FotoSketcher 3.20 alpha 5 - for testing purposes

Hi all,

If you like to be on the bleeding edge, here is an early version of FotoSketcher 3.20: http://www.fotosketcher.com/FotoSketcher_3.20_alpha5.exe

I have tried to improve compatibility with Windows 10 and reduce occasional window flickering. There is also a new preview window next to the drop down list of effects as shown here:

I have also optimized Pencil Sketch 1, which can now process larger images than before without giving an out of memory error (I have successfully tested on a 7000x4000 pixels image).

I have tested this version on a Windows 10 PC and on a Windows 7 virtual machine, so I would be grateful if you could let me know if you encounter any bugs on your PC.

As a small bonus, here is a script file: http://www.fotosketcher.com/Painting9and10.zip. Unzip the file and open it in FotoSketcher's script window (F5). This is the output (source: Wikimedia commons):

All the best,

David

FotoSketcher 3.10 is officially released.

Hi all,

FotoSketcher has just been updated to version 3.10. As usual, you can download the official version (with setup or standalone) here: http://www.fotosketcher.com/download-fotosketcher/

This is a maintenance release, with quite a few bug fixes, optimizations and interface improvements. Here are some of the changes:

• the DPI default value has been set to 300 for better printing quality.
• although transparency in PNG images (alpha channel) is not supported by FotoSketcher, transparent pixels will no longer appear black. They will now be converted to white pixels (much prettier!).
• the donation screen (coffee cup icon) has been simplified and will lead to a unified PayPal screen.
• when using JPG images, the compression quality has been improved for fewer artifacts (save to PNG or BMP if you want maximum image quality).
• a visual bug with the Emergence 2 effect has been corrected. Sometimes the preview image would be pasted to the main result image in the top left corner.
• some z-order problems have been solved.
• a memory leak has been hunted down and solved.
• when running a script (F5), FotoSketcher will be automatically minimized until the end of the process. If you wish to see the script running, just click on the FotoSketcher icon in the Windows task bar. 

Have fun with FotoSketcher!

David

Working on FotoSketcher 3.10

Hi,

Just a quick word to let you know that I've been working on a new version of FotoSketcher which will solve a few problems. This will be a simple maintenance release, with bug fixes and performance enhancements (correction of memory leaks, default of 300 dpi instead of 72, interface improvements, etc.).
I'm also making progress on a new effect, but it's early days yet, so I will probably add it in a further release.

Regards,

David

FotoSketcher 3.00 is officially released. 100% free as always.

Dear all,

FotoSketcher 3.00 has been a bit long in the making but your patience is now rewarded :-)

You can download the official version (with setup or standalone) here: http://www.fotosketcher.com/download-fotosketcher/

New features and changes in version 3.00:
- New Painting 10 (brushstrokes) effect
- New "invert colors" function (in the Edit menu or CTRL+I shortcut)
- Integration of the "invert colors" function in the script mode (F5)
- Improved Painting 4 responsiveness
- Cosmetic changes to the user interface (especially when the program is maximized)
- New keyboard shortcuts (left, right and up keys) to move the divider between the left and right panes. Works when the main window is focused, even if an effect is running.

Here are a couple of examples of the new effect:

Original photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kevsyd/6300148573/

Have fun with FotoSketcher!

David

FotoSketcher 3.00 Release Candidate

Hi,

FotoSketcher 3.00 is finally almost ready to be released officially. You can download a stable beta version here: http://www.fotosketcher.com/FotoSketcher_3.00_RC1.exe

Here are the main changes :
- New Painting 10 (brushstrokes) effect
- New "invert colors" function (in the Edit menu or CTRL+I shortcut)
- Improved Painting 4 responsiveness
- Cosmetic changes to the user interface (especially when the program is maximized)

Example of the new Painting 10 effect (click on picture to view full size):

Original photo credit: Vincent MARTIN

As usual, I welcome your feedback :-)

Best regards,

David

FotoSketcher 3.00 early preview *** updated ***

Dear all,

If you like to be at the bleeding edge, here is an early alpha version of FotoSketcher 3.00, with a brand new painting effect: http://www.fotosketcher.com/FotoSketcher_3.00_alpha3.exe

The new effect Painting 10 (brushstrokes) is functional and nearly finalized. I have not had time to integrate it in the script engine or the manual brush* yet, but if you only use it from the main drawing screen, you should be fine.

Here is an example of the effect:

original photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidstella/4281825293

Have fun :-)

Best regards,

David

* as of 02/22 the manual brush is now functional with Painting 10
* as of 02/23 the code for Painting 10 has been optimized (33% faster) - still a bit slow ;-)

New example:

Original photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/12570475@N08/6249210862/

Upcoming painting effect in FotoSketcher 3.00

Hi all,

I am currently working on FotoSketcher version 3.00, which will include a new painting effect. Brush placement still needs some tweaking (for now too many details are lost in salient areas), but I think the result holds promise.
Here is an early example on the FotoSketcher parrot.

Best regards,

David

Happy New Year!

Dear FotoSketcher users,

I wish you all a very Happy New Year!

I am hard at work on version 3.00 and I hope to have a working beta version for you to test sometime in 2015!

All the best,

David

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Hi all,

I have been making progress lately on a new algorithm which will allow me to create synthetic brushtrokes with variable curvature. It is a bit early yet for me to show an example, but I think it will look quite convincing.
The idea is to create a new effect like Painting 7 (brushstrokes), but with different stroke placement and thicker paint. Not quite impasto, but hopefully pleasant enough...

In the meantime, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy holidays! Here is a watercolor from a photo I took a few months back in my hometown of Lyon(s), in the Croix-Rousse area:

 

Best regards,

David

The trials and tribulations of a hobbyist programmer

Hi all,

I know, I know, long time no see... I've been pretty busy lately and could not devote as much time as I would like to FotoSketcher. Such is the plight of the hobbyist programmer ;-)
At least, I am not alone as I have recently learnt that I am part of a large group of 7.5 million developpers worldwide (cf. http://www.computerworld.com/article/2487084/it-careers/the-rise-of-hobbyist-programmers.html).

As for FotoSketcher, I still find time to do some research, think up new ideas, test new algorithms. Once in a while an idea is not too shaky and its translation into code within my capacity as a developper. That's when you see a new effect in FotoSketcher!

But that is just the tip of the iceberg. In the last couple of months alone, I have tested, refined and discarded new algorithms, which simply did not hold up to my expectations. But that's OK. It is part of the fun and a failed idea often sends me on a completely different route, which might lead to a nice new effect.

I'm currently working on some realistic brush strokes to better emulate a hand painted look (using transparent textures, Bezier curves, new stroke placement ideas, etc.).  I don't know yet if that endeavour is going to be fruitful, but I'll keep you posted.

I had also tried a totally different approach, based on the merging of hundreds of different layers - made of geometric shapes - hoping the resulting image would coalesce into a arty approximation of the source image. Alas, the results were rarely up to scratch.

Here is one of the best abstract examples I could produce (click image to view in full size):

Well, it's back to the drawing board for me :-)

Best regards,

David

P.S. As usual, if you like FotoSketcher you are most welcome to buy a me a nice cup of coffee (or tea!).