Software for scientific drawings

[Jeremy Rice]

A few days ago, I posted a message to this list suggesting a few programs to
use for the conversion of line art into electronic format.

I received several replies to that off-list, and there was one question that
was repeated more than once...  I thought, since there was an appreciable
number of people showing interest, that I should clarify this on the list.

So, once again, I appologize for the off-topic post.  If you're not interested
in graphic conversion, skip this message.  :)

Nuria Mercader sums it up best:

>Is Adobe Illustrator able to go all the way from a photographed image to
>[line art] in a reasonably effective way???

Actually, not really.  That is to say it's possible, but I'm not sure one
would describe the process as 'effective.'

I was also discussing this with the original author, off the list.  Using
Illustrator would, definitely, produce the highest quality result, but would
require a disproportionate amount of time to achieve that level of quality.

In essence, one would be scanning the drawn image in with Photoshop, then
using Illustrator to 'trace' that image, and make it vector-based line art
(much higher quality than Photoshop).

Is it worth it?  It really depends on three factors: most importantly, the
complexity of the illustrations, which affects the amount of time required to
convert each image.  Second, the level of detail required in the electronic
format.  This may be user preference: is the image to -replace- the original
drawing as the 'master' copy?  Or is it merely to get the drawing into a
format acceptable for printing in, say, a journal?  Third and last, what kind
of modifications will be made to the electronic version in the future?  If the
changes/alterations will be extensive, it would be easier and more effective,
-definitey-, to use a vector image (the format Illustrator uses).

In all honesty, for in-house work, a majority of users will want to continue
using Photoshop (or any of the comparable programs mentioned in my last post)
to simply scan the images in and adjust the brightness/contrast.

In the cases where the electronic version of the illustration needs to be
vector-based, however, Illustrator is the clear winner.  (Though, if you'll
remember from the original post, you still require software to scan the
image...  This -almost- always comes with the scanner, however.)

The original conversion of the scan into line art is the bottleneck, here.
Again, depending on the complexity of the image, it could take 15 minutes to
several hours to complete any one image.  However, it is fairly simple to
change these images, once they've been made.

Out-sourcing this conversion is also an option, if you don't wish to train
someone in-house to do it.  It could be done much faster, of course, but it's
entirely your own discression to decide whether the savings in time are worth
the price.  You would then have the vector image to use for your own (easier
and less time-consuming) modifications.

Unfortunately, there -used- to be a program that could automate the
conversion.  It was called Adobe Streamline, and it's no longer in production.
(A -real- shame.)  I haven't heard of any program made to replace it on the
market, either.  However, if I find one, I shall post it to the list.

I hope that helps clarify thigs, and I appologize for my over-enthusiasm for
Illustrator: I certainly left out some vital details.

Please let me know if you have any questions.