Need help with this pencil sketch look

[ddolddolee82]

I have been trying to figure out this particular pencil sketch look that I found on a website for days. However, I am unable to get the exact effects.
(I tried all the pencil sketch effect I found from here)
So, I need some tips and help.
The image I found can be found here or in a thread below.
I attached original image in a zip file.
any tips would be helpful.
Thank you.

- DD

[Cassidy]

do you want b&w or colour?

[Swampy]

The "he image I found can be found here" link doesn't work for me.

[ogee]

Dosen't work for me either

[Peter S]

Maybe it a picture of the invisible man?????

[lkroll]

Since you did not give an example of exactly what you wanted, I took some liberties. Below are links to the pertinant info/filters needed.

eScrappers: http://www.escrappers.com/pencilsketch.htm

Impressionist: http://www.trimoon.com/html/downloads.html

[ddolddolee82]

I don't know why the link doesn't work....
I attached the image to this thread.
I am trying to figure out the effects that can turn original image above to the one attached here.

[DannyRaphael]

There's a plugin called "LucisArt" that has a setting called "Exposure" that comes pretty close... (plus a layer of grain set to Overlay).

The problem is this filter is real inconsistent for this purpose. On some images is looks pretty good, others not so good...

www.LucisArt.com

[Swampy]

I found a very good PhotoShop action called Sheri's Sketch CS. I think I got it on the Adobe User Resources. It plays a lot more steps than this, I stopped the action at the first pause, but the result is pretty good.

I did extract the girl from the background first.

[palms]

Maybe i am barking up the wrong tree here but after looking around at all the different sketch methods i have ( as i am sure everone else has too) a thought suddenly occurd to me It has a look of a smudge painting but obviously in black and white and possibly as Danny mentioned a film grain, I have tried to find something to demonstrate this but not feeling up to par today ( cold virus going around again ) I was on the verge of giving up then i remembered this thread where i done a smudge painting and a black and white one !

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/sho...?t=8291&page=4

It would need some tweaking ( if any body wants to go ahead please do)
so what do you think ? am i barking up the wrong tree ?

Palms

[DannyRaphael]

Originally Posted by Swampy

I found a very good PhotoShop action called Sheri's Sketch CS. I think I got it on the Adobe User Resources. It plays a lot more steps than this, I stopped the action at the first pause, but the result is pretty good.

I did extract the girl from the background first.

I don't know about Adobe User Resources, but I can confirm Sheri's Sketch action can be downloaded from www.AtnCentral.com.

[palms]

Still not sure wether barking up the wrong tree or not,
1.Quickly and roughly smudged hair and face,
2. tried desaturating
3. tried using the channel mixer and a film grain
Not that close to the original but not that far away either i think (its getting the hair lighter )

will probably have a nother tweak around at some point

Palms

[Nanls]

Originally Posted by ddolddolee82

I have been trying to figure out this particular pencil sketch look that I found on a website for days. However, I am unable to get the exact effects.
- DD

That looks like a hand-drawn pencil sketch. I have yet to find a ps technique that looks exactly like it. If you do run across anything, I would be interested. Alan has a nice hi-key pencil sketch technique that you can search for I think it is in the photo art forum.

~Nancy~

________________________________________________________
www.fixthepixs.com
www.datepixs.com

[Nanls]

Originally Posted by Swampy

The "he image I found can be found here" link doesn't work for me.

I found the link to the original pencil sketch in the source code here it is:http://blogfiles4.naver.net/data14/2...zilael2001.jpg

~Nancy~
PS. when you cut an paste it in your browser, and it doesn't find the page, just backspace out the http:// in the url... don't ask me why, but it works for me.



_______________________
www.fixthepixs.com

www.datepixs.com

[DannyRaphael]

I cropped and and superimposed the after and before images. IMO there's no way it could be anything but a manipulated photo. The hair detail matches up strand-for-strand just about everywhere, as does the dress pattern. In any event, it's an impressive result.

If you apply a Histogram (or Levels) to the final image, the tone distribution is interesting.

Now that I've fiddled with this some more, I think (now) there's a little over sharpening and smudging going on, too.

[Nanls]

That's very good Danny. And you are correct everything does match up.... Would love to find out who did it and their technique. How did you get your great results?
~Nancy~
This has been fun, will have to work on it some more.
_________________________________
www.fixthepixs.com

www.datepixs.com

[lkroll]

...I can not give it to you. Best I could come up with is a combination of Flaming Pear's Pixel Trash, GIMP's Greystoration filter and some smudging.

[Legacy~Art]

Danny that is gorgeous, the last one is perfect!

[DannyRaphael]

Originally Posted by Nanls

How did you get your great results?

I was afraid someone might ask. It was pretty much a "happy accident" -- the result of trying this and that without anything resembling a plan and not keeping track of my steps like I normally do.

There were a number of layers, none of which I labeled (my bad), so I'll need to go back and try to decipher the layer progression. It may take a day or so but I'll sure give it a go...

Thanks Nancy and Legacy for your very kind words.

~Danny~

[ddolddolee82]

Thank you for you tip about LucisArt exposure filter, Danny.
I think it is definitely one of effects used for creating the image.
However, I still can't get soft pencil look and details of hair.
Does anybody know a texture filter better than grain and noise filter?
Here is what I got using exposure filter.

