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View Full Version : Yet another tracing program



Lee DeRaud
09-16-2008, 2:44 PM
For what it's worth:
http://www.imsidesign.com/Products/OtherProducts/CreativeGraphics/MagicTracer/tabid/1013/Default.aspx?CID=352872
At $50, I'm tempted to just go ahead and get it...way less than VectorMagic.

Frank Corker
09-16-2008, 7:07 PM
Lee looking at the demos it doesn't appear to do anything better than what Corel Trace does.

Belinda Barfield
09-17-2008, 7:50 AM
Lee,

We were looking at this software last night and I was going to start a thread, but you beat me to it. I'd be interested in feedback from anyone who has used the software.

Darren Null
09-17-2008, 8:06 AM
This is cheaper too. Free. And better than Corel for tracing:
http://www.inkscape.org/

I looked at the quality of the demo traces on the site and clicked away. Maybe you can get better results if you use it in anger, but if they can't be bothered, neither can I....

Dan Hintz
09-17-2008, 8:42 AM
Personally, I would go with InkScape...

If you wish to try something else, however, try WinTopo (originally used for vectorizing topographic maps, but has since moved into other areas):
http://wintopo.com/
They have a free version, as well as a more advanced pay version.

Lee DeRaud
09-17-2008, 12:47 PM
I looked at Inkscape and the phrase that jumped out at me was, "...and great care is taken in designing a streamlined interface."
To which my reaction was, "Oh god, the user interface was done by the same people who did Gimp." :eek::eek:

I'm already over my "learning curve" quota for the year, thanks anyway.

Darren Null
09-17-2008, 1:06 PM
Gimp does my crust in too. I only use inkscape really for the trace feature, and I learned that in about 10 minutes without reading any manuals.

The preview isn't automatic, so you get into the trace dialogue and adjust the numbers and have to remember to hit preview every time. Oh, and there's a 'fine detail' (can't remember exactly what it's called) checkbox on tab 2 of the trace options...it does indeed give you fine detail, but you end up with multi-megabyte vector files that make Corel disappear up it's own backside, so best leave that unchecked.

It's only black and white, which is ideal for our nefarious purposes, and I personally think that it blows corel's trace feature out of the water.

It's easy.

EDIT: If it did all the 'snap to'; 'centreline'; 'midpoint'; 'quadrant' etc. stuff that corel does, I'd probably ditch corel and learn inkscape properly. But it doesn't, so I won't.

Dan Hintz
09-17-2008, 3:18 PM
EDIT: If it did all the 'snap to'; 'centreline'; 'midpoint'; 'quadrant' etc. stuff that corel does, I'd probably ditch corel and learn inkscape properly. But it doesn't, so I won't.
Darren,

Have you considered requesting those features on the InkScape forum? I've found the developers there to be quite enthusiastic about adding features to match up (and beat) existing software.

David H. Mitchell
09-17-2008, 5:40 PM
I don't know if you guys have tried it, but Adobe Streamline does a pretty good job of converting files. I have used it for several years, I like it much better than anything CorelTrace has ever had. It was not very expensive.

Dave

Lee DeRaud
09-17-2008, 8:19 PM
I don't know if you guys have tried it, but Adobe Streamline does a pretty good job of converting files. I have used it for several years, I like it much better than anything CorelTrace has ever had. It was not very expensive.It should be cheap: it has been discontinued for years and Adobe no longer supports it.

(I seem to recall looking at it a long time ago, probably early '90s, and it was several hundred dollars at the time.)

Darren Null
09-18-2008, 12:13 AM
Have you considered requesting those features on the InkScape forum? I've found the developers there to be quite enthusiastic about adding features to match up (and beat) existing software.
I hadn't, no. To be honest, I normally only hit software forums if I'm looking to a solution to a problem. I might drop in there now you've mentioned it...enthusiastic freeware developers is a rare and good thing. I like the program a lot, and it gets a lot of things right (it can cope with JPEG for a start!); but when it comes to getting down to it and actually drawing the project, those on-screen markers of Corel's are invaluable. You CAN do it without them, but there's a lot more maths involved, by which time I've forgotten what the hell I was doing to start with, usually. Mind you, these days I can forget what I'm doing just walking to the other side of the room. *sigh*

David H. Mitchell
09-18-2008, 6:28 PM
I guess I haven't checked, I have just been using the same disk, however when I purchased it(in the 90's) it was only 95.00. If you would like a copy pm me and I will send you a copy. It still works great, even with xp.

Dave:)