Sketch looks from photos

[4personnen]

Hi, I have to make some photos for a book, and then transform them into drawings for documentary representation. I can do that by hand by reproducing the photos in Illy but 1st I not so proficient with Illustrator and second it would be nice to me to know exactly what to do.

* Is there a preferable way to shoot the pictures first (I want just black and white sketches with well defined lines...a bit like there...http://www.spectrum-headquarters.com...lue_line_2.jpg )


*As I will have many of them to transform (I can still make an action) Is there a way to do that properly in PS? Or maybe a plugin or 3rd party software (not too expensive though) is more advisable?

*Even if I know that I will not have to do it again, I'd like to know how it works, So if you have some tuts I'd greatly appreciate...



Maybe it's not the right place to post, I'm a bit puzzle of where to post this,
Thanks for your help.

[Dmax]

desaturate> duplicate layer> invert > blend mode(Linear dodge)>guassian blur

[DannyRaphael]

Perfectly OK to post this question here.

Non-scientific thought: Seems to me that "well defined lines" would be a function of contrast resulting from differences in adjacent areas textures, light and/or color. The more control you have control over those aspects, the less manual work you will need to do.

Download and experiment with Akvis > Sketch (fully functional 30-day trial) and Topaz Simplify (also has fully functional trial). Depending on the characteristics of the photos, one of these plugins (or used together) may be what you need. Both are "actionable." If the photos are taken with enough consistency and the light is right, recording an action and applying it in Batch could save a lot of time.

Good luck on your project.

[4personnen]

Have you any idea on how to take the picture first White background/black one...increase the contrast by lightning (decrease it) ? To be honnest I made a few attempts with some thresholded images with skechs filters in PS but it always too much "adorned", has to be simplified, more cartoonish...I understand it has something to do with the lightning, but I don't know how the filter respond to the lightning (their behaviour)...Here is a quick attempt I made with a random image - Stamp filter after a threshold command). Anyway thanks for your positive feedback.

[4personnen]

I just found out the "trace contour" filter which is not available in the filter gallery (that's why I missed it)...I think I'll have to experiment abit further with this. Still need some help for shooting :-)

[DannyRaphael]

Other filters to consider for 'edges'/outlines...
* Blur > Smart Blur (edges only) [invert image after rendering]
* Sketch > Photocoopy [often times 'blotchy']
* Stylize > Glowing Edges [convert to BW if original is color]

...but no free lunch. Each has +/-.

It appears you're seeking an "illustrated, smooth line/not ragged edge look" which, as i understand it (no direct experience) is doable (hand drawn) in programs like Illustrator. Unfortunately the filters in Photoshop (and elsewhere) typically react to changes in contrast, which are not always "smooth."

To get a pure black/white look, experiment with Curves and Levels adjustment layers to help clean up areas of grey.

Attached is an example using Akvis Sketch, plus Photoshop's Stylize > Diffuse (anisotropic) (3 times), Unsharp Mask and Levels. I don't know if it is an improvement or not.

[4personnen]

Not exactly what I'm looking for, but may be a step on the path...I intensely regret not be able to draw myself, it would have been easier! I will make few tries on different lights and so to concentrate on the outlines, I assume it will be easier for the named filters afterwards..

[lkroll]

Mehdi's Local Equalization filter, some extreme cleaning using a lot of G'MIC presets (don't ask), and then converted to vector using Line Tracer and ported back into GIMP for stroking. This one would be much better is you used the path's tool and did it manually, but I'm lazy.

[4personnen]

thanks you I think my intend would be half way through mine and yours...I will need time to gather all this and a lot of experiment! thanks to all!