INKSCAPE strikes again !!!

[Hudson River Rick]

Thank you all for th help on my last attempt to place lettering around a pattern, I couldn't get the process to work, but I did the verbage in a different way.

In my last act of desparation, I am asking if anyone can tell me why my Path Trace Bitmap isn't working.  I am guessing that I hit a key somewhere that doesn't play nice with Trace Bit Map.  I freely admit that my fingers don't listen to what my small brain is trying to tell them to do.  If I can't fix this one, the app will be removed from my iMAC.  I have includd a screen shot of the Trace BitMap box, if there is anything obvious to you folks that neds to be changed, could you please share that info.  By the way, I did remove the inkscape app and reinstall it, but the problem is the same.  Thank you all sooo much for trying to help ME.

 

[don in brooklin on]

Down at bottom is live updates clicked on?

You also need to click on image before trace bit map. Once you hit apply the path is on top of image.

Don

[Hudson River Rick]

@don in brooklin on

Thank you Don.  I will have to check to see if "live updates is clickd on.  

I do click on the image and I get the outlined box, but no image at the bottom of the Trace BitMap box.

Rick

[don in brooklin on]

The only thing I can think of is that you have to increase the threshold to make it show,

Can you post the image and I will try.  If an issue to post send it via PM.

[rash_powder]

I have run into this too with some images; for whatever reason they will not trace.  Yet others still do.  

I *think* it may be an embedded feature of some pdf files to protect copyrights.  

[Hudson River Rick]

@rash_powder

Thank you so much for your guidance, I am pretty much done with inkscape.  

It is a very powerful app for anyone who is computer savey.  I used it mostly to change the color of the outline of the pattern drawings, This latest incident accured when I tried to make text follow the outside of a circular pattern, not be attached to the circle.  OH WELL !!!

[Wichman]

1 hour ago, Hudson River Rick said:

@rash_powder

Thank you so much for your guidance, I am pretty much done with inkscape.  

It is a very powerful app for anyone who is computer savey.  I used it mostly to change the color of the outline of the pattern drawings, This latest incident accured when I tried to make text follow the outside of a circular pattern, not be attached to the circle.  OH WELL !!!

As for the circle issue, I feel your pain. As a work around you can select both the circle and the text; a this stage there should be two boxes, one with the text, and one with the circle. "pick" the box with the circle and move it off-canvas. The text should remain, still in the circle shape. Now you can place the text where you want. ignore the circle, do not delete, as it is off canvas it will not print.

[Wichman]

On 11/10/2025 at 3:32 PM, Hudson River Rick said:

@don in brooklin on

Thank you Don.  I will have to check to see if "live updates is clickd on.  

I do click on the image and I get the outlined box, but no image at the bottom of the Trace BitMap box.

Rick

There are some images that just do not trace well without some massaging. There are some scans from finescollsaw that are of faded yellow paper, I had to run them though GIMP and modify them to a one bit color (just black and white)(and I had to have help from my son), most of those images traced very well. 

[Wichman]

On 11/10/2025 at 3:32 PM, Hudson River Rick said:

@don in brooklin on

Thank you Don.  I will have to check to see if "live updates is clickd on.  

I do click on the image and I get the outlined box, but no image at the bottom of the Trace BitMap box.

Rick

When you are using "trace bitmap" the preview window can be quite small and you can't see the changes being applied.

If you place your curser over the vertical bar between the canvas and the trace bitmap windows, a double arrow should appear, once the image is selected click on the double arrow and drag the vertical bar to the left, this will expand the preview window and make the changes made more obvious.  

[Dan]

Hey Rick, what is the file type of the image you imported <or copied) into Inkscape to be traced? 

[BadBob]

Sometimes a bit-mapped image will have elements in the background that you can't see, which is causing the problem.

Colors can also cause a problem. The lines in the image may look black on your screen, but may actually be composed of multiple colored pixels.

Editing with Gimp is the fix for both of these issues. 

[coldwood]

On 11/10/2025 at 9:01 AM, Hudson River Rick said:

Thank you all for th help on my last attempt to place lettering around a pattern, I couldn't get the process to work, but I did the verbage in a different way.

In my last act of desparation, I am asking if anyone can tell me why my Path Trace Bitmap isn't working.  I am guessing that I hit a key somewhere that doesn't play nice with Trace Bit Map.  I freely admit that my fingers don't listen to what my small brain is trying to tell them to do.  If I can't fix this one, the app will be removed from my iMAC.  I have includd a screen shot of the Trace BitMap box, if there is anything obvious to you folks that neds to be changed, could you please share that info.  By the way, I did remove the inkscape app and reinstall it, but the problem is the same.  Thank you all sooo much for trying to help ME.

 

 

[coldwood]

I have found that after you trace bitmap that you have to click Apply. Right side of screen

[rash_powder]

So I was just using inkscape and had this very same problem.  The solution was to select the image I wanted traced.  Then it all started working.  

[Hudson River Rick]

@rash_powder

Thanks for coming back withthat reply.  I mistakenly found the same solution as you, and yes, it did work.  

Most of the time.  I have been getting beat up by inkscape for about 5 years.  The folks on this forum are the best, they walked me through a lot of crazy problems I experienced, and I thank everyone for being there.  Inkscape & I are about to go into divorice court, I'm too old to continue getting beat up.  I will continue to purchase patterns and occasionally find stuff on PINTREST.  MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE, LOVE THE ONES YOU'RE WITH.