software for making decals
03-25-2006, 10:09 PM
#1
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software for making decals
I have been looking into making my own decals for some of my planes. I have looked through some of the posts here and have a pretty good handle on the materials to use, but software is another item. I realize there will be several opinions for which software to use so let me state some criteria.
I will be making/editing graphics for decals.
I would like to be able to manipulate images saved from web pages (or similar type files).
It would be nice if there were tools to create my own graphics.
Photo editing would be a plus, but not a strict requirement.
I do not want to take out a second (oops 3rd, the second was for my planes
) mortgage for the software.
Thanks,
Rob
I will be making/editing graphics for decals.
I would like to be able to manipulate images saved from web pages (or similar type files).
It would be nice if there were tools to create my own graphics.
Photo editing would be a plus, but not a strict requirement.
I do not want to take out a second (oops 3rd, the second was for my planes
) mortgage for the software.Thanks,
Rob
03-25-2006, 10:57 PM
#2
RE: software for making decals
RAGII,
That's the rub. Good software to do what you're asking is going to cost. One of the standards for this would be Photoshop, but it's a pricey package. That's what Minnflyer and I use for most of the graphics that we do here (Minn uses the Mac version and I use the Windows version). I also use Corel Draw for graphics that I cut vinyl/monokote. But once again it's expensive too. If you have a Linux system you can use The Gimp which is incredibly powerful graphics package. There is a Windows cross-over for The Gimp but I haven't tried it yet. You can find it here: [link=http://gimp-win.sourceforge.net/]The Gimp for Windows[/link]
Depending on what graphics you're looking for I may be able to help you. PM me and we'll see if we can work something out.
Sorry that I couldn't be much help here
Ken
That's the rub. Good software to do what you're asking is going to cost. One of the standards for this would be Photoshop, but it's a pricey package. That's what Minnflyer and I use for most of the graphics that we do here (Minn uses the Mac version and I use the Windows version). I also use Corel Draw for graphics that I cut vinyl/monokote. But once again it's expensive too. If you have a Linux system you can use The Gimp which is incredibly powerful graphics package. There is a Windows cross-over for The Gimp but I haven't tried it yet. You can find it here: [link=http://gimp-win.sourceforge.net/]The Gimp for Windows[/link]
Depending on what graphics you're looking for I may be able to help you. PM me and we'll see if we can work something out.
Sorry that I couldn't be much help here
Ken
03-25-2006, 11:14 PM
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RE: software for making decals
Ken,
I did some more looking on RCU and found a reference to a package called Xara Extreme. [link]http://www.xara.com[/link] For $79.00 (or $89.00 with a few extras) it looks like a great package for a really low cost. Have you heard of it or know anyone using it?
The first graphics I am thinking of are for my SSC combat plane. (Flying combat helps accelerate my flying skill with planes that are hard to damage). MY son has been helping me with the color scheme and wants me to make it look like Tony Stewart's NASCAR race car. (Home Depot sponsor). I have an Ink Jet printer that takes photo cartridges and access to a color laser printer if I need. I was hoping to take some images from the Web and manipulate them for decals. Looking ahead, I can see myself doing some more custom decals of various items.
I have read in some posts about your services and have that in mind should I fail in this attempt, or if I want something of a higher quality. I do not plan on doing this as a business as I have a hard enough time building my planes, much less trying to supply graphics for anyone. (Slow Poke build that is taking forever.)
Thanks,
Rob
I did some more looking on RCU and found a reference to a package called Xara Extreme. [link]http://www.xara.com[/link] For $79.00 (or $89.00 with a few extras) it looks like a great package for a really low cost. Have you heard of it or know anyone using it?
The first graphics I am thinking of are for my SSC combat plane. (Flying combat helps accelerate my flying skill with planes that are hard to damage). MY son has been helping me with the color scheme and wants me to make it look like Tony Stewart's NASCAR race car. (Home Depot sponsor). I have an Ink Jet printer that takes photo cartridges and access to a color laser printer if I need. I was hoping to take some images from the Web and manipulate them for decals. Looking ahead, I can see myself doing some more custom decals of various items.
I have read in some posts about your services and have that in mind should I fail in this attempt, or if I want something of a higher quality. I do not plan on doing this as a business as I have a hard enough time building my planes, much less trying to supply graphics for anyone. (Slow Poke build that is taking forever.)
