HNC - making a signature

This is a guide for HNC students to help make a vector shape from a digital image, in this case a signature. You might need to do this if you are promoting yourself, and making digital artwork.

Making a signature

 

You can create and save your signature to add to photographs.Digital photographs are made up of pixels, and so image quality is dependent on the total number of pixels in the image. 

They are resolution dependent.When you make the signature, you will be creating a vector shape. This is based on a set of co-ordinates or an equation.  For example, the coordinates of a circle describes a circle.More complex co-ordinates can describe shapes such as text and simple drawings, or a signature.

These are known as vector graphics, and they can be scaled up – unlike pixel-based photographs whose size is limited by their resolution.

To create a signature we need to :

• Write your signature with a thick black pen on white paper
• Scan this on a flat-bed scanner, at 300dpi at A4. This gives a good, high resolution pixel-based image.
• Save the image
• Increase the contrast using image>adjust>brightness/contrast
• Select the white areas of the picture using the magic wand tool. Make sure you catch any loops in the letters.
• Go to select>inverse selection. This reverses your selection, so that you have selected the text.
• Now we have to convert this pixel-based selection into a vector path. In the paths palette you will find a tool to make a work path from the selection. You will see that the marching ants that indicate a pixel-based selection, change to a solid line.
• In the paths palette save this work path and give it a name.
• The clever bit: Go to edit>define custom path. This saves your signature shape for you to apply.
• In the tool bar, look for the custom shapes tool – it might be hidden away behind the rectangle tool.
• Select the custom shape tool and look at the options bar at the top of the screen. In the shape box you should be able to select your signature.
• Apply it at any shape or size by drawing over on a new Photoshop document, or picture file.

Using the same principles it is possible to make a graphic style log from a photograph. The basic principles are: a bold simple photograph, simplify it by making it black-and-white and increasing the contrast, make a selection, convert the selection to a path, save the path as a defined custom shape.