Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Solutions to the printer bug and FotoSketcher 3.95 alpha 1

Hi all,

Recently a few users have reported problems running FotoSketcher because of a printer related error message.

When launching FotoSketcher, you may get a pop-up window reading "Wait for the connection to printer or cancel the connection". This will unfortunately prevent FotoSketcher from running.

 

The issue may well be related to a recent Windows update, but I have been unable to reproduce the problem. 

It can occur on both Windows 10 or Windows 11 PCs.

If this happens to you, one possible workaround would be to make sure that you have a default printer selected in your Windows settings.

Alternatively, you can download an early version of FotoSketcher 3.95 here: https://fotosketcher.com/FotoSketcher_3.95_alpha1.exe

This alpha version should no longer crash on startup if no printer is detected.

Please let me know in comments below if you still have the problem or if this alpha version solves it for you (fingers crossed).

All the best,

David



Sunday, April 30, 2023

FotoSketcher 3.90 is officially released (Windows version)

Hi all!

FotoSketcher 3.90 for Windows is now officially released!

Head over to https://fotosketcher.com/download-fotosketcher/ to download either the standalone version (no need to install, just run the .exe file) or the version with setup.

Both versions have been digitally signed in order to avoid Windows blocking the download.

Here is a list of all changes and improvements in this release:

Main bug fixes:

  • preview would not update when changing a parameter value
  • issues when minimizing of the parameter window
  • issues with image rotation
  • program freeze when going to the fotosketcher.com website from the "About window"
  • program would sometimes freeze when changing the opacity of text

New features:

  • New Painting 11 advanced painterly effect, which allows custom brushes (transparent png images) 
  • In addition to Painting 4, possibility to run Painting 9 (watercolor) and the new Painting 11 on the current image, without starting from a blank canvas. This allows much more versatility and is supported in the scripting engine
  • Parameter files and script files made with older versions of FotoSketcher can be loaded
  • Directories for loading and saving images are saved, allowing easier navigation 
  • Directories for loading and saving scripts and custom brushes are also saved

FotoSketcher 3.90 for Windows remains 100% free, even for commercial work (e.g. selling your images produced with FotoSketcher. No royalty or attribution necessary).

Here is an example made with FotoSketcher 3.90 using the new Painting 11 effect, followed by the Painting 9 effect (with the new "Don't erase background" checkbox ticked).

Have fun!

David

P.S. Should you wish to support the development of FotoSketcher, you can buy me a nice cup of coffee via PayPal or become a patron on Patreon :)


Tuesday, April 11, 2023

FotoSketcher 3.90 beta 1.2 available

Hi all,

After some (well, actually a lot of) tweaking, optimizing and debugging, a brand new beta version of FotoSketcher 3.90 for Windows is now available for testing. 

You can download it here: https://fotosketcher.com/FotoSketcher_3.90_beta1.2.exe

As always, your feedback is welcome and invaluable :)

Original photo credit: Juan Pablo Mascanfroni on unsplash.com

Have fun!

David


Saturday, February 11, 2023

FotoSketcher 3.90 beta 1.0 available for testing

Hi all,

A new version of FotoSketcher for Windows (v 3.90) is ready for testing. 

A stable beta version is available here: https://fotosketcher.com/FotoSketcher_3.90_beta1.0.exe

Main bug fixes:

  • preview would not update when changing a parameter value
  • issues with the minimizing the parameter window
  • issues with image rotation
  • program freeze when going to the fotosketcher.com website from the About window

New features:

  • Possibility to run Painting 9 (watercolor) on the current image, without starting from a blank canvas (like you could already do in Painting 4). This allows for much more versatility and is supported in the scripting engine. Just add the "Don't erase background" command before running the effect.
  • A new painterly effect - Painting 11 - with added color variability (which also supports not erasing the background).
  • For Painting 4, 9 and 11 a new checkbox allows you to choose whether to start from a black background or from the existing image.

Here is an example on the famous parrot with the new Painting 11 effect.

 

As usual for beta version, I would be grateful if you could let me know if you run into any issue or bug :)

All the best and have fun! 

David

 

 


Tuesday, January 31, 2023

FotoSketcher 3.90 - new painting effect

Hi all,

The new version of FotoSketcher for Windows (v3.90) is almost finished.

