Create A Scanner Darkly effect

Artist Aaron Sacco worked as an animator on the movie A Scanner Darkly. Here he shows you how to recreate the film’s signature ‘interpolated rotoscoping’ effect in Illustrator.

Recreating A Scanner Darkly

You can turn any photo into a dynamic illustration in the style of Richard Linklater’s A Scanner Darkly using just a Wacom tablet and Adobe Illustrator.

After working as an animator on the film, I developed the process outlined here for recreating this bold effect, using shapes of solid colour to represent a realistic image.

A Scanner Darkly, which stars Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder, used an animation technique called interpolated rotoscoping. Similar to rotoscoping, where each frame of film is painstakingly handpainted, interpolated rotoscoping uses vector keyframes and interpolates between keyframes automatically.

Each minute of animation in the movie required over 500 hours of work. For this tutorial, we’re not going to animate a sequence, but concentrate on one image, representing one frame.

The focus of the tutorial is to recreate the incredible, unique style of the movie through the use of colour and vectors. For an image of this complexity, you should expect to spend five to six hours illustrating it.

If you limit your colours and detail, you can spend less – but it’s worth putting in the extra effort. If you’re learning and experimenting, you can expect to spend much more. Be bold and have fun!

Step 1
Choose a high-resolution image for photo reference. The larger the image, the more detail you will have to play with. Go to File>Place to insert it into your Illustrator file.

In the Layers palette, double-click the layer with the image; I name this layer ‘Reference’. Once you have locked that layer, you will be able to draw over the top without disturbing it. Click the Add New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette. I call this new layer ‘Inks’ and it should remain on top throughout the process.

Step 2
Press N or click the Pencil tool from the Tools palette and check that the Fill colour is Black and the Stroke colour is None. Adjust the Pencil tool’s settings by double-clicking the Pencil tool and change the Fidelity to 4 pixels, Smoothness to 35 per cent, and check both ‘Fill New Pencil Strokes’ and ‘Keep Selected’ boxes.

If you experience difficulty drawing a smooth shape, increase the Fidelity and Smoothness. If you’re losing detail or control, decrease those settings.

Step 3
To recreate the look of A Scanner Darkly, you must think of lines as long, thin, irregular shapes filled with black. Using the Pencil tool, you can manually produce a calligraphic line by automatically filling in the region between two arcs.

Draw smooth decisive arcs to indicate where you imagine the points should be set. Too much wobbliness yields an uncontrolled shape with rough edges.

To edit an ugly shape, use the pen tool to delete extra points and simplify the form. It will take practice to learn how to manipulate the pencil tool accurately, but be patient and you will develop an intuitive understanding of how to manipulate the shapes quickly. Deselect after each shape by pressing Command-Shift-A (Windows: Control-Shift-A).

Step 4
Check that you are on the ‘Inks’ layer and ‘ink’ the image, just like a graphic novel. Draw thin black shapes around the major forms. Also fill in the darkest regions with larger black shapes. If you need more control for areas such as the eyes or nose, you can switch to the Pen tool to draw exact curves and straight lines. This step requires the most nuance. Remember to always lock each layer when you’re finished or not working on it to avoid confusing errors later on.

Step 5
Toggle the Eye icon on your Layers palette to hide the Reference layer and check your progress as you go. If you accidentally release the line before you outline the shape you’re tracing, you can draw another shape that completes the shape in the same colour. I prefer to press Command-Z (Control- Z on Windows) to undo the last action, because I find it best to make the largest possible continuous shape to increase the smoothness and overall flow of the shape.

Step 6
I call my next layer ‘Shawn’. Each new subsequent layer will be placed behind the last visually or below on the layers palette. You want to always fill in behind what you’ve previously finished. Within each layer, create sub-layers categorized by features, such as eyes and mouth, to better manage all the shapes that you’re creating. I will usually break that down further into four or five shades of colour, each on its own sub-layer.

Step 7
Select which colours to use by sampling right out of the picture. Double-click the Eyedropper tool and change the Raster Sample Size at the bottom to 5 points to get a broad metering of colour. If you want a brighter colour for the foreground figures or a more specific colour selection, switch the Raster Sample Size back to 1 point.

