How to make nice and clean image for a custom art keycaps

[AresTheGod]

Hey guys!

I'd like to make novelties for my keyset project but I struggle getting a clean result, and the only one that was nice, was one with a transparent background...
But then I see people getting incredible result in their keyset ( like the MING Dynasty set ) and I'm wondering how they do and what I'm doing wrong...
Maybe i'm using the wrong technique ( i.e. when there is a backgroup I go on Paint(brush depends if I'm on Mac) and I color everything in a different color than the thing I want to keep and then I selection the whole thing and I 'crop'. Then I save and go on Inkscape and superpose the blank keycaps with the image and save ) or the wrong application?
Also to what image should I aim? Ones with higher quality? And how do I do when I get images with these little mark that make it's even harder to use them?

I hope you understood my questions! Thanks

PS : I'm sorry if I posted in the wrong category, can't see anywhere else where I could go...

[Pemdas]

So if I'm understanding the problem correctly it's because your symbols aren't vectorized. You're making the symbol in paint then moving it over to inkscape?

I don't have much experience with inkscape, but I believe it is a vector art program. Making the symbols in inkscape should help with any jagged edges of pixel select tools.


I could have completely misunderstood the problem though. Do you have any examples of your issue? Might be easier to answer the question if we had some visuals

[AresTheGod]

So if I'm understanding the problem correctly it's because your symbols aren't vectorized. You're making the symbol in paint then moving it over to inkscape?

I don't have much experience with inkscape, but I believe it is a vector art program. Making the symbols in inkscape should help with any jagged edges of pixel select tools.


I could have completely misunderstood the problem though. Do you have any examples of your issue? Might be easier to answer the question if we had some visuals

I think I should be that!



Here's what I did so far

More

[zslane]

Be careful though. Some of the novelties in that Ming set may not be manufacturable (some details I see there may be too small for the cutting machine tolerances that SP uses for producing double-shot plates). Don't go into it thinking that just because you can draw it and render it to a JPG file, that SP will be able to make a keycap legend out of it.

[AresTheGod]

Yeah, I know don't worry, just would like to to get some simple but clean symbol like these one http://st2.depositphotos.com/1906711/7479/v/950/depositphotos_74793773-Vector-black-mining-icon-set.jpg

[Growgor]

Looks like a anti aliasing-alike problem you got there, probably because you are using something similar to paint, which doesnt do a very good job. As mentioned above, I would rather make symbols with vector graphics, so it's fully scaleable, without any de-sampling.
If your interested, I'll vectorize it for you, and convert it to any formats needed, and send it..