Which software will do this? '73 Gremlin X stripes.

[landman]

Following up on a topic by George Yoke (Lizard Racing) where he built his first car, a '74 Gremlin, we determined that one could build a '73 using the '72 resin body. The biggest hangup would be the stripes which were unique to the '73. I found this neat side-on image of a '73 X. If we could somehow turn the stripe from red to gold, I could resize it in Word and print a decal. But how to change the color? Photoshop?

[Xingu]

My guess is there is a way in Photoshop to replace colors. Maybe Harry knows how it is done. I have been poking around in mine but don't see how. Of course, I only use about 5% of Photoshop is capable of doing.

[Xingu]

2 minutes on YouTube can do wonders. I do not know what the actual color is supposed to be though.

Edited July 17, 2016 by Xingu

[landman]

You changed the color on you tube? Here's a picture of my Gremlin taken at Dragway Park in Cayuga, ON in 1974. We used to go there and camp the whole weekend.

Edited July 17, 2016 by landman

[Xingu]

No, I have Photoshop. Watched a How-To video on YouTube.

[Exotics_Builder]

The problem with Photoshop and the method described is that the photo is a bitmap and is not "dead on" so proportioning is likely off.  Bitmaps on a large graphic usually yield quite subpar results.  Especially if the photo comes off the internet at relatively low res.  If you have a high res photo, a bitmap could work.  You would have to print a draft to size and decide.

The best way to reproduce a simple graphic is to use a vector based drawing tool (Illustrator or CorelDraw) and start by "copying" the graphics and then finding a Pantone to RGB conversion guide to match the color as close as possible.  After getting a rough shape, you should print a draft and fit to the model to tweak the shape.  Be prepared for multiple attempts at this.

[landman]

For the Pros I see....

[Exotics_Builder]

For the Pros I see....

No.  It depends on what you are trying to accomplish with the model.  If you have PowerPoint, there is a feature where you could do figure editing as well.  The first step is to get a clean rendition of the image you want to capture/modify.  The problem with the side image you show, is that it is not as perpendicular to the side as one would like to get better proportioning.  It may result in a squat graphic because of the slight down angle of the shot.  That is where you would need to tweak the graphic you're creating.

Web graphic images are usually at 72 or 96 DPI equivalent resolutions.  As you scale up, you will see pixilation.  If you scale down, less so.  Not having the model, the photo you have looks to be 75-80% of the actual car size.  You would then be scaling up.

You could also try masking the graphics and painting them on.  The larger strip is less of an issue than the smaller scallops.

Not trying to scare you off.  I just don't know what quality of result you're going for, self model versus contest entry.

[landman]

It is the only side-on image I could find. It should be close to what a 1:25 Gremlin would be. Anyway, it is only speculation at this stage. I was just hoping to reproduce the car I once own. Thanks for all the advice. It may be well beyond my scope, skills, willingness, needs and a few other things. 

[Harry P.]

The photo you posted is 72dpi, which is ok for onscreen, but for print, you need a much higher resolution photo (300dpi). You won't get a decent decal from this photo. The right way to do this is to open a new Illustrator file, import this photo into it, lock the photo, then trace around the stripes using the Illustrator drawing tools. Then size the stripes to fit the model, unlock the photo and delete it, leaving you with just the stripes drawn in Illustrator. Copy and paste the stripes so you have a set for both sides, then print it out on clear decal paper.

[dodgefever]

I draw up decals in DrawPlus SE.  It's not as powerful as Illustrator, but it's a vector graphics program and it's free...  It works the same way as Harry outlined above - import the photo, resize it, and draw the decals on a separate layer.