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| Figure 1: Zoom in on artwork to see exactly
what you get. Check the resolution but don?t be surprised if it says it is high
resolution but is not. |
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| Figure 2: Don?t try to ?fix? type in Photoshop.
When possible, simply replace it. |
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| Figure 3: Apply a Gaussian Blur to Grayscale
images to soften the edges. |
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| Figure 4: Apply a drastic Tone Curve to the
image to give it a hard edge. |
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| Figure 5: Import the image into
a vector program and add type. |
We often think of Adobe Photoshop as a program that deals with photorealistic images.
After all, it is the program of choice for separating 4-Color Process, Indexed Separations
and Simulated Process Color. But, it is also a very powerful tool for fixing low quality,
low resolution line art images.
Figure 1 shows what appears to be a simple image for a dance studio. It was supplied by
the studio as ?the only artwork we have.? On the surface it appeared pretty clean but upon
closer examination (use the zoom tool) it was very pixilated. Also, by checking the image
size (Image/Image Size) it looked to be high enough resolution.
So why is it this low resolution and rough around the edges? Chances are the dance studio
opened the file in Photoshop and didn?t notice that the default resolution was 72 dpi. But,
in their case it didn?t matter because all they needed it for was their business card. They
never knew they screwed up a nice little piece of art.
The other problem is that the second file they supplied included type. Again, looks
good until you zoom in and BAMB (figure 2). It ?ain?t what you thought!? And they want
this going down the side of sweat pant legs! Large!
OK, so ?they have what they have.? No use crying about it. The order is in hand and
you have promised them shirts. There are a couple of ways you could deal with this.
Yes, you could take this poor original into Corel Trace or Adobe Streamline, but
those programs will give you poor results because they will trace ?around? the large
(low resolution) pixels and it will still not be smooth.
Re-create Image
This is pretty simple on an image like this. Use either Photoshop,
Illustrator or Corel Draw and with the ?Pen? or ?Lasso? tool, simply draw around
the image converting it into a vector image (Path in Photoshop). Fill the path with
solid and there you have it. The type you will have to replace. In this case, no problem.
It is a standard typeface called Exotc350. OK, it took me 15 minutes of comparing fonts in
the CorelDraw book to find it.
Fix it in Photoshop
Adjust Resolution
This is really one of the easiest ways to fix the image. In fact, this method
can be used for images you scan from very small originals that need to be greatly
enlarged. First, although our sample image says 300dpi it is obviously not. Since it
is considered ?line art? you should get it up to about 600 dpi at the final size. If you
scan the image, you should be at 600 dpi or higher. To upsample an image in Photoshop,
simply go to Image/Image Size and change the resolution to whatever you want. Make sure
the physical size is also the size you want it to end up.
Apply Gaussian Blur
This is going to seem weird. Blur an image to make it sharper? Keep in mind that
in order to apply a blur to an image it must be in either Grayscale or RGB mode and
can?t be a Bitmap (pixels). If the image is a Bitmap, go to Image/Mode/Grayscale.
Applying a blur to an image like this will soften the pixilation of the edges.
Go to Filter/Blur/Gaussian Blur. The Pixel Radius is a judgment call. You want to
soften the edge without losing much of the detail (figure 3).
Use a Tone Curve
Next, apply a Tone Curve to the image (Image/Adjustments/Curves). Yes, you could also
use Levels. Apply a very drastic Tone Curve. You want to wipe out the highlights and darken
the shadows. I like to call this a ?Z? curve. Bring the 0% end of the curve over to 50% and
the 100% over to 50% (figure 4). What a difference! Save this file as a TIF or PSD file.
Re-Create Type in Vector Program
The next step is pretty easy. Open your favorite vector program (CorelDraw, Illustrator or
Freehand) and import your bitmap file.
Then, simply type in the text and change it to the correct typeface. The enlarged views
show how sharp the image is now (figure 5).
Done!
Good luck,
Scott
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