Hi,

Can anyone explain or point me to a tutorial showing how to add these very thin cracks to an image? I believe it will be categorized under antique effects, but I'm not sure...
I don't want to change the image contrast or colors, just to add these cracks.
Thanks

There are abundant PS brushes in the Marketplace.  I've seen one by Designfera that is called Cracks.  Have a look at that.bruxh set.  It may be what you are looking for.  You can put the cracks on a separate layer in PS and make whatever adustments you want the use a blending option to refine the appearance wth the image layer.

are you looking to add this effect to an object (like a vase or vanity)?? or just to the overall image itself??

Overall the image. The idea is to get a feeling of a rough canvas, the cracks should be very thin.

That is very different than I first thought.  I will have to think of that. 

A great cheap paint program that has canvas surfaces is ArtRage.  There is a free version and a $20 version.  You may be able to import the image and apply the canvas surface.  Images can also be exported to .psd format.

Thanks ArtWithin, I'll check the free version, though canvas texture seems to be one of the full version properties. 

Other suggestioned are welcomed too guys :-)

I think you might want to check out the textures under filters, there is a canvas texture that can be applied for a basic canvas look;  the texture "height" can be adjusted then add your cracks...

I'm pretty sure you can find 2d texture packs with cracks and surface textures in the market place here at Renderosity.  You'd use them as overlays.

I don't know what to look for.

I believe an image worth 1000 words. I took a picture of a small piece of a picture I have in my leaving room (from the reflection you can see the textured cracks are 3D).
Any idea how to make such pattern?
Mind you the area enclosed in such small shape is about half centimeter, overall there should be lot of very small and thin shapes to fill the image.

Thanks...

http://img28.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=22174_Sample_122_903lo.jpg

Now that I have seen your example, I return to my original suggestion of Designfera's Cracks brush in the Marketplace.  I tested it on one of my paintings, using brushes with full image cracks (3), one of which has a shadow effect with could be used for 3D effect with an emboss filter.

I used a new layer, reduced the size to approximate what you show in your example, then duplicated the layer enough times to cover the painting.  After positioning each crack layer, I merged them, and tired composite blend and/or reduced opacity.

Also, if you wanted some areas without cracks, you can erase sections from your merged layer, giving an uneven cracked canvas.  Remember to save the image before you start erasing, so you don't get stuck without a way to get the original crack layer back if you make a mistake erasing.

Hope this helps.  I really don't have any other suggestin that would be as good as the one above.

Best wishes,
Suzanne

You can take pictures of cracks (just with your digital camera - turn the flash OFF for this) and overlay them onto your image. Works great.

Find a crack you like that is on an even colored surface (like solid color of paint, etc - doesn't matter what color as long as you can see the crack clearly), or if it is reflective (say, a mirror, or glass, shiny paint, etc.) then get a cheap white posterboard and hold it up so the entire reflection is now a dull gray (don't worry - no matter how bright the white board is, the reflection will be dulled in the end and you can work with it).

Get that image into PS, desaturate it (Image>Adjustments>Desaturate), and change the Layer Mode to Multiply. Bring up your Levels (Image>Adjustments>Levels) - since the layer is in Multiply Mode, anything BLACK will be seen, and anything WHITE will dissappear. Adjust your levels to get the desired effect of the crack in the image you're looking for, and then either Mask everything else you don't want, or paint with 100% WHITE whatever you want to hide from view.

This is also how you can then create your own custom brushes from ANY texture/object you find and want to use later.

Hope that makes sense - good luck!
-Lew ;-)

ArtWihin, thundering1, thank you for your efforts.
I will try your suggestions.
Best regards

Hi Shareone,

Your question made me remember a PSP tut (shock horror! dont burn me at the stake please!) I would say that the processes would have enough similarities to give you some ideas to work with.

Here is the link below.

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/tutorial/index.php?tutorial_id=360   

Hope it helps.
Jenny.

