How Do you create "ceramic tile" pattern from a photo?

sunansea · #1 07-07-2005, 06:15 PM

Hello All,
I have been searching for a Photoshop action that can turn a landscape photo I have into a tiled mural. I found one of Bud Quinns excellent actions (pieces & parts)does almost what I want (beveled edges). Except his creates a un-uniform effect, and I need to adjust the sizes to create uniform 4 inch x 4 (or 6X6 ) inch "tiles".
I'd be most grateful to anyone who can pass on an action that does this, or has the ability to create one (or modify Bud's) to create this tiled effect in an action. I would like to be able to see what some photos I took would look like on tile, as I want a couple to choose from to decide on a ceramic backsplash for a surprise for my wifes birthday in our kitchen.
Thanks to all who reply.
Sincerely, Patrick

Flora · #2 07-11-2005, 07:44 AM

Hi sunansea,

Welcome To RetouchPRO!

Sorry I'd missed your post ....

I've never done anything like it ... I think I've understood what you are asking ... but it would be a great help if you could post an example of what Bud Quinns' action does ....

If you are not sure how to attach files here, just follow the first two links under my signature for instructions ...

sunansea · #3 07-12-2005, 06:34 PM

Aloha to Flora and all Retouch Forum Members from Kailua, Oahu:
As a followup to my first post above, I have included an example of what Bud's action did for an aerial photograph I took of a Hawaiian waterfront home here. I appreciate any help I could get on developing an "action" to automate this process. If this action can be developed, we can all then take any image and see how it would look made into a ceramic tile mural (which I'd like to strart doing to many of my images.

Bud's action "Pieces and Parts" :
1. slices up an image into pieces, and rotates them randomly, distorting the original image

Problem: They are not uniform pieces. I want to be able to slice up the image into exact 4x4 inch perfect squares (or 6x6 etc..), and lay them out evenly spaced, then add some thin grout lines(grey) between each 4 x4 "slice, so that the final result looks like an undistorted ceramic tile mural.

2. Bud's action uses inner bevel (smooth) 100% depth, 5% px size, 0 px soften. No changes needed here! This beveled edge is perfect, and looks just like tile.

3. As mentioned above (#1) some thin grout lines between the 4 x 4 squares would finish it off to replicate a mural.

To the first one who can get this done, I will send you a gorgeous 8" x 10" signed aerial image taken overhead of a canoe paddle team at paddling practice on a gorgeous late afternoon here in Lanikai Hawaii. It is beautiful!
Additionally, as a aerial and Panoramic fine art photographer with images taken throughout Hawaii I am in need of an EXPERIENCED ONLY Digital Photo editor/artist from this forum. I have been working with a Graphics Designer here locally, but think his caliber of work is dated, and he is not quite up to some of the pro's I have seen on this forum. In the future, I would like to be able to send my editor images via email (or CD or?) have you edit, and upon my receipt of your image, I can then pay you via Paypal. I realize this is the wrong sub-forum to be posting this notice, so I will be posting a notice in the proper "Help Wanted" sub-forum sometime later this week when time permits..

Thanks for any and all response. Aloha, Patrick

sunansea · #4 07-12-2005, 06:41 PM

before Bud's Pieces and Parts action applied

Kraellin · #5 07-13-2005, 10:11 AM

re the mosaic idea, this isnt exactly what you requested, but i just wanted to get an idea if i was on the right track here or not. my tiles are not 4x4. the editor is limited a bit on how big i can make these, so the only way to get beyond that (in Paint Shop Pro) is to increase the image size. but with a better paint program this shldnt be that tough and you might actually already have all you need in one tool in photoshop without the need to make an action.

this was done in Paint Shop Pro 7 with the effect/texture effects/mosaic antique. you can vary the tile sizes up to a point. you can vary the opacity of the tiles and the width of the grout and the opacity of the grout. the only limiter on getting exactly what you wanted here, for me, was that psp limits the rows and columns down to a minimum of 25 for each. so, you'd have to keep raising the image size to make the tiles 4x4 or 6x6.

but basically, i just wanted to know if this was the effect you were after or something else.

