Hey cool cats… I’m trying to find a quick and easy way to convert a nautical chart (PDF OR PNG) to a vector file for engraving. I’d like to be able to simplify the chart so it doesn’t take 80 years to engrave. Trying to make a journal. Any of you wizards have an idea? Thanks in advance, you all rock!!!
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That’s not going to be a quick process…
The first step would be to do a centerline trace of it - but then you’re going to want to do a whole bunch of node editing until it looks exactly as you want it to!
Depending on just how much simplification you want to do, it might be easier to “hand” draw it by tracing over the parts you want.
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Nah…
Just rasterize it. What software are you using? Is this a standard NOAA chart?
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Well yeah, but he asked specifically about making it into a vector in order to speed up the engrave…a vector can be scored which will be way faster than any engrave ever will be.
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doh lol yeah I didn’t read carefully enough.
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That being said, NOAA charts are already vector…
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I’m guessing those are the ones from here: https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/bathymetry/maps/nos_intro.html
Can you find the chart you wanted there @ashleyn?
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I’m using Inkscape. I tried to use a free online svg program but they muddle the detail. It is just a standard NOAA chart. I’m still a newbie and don’t know how to raster an image lol.
On I had no idea! I’ll check there and see if I can find it. Thanks for the resource!
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You’re welcome, but I wouldn’t have known about it if @evansd2 hadn’t mentioned it by name…I’ve just read a lot of threads on here so I knew I could find the actual link if I searched for NOAA 
There is so much info in these forums!
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