Wilflex EasyArt
www.wilflexeasyart.com

Convert to Artistic Impression
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The photo realistic 10 color print on a black shirt always looks good but let's face it how often will your customer be prepared to pay for that. This is where the "Artistic Impression" routine excels.

It can easily turn a full color photograph into a two, three, four or whatever, color graphic that looks like it's been done by a professional Artist. No drawing necessary.

Step 1 Preparation
(yellow buttons)

For this design the preparation also includes making the Line Draw Mask for the digger and transforming this photographic looking image into a more graphic style image.
In Photoshop® navigate your way to the tutorials folder on the EasyArt® CD and open the file "NX-Digger.psd".

First we have to create a "Line Draw" mask for this routine. Go to the Actions list (Window > Actions) scroll down to the blue button "Make Line Draw Mask" and click.

A message will pop up, read it and click stop. Select the “Pen” tool (make sure the “Paths” icon is selected, third one in on the menu bar at the top of your screen, looks like a pen in a box) with the Pen tool selected zoom into your image and begin to trace around the outside edge of the digger.

Trace all around the outside edge of the digger, close the mask path by clicking the last point onto the first point. Next open the “Paths” list (window > paths) then click on the small arrow head in the top right hand corner scroll down and click “Fill Path”. In the fill path window that opens “Contents” should read “Use =Black” - “Blending = Normal, Opacity = 100%”, “Rendering = Feather Radius=0 and anti-aliased should be unchecked. Then click OK.
Click on the small arrow head in the corner of the “Paths” list scroll down and click “Delete Path”

The Mask will appear purple on your image. To cut out areas like the window areas in the cab do the same as above, trace with the pen tool, only fill with 100% white instead of black, this will remove that area from the mask.

When you have finished making your mask click on the “Make line Draw Mask” button again (which appears red) to complete the mask making routine.

We can now do some Pre-separation work. This image is a little dark and flat so lets lighten it up first. Make sure you have the RGB channel selected then in the Actions list scroll down to the yellow button "Increase Brightness" and click.
Next click the yellow "Improve Image RGB" button, this will add sharpness and color. Now the image is ready for separation.
It still needs to be a little lighter so click the "Increase Brightness" button again.
Read the message that appears and click continue. This routine will remove the background and transform the photograph into a more graphic less photographic looking image. In the Actions list scroll down to the blue button "Artists Impression" and click.

Save this image to your Hard Drive and call it "Art Digger", but keep it open so we can separate it.

Step 2 Separation
(blue buttons)

Next go back to the Actions List and click on the blue button "Separate artists impression". Read the message that appears and click continue. The speed of this routine will depend on the speed of your computer.

When finished the "Routine Complete" message will appear click continue.

Step 3 Adjustment
(blue buttons)

To produce this design as a 2 color print on a white shirt, first change the shirt color, to do this click on the blue button "Change Shirt color" and in the box that appears click on the small blue box next to the word "color" and change the color to white, then 
click OK. to continue.
For this tutorial the the digger will be yellow.
To achieve this select the "light blue" channel, and with the "lasso" tool make a rough selection around the diggers arm and cab base only. You are going to add this area to the yellow channel.
.
Tip: It will be easier to make the selection around the diggers arm and cab if you turn off all channels except the "light blue".
With the selection around the diggers arm active, select the "yellow" channel then go to the actions list and click on the green button "add light blue to ...." click it twice.

You will notice the area of "light blue" you selected has now been added to the yellow channel.
(each time you click the “Add light blue” button, another layer is added making the color more intense)

Next select the "dark blue" channel and with the "lasso" tool again make a selection around the
body area of the digger, so this can also be added to the yellow channel.

Select the "yellow" channel then go to the actions list and click on the green button "add
dark blue to...". Click it twice to make the color stronger, more solid. Then Deselect.

Go back to the channels list and turn off all the color
channels except "yellow" and "black". 

The NX -Digger appears yellow. You can see by adding
other channels to one selected channel you can easily
change the color and appearance of an image.

This yellow color can be matched to any pantone color your customer requires, using one of the Wilflex Mixing systems.
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