I'll start by telling you what I'm trying to do.
I have an image which is 7" x 15".
I want to put this in the centre of a canvas that is 12" x 16".
It should look like this:I've selected, New Source and Canvas, then selected the image I want to use.
The details are correct for the image, in both the Source and Canvas sections and this is where I'm having problems. The only difference I noted was that the image is 100ppi, or dpi, but this came up as 72.
I assumed the Source was the image I have chosen and Canvas is the Canvas, so I changed the canvas to 12" wide and 16" high. All seem to be ok until I clicked ok; the image filled the Canvas.
I've tried this several times and getting nowhere. I've gone through the manual and think my problem is understanding the terminology, so can you help?
Can i place an image inside a larger canvas as described?
If I can, could you please explain how?
What am I not understanding about Source and Canvas?
if there a way to select then move, or resize the image being used, while painting? I did try this using layers, but that is different too.
I'm sure this is more about my understanding of the terminology used within SA.
Thank you!
Replies
The underlying metaphors for how Studio Artist is constructed are very different then Photoshop. So if you expect Studio Artist to work the same way, you're always going to be butting your head against the fact that it's different.
Studio Artist uses the Source like a painter would use a model, or a small polaroid photo, as a reference for whatever it is Studio Artist is going to paint. Visual attributes are extracted from the source, and can be used to modulate things going on inside of Studio Artist.
The source image always maps into the current canvas image. It sounds like that is confusing you when you erase to the source.
The New Source and Canvas menu command is going to create a canvas sized as you specified in the resize dialog that comes up after you select the image to load as the source. That new canvas image is erased to whatever the current 'erase to' setting is. You probably had it set to erase to source image, so that's why the source gets put in the new canvas. If you had your 'erase to' setting defaulted to white, then the new canvas would be all white.
Here's a tip on erasing the canvas that describes what i mean by 'erase to' setting.
...
I hope the default behavior you are getting when you run the New Source and Canvas menu makes sense now. I'll discuss the rest of what you are trying to do in a second post here.
Ok, so let's try and think of some different ways to do the other part of what you want to do.
Now in Studio Artist 3 and 3.5, layers could be different sizes. So with that SA 3.5 workflow, you could have made a big layer1 and erased it to white, then made layer 2 fit the size of your source image, then position layer 2 in the center of layer 1, then composite them appropriately, flatten the view, and you are done.
Variable sized layers went away when apple forced use to rewrite the entire program when they made their PPC to Intel transition. For various reasons, variable sized layer support went away during this rewrite.
I think this is a classic example of why companies like apple should not go out of their way to force application developers to rewrite perfectly fine working code. Things get lost along the way.
Studio Artist V4 and V5 require that all of your layers are the same size.
And i explained the default source to canvas mapping that is taking place all the time in my first post here.
So, what is one to do to get to where you want to go?
In general, there's usually at least 2 different ways to do something. But you might have to stretch your brain a little bit to figure out what they are.
Using Interactive Warp was one idea i had. So i fired up V5 and ran the experiment below.
Just to be clear, i erased the canvas to white before i tried the Uniform Scale interactive warp effect. I moused down in the center of the canvas, and then pulled the mouse to the right, then released the mouse (mouse up) when i had it scaled where i wanted it to be.
I have the Boundary set to Clip. As it turns out, Clip extends the boundary pixel out as necessary to fill the canvas. I had generated an artsy black border effect on the painting that was the current Source Image. You can see some single non dark boundary pixels that are extending out as well. If my source image had a tiny white boundary in it, then we would at this point have gotten where you want to go.
To finish it up, i used Rectangle Selection to select the centered image, then inverted the selection, turned on Mask, and erased to white.
And you are done.
This exercise was worth doing, because it pointed out a few things for me to look at. I ended up having to use Scale Proportional interactive warp to get the borders right, which either means scale uniform has a bug, or we need a third Scale option in there.
I figured this out when i tried to use the Frame Partition Selection option. There should be a Scale warp option that does exactly what Frame Partition Selection is doing. The dimensions of the borders are not quite right in my example above because i was winging it with trying to get the proportional warp right.
It seems like it would also be nice to have another Boundary option in Interactive Warp, one that doesn't do any extension of the boundaries. With that, you could run the interactive scaling warp on a white canvas and you would then be done.
So, thanks for running me through this whole exercise.
Now about that second alternative. Put on your MSG hats, and think it through. I'll post on how to do it that way later if no one beats me to it.
First may i say, thank you for taking the time to reply!
I think you are right about my use of PS and other apps.
Maybe to set in my ways to get my head around another way!?
I think I'll get the image as I want, size etc and then pull it into SA.
Sometimes ago I asked SA a feature margin which is the space between the image and the edge of the printed/painted material, in SA I want full source inside my canvas with free space outside of it (even I want a margin with circle shape not square), I know I can use Photoshop or ... to create a margin shape source before starting to paint (on my canvas), but it takes my time.
SA developers say I can use Selection function but in a preset with many sub functions I must change every single line every time that want to paint.
maybe margin can help you too.
So every layer would have a 'framing' feature?
Or it would be a global view option?
Interesting idea. A picture frame. I'll think about it.
Now is a very good time for feature change ideas.
Now is a very good time for feature change ideas
I know There are many functions inside SA that we can paint generative art like this:
https://www.instagram.com/in.white.rooms_/
I know SA is giant, but please see this (tiny/old/not alive/slow/free) windows software:
http://picpaks.com/
It is a program designed to pack objects together over a background mask file, import external png and has few features that I hope to see in SA too like import external colorful SVG and process as fast as possible.
We're offering some improved 'close pack' features in upcoming updates.
You can drop alpha masked image folder brush nibs into masked areas, like this example you show. You make your mask in the selection buffer, then setup Paint Start control panel in the paint synth so your path start points are always inside of the mask area.
So yeah, svg folder brushes that passed through their structure would be super cool. It's definitely on our super long and always expanding 'to do' list.
Are you saying you want us to use Instagram's interface aesthetic?
Or you wanted to point out the artwork of the artist?
Which is great, and i think things like this can be generated inside of Studio Artist in different ways.
I'd ultimately like the program to be modular enough that users could build their own custom interfaces.
Hi Both... I feel like I have dropped into another world. The terminology is the thing!?
As someone trying to be creative, I don't want to be burdened with all the stuff going on under the hood.
I just want to create.
I would like to see more creative steps demonstrated.
Maybe a new category could be added to your webpage;
'This was created using SA'
With simple examples to complex, multilayered pieces.
I'm not a mechanic, I'm a painter and I just want to know how to use the tools!? Please?
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