[Nanls]

Originally Posted by ddolddolee82

Thank you for you tip about LucisArt exposure filter, Danny.
I think it is definitely one of effects used for creating the image.
However, I still can't get soft pencil look and details of hair.
Does anybody know a texture filter better than grain and noise filter?
Here is what I got using exposure filter.

I found a couple of places on the net that have a 15% discount code. Two of them are: SUZETTEALLEN and plugsnpixels
~Nancy~


______________________________________
http://www.fixthepixs.com
http://www.datepixs.com

[DannyRaphael]

Originally Posted by Nanls

I found a couple of places on the net that have a 15% discount code. Two of them are: SUZETTEALLEN and plugsnpixels
~Nancy~


______________________________________
http://www.fixthepixs.com
http://www.datepixs.com

Ah... I get it now:

SUZETTEALLEN and plugsnpixels are the discount codes.

Here are the sites from which they came...
* http://www.suzetteallen.com/DigitalD...d_sponsors.htm
* http://www.plugsnpixels.com/developers.html

Thanks, Nancy. Wish I'd known about these discount codes when I bought this plugin.

-------------------

ddolddolee82:

re: Texture / soft pencil look
Sorry, I got no leads... Sure makes a difference, doesn't it?

re: hair detail
I created a Levels adjustment layer (middle slider moved left) to bring out the hair detail. Then I inverted it (ctrl+I) and selectively applied the effect by painting white in the areas of her hair.

Then I merged the two layers and applied LucisArt Exposure.

If YOU find that illusive magic texture, do let us know, OK?

[Nanls]

Well, I purchased Lucis Art, and have been playing with it A LOT, however, still not even close to the fine pencil lines in her hair, etc. Did anyone ever get anywhere close to it? Any more ideas?
Thanks in advance,
~Nancy~

[DannyRaphael]

Originally Posted by Nanls

That's very good Danny. How did you get your great results?
[/url]

OK... I finally got around to this and got pretty close to recreating the results from my first attempt above (Click HERE).

The attached Layers Palette screen shots (hopefully) tell the story. For the most part I would apply an effect to a layer, then (copy) that layer and apply another effect. You'll see that I use layer masks often, too.

Unless noted otherwise, layer opacity = 100% and blend mode = Normal. Something like (Overlay, 50%) translates "on this layer blend mode was set to Overlay and Opacity lowered to 50%."

Don't hesitate to ask if questions.

Thanks again for the kind comments.

~Danny~

[philbach]

This was done using Isabels' Pastel sketch action, available at
http://www.AtnCentral.com.

[Nanls]

Originally Posted by DannyRaphael

OK... I finally got around to this and got pretty close to recreating the results from my first attempt above (Click HERE).

The attached Layers Palette screen shots (hopefully) tell the story. For the most part I would apply an effect to a layer, then (copy) that layer and apply another effect. You'll see that I use layer masks often, too.

Unless noted otherwise, layer opacity = 100% and blend mode = Normal. Something like (Overlay, 50%) translates "on this layer blend mode was set to Overlay and Opacity lowered to 50%."

Don't hesitate to ask if questions.

Thanks again for the kind comments.

~Danny~

THANKS DANNY! And also for the screenshots, that is sooo cool and it will make so much easier to follow along. I am going to try this out, in my copious spare time, the next couple of days. I found the site the file in question is located, but it is asian; no hope for me there. I'll post the image here.

[Nanls]

Originally Posted by philbach

This was done using Isabels' Pastel sketch action, available at
http://www.AtnCentral.com.

thanks Phil that is very nice. I posted the effect we are trying to duplicate in the post above this one.
~Nancy~

[plugsnpixels]

I see Nancy has mentioned my Lucis Art discount code ("plugsnpixels")! That's also the name of the website; Here is my Lucis Art info page.

Nancy, I work in Orange County too (Fullerton).

I had a little fun with the example image from this thread and Lucis Art only (aside from some Levels work along the way).

I opened the color source image of the girl and immediately duplicated the layer. On the bottom layer I used Lucis' Klimpt setting, then desaturated it. On the top layer I used Lucis' Sculpture option, with a Screen transparency effect on that layer. Next, I flattened the image and applied Lucis' Exposure setting.

The result is very close to the sketch example that Nancy found, but still doesn't have that image's amazing realistic sketched feel. I also tried Little Ink Pot's Sketcher but that didn't fly.

[lkroll]

What I've come to conclude from my earlier attempts was the lack of applied anniso to them (still looked like a glorified photo). I used Sharp Control to enhance the edges of the image (added aniso) and then ported the result in GIMP for cleanup (smudgeing out the noise and eliminated grey background) for the result. I've attached both a colored pencil and monochromatic (additional cleaning required).

[LQQKER]

I elected not to overly smudge the image or oversharpen the rendering as much as the image in question. To me, by doing this you are losing too much of the characters unique expression just to make it look like a drawing, when less could be as good of a ending result. Anyway . . .

Ran levels
Sho pro to bring out shadow highlights.
Contrast adj.
Brightness adj.
several layer mask
Some AE to enhance detail.
Nik B/w filters
blend modes.