Luminous Landscape Forum

Raw & Post Processing, Printing => Digital Image Processing => Topic started by: RobinFaichney on May 02, 2013, 08:40:54 am

Title: How to get "paper texture" effect in PS?
Post by: RobinFaichney on May 02, 2013, 08:40:54 am
I do some artwork reproduction and I've been asked to try to match a print done by another printer, unfortunately now deceased. I could just copy the print but it's behind glass and I'd rather avoid digging it out if I can.

The target is a pen and ink drawing, black on white, to which the other guy has added an effect that I have no idea how to achieve (not that I know much about such things generally).

He's somehow gotten fine, faint lines running horizontally across the whole thing that look close up like paper texture but from further away the effect is just a slight shading.

I'm guessing this would be done in PS but I don't know. My experience is mainly of Lightroom, not that I have a lot of that either.

Any ideas? By the way, I only have PS Elements 10.
Title: Re: How to get "paper texture" effect in PS?
Post by: kirkt on May 02, 2013, 09:54:11 am
If it is a paper texture, you could photograph or scan a similar type of paper (watercolor paper, illustration board, pastel paper - whatever the look requires) and then use that texture overlaid on the working image.  Mount the paper to a flat board and light it uniformly (even setting it in daylight on a sunny day) to get the surface relief captured properly.  You want to make sure that the light is uniform across the sample so you do not have a subtle but annoying low-frequency gradient of light to shadow from one side of the sample to another.

Once you have the texture, there are many ways you can blend or incorporate it into the working piece.  Make sure you sample the texture at a high enough resolution so that the size of the texture in the composite is correct for the look you are trying to achieve.  The faint lines across the image sounds like pastel paper.

There are also artificial ways of generating these textures and you may be able to find something online that fits your needs.  THere is a PS plug-in called "Filter Forge" that will do the trick, although it cost $ and you would have to make sure it is compatible with Elements 10.  Some digital painting applications also supply these textures (Painter comes to mind) but, again this costs $ and is overkill.

good luck!

kirk
Title: Re: How to get "paper texture" effect in PS?
Post by: RobinFaichney on May 03, 2013, 04:10:11 am
Thanks a lot Kirk. I just looked at Filter Forge and it's interesting but a bit pricey and maybe a steepish learning curve for something that I might never use again. I'd be keen to have a go at the other idea but finding the right texture to copy might be difficult. I think I might have to talk to the client about opening up the frame and copying the existing print.
Title: Re: How to get "paper texture" effect in PS?
Post by: texshooter on May 05, 2013, 01:43:43 am
This program is suppose to allow you to add your own textures to their library.

http://www.gettotallyrad.com/dirty-pictures/tech-info/

Title: Re: How to get "paper texture" effect in PS?
Post by: sniper on May 05, 2013, 05:32:12 pm
This program is suppose to allow you to add your own textures to their library.

http://www.gettotallyrad.com/dirty-pictures/tech-info/


It does allow you to add textures and it's easy to use.