern.  In simple terms, vector file is nothing more than a computer generated highly detailed, tracing of the image.

It would be worth your while to learn the Trace Bitmap command and then the ability to resize (enlarging, reducing, stretching, rotating, etc) as neded, if nothing more.  Of course, than there is the ability to edit the image (eg; change line weight, change fill colors, add bridges, move or delete linework, and much more.) which is very helpfull to convert an image file into a scrollable pattern.  You can print the pattern directly from Inkscape but I have had some issues doing so.  I save a copy of the SGV to a PDF for printing and sharing purposes.

Inkscape is not very intuitive but, unless you like reading the "How To" books on Inkscaoe that are available, with a lot of trial and error, a little patience, and time,you can learn to use its basic functions.  There are a lot of things you can do that I haven't even began to learn.

Frank, thanks for the response and great explanation of the problem.  For $5 I found a program to down load called "Splitprint that allows me to print over several pages like the "Poster" print option that use to be in my free Adobe.  I use to write system requirements for software to be used on mainframe computers.  Being I was non-technical I wrote requirements so even dummies could use the software.  I know that things do not need to be a complicated as Inkscape.  It does take some effort on the programmers to make it so.  I realize inscape if free, so I understand why they do not make it easier.  But I do not have the brain I use to have and life is getting short, I do not want to take the time to learn a very complicated program.  

Edited October 9, 2023 by Scrappile