Thanks,
Rob
03-25-2006, 11:28 PM
#5
RE: software for making decals
If you have a digital camera, the MAJORITY of the manufacturers provide a BASIC photo editing software. This can be used in many cases for editing your scans.
If you do a Google for "Free photo editing software" you find a multitude of listings, many of which are freeware or shareware (I have gotten some decent programs from shareware).
Hope this helps.
If you do a Google for "Free photo editing software" you find a multitude of listings, many of which are freeware or shareware (I have gotten some decent programs from shareware).
Hope this helps.
03-25-2006, 11:52 PM
#6
RE: software for making decals
ORIGINAL: Campy
If you have a digital camera, the MAJORITY of the manufacturers provide a BASIC photo editing software. This can be used in many cases for editing your scans.
If you do a Google for "Free photo editing software" you find a multitude of listings, many of which are freeware or shareware (I have gotten some decent programs from shareware).
Hope this helps.
If you have a digital camera, the MAJORITY of the manufacturers provide a BASIC photo editing software. This can be used in many cases for editing your scans.
If you do a Google for "Free photo editing software" you find a multitude of listings, many of which are freeware or shareware (I have gotten some decent programs from shareware).
Hope this helps.
Thanks for the cover. I hadn't even thought of that. I guess my brain is mush tonight. It's been a long day!!!
I think I have a couple of disks laying around here of the freebie version of that Photoshop gives out with digital cameras. If I can find it I'll check to make sure that it truly is free and I'll zip it up and send it to you if you want.
You can actually do quite a bit with an inkjet printer and the Avery media materials that are available. Not looking at the stars on the plane in these pictures, but all the rest of the graphics that I did here were done with an HP inkjet printer and Avery window decal material. It's a clear material that is easy to print on. One thing to keep in mind when doing graphics like these is that they aren't fuel proof. You need to seal them up in some way. When I did the SSE in these pictures I sealed them with clear monokote. But after a season of flying I wasn't happy with the way they were holding up. Since then I've found a better way of sealing graphics (all types including vinyl), use clear fingernail polish. It's easy to put on, it's crystal clear, it's fuel-proof, it dries hard as a rock, and it's very hard to see once it dries.
Hope this helps
Ken
03-26-2006, 02:37 AM
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RE: software for making decals
Hi
If you want a very powerful yet free Graphical Image Manipulation Program, download G.I.M.P. This was developed for Linux/Unix and has been ported to Windows. Has a lot of the same features as Photoshop, just doesnt cost an arm and a leg.
[link=http://gimp-win.sourceforge.net/]Gimp Image Manipulation Program[/link]
Its only small so isnt as powerful as Photoshop but iirc there are a lot of plugins you can download for it free of charge.
About 7.8MB file.
If you want a very powerful yet free Graphical Image Manipulation Program, download G.I.M.P. This was developed for Linux/Unix and has been ported to Windows. Has a lot of the same features as Photoshop, just doesnt cost an arm and a leg.
[link=http://gimp-win.sourceforge.net/]Gimp Image Manipulation Program[/link]
Its only small so isnt as powerful as Photoshop but iirc there are a lot of plugins you can download for it free of charge.
About 7.8MB file.
03-26-2006, 09:10 AM
#10
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RE: software for making decals
The decal above was made with $50 software on my pc and printed on my HP printer. I used Avery label paper bought from Staples Office Supply.
That one took almost no time to do. I copied the image from online but it was rough. Most of the dark lines were blurred and the colors weren't very vibrant. I used my paint program (the last upgrade version cost me $30) to fix all the problems. I sized up a number of versions of different sizes so I could match the size to the airplane and printed the block of them on a sheet of Avery label paper. I fuel proofed the paper with UltraKote clear spray and cut out the right sized MightyMouse and stuck it on.
The paint program is Paint Shop Pro and it cost me $60 when I bought the first version about 5 years ago. I didn't know to wait for it to come out in a new version to get the best price. If you wait for a new version, the last year's version will be marked way down. I've bought it for $20. Upgrades now are something like $30 usually.
Every paint program I've used will do almost everything that every other paint program will do. I've never used a free one. I've used a couple that cost BIG MONEY, but they didn't do anything worth the price. If they hadn't been at work, I'd never have used them. I wouldn't pay half their price to get them for myself. If they were $30, I'm not sure I'd go buy them today. Ain't nothing I can't do with PSP, and it was $30.
