How do I add strokes to this image?

[Octacorp]

I've spent the last day or so trying to add strokes to this image, and with everything I've tried, have it be offset path, ray tracing, masking, everything. I'm doing something wrong, and I can't figure out what it is.

I use CS5.1, It's what i've been using for the past decade since i'm completely accustomed to it now.

Can someone tell me how to do this right? I want to make these outlines so my machine can print and cut them. Thanks!

[Jacob Bugge]

Octacorp,

As I (mis)understand it, you have a raster image (PNG), and you wish to cut each hand shape and each other part individually, and you need to have (vector) paths for the cutting.

If that is true, is each hand to be cut as one path including all the individual (about) 10 parts and a suitable part of the gaps between them, or as 10 paths?

Or what is the plan?

[Octacorp]

Each part in the hand needs an outline of their own.

The plan is to find out how to only add a path to the outside of each part, instead of having a path for each individual color.

The client sent this logo to me as a PNG image, so I've been trying to make a outside stroke for each one going one hand at a time, then repeat the same process for whats in the middle.

[Jacob Bugge · Accepted solution]

Octacorp,

As I (mis)understand it now, I believe you can use Live Trace on a copy of the image for the outside paths, and I believe you can:

1) Prepare the copy for that in Photoshop in a relatively simple way by using Image>Adjustments>Brightness/Contrast to get fully black hand parts throughout the image surrounded by transparent areas (which I assume are there already or can be made by deletion), you may need to make the adjustment in multiple steps to get the full black and obtain the desired outer shapes (you can try and fail until you have it right);

2) Bring the image back exactly on top of the original image, then use Live Trace settings that give the desired balance between a managable smoothness and the actual rather irregular outer shapes (you can try and fail until you have it right);

3) Expand the Live Trace and change from fill to the desired/needed stroke;

4) Use the paths from 3) to cut the original image.

Edit: At first I forgot to mention an important part of step 2) which is now included:

"you may need to make the adjustment in multiple steps to get the full black and obtain the desired outer shapes"

[Monika Gause]

You probably don't need to prepare this in Photoshop, because Illustrator CS5 has a threshold option:

I've used the screenshot, so the other options need to be adjusted for the original option.

[Monika Gause]

You have to trace it with settings that create a black and white image as the result.

[sishamIAGD]

For the hands it may be worth concerntrating on one hand and then repeat that one..?

[Kurt Gold]

You may want to share the original source file, so one can have a look at it and possibly provide a good solution.