custom shape from colour photo

SB
Posted By
simon_biddell
Mar 4, 2004
Views
272
Replies
3
Status
Closed
Hello

Does anyone know a quick and easy way to create a 60s style custome shape from a colour photo (of a person, say). My guess is levels or threshold but perhaps there’s a better way or even a convenient action?

Much appreciated!

How to Master Sharpening in Photoshop

Give your photos a professional finish with sharpening in Photoshop. Learn to enhance details, create contrast, and prepare your images for print, web, and social media.

O
Ol__Whozit
Mar 4, 2004
No, and you can’t create a shape with levels or threshold, so there are probably no actions. The only way you get a "custome shape" is with the pen tool.

Now, if you are attempting to recreate the ’60s style, posterization is your best starting point with increased color saturation, but depending on the photo, it may still be an uphill battle.

Converting pictures to cartoons and drawings is one of the most commonly requested effects on the web. Do a search for tutorials. Everyone has a different opinion on "the best" action or tutorial for it, so you will have to try a few to find the one that appeals to you.
SJ
Sandy_J
Mar 4, 2004
The Adobe Streamline program essentially "traces" objects based on posterization values and converts shapes to vector which can be edited in Illustrator.
CK
Christine_Krof_Shock
Mar 4, 2004
But Streamline creates thousands of points where with the pen tool you can do the same thing with 100 or so points

If your selection is difficult to remove from the background, create a channel mask by selecting the channel with the highest contrast black to white and duplicating that channel in the channels palette.

Use the paint brush and/or dodge and burn tools to create a mask using black or white to isolate your subject and to drop the background.If your subject is black invert the channel (White creates the selection)

Once the mask is made, choose Create selection from channel on the channels palette (it’s the button on the bottom of the channels palette that looks like marching ants or a marquee.

Convert selection to path using the path palette’s Convert to path key (circle with handle.) Save Path by renaming it anything but work path. Touch up any areas with the white arrow tool where the mask did not give you perfect coverage.

Convert the path to a selection and fill with the color you desire. (This will basically give you the "IPod" add look of a figure filled with a solid color.

If you want total vector art, convert the path once you’ve tweaked it to a Vector mask by clicking on the path with either the black or white arrow and going to Layer>Add vector mask>Current path. The path will become a vector mask that can be manipulated with the white arrow tool at any time

How to Master Sharpening in Photoshop

Give your photos a professional finish with sharpening in Photoshop. Learn to enhance details, create contrast, and prepare your images for print, web, and social media.

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