The decal below wasn't quite as simple.
The old gunfighter was just him, no background, nothing else, just the old guy.
I used PSP to layer a green bordered, white circle behind him. Then put a green bordered rectangle below. Then used the text tool to put the letters in the rectangle. Then sized up a bunch of different sizes and printed that out on the Avery paper. Took about 3-4 minutes. Sprayed the clear lacquer on. Took about 1 minute. Let it dry. Took awhile. Cut it out and stuck it on. Took 2 minutes.
I have two kinds of Avery Label paper. One isn't paper. It's clear and I use it to make lettering etc. The other is what I used for the two examples shown. Most pc printers don't "ink" in the color white. So I use the white Avery stock for anything that's going to have white in it. If it's not going to have white, I use the transparent. The transparent still needs fuelproofing because the ink isn't. No big deal. If you can spray paint with a can, you can do it.
That one took almost no time to do. I copied the image from online but it was rough. Most of the dark lines were blurred and the colors weren't very vibrant. I used my paint program (the last upgrade version cost me $30) to fix all the problems. I sized up a number of versions of different sizes so I could match the size to the airplane and printed the block of them on a sheet of Avery label paper. I fuel proofed the paper with UltraKote clear spray and cut out the right sized MightyMouse and stuck it on.
The paint program is Paint Shop Pro and it cost me $60 when I bought the first version about 5 years ago. I didn't know to wait for it to come out in a new version to get the best price. If you wait for a new version, the last year's version will be marked way down. I've bought it for $20. Upgrades now are something like $30 usually.
Every paint program I've used will do almost everything that every other paint program will do. I've never used a free one. I've used a couple that cost BIG MONEY, but they didn't do anything worth the price. If they hadn't been at work, I'd never have used them. I wouldn't pay half their price to get them for myself. If they were $30, I'm not sure I'd go buy them today. Ain't nothing I can't do with PSP, and it was $30.
The decal below wasn't quite as simple.
The old gunfighter was just him, no background, nothing else, just the old guy.
I used PSP to layer a green bordered, white circle behind him. Then put a green bordered rectangle below. Then used the text tool to put the letters in the rectangle. Then sized up a bunch of different sizes and printed that out on the Avery paper. Took about 3-4 minutes. Sprayed the clear lacquer on. Took about 1 minute. Let it dry. Took awhile. Cut it out and stuck it on. Took 2 minutes.
I have two kinds of Avery Label paper. One isn't paper. It's clear and I use it to make lettering etc. The other is what I used for the two examples shown. Most pc printers don't "ink" in the color white. So I use the white Avery stock for anything that's going to have white in it. If it's not going to have white, I use the transparent. The transparent still needs fuelproofing because the ink isn't. No big deal. If you can spray paint with a can, you can do it.
03-26-2006, 11:46 AM
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RE: software for making decals
THANK YOU Ken & VeeAte!
I've been looking for graphic editing software that didn't cost an arm and a leg (Photoshop). G.I.M.P. is essentially the same program and it's free! So easy to use and the tutorial walks you thru the entire process. You guys are the best!
Mods
I've been looking for graphic editing software that didn't cost an arm and a leg (Photoshop). G.I.M.P. is essentially the same program and it's free! So easy to use and the tutorial walks you thru the entire process. You guys are the best!
Mods
03-26-2006, 12:03 PM
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RE: software for making decals
The Avery label numbers are 8165 for the white and 8665 for the clear. These are full 8-1/2 x 11 sheets. I found these at Staples and I am sure any other office supply store will have them as well. I did not find them at my local Wal-Mart.
I have downloaded the GIMP package and am seeing if I can use it.
Thanks for all of the replies and insight.
Ken,
Thanks for the offer. I will try some of these other options first. If they do not work out I will let you know.
Rob
I have downloaded the GIMP package and am seeing if I can use it.
Thanks for all of the replies and insight.
Ken,
Thanks for the offer. I will try some of these other options first. If they do not work out I will let you know.
Rob
03-26-2006, 01:25 PM
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RE: software for making decals
ORIGINAL: darock
The decal above was made with $50 software on my pc and printed on my HP printer. I used Avery label paper bought from Staples Office Supply.
