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