Choosing single scan options: Brightness cutoff uses the shade of a pixel to decide whether it should become black or white. The higher the threshold setting, the darker the image will become. [1] X Research source Edge detection will create a path based on differences in the brightness of pixels. The threshold settings adjust the darkness of the output. Again, a higher threshold will produce darker output. Color quantization produces a path based on differences in color. The “number of colors” setting gives you the opportunity to specify how many colors you’d want in your output were it possible to output in color. An algorithm is then used to turn those theoretical colors black or white. Choosing multiple scan options: Brightness steps allows you to specify the total number of scans. [2] X Research source Colours uses the number in the “Scans” box to determine how many colors to output. Grays is like colors, but with shades on the grayscale. Extra options: The “Smooth” option will apply a Gaussian blur before tracing, and “Stack scans” gets rid of holes in path coverage. [2] X Research source Check “Remove background” to get rid of background, which usually has the lightest color. More options: Suppress speckles will eliminate any spots, dust, distortion, and other unwanted bits. [2] X Research source Optimize paths merges Bezier curves.
Press the F6 key on your keyboard (or click on the pencil icon on the tool menu) to select the pencil/freehand tool. This tool will allow you to freely draw anywhere on your image. If you’re using a drawing tablet, have a steady hand or not much to trace, this tool may suit your needs. Press Shift+F6 simultaneously (or click on the pen icon on the tool menu) to open the pen/Bezier tool. This tool allows you to click at the ends of lines you want to trace, which will create small, easy-to-manipulate segments. If you have several lines to trace and/or are using a mouse, this tool will give you the most precise results. Double-click at the end of each line to end the path.
You can switch between your layers in the layer dialog box. Just double click on the layer name you want to work with and you’ll be switched to that view. It may help to make your bitmap more (or less) opaque as you draw your paths. With the layer selected in the dialog box, move the slider bar beneath “Opacity” to see which settings works best for you.
If you have too many nodes and it’s taking you forever to move them all where they need to be, you can simplify your nodes. This may change the shape of your line just slightly, but it may not be noticeable. Use Ctrl+L (⌘ Cmd+L on a Mac) to reduce the amount of nodes. [5] X Research source