That one took almost no time to do. I copied the image from online but it was rough. Most of the dark lines were blurred and the colors weren't very vibrant. I used my paint program (the last upgrade version cost me $30) to fix all the problems. I sized up a number of versions of different sizes so I could match the size to the airplane and printed the block of them on a sheet of Avery label paper. I fuel proofed the paper with UltraKote clear spray and cut out the right sized MightyMouse and stuck it on.
The paint program is Paint Shop Pro and it cost me $60 when I bought the first version about 5 years ago. I didn't know to wait for it to come out in a new version to get the best price. If you wait for a new version, the last year's version will be marked way down. I've bought it for $20. Upgrades now are something like $30 usually.
Every paint program I've used will do almost everything that every other paint program will do. I've never used a free one. I've used a couple that cost BIG MONEY, but they didn't do anything worth the price. If they hadn't been at work, I'd never have used them. I wouldn't pay half their price to get them for myself. If they were $30, I'm not sure I'd go buy them today. Ain't nothing I can't do with PSP, and it was $30.
The decal below wasn't quite as simple.
The old gunfighter was just him, no background, nothing else, just the old guy.
I used PSP to layer a green bordered, white circle behind him. Then put a green bordered rectangle below. Then used the text tool to put the letters in the rectangle. Then sized up a bunch of different sizes and printed that out on the Avery paper. Took about 3-4 minutes. Sprayed the clear lacquer on. Took about 1 minute. Let it dry. Took awhile. Cut it out and stuck it on. Took 2 minutes.
I have two kinds of Avery Label paper. One isn't paper. It's clear and I use it to make lettering etc. The other is what I used for the two examples shown. Most pc printers don't "ink" in the color white. So I use the white Avery stock for anything that's going to have white in it. If it's not going to have white, I use the transparent. The transparent still needs fuelproofing because the ink isn't. No big deal. If you can spray paint with a can, you can do it.
The decal above was made with $50 software on my pc and printed on my HP printer. I used Avery label paper bought from Staples Office Supply.
That one took almost no time to do. I copied the image from online but it was rough. Most of the dark lines were blurred and the colors weren't very vibrant. I used my paint program (the last upgrade version cost me $30) to fix all the problems. I sized up a number of versions of different sizes so I could match the size to the airplane and printed the block of them on a sheet of Avery label paper. I fuel proofed the paper with UltraKote clear spray and cut out the right sized MightyMouse and stuck it on.
The paint program is Paint Shop Pro and it cost me $60 when I bought the first version about 5 years ago. I didn't know to wait for it to come out in a new version to get the best price. If you wait for a new version, the last year's version will be marked way down. I've bought it for $20. Upgrades now are something like $30 usually.
Every paint program I've used will do almost everything that every other paint program will do. I've never used a free one. I've used a couple that cost BIG MONEY, but they didn't do anything worth the price. If they hadn't been at work, I'd never have used them. I wouldn't pay half their price to get them for myself. If they were $30, I'm not sure I'd go buy them today. Ain't nothing I can't do with PSP, and it was $30.
The decal below wasn't quite as simple.
The old gunfighter was just him, no background, nothing else, just the old guy.
I used PSP to layer a green bordered, white circle behind him. Then put a green bordered rectangle below. Then used the text tool to put the letters in the rectangle. Then sized up a bunch of different sizes and printed that out on the Avery paper. Took about 3-4 minutes. Sprayed the clear lacquer on. Took about 1 minute. Let it dry. Took awhile. Cut it out and stuck it on. Took 2 minutes.
I have two kinds of Avery Label paper. One isn't paper. It's clear and I use it to make lettering etc. The other is what I used for the two examples shown. Most pc printers don't "ink" in the color white. So I use the white Avery stock for anything that's going to have white in it. If it's not going to have white, I use the transparent. The transparent still needs fuelproofing because the ink isn't. No big deal. If you can spray paint with a can, you can do it.
03-26-2006, 01:37 PM
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RE: software for making decals
AS others have stated gimp is a great free vid editing program. I believe it was used exclusivly for the movie titanic. Quite capable. I haven't been using it for a while cause I haven't been in my linux boot for a while due to some hardware problems. Another optino would be paintshop pro. Pretty good program for a resonable price.
-john
-john
03-26-2006, 10:44 PM
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RE: software for making decals
Photoshop Elements is a good one. If I remember correctly I got it from Wal Mart for about $70.00. It is extremely powerful and about all of the same features as regular PS. It is really a non commercial version but it will do about anything you can think of.
