Hello everyone. I have a picture in a png file. I want to use it on my PCB. I know that there is Bitmap to Component Converter but it allows to convert files to silk screen and solder mask. I want to use it on a F.Cu layer.
There are a lot of symbols out there (RoHS, Wheelie Bin, Kicad logo) that may be put on F.Cu layer. What should I do it? How can I convert it?
If you have your logo as some sort of vector drawing than you could use https://github.com/badgeek/svg2shenzhen or https://github.com/mtl/svg2mod which will produce better results than any pixel graphic conversion could ever do.
If you really only have pixel graphics then you can put it on any layer that is allowed by the bitmap to component converter and use a text editor to move everything to copper.
2 Likes
I read about this on eevblog… posted today only…
link to original post
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/eda/i-made-a-tool-to-render-artwork-into-gerber-files-(works-with-kicadaltium-etc-)/
I see its only silkscreen currently… not copper like you expect…
But I’m sure gonna try this out coming weekend…
I’ve seen some nice logo’s on KiCad PCB’s made out of polygons / vectors.
They may have been made with svg2shenzhen, or imported as dxf.
In the “nightlies” there is also a (hidden but apparently working) improved support for importing SVG drawings.
You can also first import your graphics into a technical layer, and then convert it to copper by making a custom pad out of it.
If that tool for putting artwork directly into gerber files works for you…
From gerbview you can back-export to a KICad pcb file.
Gerbview / File / Export to Pcbnew…
Solved. Close the topic, please
Maybe once you tell us how you solved it? 
Euhm, not really. The forum software closes topics after 3 months.
@marek.m371
And as hermit wrote. If you share your working solution here, then it’s usefull for other people searching the forum for their problems.
I editted file with *.kicad_mod extension that contained my picture. I replaced every single appear F.Silks to F.Cu just like @Rene_Poschl suggested.
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It could be closed but the proper thing in this case would be for the mods to just mark it solved.
You can move stuff to a copper layer with a text editor, but then your custom graphics is likely not recognised by DRC, and the interactive router can easily shove tracks into your graphics, which creates shorts, which are not recognised by DRC.
If you have this problem, then create a keep-out zone around your graphics.
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Thank you, I will keep that in mind
That reminds me… I should really do this to my logo footprint library… I have lots of logos on the copper layer that I edited the symbol to move the graphical elements to copper back in v4 when custom pads didn’t exist…
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