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

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:

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

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

FotoSketcher 4.00 - alpha 1 available for MacOS and Windows

 Dear all,

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

For Windows: https://www.fotosketcher.com/FotoSketcher_4.00_alpha_1.00.exe

For MacOS: https://www.fotosketcher.com/FotoSketcher_4.00_alpha_1.00_MacOS.zip

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

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

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

FotoSketcher 3.80 is officially released

 

Hi all!

FotoSketcher 3.80 is now officially released. Head over to https://fotosketcher.com/download-fotosketcher/ to download.

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

• Larger preview area (21% larger) with a new rotating "in progress" icon
• Painting 4 can now run without erasing the previous painting. This can be useful to mix effects or to start with broad brushtrokes and then load finer brushes and run the effect again. To run Painting 4 without erasing the previous image, RIGHT-CLICK on the Draw button instead of left-clicking.
• The scripting function (press the F5 function key to open the window) can also run the Painting 4 effect without erasing the result image. Just add the line "Don't erase background" before adding a Painting 4 effect line in your script.
•  Painting 4 now has an svg export (once the effect has finished, a SVG button will appear, below the HD button). This exports the basic rectangles, not the brushstrokes.
• Pencil Sketch 1 has been refined (less blurry)
• Custom transparent PNG frames are now supported, with 'autofit' and full preview
• In the "modify source image" dialog box (F9 function key), a new icon is displayed on the saturation line. When clicked, it will automatically improve color vibrancy of the source image.
• Custom brush directory for Painting 4 is now saved between sessions
• A new language is now supported, Danish, thanks to the translation by Kenneth TOLLUND
• Lot's of small UI enhancements and bug fixes
• All versions (32bit, 64bit, portable and setup) are now digitally signed for added security and hopefully fewer false positive from antiviruses
  

 

Burano - original photo credit: Dorothea Oldani (https://unsplash.com/photos/LAT4nzIfkXY)

I wish to send a massive thank you to all the great people who have helped me improve FotoSketcher over the years and made it possible for me keep it free for all! So thanks again for your encouragements, suggestions, translations, bug testing and generous donations :)

Have fun!

Kind regards,

David

____________________________________

P.S. As always, FotoSketcher is 100% free, even for commercial use (if you sell your artwork, please ensure you have the rights to the original photos).

P.P.S. Should you wish to support the development of FotoSketcher, you can make a small donation to fuel my tea and coffee addiction ;) 

Version 3.80 release candidate available

Hi all,

I've added a few more tweaks in v3.80 and you can now download a stable release candidate (Windows only) here: https://www.fotosketcher.com/FotoSketcher_3.80_RC1.exe

I will detail all the new features upon release, but here are a few elements:

- the custom frame code has been polished and if you load a transparent png frame, FotoSketcher will automatically attempt to fit the image within the transparent area of the png (Autofit checkbox). The preview shows the whole frame.

- I have also added a small feature that can help your colors pop. In the "modify source image" dialog box (which you can open quickly by pressing the F9 function key), a new icon has appeared on the saturation line. Just click it to improve color vibrancy on your source image.

- In the script window (press F5 to open), I have added the possibilty to run the Painting 4 effect without clearing the right-panel image. This allows some new creative ways of mixing effects. Here is an example of a script which takes advantage of this:

If no major bug is found I will officially release v3.80 as soon as I have finished updating some language translations.

Mixed media FotoSketcher 3.80 script - original photo credit: Daniel Abadia.

All the best,

David

FotoSketcher 3.80 for Windows - new beta version available

Hi all,

I've been ironing out a few bugs in 3.80 (mainly some stubborn ones in the manual brush code) and here is a new beta for the brave souls who would like to test it: https://www.fotosketcher.com/FotoSketcher_3.80_beta5.exe

This version will also remember the directory from which the custom brushes were last loaded and in Painting 4, HD and SVG export should now correctly work if you used multiple passes by RIGHT-CLICKING the draw button. 

Still to do before release: 

• make undo-redo with multiple passes compatible with HD and SVG export
• check for bugs in batch mode when rewriting existing files
• translate the new custom frame menu caption in all languages

In the meantime, here is a high-resolution image from a photo I took in my hometown, Lyon (Pencil Sketch 1 and Painting 8 combined). Click on the image to view full size.

 

Best regards,

David

 

 

 

How to use Adobe Photoshop® brush files in FotoSketcher

Dear all,

I am still ironing out a few stubborn bugs in FotoSketcher 3.80 (a new beta should hopefully be available soon), but in the meantime here is a small tutorial on how to use Photoshop® .abr files in FotoSketcher.

1/ First, you need to find .abr brush files, which are avalaible for free from many websites. You can for instance head over to https://creativenerds.co.uk/category/photoshop-brushes/

   

2/ Then unzip the file you just downloaded and locate the .abr file on your drive

3/ If the .abr file contains only one brush, you can simply convert it to a transparent png image using an online service (no need to install anything), like https://www.coolutils.com/online/ABR-to-PNG

 

4/ Alternatively, if the .abr file contains a set of different brushes, the easiest way to convert them to png images is to use some free software, like ABR Viewer or ABRMate (download for free from https://abrmate.software.informer.com/ and install on your PC)

 

5/ Finally, in FotoSketcher, choose Painting 4 and click on "load custom brush" and choose one or multiple png brush files that you just converted

 

Have fun :)

David