Make T-Shirt Graphics: Use Midjourney Art and Vector Design Software

Want to create unique T-shirt designs? Start with an image from Midjourney and turn it into a polished graphic ready for printing. This guide shows a process using Midjourney, a vector conversion tool, and design software like Affinity Designer and Canva. Learn how to get your initial idea and refine it into a final product with layers, text, and extra graphics.

Start Your Design in Midjourney

The process begins by getting your main graphic from Midjourney. You need a good prompt to get the right style. For this example, a Kawaii dinosaur design was needed. The prompt included asking for "Vector art," "cute Kawaii Style," "blackout lines," and a "white background."

Midjourney creates several versions. Pick the one that looks best for your idea. A good one for this project had headphones and a clear outline. Download the image once you have the right one. Midjourney images are usually JPEG files at this point, which won't work well for T-shirt design because they are raster images.

Turn Your Image into a Vector File

For T-shirt printing and design work in vector software, you need a vector file like an SVG. This lets you resize the image without losing quality and easily edit parts of it. A tool like Vectorizer AI can quickly convert your Midjourney JPEG or PNG into an SVG.

Upload your downloaded image to Vectorizer AI. The tool processes it and creates a vector version. Getting a good result here is why asking for "Vector art" in your Midjourney prompt helps. Vector files are editable in programs built for vector graphics.

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Refine the Graphic in a Vector Editor

Bring your new SVG file into a vector design program like Affinity Designer. Vector software lets you easily select and remove parts of the image, like the white background. Since the example image had a thick black outline, it was simple to remove the background while keeping the main shape.

Create a new artboard with T-shirt print dimensions, like 4500 x 5400 pixels. Drag your vector graphic onto this new artboard. Because it's a vector, you can scale it up to fit the large artboard without the image getting blurry or pixelated. Hold shift while resizing to keep the original shape.

Remove any unwanted elements. The thick black outline makes it easy to see where different parts are. You can delete stray lines, dots, or other parts you don't need.

Add Background Shapes and Flip the Image

Think about the overall layout. You might want the graphic facing a different direction. In Affinity Designer, you can easily flip the graphic horizontally. Adding shapes behind the main graphic can also enhance the design. For this design, a red circle added behind the dinosaur graphic looked good, providing a strong background color often used in Kawaii style and similar to famous logos.

Bring In Text Elements

T-shirt designs often need text. For different language text or specific fonts, you can use other tools like Canva, which has many fonts, including Japanese ones, and a built-in translation feature.

In Canva, add text you want to translate, like "dinosaur music." Use the translate app to convert it to Japanese. Canva lets you explore different fonts. Look for styles that fit your design. You can also adjust the spacing between lines. Save your text as an SVG file from Canva to keep it as a vector.

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Layout and Effects for Text

Import the SVG text from Canva into your vector design software. You can change its color and position. To fill space or add interest, add English text too. Pick a font that matches the style. Resize and arrange the text around your graphic. Try tilting it to add action or interest.

Adding depth or dimension to text can make it stand out. One way is to duplicate the text layer. Make the bottom layer an outline or give it an offset fill color. This creates a layered look that feels more three-dimensional than a simple drop shadow.

You can convert text to outlines (curves) to edit individual letters. This lets you move, resize, or reshape letters slightly to create a specific look or flow that matches your graphic.

Adding Extra Graphics

Fill in empty spaces with smaller graphics. Music notes work well with a music-themed dinosaur. You can draw simple shapes yourself in your design software or find graphics in places like Canva. Search for art styles that fit, such as "Japanese art" or "dinosaur art." Save these as vectors (SVG or PDF) and import them.

You can also create custom shapes using tools within your design software. For example, a star tool can be used to create multi-pointed shapes. By adjusting the settings and using boolean operations with circles, you can create unique cutout graphics.

Consider Color Variations

Always think about how your design will look on different shirt colors, especially white and black. A design might use black text on a white shirt. For a black shirt, you might change the text color to white while keeping other elements like the red circle the same. Testing colors ensures your design works well no matter the apparel color.

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Conclusion

Turning a Midjourney image into a T-shirt graphic involves several steps: getting the base image, vectorizing it, cleaning and scaling it in vector software, adding text from sources like Canva, adding extra graphic details, and considering color options. Using a mix of tools lets you get the best features from each, resulting in a unique and professional design.

Give this process a try for your own designs. Experiment with different graphics, text, and layouts to make something unique.