Newbie needs PNC Help (Eclips/eCAL)

[ScrappyKat]

I am new to eCAL/Eclips and have never did PNC. I am trying to use a multicolored picture from the internet that I captured via my snipping tool. I have attached both .jpg and .png files that I have been fighting with for hours, both last night and the afternoon. I have worked in both eCAL and MTC (which I am more familiar with as I just recently purchased my Eclips). My first attempt was looking good, beautiful copy, aligned the lazers, but forgot the "mat" layer and my image was beginning to look like a puzzle until I stopped the cutting!

The only way I know to create the "mat" layer is to make a shadow and I can't. I tried dupicating my image, then applied the shadow to one of them. It just smeared the colors around. I can't even describe it in eCAL terms. If anyone can help me by stearing me in the right direction I would really appreciate it. I don't like to routinely ask for help because I want to learn and trial and error is a good learing tool. But I've been trying and erroring (is that a word?) for hours now. I think I am so confused, that if I got it to work, I wouldn't even know what I did right!

Sorry about the big pictures--I don't even know how to post small ones or just the unopened file. It's a sneaker that will be stomping on a spider. The inside will have an inkspot shape with the word "Splat". My son-in-law was bit by a spider and got very sick from it. Ended up in the hospital for a two-hour antibiotic infusion and is now taking 15 pills a day. He'll be OK and he has a great sense of humor so I thought he'd get a good laugh!

[gj1]

Someone using ecal will come along...but from scal 3 perspective...you would have to use the trace button and browse to find this image and trace it for the outline that would cut around the printed picture. Good luck.

[sstehman]

If I am understanding correctly, you were able to create the scut3 file, but not get the shadow mat. Would you mind posting the .scut3 file and I'll see if I can help you with the shadow mat.

The reason I am asking you to do it this way, is when I put your image in eCAL it looks quite nasty and does not do the trace nicely. I am thinking it is because there are many colors, not clean lines and a border that is surrounding the image. Could be wrong, but I'm limited on time tonight so if you want to post it I will give a look.

[ScrappyKat]

Well, I can't upload the SCUT3 because the file exceeds 2 MK; it is closer to 4. I'm going to try some more. I did make my card, tho. I printed and then cut by hand. I used some embroidery style sissors that are bent rather than straight. They worked pretty well.

When I traced the picture, I selected "Add image layer for PNC". I also tried it without the box checked. Each one placed a rectangle around the shoe. The one with the "Add image layer" placed an opage layer inside the rectangle. The other did not. I could not get rid of the rectangle and I think at one point I built an outline around the rectangle. I don't know if the snipping tool placed the rectangle in my file. Any suggestions?

[sstehman]

I pulled it into Inkscape and even had a lot of difficulty there. The rectangle shape you mentioned was a huge issue. It seemed there were layers and layers of it. I'm not sure there is an easy fix for this one except for what you probably found "to cut by hand". Maybe someone else has a better suggestion.

[gj1]

I don't know if you can do the same in ecal, but in scal 2 I traced at top number change only to 67, and then broke apart and removed 2 rectangles, then made a 1.50 shadow of the shoe and unioned it all together, and then broke apart to remove center pieces for an outline which I then had to size right around the Placed picture. But you are finished with the project and good thing sometimes for a pair of scissors. But, this did work just fine...no problems. I used the smaller picture provided.

[ScrappyKat]

It doesn't seem like the trace function works the same. I've been cutting today but didn't have time to try PNC with a smaller size file. I need to mess around with it some more. There is so much to remember....