-------------------- Brian Oliver Paxton Signs Fort Collins, CO paxton@peakpeak.com www.paxtonsignsofcolorado.com Posts: 237 | From: ft. collins, colorado,usa | Registered: Mar 2001
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Does anybody else design over the top of photos of the actual vehicle? It's easy enough to scale a photo...just not to the exact precision of well made "store-bought" templates. I just don't remember designing graphics that had to be accurate to 1/8" or whatever. And even if I did, I'd allow a little extra to trim anyway to make installation easier.
I cut a 12x12 magnet. Just stick that to the vehicle for the photo. Then size the square to exactly 1 inch (or whatever you want to represent a foot) before removing it with photoshop.
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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Thanks guys! I usually do use photos for these things; but I like to use the outlines to make sure of the sizes. I've had issues, in the past (my own fault) where I took a photo on a slight angle in one direction or another, and it threw either the measurement or the angle of a curve off a little.
Usually, after I get the design part done, then I use the photo, to get the "look" I'm after. It also helps when working with the customer, to get just the right color combination.
-------------------- Dale Feicke Grafix 714 East St. Mendenhall, MS 39114
"I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." Posts: 2963 | From: Mendenhall, MS | Registered: Apr 1999
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I too use the photos. But I don't size by using a measure tape on the photo. I measure say a window width. When my photo has a window width of 26" the photo is the right size.
-------------------- Deri Russell Wildwood Signs Hanover, Ontario
You're just jealous 'cause the little voices only talk to me. Posts: 1904 | From: Hanover, Ontario, Canada | Registered: Dec 1998
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I do the same. I'll measure several items that I know will show up well in the photo and scale to those dimensions. I also make sure I take the photo from some distance away and zoom in on the vehicle.
When scaling to measurements, I'll generally work from the largest clear object for which I have an exact size. That way, small errors won't affect things as much. If because of the limits of the resolution of the photo, I made a 1/8" mistake scaling my photo to a 12" object rather than making that same 1/8" error on something 60" long, the percentage of error is much less.
[ March 04, 2014, 06:39 PM: Message edited by: David Harding ]
-------------------- David Harding A Sign of Excellence Carrollton, TX Posts: 5084 | From: Carrollton, TX, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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I use the vehicle outline, I usually fill the color in using Illy with a gradient and add a light vector shadow under the car, I'll PDF the work after for a proof and it looks sharp. Dale, most vehicles do not change too much. You can get away with an outline a few years before the model you need. If not, you can "alter" with a node tool or just re-draw the frame of the vehicle from a google image and use the lights and tires from your older outline. I'm a vector nerd, so that's just my way.
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