Hello,

My company uses China based companies to manufacture enamel
badges,usually repro's of historic emblems.

We send them a photograph of the original (in macro close-up), as
detailed as it can be
(face on, of course) and they then convert it to outline
artwork...including all wording and emblems, motifs and swirls etc
etc.

They could not possibly reproduce this by hand, as it would take
forever and cost us a fortune (and it takes an hour or so and costs
little for the service)....so how do they do it? IE What software
and what techniques do they use (any tuition sites on the web?).

I have Googled up on how to convert photos to outline art, but they
merely (in the main so far) have demonstrated how to make a photo look
like it was 'sketched' in pencil...the art we get is like an exact
replica of the emblem, but in line/outline mode (and not like a pencil
sketch!).

We use Photoshop and Illustrator, but 99% of work is outsourced.

Hope somebody can help!


Mike