KiCad 5.0 - Importing custom graphics

Importing custom graphics allows you to add logos, different fonts and all kinds of artwork to your PCB designs. This video shows how to do a basic import and how to place that design onto your board.
Follow the "Badgelife" hashtag for great examples of PCB art: search?q=%23badge...

[@calmendezam]

Thank you buddy. Creating a PCB for work and they requested that their logo be on it. Without your video idk what I would’ve done lol

[@lambsauce5445]

I know what you'd have done. You'd have done what I did. Panic. For 3 HOURS!

[@andy_warb]

This was really useful thanks!

[@stevesm2010]

One of my favourite things is to put my graphics on boards. KiCad is much better than Eagle in that respect. One day there will be a basic graphics editor included in the suite :-)

[@georgesuarez1318]

I had a PNG that wasn't playing nice (the colors were not reversing to negative). I recommend bringing the PNG into MS paint and saving it out as a 24 bit BMP. Then follow the instructions in the video and it'll work great!

[@valeriyzee4677]

Super, thanks :)

[@Foberowsky]

You can directly import SVGs into footprints and PCBs

[@andymouse]

great thanks!

[@D1e9o-SIIA]

thank you Chris! query, could you address the issue of converting footprint .mod to .kicad_mod? thanks greetings.

[@dipakkerkal7020]

Thanks!!

[@sailtogether3236]

Thank you for explainung this nice feature! It's a pity that it vectories raster images, but there is no option for vector images: my result was just ugly vectorized : (

[@Not-Only-Reaper-Tutorials]

I hope one day there will be the possibility to import SVGs and dimensioning directly once imported. Great stuff, great video :-)

[@kabaczan8215]

v6 is going to have this feature i think

[@Dexter101x]

Any chance custom shapes for pcb edge cuts can be imported into Kicad?

[@xlu125]

Great tutorial, one question. Can I scale the logo after I place him?

[@contextualelectronics]

The easiest way to scale is by playing with the "DPI" setting when importing the PNG. Higher DPI, smaller logo (but will maintain the information in the original image)

[@AbsoluteRecoil]

So there’s no way to import svg’s?

[@loizostheochari1509]

Hi Chris, can the graphics be added to the copper side of the board such as test can be done. I don't want it to be stenciled on the board. You help is greatly appreciated. If it to be in your next video I can wait for then. Thank you for the video on the graphics.

[@stevesm2010]

Loizos, if you mean the back side, or THT solder side, if you set the graphics for Silkscreen, you can 'E'dit the graphic to be on the back after placement. I often do this. You will discover that you will need to rotate the graphic to taste.

[@MrOrangeman18]

@@stevesm2010 how do you edit this? i to want it on the back? cheers

[@stevesm2010]

@@MrOrangeman18 Once you have made the library module, edit the file with a plain text editor (I use Notepad ++) and change the F.SilkS tags to B.SilkS - In Notepad++ you can do a search and replace to automate it. If you look at other MOD files, you can see the tags you need for different layers. F.Cu or F.Mask for example.

[@MrOrangeman18]

Steve Smith cheers. I found a much simpler way to do it in the end. Added the new footprint (the picture) went into footprint editor and changed it from front to back silk and all sorted.

[@anventia]

When I import the footprint it shows yellow, not the blue that is the color of silkscreen. How do i change it to blue?

[@anventia]

@@tcarney57 I found the problem, I forgot to switch the layer to front silkscreen before exporting the footprint.