Help with a technique in Paint Shop Pro

[Steve Conway]

Can anyone give me a hint as to how this can be done in Paint Shop Pro?

When it was posted the person who submitted it used PS which I don't use. Sure do like the effect and if I can come close in PSP would be very happy.

Steve

[Swampy]

To get that effect, I would first Posterize the image then take it into Adobe Illustrator CS2 and trace it. I might come up with something very similar.

[bart_hickman]

Originally Posted by Steve Conway

Can anyone give me a hint as to how this can be done in Paint Shop Pro?

When it was posted the person who submitted it used PS which I don't use. Sure do like the effect and if I can come close in PSP would be very happy.

Steve

That's the cutout filter in Photoshop--they probably did some sharpening and saturation as well.

In Paintshop Pro, the closest I can come up with is:

1. Boost the colors however you like--boost saturation, use a strong-setting on the clarify filter, etc... I did both on the attatchments.
2. Gaussian blur radius 8.
3. Posterize 8 levels (the number of levels is again a taste choice)
4. Unsharp mask with a largish radius and strength (I used radius 8 and strength 250). I also checked the luminance only box, but this is, as with everything abstract, taste dependent.
5. Applied a curve to adjust brightness to (you guessed it) taste.

The photoshop cutout process was nearly the same except the cutout filter is used instead of steps 2 and 3 above. The problem (if you can call it that) with the Paintshop Pro recipe is the color contours are curvy whereas the Photoshop cutout filter (which is our goal) makes angular contours. You need to find a filter that angularizes the color contour--I tried straw wall (3rd attachment). It's not right, but I attach it for illustration purposes.

(Of course you can use the above recipe in Photoshop to get the curvy contours.)

The attachments are (in summary):
1. Photoshop cutout
2. Paintshop blur/posterize
3. Paintshop blur/straw wall/posterize

The 100k file size limit is taking a toll on the quality of the results--they look better at my end.

Bart

[Cassidy]

This is how I achieved this in Photoshop CS2

1. Filter Poster Edges
2. Filter Cutout

Unfortunately I am not familiar how you translate into Paintshop Pro

[Steve Conway]

Thanks Swampy. Unfortunately I work only with PSP and Gertrudis Pro and various plugins. I also have Corel Painter Essentials 3, but use it rarely.

Thanks.

Steve

Originally Posted by Swampy

To get that effect, I would first Posterize the image then take it into Adobe Illustrator CS2 and trace it. I might come up with something very similar.

[Steve Conway]

Thanks Cassidy. I have these two filters as plugins in PSP.

Can you give me the filter settings you used on your image? Should be a good starting point for adjusting to the images I use them on.

I tried the default settings on an image and came very close to the effect in the image I attached. The one you sent looks like what I am trying for.

Steve

Originally Posted by Cassidy

This is how I achieved this in Photoshop CS2

1. Filter Poster Edges
2. Filter Cutout

Unfortunately I am not familiar how you translate into Paintshop Pro

[Steve Conway]

Bart, the first one is pretty close.

I am going to get busy and try the PSP technique you sent. Fortunately, I do have the Photoshop cutout filter, (a plugin in PSP), so will be able to make use of that also.

I hear you re. file size. Filters etc. can run the size up in a hurry.

Thanks much for the good info.

Steve

Originally Posted by bart_hickman

That's the cutout filter in Photoshop--they probably did some sharpening and saturation as well.

In Paintshop Pro, the closest I can come up with is:

1. Boost the colors however you like--boost saturation, use a strong-setting on the clarify filter, etc... I did both on the attatchments.
2. Gaussian blur radius 8.
3. Posterize 8 levels (the number of levels is again a taste choice)
4. Unsharp mask with a largish radius and strength (I used radius 8 and strength 250). I also checked the luminance only box, but this is, as with everything abstract, taste dependent.
5. Applied a curve to adjust brightness to (you guessed it) taste.

The photoshop cutout process was nearly the same except the cutout filter is used instead of steps 2 and 3 above. The problem (if you can call it that) with the Paintshop Pro recipe is the color contours are curvy whereas the Photoshop cutout filter (which is our goal) makes angular contours. You need to find a filter that angularizes the color contour--I tried straw wall (3rd attachment). It's not right, but I attach it for illustration purposes.

(Of course you can use the above recipe in Photoshop to get the curvy contours.)

The attachments are (in summary):
1. Photoshop cutout
2. Paintshop blur/posterize
3. Paintshop blur/straw wall/posterize

The 100k file size limit is taking a toll on the quality of the results--they look better at my end.

Bart

[Flora]

Hi everybody!

Wow .... really great works here!!!

Hope you don't mind .... I'm moving this Thread to the Photo-Based Art Forum ... I'm sure it'll get even more attention there...

[Steve Conway]

Cassidy, took your suggestion and came up with this. Pretty close to the cat image.

Tried it on several images and got the results I am looking for.

Thanks for your help.

Steve

[Steve Conway]

Bart, I tried your method in PSP and it worked to a degree, but did need the Photoshop cutout filter. So using only the cutout and the poster edges filter, (Cassidy's suggestion), both of which I have, was the answer.

Your method gave me some ideas for other effects using these steps. For which I thank you.

Steve

[bart_hickman]

Originally Posted by Cassidy

This is how I achieved this in Photoshop CS2

1. Filter Poster Edges
2. Filter Cutout

Unfortunately I am not familiar how you translate into Paintshop Pro

Ahh yes. Poster Edges. Good idea!

Bart

[Legacy~Art]

Steve do you have psp7 or psp9?

I got both of them, i know how to use the psp7 and i cannot get a cutout without using plugins, so which type you got and i have a go!

[Steve Conway]

Actually I have 9 and 10. I use nine. Ten is still in my desk drawer. Not a whit of difference so they tell me, and I didn't want the hassle of re-loading all my plugins, etc. 8-)

I have many filters made originally for Photoshop that work in PSP. So was able to use the filters that Cassidy suggested in his PS technique.

Steve

Originally Posted by Legacy~Art

Steve do you have psp7 or psp9?

I got both of them, i know how to use the psp7 and i cannot get a cutout without using plugins, so which type you got and i have a go!

[palms]

Not sure if this is any good for psp users i found this link to a set of filters that appear to be the same as the filters in ps (plenty of others on the index page)
cut out and poster edges are there


http://punkinstuff.tripod.com/fx/fx2.html

Palms

[Steve Conway]

These do work in PSP. Have yet to find the facet filter among them. Still looking for that one. If it's 8BF, PSP can probably use it.

Thanks.

Steve

Originally Posted by palms1

Not sure if this is any good for psp users i found this link to a set of filters that appear to be the same as the filters in ps (plenty of others on the index page)
cut out and poster edges are there


http://punkinstuff.tripod.com/fx/fx2.html

Palms

[Legacy~Art]

How about a plugin that does cutout for psp? I got one on psp7, i am sure it would work on psp9. I hate psp9 infact its on my pc but i hardly look at it.

[Steve Conway]

The Photoshop cutout filter works fine on my version of PSP 9. See the note posted by Palms. That's where you can pick one up.

Steve

Originally Posted by Legacy~Art

How about a plugin that does cutout for psp? I got one on psp7, i am sure it would work on psp9. I hate psp9 infact its on my pc but i hardly look at it.