Article: Most flags are either rectangular or square. Your flag doesn't have to be rectangular, but you should stick to simple shapes that are easy to see from a distance. For example, Nepal’s flag is made of two overlapping triangles.  Consider what you will be using your flag for. A triangle will work well for a pennant flat, while a rectangle will work for a sports flag. In general, rectangles are the easiest shape to work with because they give you the most space to create your design on. Some of the most common flag designs are bicolors, tricolors, and quarters, or use stripes, panels, and borders. The flag can also be a solid color with a unique symbol in the center. Alternatively, you can place a rectangle in the upper left hand corner called a canton (like on the American flag) that includes a symbol.  You could create a symmetrical flag, like Japan's flag, or an asymmetrical flag, like Norway's flag. Look at flags for other countries and sports teams to get ideas. If you really want a detailed flag, take a look at some of the state and community flags. As a general rule, you should only use 2 to 3 colors in your flag design. If you use more they can be hard to distinguish. The most common colors found on flags are black, blue, green, red, white, and yellow. You can use light and dark colors to create contrast.  You do not need to stick to the most popular colors. Instead, choose a color that symbolizes the place or organization your flag represents. Avoid colors that are too similar to each other, such as red and orange or navy and dark purple. They won't stand out as well.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Choose the shape for your flag. Choose a simple design. Use 2 to 3 colors.

These are free, open-source programs that you can use to create vector images from JPG files. GIMP is an image editor similar to Photoshop, and Inkscape is a vector graphics editor like Illustrator. Both are available for all operating systems.  You can download GIMP from gimp.org. Run the installer for your operating system and leave the settings at their defaults. You can download Inkscape from inkscape.org. Run the installer for your operating system and leave the settings at their defaults. This method is only suitable for simple images with basic colors, like logos and emblems. Converting high-detail images will take a lot of work smoothing rough edges and getting good colors. Use the selection tool to create a rough border for your image. This will make recoloring it easier. This will remove everything except what you've selected. This will tighten up your selection. Once you've finished cropping the file, you can export it. Click the File menu and select "Export As." Leave the settings at their default and give the file a name so that you know it's the cropped version. After exporting the file, open it in Inkscape. You'll see it appear in your Inkscape workspace. You'll need to select the image before you can trace it in Inkscape. This will open the Trace Bitmap window. This will display a preview of what the vector image will look like with that vectorization method. The "Colors" option will give you the closest approximation of the original image. You can adjust some settings for most of the presets. Click "Update" after each settings change to see the results. The original image will be traced and replaced with the vector image. This tool will allow you to select areas of the vector image and then drag nodes to adjust the size and shade. Click a part of your images and you'll see a bunch of small boxes appear. Drag these boxes to change the shapes for your selection. During the trace, some parts of the image may have been connected when they shouldn't have been. The Break Paths tool allows you to separate these parts by removing connecting nodes. Once you're satisfied with your vector image, you can save it as a vector format.  Click the File menu and select "Save As." Select a vector format from the "Save as type" menu. Common formats include SVG (for websites) and PDF (for print). Save a copy as an Inkscape SVG to be able to go back and make easy edits.
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Download and install GIMP and Inkscape. Open GIMP and use the Rectangle Select tool to select the part of the image that you want to convert to vector. Click the "Image" menu and select "Crop to Selection." Click the "Image" menu again and select "Autocrop." Export the file. Load the file in Inkscape. Click the image to select it. Click "Path" and select "Trace Bitmap." Select the different methods and click the "Update" button. Adjust the settings for the preset methods. Click "OK" when you're satisfied with the results. Use the "Edit paths by nodes" tool to make fine adjustments. Use the "Break Path" tool to separate nodes that shouldn't be connected. Save your image as a vector file when you're finished.