Step 8
Now you’re ready to begin painting in the colour. Beginning with the ‘Hair’ on a new sub-layer, define the larger chunks or shapes of solid colour, starting with darkest shadows. Focus on making shapes that are descriptive and in tone with the others.

Limit the palette to a few shades and place each new successive colour behind the other. You can move a shape behind another on the same layer or sub-layer by pressing Apple-Shift-[ or by going to Object>Arrange>SendToBack.

Step 9
Use a new sub-layer for each facial feature. Zoom in while you’re drawing detailed areas such as the eyes and nose, and add more detail with smaller shapes to emphasize those areas. On the sub-layer called Face, begin to describe as accurately as possible the general planes of the face.

Step 10
Continue to define the planes of the neck and shirt on a new sub-layer. Avoid using too many little shapes or it will draw attention away from the figure’s face.

Step 11
Repeat steps 7 through 10 on a new layer I call ‘Renee’. In some images, you may want to balance the colours by reusing the same tones in different figures. Since I liked the contrasting warm and cool tones, I did not worry about colour balancing on this image.

Step 12
Create a new layer – call it ‘Background’. Look at the larger shapes of colour behind the foreground figures and define their outlines loosely. Too much detail in the background will be a distraction from the figures. You simply want a patchwork of colour to suggest an environment.

Step 13
Once the whole image is filled in, create a new ‘Correction Below’ layer at the very bottom to quickly fill in any gaps in the image. Use colours from the upper layers and draw with large blobs. Don’t worry about being too artistic here – you’re just filling space.

Step 14
Clean up your illustration by creating a new ‘Correction Above’ layer on top of everything but the ‘Inks’ layer. Unlock the Reference layer and drag the image out to the side to compare it side-by-side.

Simplify your colour schemes and shapes. Zoom in to the image and cover over any unwanted ugly spurs in the shapes. Manipulate the shapes in all the layers with the direct-selection tool until you’re satisfied with the results.

Aaron Sacco – www.aaronsacco.com

CREATE A CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION

Transforming run-of-the-mill stock photos into dreamy, fantastical compositions is easy when you know how.

In this brilliant tutorial, Photoshop wizard Fabio Sasso puts layer masks and Photoshop’s built-in filters to good use to create a beautiful, enchanting image that wouldn’t be out of place in a children’s book.

Before you start you’ll need to download your stock images – Sasso has bought images from Shutterstock (shutterstock.com), although you can also use similar images of your own.

The girl image is at bit.ly/91S4Kx; the moon is at bit.ly/7Nfwch; some of the clouds are at bit.ly/5qJMFc. You’ll also need a star flare; NASA (nasa.gov) is a good source for these.

Step 1
Open Photoshop and create a new A4 document. Fill the background layer with a very dark grey (#0d0e10). Import the image of a girl on a ladder you downloaded from Shutterstock (bit.ly/91S4Kx). Extract the backround using the Lasso Tool (L) or any other method. Then remove the back strut of the ladder as shown here.

Step 4
In a new layer, place the photo of the moon that you dowloaded at the start. Change the layer’s blending mode to Screen. Go to Image > Adjustment > Hue/Saturation, select Colorize, and make the moon bluer. Also go to Image > Adjustment > Brightness/Contrast. Increase the brightness to 54 and the contrast to 51.

Step 5
Fill a new layer with pink (ff80b6), then with a big soft brush, paint a light blur (61a5fb) where the moon will be. Change the layer’s blending mode to Soft Light. This layer will be on top of the others.

Step 6
Duplicate the moon layer and go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur, setting the radius to 10 – this will give the moon a nice glow. Now import the star flare. Change the blending mode to Screen and go to Image > Adjustment > Levels. Increase the black input to 15. With the Eraser Tool (E) delete all of the image except the flare.

Step 7
Open IMG_1466.jpg from the cover CD or the zip file linked opposite – this is a cloud photo taken by Fabio Sasso. Go to Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast. Reduce the Brightness to -5 and increase the contrast to 80. Also go to Image > Adjustments > Hue and Saturation. Select Colorize, then move the Hue to 270, reduce the saturation to 4 and the lightness to -12.

Step 8
Add more clouds to your composition: the idea is to create a fluffy horizon. You can use the cloud image you downloaded from Shutterstock at the start or any similar ones of your own – just be careful to make sure the colours fit in. Import the image and place in the document. Then with the Eraser tool (E) delete the edges of the image until it’s well blended with the other clouds.

