I’m try to create a pendant around a ring with a name across. I have created template in photoshop and then traced it in illustrator. After all that work i was not able to print image without a background and cutting the name. 
Does anyone have a video I can follow? I would greatly appreciate any help.
It’s a bit hard to give direction without more details so I’m going to give a link at the bottom with tons of resources for you. Look under the “design” area and you’ll find details on how to design for different functions. I don’t know if there are videos though.
I can try and help and just need a bit more info. Did you want the three different colors engraved at different depths and then cut out around the circle? If so, there’s two different methods to achieve it. (This is a very quick synopsis and you should refer to the design links for how to best do it in Illustrator.)
#1. Using a file with both a rastor and vector.
Just take your jpg/png (rastor) file from photoshop, import it to illustrator and draw a vector (line) circle around it. Save both the line and the rastor image together as a PDF or svg file and upload it to the GF. The rastor part will only engrave. (If you set the GF to use “vary power”, the darker the color, the deeper it engraves. ) You would then set the vector line to cut.
The downside to this method is you can’t adjust the individual setting of the rastor image and control how each color engraves.
I made an example PDF file so you can see what I mean.
(Right click and select “save link as” to download it.)
right click this v
chayla bw_1.pdf (2.6 MB)
Here’s a pic of what the file looks like separated.
Method #2
Using just a vector file
I’d just design the whole thing as a vector file. There’s no need to make it in photoshops only to trace it in illustrator, just do it all in illustrator. Make each element a different color and you can control how each part engraves. Of note, if you want “Chayla” to be raised, don’t engrave the black name part. If you want it to be deeper than the other parts, use it. (Hope that makes sense.)
vv Here’s what it should look like as a vector SVG file.
(Right click and :save as".)
Here’s a pic of what the file looks like with the parts separated
Here’s the link to some tutorials. Good luck!
Edited to add:
I realized you were talking about a pendant Just in case you need it, here’s a version with a hole in it.
right click vv
I appreciate your response. I want to blue cut out and just have the words(name) connected to the inside of the ring. I’m trying to learn as I make simple prints. i’m attaching an image of what i’ve been trying to accomplish for the past several hours…
OK, give me a sec…
I tried again in illustrator to outline the name and add the shaped and then unite both, but still no luck…
OK, lets see if this works.
Download the colored SVG I posted above and open it in Illustrator. Keep in mind I use a program that does the same thing as illustrator, but the actual tool command may be diffrent. So if I say to “weld” something, it may have a different name in Illustrator. I’ll attach the finished file at the bottom for you to use or look at.
Ungroup everything so you can separate it and see these individual parts. Get rid of the two parts. (I changed the colors to all red so we could see it better, but it’s the same shapes as before.)
Now place the name on top of the circle so they overlap. ( You’ll have to make the name a bit larger.) Important! The text must be converted to a curve first. Then weld these two separate shapes into one. In illustrator, the weld tool should look something like this.
Now you need to add the hole to hang it by and it’s the same concept of combining two shapes.
Do this first to make the hole.
Now weld the two shapes together and you’re done!
Here’s the finished file. I moved a few nodes around to make it a little stronger becasue this will be delicate when cut.
right click to save as.
Wow you are amazing! thank you, thank you.
Thanks, I hope it helps. I’ll keep checking in case you have any questions so ask if something doesn’t make sense. If I’m not here, someone else will jump in I’m sure. Can’t wait to see the final product!
well your file looks great, however, i have created the text outline and then created a circle to unite the text with the outside circle and when i select unite the text is send to the back. what step am i missing.
finally figured it out! thanks for your help. I will share the final product soon!:smiley
Yay!!! It’ll be a lot easier next time too.
one more question. so i created one for the name (natalia) unfortunately the dot on the i will be lost. Do you know of an easy way to close the spacing on the i? I notice i have a fill not sure how that happened, but it still works as an outline.
Those lowercase “i” are a real pain and I just try to creatively move them over if possible. You can also add a little connector, but it’s a very weak point.
I’m going to guess that yellow dot is there becasue that closed donuts shape was accidentally broken and now you have two shapes stacked on top of each other. It will cut the same, but be careful not to move the yellow piece. (It would not engrave correctly though.) You can fix it by selecting the name shape and the yellow circle and combining them again.
thank you! I like the font you used better than the one I’m using, what’s the name of the font? I’m new to illustrator and GF. I’m so grateful for all your help.
Please let me know if it is not ok to share YouTube videos. This is one of the first ones I watched, even before my 
arrived but I was trying to learn Illustrator.
If you learn well with videos, it might be helpful for you as it is very close to what you seem to want to do.
The font is called “Beach”, but I have no idea where i got it from. I don’t usually buy fonts, but it might have been part of a font bundle I got a while ago. There’s lots of places to look for cool ones though like here https://fontbundles.net/free-fonts a nd https://www.dafont.com/
Fonts are addicting and I have hundreds of them. 
Totally cool to share videos! Thanks for jumping in. We like team efforts when it comes to helping folks. 
Okay, thank you so much for the help!
Nice video but I can’t stand listening to that guy.
LOL
Thanks. I knew it was someone here but couldn’t remember who. Your video really helped kick start me with Illustrator. 
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