Photorealisitc clouds from...photos!

[Gare]

No, I don't mind, Stygg. I post things so people can examine, learn, and improvise.

Clearly, there's a lot of ways to make interesting clouds in skies, eh?

What I'd love to see in a future version of Xara (and yes, I've asked for it in private and on "Dear Xara") is more sophistication in making Custom Strokes. Although if you're careful, you can separate a photo of a cloud out of a photo's background and define it as a brush in Xara, the custom brushes are more or less "scatter brushes" similar to the Image Hose in Corel Painter. Microsoft has given up trying to sell Expression Designer and you can get it for free online now; they bastardized a wonderful patented technology that Creature House originally came up with, and that was to make strokes from vector and bitmap elements (like Xara can), but you could choose how to repeat or not repeat a stroke, scale it, stretch it, and the short of it here, is that you can do stuff like this in Expression.



I think this is an example of an expression of a cloudy sky that doesn't "suggest" but instead definitively "depicts". The difference between mumbling and speaking, if you will. And I'd like it in Xara.

My Best,

Gary

[stygg2003]

Now that would be really good to be able to make clouds like those in Xara, instead of using Fractals, thanks for that.

Stygg

[Gare]

Okay, this is me going O/T:

You could use a photo of a cloud in a composition, by using Xara or an image editor such as Photoshop or (the free) Artweaver to isolate one cloud in a photo you take, and then make the background color black and the foreground white, a greyscale image so to speak.

Then make the image Screen mode transparency. I've included an example here in this XAR file, and here's a thumbnail:



I've used the image twice in the Xara file. You could rotate it, use the Contone feature to tint it, just use the image as you'd use any shape you draw ing Xara, right?

My Best,

Gary

[stygg2003]

Absolutely fabulous Gary, clouds to go, the possibilities are endless I just could'nt resist a fiddle

Stygg

[Gare]

That is freakin' brilliant, Stephen!

Did you alter the Contone values?

Okay, here is the little challenge for today. I'm attaching two photos of clouds, the center ones are well-defined.

Can you separate them out, convert them to greyscale reversed, and then use them in a similar sky scene?

If so, then you can now truly "Do it yourself" with this very small trick.


-g

[stygg2003]

I've just downloaded your challenge Gary so I will have a look today Yes all I did in my image was alter the contone values, gave the background a deeper blue and added the star field. Not confident about seperating a cloud as you did in your clouds to go image though.

Stygg

[Rik]

Okay, this is me going O/T:

You could use a photo of a cloud in a composition, by using Xara or an image editor such as Photoshop or (the free) Artweaver to isolate one cloud in a photo you take, and then make the background color black and the foreground white, a greyscale image so to speak.

Then make the image Screen mode transparency. I've included an example here in this XAR file, and here's a thumbnail:



I've used the image twice in the Xara file. You could rotate it, use the Contone feature to tint it, just use the image as you'd use any shape you draw ing Xara, right?

My Best,

Gary

Hi Gary.
I've read the thread as carefully as possible and hope that I haven't missed something, when I ask my questions.

The part where you say 'isolate one cloud in a photo', is there a way other than taking the Shape Tool or the Freehand Tool to cut the cloud?

The next thing I don't understand is that the cloud is likely to be on a background that changes from being dark at the top part of the cloud, and lighter at the bottom part.
If I did convert this colour photo into black and white, then I am likely to end up with a good black at the top and grey at the bottom.
If I then use the appropriate transparency, then I don't get the desired result.

Looking at your 'Clouds to go' file, you've managed to grab this cloud with every little fine part at the edges.
I feel like screaming, "How did you do this?"

I've never really tried to do any of this before.
So, at least for me, some guidance would be appreciated.

[Gare]

Hey, Stygg and Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone—

I'd mentioned in my previous post that you could use Xara or an image editor to do the separation work. I used Photoshop (I had it open, it's not a complex editing step) and that's probably why my edgework looks magical or whatever. However, this can indeed be done with our favourite vector drawing program, trust it.

It's easier for me to just post this technique as a tute in steps, okay?




I wish this got me off the hook for this month's video tutorial. :(

-g

[stygg2003]

I was just about to seperate the cloud Jpg when you posted the mini tut.!! Cheers for that Gary, I had tried everything to seperate them but was getting no where fast. It was ok for me to alter the contone values in the clouds to go but seperation was another thing. I will give it a go tomorrow. I've been invited out for a drink tonight by a few Irish friends of mine, God help my head tomorrow Happy St. Patrick's Day to you and everyone.

Stygg

[Gare]

It's a Micro-tutorial, not a mini-tutorial Stygg.

You're welcome, and worry about your liver, not your head.

Your head will always be fine.

-g