So you have Photoshop? Here is a tut that might work if you do :)

http://www.webdesign.org/web/photoshop/drawing-techniques/mosaic-of-a-palm-tree-and-fruit.12641.html

Thanks, it's great :-)

1-Open your image

2-Press "D" to set your default colors to black and white

3-Open a new layer above your background-base image and fill the new layer with white and set layer mode to Multiply

4-Go Filter-->Pixelate-->Mezzotint make sure "long strokes" is set and apply this about 8 times (Ctrl+F to repeat the filter)

5-Go Image-->Rotate Canvas-->90* CW

6-Press Ctrl+F to continue applying the Mezzotint filter this time across the opposite axis of the image.

7-Go Image-->Rotate Canvas-->90* CCW turn off Mezzotint layer visibility

8-Open a new layer above your Mezzotint layer and set this layer's mode to Multiply

9-Go Filter-->Render-->Clouds

10-Go Filter-->Render-->Difference Clouds

11-Go Image-->Adjustments-->Equalize

12-Go Image-->Adjustments-->Threshold enter 4

14-Repeat steps 8-13 at least 2 more times and turn on visibility for all layers

15-Link all layers together except for your base image layer and Merge Linked, this is now your cracks layer

At this point you have options as to what to do with your cracks layer. You can stop here and set layer mode to Multiply and reduce layer opacity to about 30% merge with your base image and you're finished.

To turn this crack layer into an alpha channel make sure the cracks layer is the topmost layer in the Layers palette, layer mode is set to Normal and layer opacity is set to 100%. Go to the Channels palette and while holding down the Ctrl key left mouse button click the Red channel. This will select all the white areas. To invert this selection so that only the cracks are selected: Hold down Ctrl+Shift and press "I". Now the cracks are selected and the "Save selection as channel" icon will turn on at the bottom of the Channel palette…a little square with a circle in it…click on this icon to make the selection an alpha channel.

Ctrl+D to deselect, Make a copy of your base image and you can safely apply a Lighting Effects filter using the alpha channel as the texture channel in the filter. Since these are cracks and therefore pitted into the image, it is better that you leave "white is high" unchecked and set the height to 1 or there about.

To add further depth to the cracks you can utilize the crack layer in the Layers palette by setting it to Multiply mode and set opacity to about 10% on top of the Lighting Effects rendered image.

You can merge these two layers and change layer mode to Soft Light. Since it now hovers as a separate layer over your untouched base image you can further manipulate by erasing further anything you might find distracting allowing the base image to show through. When satisfied you can flatten your image.

As an aside, steps 9-12 above can also be used to create veins and lightening effects by manipulating the Threshold adjustment.

Quest

Thank you all !

Attached Link: Redfield Craquelure3D

funny avatar you have

Hi oneric I saw the youtube clip linked from your blog, I even subscribed to MadV!

i do not understand  the "subscribe to Madv"

but i suppose you refer to the video with hey You made with the free Madona song as inspiration source. And pictures from my time as a firefighter.

regards 
One5910

1-Add a layer on top of the original image and fill it with white

2-On that layer apply Filter -- Render -- Clouds

4-Apply Filter -- Stylize -- Find Edges

5-Apply Images -- Adjustments -- Equalize

7-Copy this layer and place it on top then apply Filter -- Other -- Offset set right and down pixels to 1 and Undefined Areas as “Wrap Around”

8-In the Channels palette click on the Red channel while holding down the Ctrl key. This will select the white area on the offset layer

9-In the Layers palette disable visibility for the top layer (offset layer) and highlight the layer below it so that we can work on it. This should be the original un-offseted threshold layer. Now press the Delete key. Most of the white area except for the un-offseted white will become transparent allowing the original image (the bottom most layer) to be seen between the cracks. The remaining white appear as the highlighted uplifted edges of the dried cracks. This layer now becomes our crack layer.

10-Reduce opacity of the crack layer to about 25% or to your liking

12-Finally, flatten your image to finish.

Quest

nice tutorial
well done

Wow! Great stuff! Thanks for the info. Jen