Member Avatar for rwagnes

I am editing an image of a subway map in photoshop. I have edited out all but the colored lines and thickened them with the stroke tool. Unfortunately each line has a few gaps as well as ridges along the edges. I would like a smooth, solid line. What is the best way to get rid of one or both?

Thanks!

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by DzaNn

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Two practical routes depending on how much work is acceptable: a Photoshop-only repair for small gaps and ridges, or a vector re-creation for a permanent, infinitely-scalable fix. As and pointed out, redrawing is often the least painful way when the bitmap is noisy; 's Pen tool idea and 's vector suggestion point to Illustrator-style tracing when a crisp, scalable result is required. Preserve the original layer before any destructive edits.

Photoshop-only workflow (quick, non-vector): duplicate the image layer, isolate one line color with Select > Color Range (tweak Fuzziness). Use Select > Modify > Expand by 1-4 px to bridge tiny gaps. Run Filter > Other > Maximum (or Minimum) at a small radius (1-3 px) to close holes, then Filter > Noise > Median (radius 1-2) to soften edge ridges. Fill the cleaned selection on a new layer. For the sharpest edges inside Photoshop, convert the selection to a work path (Window > Paths > Make Work Path, tolerance ~1-2) and use Stroke Path with a hard round brush or create a Shape layer from the path so the line stays smooth at different sizes.

Illustrator/vector workflow (best final quality): Place the bitmap into Illustrator, use Image Trace (ignore white) and reduce Noise so small speckles disappear. Tweak Paths/Corners/Threshold until lines become continuous, then Expand and use Pathfinder > Unite. Run Simplify or Smooth to reduce jagged anchor points, set stroke weight and round caps/joins, or Outline Stroke to produce filled shapes. Paste or Place the vector back into Photoshop as a Smart Object when needed.

Practical tips: use round caps and joins and a 100% hardness brush when stroking paths to avoid ragged ends; work non-destructively (duplicates, masks, smart objects); normalize line color first (Hue/Saturation or Levels) if the same line has multiple shades. These steps build on the replies above and give concrete, repeatable workflows for closing gaps and removing ridges.

Member Avatar for pixelpaintr

Redrawing the lines with Photoshop is a good bet when there are lots of gaps. You can also try smoothing the rough edges with the teardrop blur tool. If the original image is really grungy you might be best off redrawing the shapes in layers over the original image, letting Photoshop's antialiasing replace the edges from the original.

Member Avatar for matricol

use the pen tool

Member Avatar for WebStudio Pros

You can always draw the lines again using photoshop and get rid of the ridges by carefully erasing or blurring them off.

Member Avatar for DzaNn

wat if u do your work in illustrator or coreldraw?that is the best for all lines coz u make vector...hehehehehe peace

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