Craig

sunansea · #6 07-13-2005, 11:35 AM

Hi Craig,
Yes, you are definitely on the right track.
You have got it if you can:
1. adjust the tile sizes to be bigger (4x4 or 6X6),
2. be able change the grout line color/opacity,
3. and add some inner bevel (as mentioned in my previous post above the settings I saw on Bud's action were "inner bevel (smooth), 100% depth, 5% px size, 0 px soften")

In Photoshop CS, I also did see Filter/Stylize/Tiles but that also gave me a limit to my tile size as well, and you have to offset the tiles 1% minimum, so basically it looks like a bad tile job all the time

Also attached is an image from a site selling photo tile murals. It is simpler without the beveled edges. But I think the slight beveled edges will give it a very realistic look.

Thanks for your help.
Patrick

Kraellin · #7 07-13-2005, 11:42 AM

ah, ok. i see what you're going for. you want bathroom wall tile

yes, the solid grout and beveling....got it. i'll see what i can do in Paint Shop Pro.

just as a thought here, before trying this myself, why not make another layer with the 'grout' all by itself. you could even just hand draw this and use it as a template. then, simply overlay this on any image you wanted. if it needed resizing for the current image, just resize it. and, if you make this template in vector it might even be easier to manipulate. just a thought.

Craig

sunansea · #8 07-13-2005, 11:56 AM

yes, bathroom wall tile...

Re: making a Vector image of the tile grout. That was the first thing I tried with rounded corners, but by overlaying it over the photo, I realized the grout lines cover parts of the image, rather then cutting the image into pieces, and the grout lines being between the image "pieces"
Also, then how do you get the inner bevel...?

But I might not be doing what you are suggesting corre

Kraellin · #9 07-13-2005, 01:51 PM

ok. i shld have asked this question before going further... do you want to cut the image into pieces and then append a tile/grout look to this, or overlay the tile/grout onto the image and thus hide the parts underneath the grout?

if you want to cut the image into pieces first, then about the only way i know to do that would be by selecting out all the various pieces individually and then composing them into a new image in the right places, spaced a bit, and add in the grout. but then, i'm only using Paint Shop Pro 7 and maybe Photoshop has a better method for doing this. an action might do the job, but i have very little experience with those.

if you can get away with losing a small portion of the image with overlays, then things get much easier and can be done rather simply. i fooled around with several techniques and finally came up with a fairly easy way to do this. simply make a texture of your 'grout'. with the texture tools you can then resize and do a number of other things to fit your current image where you want the 'tiles and grout'.

the image i've attached is a very quick test of this. it can be made better.

Craig

Kraellin · #10 07-13-2005, 02:20 PM

here's another using the same base texture, but adjusted with different settings in the texture tool.

bear in mind that the base texture could be changed or even more added and get yet better effects. this one was a test base.

Craig

Rhino · #11 07-13-2005, 03:05 PM

If this is what you are looking for let me know. The variables can be changed to whatever you want.

palms1 · #12 07-16-2005, 12:08 PM

Found this action and wondered

http://share.studio.adobe.com/axAsse...2BEfstathiadis

palms

Marthig · #13 07-16-2005, 12:55 PM

Hi Palms !

I hope that is what sunansea was looking for, but I could surely use it so I downloaded it.

Thank you for the link

Regards - Martha

sunansea · #14 07-25-2005, 05:39 PM

Thank you Kraellin, Rhino, Palms1 for your help with this action.
I've been here in California (I live in Hawaii), taking aerial pictures of some vineyards in N. Cal, and I haven't been online (or had much time for anything else )for the last two weeks.
The action Palms 1 pointed me to works exactly like I'd like it to work, EXCEPT, the starting image has to be square or the tiles don't end up perfectly square.
Rhino, your example appears to be 2nd closest to what I'm looking for. Especially if you can change the parameters, and grout color etc. From what I can tell, it slices the image (good) , rather then overlays the "grout lines" over the image (bad), correct. I'd like to discuss this with you further, and send you off the image I promised, if parameters are adjustable as you suggested they are.

Thanks again to all , Aloha,Sunansea