Portrait Cookies

Step 2 Convert Silhouette into .eps file

I used Adobe Illustrator to complete this step.  This was really my first use of Illustrator, oh, probably ever.  I'm sure there are simpler ways to achieve what I did, but I'll walk you through my clumsy trial and error process.  I attempted to screen capture whatever step I was on, and hope the picture notes I made will help to illustrate what steps I was taking at each turn.

What we need to do is:

• Place the Image in a new document
• Live trace the shadow
• Expand the tracing into separate segments so you can clean up the image
• Remove unwanted elements
• Offset path to create a second tracing (to create an inner and outer edge to your cookie cutter)
• Fix any crazy weirdness that happens from the path being offset (though I'm sure this won't happen to you)
• Save as a .eps file for the laser cutter

The following images below depict this process.  For more information, check the yellow text boxes on each image for details.