Adobe Illustrator - Live Tracing Vector Side Art -Capcom name, Williams name etc

[80sarcadegames]

I would like to make my own side art for my cabinet using a number of the big game developers names with
my favorite game "icon" characters, but I don't want a "square" frame around the characters/letters like the
frame around the images below. I want to "Live Trace" the images/letters to remove the box frame around
the images  and then I will be combining many characters/developing company names (Capcom, Williams, Bally etc)
into a "collage" of characters/art and labels like Bally, Capcom, Williams, Midway, Atari etc etc.

Is it logically possible to accomplish this?

I have the "Vector Tutorial" by Forstillicus that is shared in John St. Claire's book Project Arcade and I am
on my first reading of it.

(see attachments for the images)

[lilshawn]

if you have the vector files, it's just a matter of plopping them into your artwork or wherever...most vector files don't have a "background" per se.... it's just when you export these files to a format like jpg or png or whatever, it has to put SOMETHING so it usually just puts white.

you need to realize there is a difference between "white" and "transparent over a white surface". a vector graphic will have anything not specified as a color or fill as transparent.

so if you want white eyes you must actually FILL the vector with white.

this is something you will find out quickly when you start working with programs like illustrator or inkscape and your prints. it shows white as the "background" but this is only because the "paper" is specified as white

[80sarcadegames]

Thanks Lilshawn!

I guess I have a learning curve to get on with this.

I watched some Youtube tutorials with Adobe Illustrator "Live Tracing" and when they do it, many of the outline
traces of the image they are trying to select are missing a lot of the "lines" that outline the part of the image
you are trying to Live Trace.

I think I understand what you mean.

[n3wt0n]

I find the "live trace" tools in illustrator leave a lot to be desired. Jagged edges, too many nodes where they aren't needed etc. Get familiar with the pen tool and it will be worth the effort in both Illustrator and Photoshop.  I imagine that vector artwork of the common logos already exist - finding those files would probably save you some time. Then you can just add them to your artwork like lil shawn suggested above. Good luck.

[PL1]

I imagine that vector artwork of the common logos already exist - finding those files would probably save you some time.

You imagination is correct.   

http://vectorlib2.free.fr/Arcade_Logos/

The other images from the OP are on the vectorlib.free.fr site as well.

http://vectorlib.free.fr/DonkeyKong/

http://vectorlib.free.fr/DragonLair/


Scott

[80sarcadegames]

Thanks guys.
I will try the Pen Tool.
I'm not sure what the Pen Tool does but I will learn it!!!
Does it allow you to manually trace the outline of an image to select it and cut it out (or cut out the surrounding space outside the part
of the image you are "Pen Tooling"?)

PL1,

Thanks for the links. Those links are where I got the images attached in my first post and they are therefore Vector images.
I just want to select the outline of "Dirk" and remove the area outside of him. I want to add him to my "collage" of images for my Side Art
but I don't want the "square" that makes up the image.  I think one of you guys mentioned there may be images that I want that have a
"transparent" space around the figure rather than the color WHITE  that I want to remove, so I'll try to look for a vector image on the internet like that first.

Thank you people!!

[PL1]

Those links are where I got the images attached in my first post and they are therefore Vector images.

If you mean that the DragonLair1.ai Adobe Illustrator file (not the DragonLair1.jpg JPEG thumbnail) is a vector file, I agree.   


Scott

[n3wt0n]

Thanks guys.
I will try the Pen Tool.
I'm not sure what the Pen Tool does but I will learn it!!!
Does it allow you to manually trace the outline of an image to select it and cut it out (or cut out the surrounding space outside the part
of the image you are "Pen Tooling"?)

Pen tool allows you to draw lines to trace things - similar to the live trace tool but as accurate as you choose because you draw the lines, not illustrator.

You need to use the selection arrows at the top to delete the white background. You may have to ungroup sections to get to the white background on it's own.

[n3wt0n]

I just opened the ai file of Dirk that Scott included and it doesn't appear to have a white background.

[80sarcadegames]

n3wton,

To be honest with you, I never opened the ".ai" files that I downloaded from http://vectorlib.free.fr/
with Adobe Illustrator.

I guess I have failed and have learned a lesson. Lol!

Sorry guys for not doing that first before saving the images into .jpgs and then posting them here.

I should have posted the ".ai" version of the files here to not be as confusing.

Therefore when I get home from work tonight, I need to purchase Adobe Illustrator and download the "Dirk" file in question
from http://vectorlib.free.fr/ then see what you guys mean by "Dirk's background is already taken out/not there"

[PL1]

when I get home from work tonight, I need to purchase Adobe Illustrator

That, or you can download paint.net and install the 'PostScript' FileType Plugin (.PS, .EPS, .AI) located here. 


Scott

[JDFan]

I just want to select the outline of "Dirk" and remove the area outside of him. I want to add him to my "collage" of images for my Side Art
but I don't want the "square" that makes up the image. 

You already have the images needed without the backgrounds if you downloaded the .ai files - The White background is a separate piece added when you saved it - the original file has dirk as separate pieces that can be exported or copy/pasted individually or as a whole with a transparent background (you just need to save them in a format that preserves the transparency such as .pdf or .png instead of .jpg which will not save the transparency and instead flattens it and adds the background -- If you want a useable copy without that white background just open the original you downloaded - select the entire dirk image (by dragging a selection box around the entire thing. Go to File - Export and select .pdf or .png to export it - This will export dirk while saving the transparent background rather than flattening it and adding the default white background. then just import it into the artwork that you want to use him in.