Step 9
Go to Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation. Select Colorize, then increase the hue to 220, reduce the Saturation to 12, and keep the lightness at 0. The idea is to match the colour of the clouds.

Step 10
Open stars.tif from the cover CD, import the image and place it beneath the other layers but in front of the background. Change the blending mode to Color Dodge and the opacity to 80%. Also select the lens flare layer and go to Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation. Reduce the saturation to -60.

Step 11
Now let’s add a glow effect. Select all the layers and duplicate them, then merge the duplicated layers. Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur, setting a radius of 20 pixels. Change the blending mode to Screen. With the Eraser tool (E) delete most of the image, leaving only the areas that are illuminated by the moon.

Step 12
Add a layer at the top of the layer stack and use a large, soft black brush to paint the edges of the image. The idea is to create a subtle framing effect for the image.

Step 13
You can even add your own logo or pattern on top of the image. A nice tip for pattern overlay is to apply the Liquify filter and distort the pattern according to the image beneath – this creates a great effect.

Fabio Sasso – abduzeedo.com

Create vintage poster art using Photoshop and Daz Studio

The bewildering variety of 3D software can be intimidating for Photoshop artists. One free, intuitive option is Daz Studio. Daz offers an extensive range of readymade 3D content through its site, including human figures, clothing, accessories and scenes. All this makes it possible to create 3D imagery without having to learn complex 3D modelling.

In this tutorial we’ll cover some of the basics of Daz Studio, such as how to load a figure, apply injection morphs and adds art props. You’ll then discover some great Photoshop techniques to recreate a stylised poster from a bygone era.

On the CD you’ll find Photoshop files, and the Max Muscles add-on. You’ll need to download and install the free Daz Studio 3 (tinyurl.com/dazstudio3d) and Michael 4 Base model (tinyurl.com/dazstudio3dmichael). You’ll also need the following free fonts: tinyurl.com/fontbrownwood and tinyurl.com/fontduvall.

Step 1
Open Daz Studio, check you’ve got the Content palette visible (View > Tabs > Content), then click the triangle to the right of the Content tab and choose View Folders As Tree. You’ll find Michael within the second content folder (Figures > DAZ People). Double-click Michael’s thumbnail (1). Select Perspective View, then use the Pan and Zoom tools to fit the figure to the main Viewport (2).

Step 2
Load the Max Muscles Pose library, found under the second content folder (Poses > P3DA_MaxMuscles). Ensure Michael is selected by clicking on any of his body parts in the main Viewport, then double-click the MaxMusclesBulk_INJ thumbnail to apply the morph.

Step 3
Navigate to Figures > P3DA_MaxMuscles; apply the leotard to Michael by double-clicking its thumbnail, then apply the wristbands and waistband too. These items are smart props, so load to the figure’s default position and also conform to the figure when posed. Next, revisit the P3DA_MaxMuscles Pose library and drag the MAT_Leotard_TX3 over Michael’s body and select Apply to Leotard. Apply the MAT_Wristband_2 and MAT_Waistband_2 in the same way.

Step 4
With Michael still selected, go to Content > Figures > Hair > PD3A_MaxMuscles. Double-click the MM_Hair thumbnail to apply it. Go to Content > Props > P3DA_MaxMuscles and apply the Moustache and Barbell props by double-clicking their thumbnails too. The hair and moustache are smart objects – whereas the Barbell loads to the default 3D space.

Step 5
Go to View > Viewport Layout > Four Views. To make your screen redraws quicker, select Smooth Shaded (1). Select the Barbell, then highlight the Rotation yrot Parameter dial field and enter 90.00. Now drag the Translation xtran, ytran and ztran dials to position under Michael’s right hand (2).

Select the hand from the Scene Tab (3), then hit the Camera Frame button (4). Continue to tweak the Parameter dials on the Barbell, then Control-click and select Change Parent. In the next window choose the right hand (5).

Step 6
Add the BlockWeight prop and set its ring to 90.00 Rotation, then repeat the technique as in step 5 to parent it to the left hand. Select all the finger joints by Shift + clicking their names in the Scene Tab (1), then drag the Bend slider (2) in the Parameters tab so they grasp the shaft.

