I have a black and white digistamp. I executed "Trace Bitmap", moved my new object into the page field on the screen, executed "Break Apart" which turns it all black. I need to see it in black and white like the original object so I can see what I'm doing in order to remove some pieces, group, color, etc. I figured out I can view it in black and white if I View/Outline. I'd like to create layers as I color so I can line up each color and cut them separately for vinyl.

How do I make each color group a new layer?

Thanks,
Megin

Welcome Megin!

Hhm, well I don't know what a "digistamp" is, but I can understand "black and white", lol. After you do the Trace Bitmap, instead of Break Apart, you should do Ungroup (from the Selection tool control bar button or Object menu).

Since I don't know any more about your original than 'black and white', I'm not sure, but you might either end up with 2 "layers" (in the z order) a black one and a white one (group of 2), or more likely several in the group, of varying shades of gray, plus a black one and a white one. (Although if your white is really transparent over a white background, you won't have a white one, just several grays and a black one.)

Anyway, once you ungroup them, you will be able to select them individually, move to a new layer, and apply color. For best results, do not actually pull them apart, except to confirm your trace (then Undo). Because unless you unchecked "Stack scans", the original will be on top, and it might not be readily obvious that the trace was successful. Instead, you can select each object below by using Alt + click with Selection tool. Move to a new layer by Shift + Pg Up, or Pg Dn (or Layer menu > Move to layer above, or below). But first, create new layers either from Layer menu > Add layer, or open Layers dialog and click the + sign.

Let us know how it goes

PS - I'll move this to the Cutters/Plotters forum, so others like you can find it easier, because we do get this question from time to time

Hi Megin,

You will need to either break apart your trace or use the paint bucket tool on your digistamp. The paint bucket tool will fill in closed areas with a vector without the need to trace. One drawback of this tool is that it tends to round corners. It also tends to use more nodes than traces, resuling in longer cutting times. Some people like the paint bucket, others don't.

Another option for viewing your lines while working is to remove the fill and set a stroke. You will then be able to fill areas with color and still see all of the lines.

If you bring up the Layers Palette, you can add new layers and move your pieces as needed.

Also, what program are you using to cut?

If you are just tracing a bitmap to black vector, and you want to separate pieces of the results into different objects, you need to do these things:

1. Select your vectorized result
2. Choose Path -> "Break apart" (this will turn every part of your graphic into an ungrouped shape, and turn the negative shapes in your objects black, but don't worry about that just yet...)
3. drag a selection box around each piece you want to make a new object out of, and select Path -> Combine (this will have the effect of making your negative shapes back into holes in your object, and creating a new shape from what you have selected.

4.Enjoy your new separated graphics.

Why does this happen? Inkscape treats the result of your bitmap trace as one large vector shape. To make a hole (negative space) in your shape, it makes another shape inside your outer shape, but since it's part of the same shape, Inkscape knows it's a hole instead of two different shapes stacked on top of eachother. The "break apart" command breaks every shape in your graphic into a separate shape, and since they are no longer part of the same shape, Inkscape fills them with the colour of the original shape (in this case black). When you reselect the parts of your original trace you want to turn into new shapes, and run the "Combine" command, Inkscape realises that what you had selected is a single shape, and applies the negative-shape rule again, so your vectors look as they should with holes in places you expect them.

Hope this helps! Took me ages to figure out what was happening.