Tutorial (link): Watercolors, Haye Island, MyJanee

[DannyRaphael]

Photo to Watercolor Tutorials:

Haye Island: http://www.davrodigital.co.uk/tutori...sland-cafe.htm

MyJanee.com:
http://www.myjanee.com/tuts/painted2/painted2.htm

Painter tutorials:
* http://www.tiemdesign.com/HOWTO/1999...ut/default.htm

[lglogan]

These are the steps used to create this effect.

1. Make copy of background
2. Smart blur: edge only, 51 radius, 85 threshold. These settings will vary with each image.
3. Invert
4. History brush: large size, normal, 19% opacity, 38% flow
Go over image until you acheive the desired effect.

This is the view from our apartment. It is more a pen and ink than a watercolor, but the process is so easy.

Smiles,
Lynda

[lglogan]

This rose is from the American Rose Garden in Shreveport, Louisiana. I first applied Dave Jaseck's dream filter then applied BuzzPro's watercolor filter.

Dave Jaseck's Dream Filter:

1. Duplicate Layer
2. Add a 15 pixel guassian blur to the duplicate layer
3. Use multiply in the blend mode

4. At this point you're going to have a very dark image and will have to do some big time curves adjustments to lighten to taste (a big loop) but you'll end up with an interesting effect on the image...

Lynda

[OhThatGirl2001]

Hi Lynda,

I feel like your rose needs a poem now!

I found a filter that would work wonderful with your rose. It's part of AutoFX Dreamsuite Series 2. It a bonus filter called Dreamy Photo. I'll attach a sample of one of my flowers using this filter so you can see.

[OhThatGirl2001]

I found a fun new filter! It's freeware too!
AmphiSoft "Simplifier".

http://photoshop.msk.ru/as/simplifier.html

Here is an example.

I ran the filter and applied Alien Skin's Splat Resurface - Oddity Texture.

Lisa

[lglogan]

Digi,

Here are the instructions for the dream filter. Glad you like the rose.

Dave Jaseck's Dream Filter:

1. Duplicate Layer
2. Add a 15 pixel guassian blur to the duplicate layer
3. Use multiply in the blend mode

4. At this point you're going to have a very dark image and will have to do some big time curves adjustments to lighten to taste (a big loop) but you'll end up with an interesting effect on the image...

Lynda

[lglogan]

Lisa,

I have Dreamsuit One, but not Dreamsuite Two. I guess I need to go shopping.

Thanks for the link to the other filter. I will try it and post something soon. We are leaving in a few days, but I will try to post some images from our trip.

Lynda

[OhThatGirl2001]

After a few lessons on how to resize my image, I thought I would repost a larger version of the Amphisoft "Simplifier".

Anyhow, I'm still very disappointed in how little of the details you can see with this version. It is a wonderful filter with a ton of possiblities.


Lisa

[digi]

Lynda

Thanks You.

Here are a couple of tries at the same image, using your technique, the only diffrence is that I used buzz pro find edges filter + hue and sat adjustment layer.

This is a very quick way of having a lot of fun, about 5mins for both. O'h how I love photoshop.

Hope you have a nice holiday or should I say vacation, and thanks for the tip.

[digi]

And yet another.

[DannyRaphael]

Before images on the left, modified images on the right. These were created with the Photoshop action attached on the NEXT post.

I thought these looked sort of watercolor-like, so here they are.

See NEXT post for the .ATN zip file.

Keep having FUN!

~DannyR~

[DannyRaphael]

(Contents of the README.txt within the Zip file.)

Action written in PS 5.5.

Should be compatible with PS 5 and above.

------

The purpose of this action is to give an image a "watercolor-like" effect. I got the idea for it from an action I downloaded from Adobe.com 12/2001. I wish I could tell you which one, but I didn't keep track. Sorry about that.

The first step in the action is a "duplicate image" command. All work is performed on the duplicate, never the original image. For easy ID the action assigns letters to layers as they are created.

A unique combination of filters is used in this action:
* Minimum
* Maximum
* Smart Blur
* Median

The action seems to work fairly well on moderately detailed images; it doesn't do nearly as well on continuous tone areas such as human skin. Bottom line: Using this on a portrait will most likely yield not-so-good results.

Though I'm not a huge fan of actions to create "final product" photo-art, actions can be helpful in creating a base image from which to proceed. Don't hesitate to experiment with different values for the filters, reordering layers, trying different blend modes between layers, etc.

There can be value in examining various filter and setting combinations within actions. I personally find "action dissection" very educational and have discovered uses for filters I would not likely have tried otherwise.

In any event, Happy Photoshopping & HAVE FUN!

DannyR

[lglogan]

Danny,

Great action. I can't wait to try it.

Lynda

[estudivan]

Hi Lynda

Really liked the image from your apartment, has a very soothing feeling to it. Also reminds me of the movie, Waking Life which used somewhat similar effect.

Also liked the rose.

Earl

[DannyRaphael]

The ongoing quest continues to find various filter combinations that simulate brushstrokes. Here's another stab that came out sort of watercolor-ish.

Key steps included:
* Applying the Pixelate/Mosaic filter (cell size=14) + Artistic/Dry Brush 3 times (settings=10/10/3) to remove any resemblance to an actual photo.
* Did some blurring using the Median and Dust & Scratches filters to somewhat soften the ridges / edges left by Dry Brush
* Liberal use of Hue/Sat adjustment layers to bring back colors "darkened too much" by Dry Brush (Rather than use one Hue/Sat and adjust one color at a time via cycling through the dropdown menu, I personally prefer to use multiple adjustment layers, one for each color tweeked. I name them things like, Blue-Hue/Sat, Red-Hue/Sat. It's just easier for me to tweek.)
* Colored pencil (4/12/50) for a little texture
* More color restoration using a copy of the original background layer (blend=hard light,opacity=20%), taking snapshots and restoring from history and making another copy of the original layer, dragging it to the top of the layer stack and this time setting the blend to soft light.

A little cloning here and there to touchup unwanted and unsightly blobs.

Keep having FUN!

~DannyR~

[OhThatGirl2001]

Awesome job Danny!

I really like this one. How about a more step by step tutorial on this. Have you tried this method on a portrait yet?

Lisa

[lglogan]

Danny,


Great job. I can't wait to try it. A more step by step tutorial would be great.

Lynda

[DannyRaphael]

As requested, the layers palette roadmap to the Urban Brooklyn image.

In the big scheme of thing, many steps could probably have been combined (or perhaps eliminated), but I left in the original layers anyway.

How easy / not easy is it to follow layer descriptions?

~Danny~