03-27-2006, 06:39 AM
#16
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RE: software for making decals
What is the "clear lacquer"? Well, it was clear lacquer.... ok, ok..... I'll get serious.
When I first thought to try using those Avery label sheets, I setup a test to discover what clear coating would work. I got a BUNCH of different spray paints. And they all worked. Polyurethanes, defthane, lacquers, enamels...... all worked. None seemed easier to paint with, and all were decently fuelproof within a day. I'm fairly certain that almost any of those mentioned will be fuelproof if allowed to completely cure and are applied thickly enough. whatever.......
If I remember correctly, the UltraKote clear is a lacquer. And the Testors, Tamiya, and TopFlite LustreKote are lacquers.
When I first thought to try using those Avery label sheets, I setup a test to discover what clear coating would work. I got a BUNCH of different spray paints. And they all worked. Polyurethanes, defthane, lacquers, enamels...... all worked. None seemed easier to paint with, and all were decently fuelproof within a day. I'm fairly certain that almost any of those mentioned will be fuelproof if allowed to completely cure and are applied thickly enough. whatever.......
If I remember correctly, the UltraKote clear is a lacquer. And the Testors, Tamiya, and TopFlite LustreKote are lacquers.
03-27-2006, 06:42 AM
#17
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RE: software for making decals
BTW, I saw a version of PaintShop Pro at BestBuy for $29.95 just the other day. It was version 9, the one I'm currently using.
Just about all the paint programs do what every other one does. It's the nature of competing software that all offerings have to do almost all the functions required otherwise they'll lose market share. They just do them with different keystrokes and call the functions by different names.
Just about all the paint programs do what every other one does. It's the nature of competing software that all offerings have to do almost all the functions required otherwise they'll lose market share. They just do them with different keystrokes and call the functions by different names.
06-30-2015, 04:54 PM
#18
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Guys,
I'm a dunce when it comes to graphics packages. I got some decals from getstencils a few years ago for a warbird project and he did the kill markings on white instead of clear so cant use them.
I'm wanting to create the 18 german crosses kill markings as shown in the photo.
Any thoughts on how to do this? I dont have much in way of software apart from paint.
I have clear waterslide decal paper.
thanks
Peter
Last edited by Peter_OZ; 06-30-2015 at 05:15 PM.
07-01-2015, 04:31 PM
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07-02-2015, 05:53 AM
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if you have a scanner then scan and print it on your clear decal paper. white is never printed when making decals it is usually the white of the background of the paper stock you are using or the white background of the area of the plane that you are putting stickers over. question are you sure the decals are printed on white decal paper or is the decal paper clear with a white backing that is removed before application?
just looked close at pictures it is on white decals. scan or take good quality digital photo and reprint
just looked close at pictures it is on white decals. scan or take good quality digital photo and reprint
Last edited by rlipsett; 07-02-2015 at 05:55 AM.
07-02-2015, 07:04 PM
#21
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Paint.net is a great tool. Gimp is more powerful, but has a terrible interface with weird names for everything. Paint.net is very much like Paint Shop Pro, very user friendly and capable of everything we need it to do.
07-04-2015, 04:25 AM
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I wouldn't use water slide decals. I tried using clear water slide decal paper and found that the colors are not solid they are more translucent. Also if you pull to hard on them the ink will crack. If you don't have your own vinyl cutter go to a sign shop they can cut vinyl decals for you.
07-04-2015, 04:57 AM
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Making your own decals
Guys if you want to make your own decals. Do what I did, go buy you a vinyl cutter for hobbyist. I think I spent $300 for it and it has worked out really well. Vinyl doesn't cost that much, I get mine from US Cutter and a 12" X 5 yard roll is around $9. You will also need to get transfer tape. Below are some pics of the decals I have made so far for my P-51. The woman is my nose art. Calling her Sexy As Sin
Last edited by MrTtrn; 07-04-2015 at 05:00 AM.
07-06-2015, 07:20 AM
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Lets see here. You think paint is thinner. Well the average paint thickness is 6 - 8 mils. You can get vinyl in 2.2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5 and 6 mils. I use 3 mil vinyl. Even waterslide decals are around 3 mils thick. No matter what you use there draw backs.