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The Design Center, DT&G / Photoshop Department / Ink Outlines  

Welcome Mr. Roger Pring, Photoshop expert to this issue of DTG!

Photoshop Ink Outlines

Roger Pring writes...

The Ink Outlines filter offers an interesting "drawn" line effect in combination with a background mottling that recalls the Sponge filter

ink outlines mottling like the sponge filter

1 Set to Stroke Length 7, Dark Intensity 5, Light Intensity 5, a fine line (always black, irrespective of palette settings) traces color and tone edges.

Mottled patterns

Mottled patterns can be seen in the balance of the image and, in close-up, some vestigial cross-hatching can be seen in the highlight areas.

Ink Filter

2 The Stroke Length control is curiously named. Setting it to maximum (50) has the effect of spreading highlights and displacing the traced line -- compare this close-up with the previous example.

Photoshop Settings

filter target 3 A useful compromise setting (15, 5, and 50) gives a more effective result that's lighter and not so emphatically mottled. (Above, click to enlarge)

4 The same settings applied to the target image show the line displacement. Note the metallic effect that has appeared over the area of gray gradation.

Using the Ink Outlines filter

Unmodified image

You can use Ink Outlines as a remedy to breathe some life into otherwise flat subjects.

modifying the image

1, 2 Duplicate the original image in the Layers palette and apply the Ink Outlines filter. Keep the Stroke Length low to avoid overpowering the original image. Here, the values that we have used are Stroke Length 2, Dark Intensity 11, and Light Intensity 30.

Darker

3, 4, 5 Even at a low setting such as this, the effect is too strong.

Fade

Use Edit > Fade > Ink Outlines to restrain it.

last

6 In close-up, it's easy to see the reviving effect of the filter.

Click here for a detail of the results.

If you'd like to learn some more crafty filter tricks, download this chapter called: Crosshatch Brush Strokes & Stylize Trace Contour (PDF Format) excerpted by permission from Roger's book Photoshop Filter Effects Encyclopedia

Special thanks to Roger Pring and O'Reilly for sharing this article, excerpted from ...

Photoshop Filter Effects Encyclopedia

coverThe Hands-on Desktop Reference for Digital Photographers
By Roger Pring

Photoshop Filter Effects Encyclopedia explains and decodes the settings of every filter that Photoshop CS2 has to offer. And, unlike many reference books, it is filled with easy-to-follow, step-by-step recipes for creating truly amazing effects using Photoshop filters. Packed with hundreds of full-color photographs, clearly written instructions, and practical tips, this book is the ultimate, no-nonsense Photoshop CS2 Filters reference for creative photographers, designers, and artists.
      The best part is that you don't have to be a Photoshop expert to create sophisticated, professional-looking results-the recipes take the guesswork out of the process, so you can work quickly and efficiently. Packed with hundreds of full-color photographs, clearly written instructions, and practical tips, this book is the ultimate, no-nonsense Photoshop CS2 Filters reference for creative photographers, designers, and artists. Check out Photoshop Filter Effects Encyclopedia today!

 

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