How to create artsy rough edge on photos?

MH
Posted By
Marlene_Hochberg
May 25, 2004
Views
1750
Replies
18
Status
Closed
I’m working on a book cover that has to look like the client’s previous book covers. We have one photo on the cover that has to have one of those artsy edges that look like a rough brushstroke around the photo.

I tried doing this manually in Photoshop 7, but I’m not getting the effect the client wants, and the edge just prints as a plain black rule, anyway.

Any suggestions for software and/or a plug-in that can do various rough edges? I played around with the demo of Autofx’s Photo/Graphic Edges 6 — none of those edges are exactly what I need, but I might be able to get away with using one of them if I can’t find any other software.

Money is not a real issue here (client is going to pay), but time is. I don’t have time to learn a new trick, although I’m sure I could find out how to do this edge manually if I had more than one day to figure it out.

BTW, I will be applying this edge to a duotone, if that makes any difference. I hope not!

TIA,

Marlene

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RW
Rene_Walling
May 25, 2004
I don’t have time to learn a new trick, although I’m sure I could find out how to do this edge manually if I had more than one day to figure it out.

How about painting the edge on a piece of paper, scanning it and compositing in PS after?

Fast and you don’t have to learn any new tricks.
MH
Marlene_Hochberg
May 25, 2004
How about painting the edge on a piece of paper, scanning it and compositing
in PS after?<<

I’m not sure I can even paint what I need. And I’d have to find some paint!

And the main problem is that I’d have to do it over and over, every time I needed to change something. This cover has to be approved by a boatload of people, each of whom has to stick his/her oar in and request a change …

Marlene
PT
Paul_Tipton
May 25, 2004
FWIW

You can jump on Google and look for some free frame software or you can open a new file the same size as your book cover, color it whatever, cut and paste it over the bookcover as a separate layer. Turn the opacity on the color layer down enough to expose the book cover. Pick a brush that closely approximates the texture that you want. Pick the eraser tool, start in the middle of the image and erase out toward the edges until you get the border texture that you are satisfied with. If it doesn’t look right, ctrl-shft-z back as far as needed and start over. You can alternate brushes to get different textures. There are many ways to do this, but if you want to do it with PS, you will need to invest some time.
RW
Rene_Walling
May 25, 2004
ctrl-shft-z back as far as needed and start over

Or paint in a later mask, that way you can always go back and do the requested changes with a minimum of work.
MV
Mathias_Vejerslev
May 26, 2004
Photo/Graphic edges are pretty nice. Except for the WAY overblown interface that just gets in your way. They could have provided the picture files, and IĀ“d be as happy. (BTW, I dont own it – for the same reasons desribed – way bloated).
MH
Marlene_Hochberg
May 26, 2004
I tried the eraser tool, but couldn’t figure out how to give it a texture. (FWIW, I’m trying to use one of the fuzzy brushes.)

So I tried adding a new (blank) layer, and just drawing in a frame using a fuzzy brush. It actually looked pretty close to the effect I needed, so I thought I was on the right track.

However, when I flatten the image, make it a duotone, save as EPS and import it into my Quark file, something goes wrong with the outside edge of my fuzzy frame. Instead of the outside edge being fuzzy (like the inside edge of the frame), it’s just a sharp straight edge, almost like it’s being cut off.

My canvas is larger than my image and frame, and my Quark picture box is also larger than the image.

If anyone can tell me why that outside fuzzy edge is getting clipped, I might actually have this project in good shape!

Marlene
MH
Marlene_Hochberg
May 26, 2004
Mathias,

Yeah, I also thought the Photo/Graphic Edges interface was overwhelming and difficult to navigate. Still, if I could figure out if it does the kind of edge I need, it would be worthwhile. My client has warned me that we will have to do more of these kinds of edges in the future.

I was thinking P/G Edges might work like Eye Candy, where I was able to save my settings for certain effects and then apply them later to different images, so the effects would be consistent.

I *think* P/G Edges will do that, but couldn’t quite figure it out from the demo.

Marlene
MV
Mathias_Vejerslev
May 26, 2004
Its difficult to figure out for sure. My guess is that they couldnt charge premium for just the picture files, so they had to hack together a useless GUI…

Anyway the full version features many more edge effects than the demo and AFAIK, they sell more libraries with various edges. IĀ“m sure theres one you could use. After all.
MH
Marlene_Hochberg
May 26, 2004
Ho,

Thanks for the detailed instructions. It was fun to play with, although it doesn’t produce the effect my client wants!

I probably didn’t describe it very well. The sample PDF they sent me looks like someone just used a brush in Photoshop to paint a rough border. Looks like a watercolor brush effect.

I’ve been experimenting with various brushes, and found options that will work, BUT I cannot get them to print. The outer edge gets clipped, even when I print directly from Photoshop. The outer edge needs to be rough, but it prints as a perfectly straight, sharp edge.

I cannot figure out what I’m doing wrong.
PS
Phil_Scarsbrook
May 26, 2004
Marlene, this is one technique that I use:

1.Open your image in Photoshop.
2.Duplicate the layer.
3.Fill bottom layer with white.
4.Add a layer mask to the upper layer.
5.Choose the paintbrush tool and make your foreground color black.
6.Click on the brushes palette and then click on the small black arrow in the upper right corner, then load the dry media brushes.
7.Select the brush numbered 20 near the bottom.
8.Enlarge brush to size using your bracket keys, then paint running along outer edge of image.
9. If you make an error, just switch foreground color to white and paint back over to correct.
MH
Marlene_Hochberg
May 26, 2004
Phil,

Now we’re getting close! This creates a nice edge on the photo, BUT what I need is an actual frame/border. I need to create a rough, brushstrokey-looking frame, about 1/8" to 1/4" thick, around the photo. It needs to have rough edges both on the inside (the part that overlaps the edge of the photo) and the outside of the frame.

Is there a way to do that with the brush technique?
PS
Phil_Scarsbrook
May 26, 2004
Just shooting in the dark here, but how about using a layer style stroke on the top layer. Be sure to click on the layer image and off of the mask. Click on the layer styles button, choose stroke, change the color to black and play with the width.
Maybe that will look more like the effect that you want.
LB
larry_brubeck
May 26, 2004
can you post a example of the edge your trying to achieve, maybe some help when the edge is seen.
MH
Marlene_Hochberg
May 27, 2004
Larry,

Good idea. An example can be seen at:

<http://www.mallomar.net/photo_edge/photo_edge.pdf>
CH
cole_hamer
May 27, 2004
found an action in adobe exchange called grunge or something like that, that may work for what your looking for
MH
Marlene_Hochberg
May 27, 2004
Phil,

I tried to do the layer stroke thing, but couldn’t quite figure it out. I’m really a neophyte at Photoshop. But I was able to generate several different rough-edged frames by making a work path around my photo, selecting a brush and stroking the path. I tried half a dozen different brushes. Hopefully one of them will be close enough for government work, as they say.
MH
Marlene_Hochberg
May 27, 2004
Cole,

I didn’t know about Adobe Exchange. Lots of interesting stuff there. Thanks!

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Easy-to-use drag-n-drop Photoshop scene creator with more than 2800 items.

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