A new painting effect (Painting 11) is now ready and I just need to tweak and integrate it into the user interface. 

A beta version will be available soon for you to play with :)

Here is an example (source photo credit Daniel Sessler):


All the best,

David

Saturday, December 31, 2022

What's coming in 2023 for FotoSketcher?

Hi all,

As you may know, I've been working on a brand new version of FotoSketcher which will run on both Windows and MacOS. It has not been plain sailing and progress is slower than I had anticipated and hoped. 

But I'm not giving up and it will remain my priority for 2023 to provide Mac users with a native version of FotoSketcher.

However, I have not forgotten Windows users and I'm currently polishing a brand new version (3.90), with bug fixes, cosmetic improvements, and new features:

Main bug fixes:

  • preview would not update when changing a parameter value
  • issues with the minimizing of the parameter window
  • issues with image rotation
  • program freeze when going to the fotosketcher.com website from the About window

New features:

  • Possibility to run Painting 9 (watercolor) on the current image, without starting from a blank canvas (like you can already do in Painting 4, by right-clicking the Draw button). This allows much more versatility and is supported in the scripting engine.
  • A more advanced painterly effect, which allows custom brushes (transparent png images)

Here is an example made with this new alogrithm, combined with Painting 9:

Painting of Amsterdam made in FotoSketcher
Stay posted for a beta version to be made available here soon ;)

In the meantime I wish you a very Happy New Year!

Best regards,

David



Sunday, December 25, 2022

FotoSketcher 3.90 (Windows only) soon to be released

 Hi all,

A quick update on the soon to be released FotoSketcher 3.90.

This will mainly be a cosmetic and bug fix release, but I plan on adding a few more bells and whistles.

So stay tuned for the beta to become available soon for testing!

All the best and Merry Christmas :)

David

Monday, September 26, 2022

FotoSketcher 4.00 - alpha 1 available for MacOS and Windows

 Dear all,

At long last an alpha version of FotoSketcher 4.00 is available!

This version is not yet finalized (a few more effects and features will be added in the final release), but it is usable on Windows 10 and 11 and on recent versions of MacOS. 

5 main different effects are available (9 variations in total):

  • Pencil sketch 1
  • Pencil Sketch 2 (B&W and color)
  • Pen & Ink 1
  • Painting 1 (watercolor)
  • Painting 2 (brushstrokes) with 4 brush options (+ custom brushes):
    • Oil painting
    • Watercolor
    • Cross hatching
    • Oil pastel

Original photo credit Sean Sweeny - unsplash.com

In the painting above, I have used the "start from a blank canvas" feature (available for painting 1 and 2) for the first pass, then I have unchecked the tick box for the subsequent passes, using slightly different parameters and brushes.

I hope you have fun with this new version and as usual, please let me know if you find any bugs.

All the best,

David


Sunday, May 15, 2022

Progress report

 Hi all,

Just a quick update on the development of FotoSketcher 4.00 (Windows and MacOS).

I've found a faster way to port my existing code (current version of FotoSketcher) to the new framework, which enables me to both modernize FotoSketcher and make it multiplatform.

Over the week-end, I've been able to add 2 new effects (pencil sketch 2 & 3). So now, 3 pencil sketch effects and 1 painting effect have been ported. 

I've also started to add new languages, so that the new version will be multingual by design from the start. 

I will soon make a test version available for both MacOS and Windows for you to play with ;)

All the best,

David


Sunday, January 30, 2022

Some news on FotoSketcher 3.90 (Windows) and 4.00 (Windows and MacOS)

Dear all,

I haven't posted here in quite a while and an update is long overdue! 

Lately, I have been working on the brand new multi-platform version of FotoSketcher (Windows and MacOS).

For MacOS, I have finally made progress with regards to the Apple certification and notarization process, so if you have a Mac and want to try a very (very) early version of FotoSketcher 4.00, you can download the following file: https://www.fotosketcher.com/FotoSketcher.zip

Tip: you might need to allow apps from certified developers (in your MacOS preferences/security settings).

Here is a screenhot of FotoSketcher running on MacOS Monterey (Apple M1 MacBook Air):


 

And here is a screenshot on Windows 10:


Before I can release the new multi-platform version, I will update the current one to 3.90 (Windows only) to add language and bug corrections.

And as it is still January, I have time to wish you all a Happy New Year :)

All the best,

David