Use the same technique on the thumb joints, then double-click the Twist and Side-Side names to uncheck the Respect Limits to make subtle adjustments. Now select all the left-hand names, including the thumb from the Content Tab and double-click all four Rotation dials in turn and tick Locked (4).

Step 7
Apply the POSE_01 preset to Michael – if your props are correctly parented, they’ll all follow his pose. As the right hand is not locked, you can now adjust the grip as required. Now select the Barbell and bend the shaft by setting its Lift Morph to -100.00. Finally, add the Ring prop to your scene.

Step 8
Now let’s add some lights; 3D lighting is a fairly complex subject. As a general rule it’s best to add a distant light first (from the Create drop-down menu), then add your Spotlights. Again, use the Viewport layout option to best position your lights using the Translation sliders.

There are numerous options such as Shadow Type, Shadow Softness and Illumination, so it’s best to experiment here. Next, hit Cmd/Ctrl + R to do a test render. When you’re happy go to Render > Render Settings and select the Letter preset (1) and save as a .png (2).

Step 9
Select and delete the Ring and other props, unlock the right hand and go to File > Save As. Repose using the M4_012 preset (Poses > DAZ’s Michael 4 > General Poses) (1). Now adjust the camera settings for a more dramatic angle (2), select Michael’s head and adjust the Expression Parameter dials (3). You can also select his moustache and set the dials to follow his expression. Now render to 3,000×3,522 pixels (4).

Step 10
Launch Photoshop, set your foreground and background to black and #192e55 respectively. Create a new canvas measuring 23×31.7cm at 300dpi, in RGB mode, with the background set to Background Color.

Add a central guide, then a new layer named ‘Grad’. Shift + drag a linear gradient down using the Foreground to Transparent preset, set its opacity to 85% and change the blending mode to Multiply. Next, open Frame.psd and Shift + drag its layer thumbnail as a new layer. Name it ‘Border’.

Step 11
Add your initial render as a new layer placed in a group folder called ‘ALBERTO’. Select Layer > Matting > Defringe by 1 pixel. Transform and position it in the top right corner as shown, and label it ‘Lifting’. Hold Alt/Opt while selecting a Curves Adjustment (1), then the Clipping Mask option (2). Now choose the Strong Contrast Preset (3). You can now drop the opacity of the adjustment layer to taste.

Repeat this step for your second render and label it ‘Posing’.

Step 12
Add a mask to your ‘ALBERTO’ folder, then drop in a new layer called ‘Circle’ below ‘Lifting’. Fill a circular selection using a white to #ffff9a radial gradient, then give it a layer style using an 18-pixel stroke in #981417, set to Outside.

Go to Layer Style > Create Layer. Now Cmd/Ctrl + click your ‘Border’ layer to generate a selection, target the mask and use a black brush to hide the overlaps. Now make a layer-based selection from the ‘Lifting’ layer to reinstate the block weight using a white brush. Mask the ‘Grad’ layer.

Step 13
Add a new group folder at the top of the stack and label it accordingly. Add text on separate layers. Keep your design authentic-looking and choose fonts that are reminiscent of Edwardian posters and broadsides. Add Stroked Layer Styles, then apply the Transform > Warp presets on the bolder bits of text.

Step 14
Add a new layer above your text folder and go to Image > Apply Image. Next, set your foreground and background to black and white respectively, then select Filter > Convert for Smart Filters. Go to Filter > Sketch > Photocopy, set the detail to 6 and the darkness to 7. Now set the ‘Merged’ layer’s blending mode to Linear Burn at 70% opacity.

Step 15
Now to rough it up a bit. Create a new folder at the top of the stack called ‘DISTRESS’ and Shift + drag Grunge_1.jpg from the cover CD across as a new layer, setting its blending mode to Soft Light. Add Grunge_2.jpg in the same way, and set it to 80% opacity.

Step 16
Add a #fff000 Solid Colour adjustment layer above the ‘DISTRESS’ folder, set to Multiply and 25% opacity. Finally, add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer and use the following: master saturation: -16, red saturation: -20, yellow saturation: -19. These adjustment layers desaturate and tone down the harsh whites.

Mark Mayers – markmayers.co.uk