[Fluffbutt]

I really should post the original for others to play with, huh!

I'll try find it and post it in.

This is a 5 layer combination on paint engine, chalk and charcoal, both screened, the flattened and new layer multiply (a fre layers as needed to get depth), then the shadows maksed out and removed (with a transparency to the mask so as not to remove 100% of shadows).

Then result is a piccy with the colour pencil hatching, details in the hilights, without black black shadows. Whadaya think?

[Fluffbutt]

Here it is, the original..

[Fluffbutt]

Another piccy (I'll try find original too).

Exact same technique, but different paint engine setings, and a different setting to filters (and I added a graphic pen somewhere in the horses picture, in colour mode. Forgot to add that to the list)

[big_bad_toxman]

Hey Fluff!

I really like the effect that you've got there. Although, at the risk of sounding like a dill, what's this "paint engine" that you're talking about?

Cheers
Tony

[Fluffbutt]

Nah, not a dill. The stupidity comes in NOT asking something you don't know.. not in asking...

always question.. always (conspiracy theorist here.. LOL)

Paint Engine is a freeware tool Copyright © Fantastic Machines 1995-1998.

It has a large number of rather esoteric sliders that are easy to use, easy to see what they do, but bugger me if I (We?) know WHY or HOW they do it.

http://www.fantasticmachines.com/download-tc.htm is the place to get it.

I havn't really found a tutorial on it, but there's some preset settings here on the R'Pro forums.

[DannyRaphael]

Hey, Fluff:

Nice pic for us to play with. Here's my cut at it.

Basic approach:
* Cropped
* Replaced extraneous shadow in right foreground
* Did some color enhancement with a Hue/Sat adjustment layer
* Merged visible layers into a separate layer
* Applied a "blown skys" action to give the sky some color (hadn't tried this one before... it's okay)
See: www.outdooreyes.com/photosection20.php3
* Applied Photoshop Dry Brush filter
* Saved and opened in Painter 8 to give it a more painted look

- - - - - - - -

GC: Go ahead and arty it up!

[Fluffbutt]

Danny, I LOVE that one.

That painter 8 must be pretty good. Does it use "natural" brushes - you know, like using a real one, but with da mousie?

[DannyRaphael]

Fluff:

Thanks for your kind words.

Yep...Painter's strong suit is it's natural media brush collection: Oils, Pastel, Chalk, Pencils, Acrylics, Watercolors (to die for, if you know how to paint with watercolors - I don't. They even 'run' [like real WC would] as you apply the stroke], Felt Pen, Crayons, Ink, Charcoal, Impasto-like effects, paper textures that react to brush strokes, etc. In the right hands (not mine by a long shot), the possibilities of the program are nothing short of amazing.

Painter 8 comes with about 400 factory brush settings plus you can create/customize your own brushes if 400 aren't enough. You can import/install brushes defined by other folks, too.

It's like Photoshop in the sense you more you know about the application, the more you realize you don't know about it.

At the moment I'm using a mouse. Folks with their yogurt together use a pen/tablet and get "real control" over their strokes.

~Danny~

[Cheryl H]

Fluff--Thanks for sharing--this was a nice pic to work with. I'll agree that paint engine is a great filter.

Danny--nice result with painter. It looks like you're having fun with it.

I'm still stuck in impressionist mode. I love this plug-in. This was done with an impressionist action I've added since I sent out the last revision. For those with my presets, it goes like this:

Bottom layer--crackled paint 1 (textured)
Next layer up--mosaic 1b (textured) opacity 50%
Next up--a copy of the crackled paint layer, blending mode darken
Top--a smart blur edge only layer with gaussian blur and distort glass. color burn at 33%

That's the action--then I took a copy of the original to the top and did a gaussian blur soft sketch. I think I put it at around 25% in soft light.

[DannyRaphael]

We're gonna have to start calling you "The Impressionist Queen" Cheryl! Very nice effect.

Just the right amount of detail and subtle paper texture.

~Danny~

[catia]

Nice photo Fluffy. Thanks for letting us play with it.

I prefer the house on the hill result myself. A little like my favorite preset, Arctic.

Danny, Nice one. Looks like the real thing to me. Nice brush strokes.

Cheryl, I like yours as well. It is a little light on my monitor; but the over all effect is nice.

I started in PSP8. Brushstrokes with the Impressionist preset. Then I saved the file and opened in PS7, adjusted the hue and saturation a bit, lowered the brightness and boosted the contrast a bit, and applied the vanGogh pattern layer set to multiply with opacity at 30%.

Catia

[Cheryl H]

Danny--I'm going to have to get you to have a talk with my hubby. He's a sweetie and spoils me rotten, but nothing like a queen level. I think I like the idea. I admit, I am stuck in impressionist mode--but it's such an awesome filter.

[rlspencer1]

Cheryl H or Anyone Else:
I have really liked what I have seen done the Impressionist plugin. So I bought Frontpage 98 and followed directions that DannyR had written, but I have a slight problem now. I have some setting that others have used and was told to put them in the "User Folder" but I don't have one.

Now the plug-in works I have tried it and this is my file structure:

ADOBE>PHOTOSHOP 7.0>PLUG-INS>IMPRESSIONIST>IMPRESSIONIST ACCESSORIES
then BRUSHES, FACTORY SETTING and PAPER

Question:
1. Do I make a folder under Impression Accessories calling it "user setting" or do I have to save a setting for the plugin to make a folder so it will recognize?

Thanks
Bob Spencer

[catia]

Here is an impressionist version done with Paint Engine in PS7. Faded to 35%.

Added a vanGogh pattern layer afterward.

Catia

[Cheryl H]

Bob

I have a hunch if you created a setting of your own and saved it the program would create the user settings (note the s) folder. You can also go ahead and make it yourself.

When you get set, I've got a ton of custom stuff if you want it.

Cheryl