I got an email from Poserpros saying a new updated version of Faceshop Pro is on sale. Is this program any good? Thanks, Sherrie

bm

Forget it - this is thrown money

That bad, eh?

Absolute !!!!

Thanks! I'll save my money!

Sorry HeRe, I disagree, and there are a lot of others who would agree with me (including the renowned dr geep).

FaceShop is an excellent product. It does what the Poser Face Room is meant to do.

You can get a trial version of Faceshop Pro on download.com.  You could try it out and see what you think.  That's what I'm going to do.

There's lots of bad blood about this FaceShop program, though I'm not sure why. Some people here really hate its creator and that gets mixed in with their "product review." I think the Pro version of the program is overpriced, but I've been able to get good results on occasions. Note:-Don't expect to produce usable textures with it. The program is good for facial morph creation, but it's automatic texturing feature is nearly a joke.

Well, I can't spend any more money. If it's not great I'm passing it up. Thanks for your comments!

Sorry mathmann,
I think a lot of other who would agree with me.
Faceshop is a bad, insufficient and overpriced product.

The texture result from Faceshop Pro is a joke.

In my opinion FaceShop Pro has potential, but is in desperate need of a solid update/enhancement/improvement. I bought it from DAZ as soon as it came out and had one update since. I got no further notification for a major update so I presume this one (at PoserPros) is the one I already have?

Panko,

The next major update, FaceShop 3.5 is due in October.
It is completely FREE for all FaceShop users.
It will have some really cool new features and great improvements in quality and speed.
Laslo

This is good news. FYI, AbaloneLLC. Did you see that I solved the Head Import error on FaceShop Pro? I tried to import Koji 2's head, and it crashed FaceShop Pro every time I tried it. FaceShop Pro has crashed on other heads too, but not all of them. It turns out the UVmaps were out-of-range. So what people should do when they export a head out of Poser, is run the head through UVmapper and if the UVmaps are out-of-range, just fix it. After that, heads imported into FaceShop will work like a charm! ^^ p.s. I love FaceShop. It does what no other program can do. Here is a character I made with the help of FaceShop: bB

BB,

It is great to hear that you "love" FaceShop. It makes me sad that there are others (see further above) who don't take time to learn/enjoy and are given to ugly and rush sentiments.

A personal favor: can you send me 2-3 screenshots to document how you set/change the UV map in Poser, so that I can pass it along to others?

Laslo

Sure. ^^

Here is a suggestion: When the head imports, could there be some kind of error message that says, "Head UV Map is out of range." Or an error code of some kind so people know what the problem is? It's not the software, it's just the head is not set-up correctly for import. (Why this happens, I do not know. But I've run into this problem before on other projects.).

bB

Spanky's freeware STOMP is another great obj tool. It optimzes the OBJ (cleans up the code). (PC only though)

imho, Running an obj through UVmapper and STOMP is always a good idea. Maybe that could be included in the troubleshooting tips?

byw, I tried to replicate the Koji head import crash, but I was unable to crash FaceShop this time. ^^;;;;

bB

Abalone, let me also reiterate that I love FaceShop Pro as well. It is quite an extraordinary program, and I look forward to the new update in October.

what i find odd about it (i haven't got it) is how come there aren't a load of new characters in the MP boasting that they have custom morphs? love esther

It's not on sale anymore so I'm not buying it, LOL!

It still is at www.abalonellc.com $59.95

I have FaceShop Pro and like it!  It's not perfect and does need attention to details like placing points - and the better picture you start with, the better the result (GIGO!) and yes, I agree that the texture map benefits from some editing after being output, but this is a lot easier than starting a texture from scratch!  Approach it as a unique tool that is easy to use and can produce some useful output and you can have a lot of fun with it!  Here are some example of what I have done with it:
http://www.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/index.php?image_id=1496200
http://www.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/index.php?image_id=1494058
http://www.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/index.php?image_id=1496712

I would not have produced these pictures without FSP.

I like it...It is a clever, but not perfect program....

Its strength is in the morphing. There are much more effective ways of texturing, but at least it gives you a start for tonal issues.

I am looking forward to the improved version. 

TBH I think it could do with a dual level interface. A functional basic one for beginners, and perhaps a more versatile advanced one?

Klutz :0)

Any heads up on what will be NEW in the 3.5 update of FSP?  (Optional sidephoto perhaps?)

Yes Vestman. Here's the scoop on FaceShop 3.5:

The best: FREE upgrade to all previous FS users
What’s New in FaceShop 3.5?

• New “Iteration” feature. Allows the use of more than one photo or you can use this tool to create more than one view of the same photo and continue with corrections (for example: you have a frontal photo and use this tool to create and work off a profile view).
• Undo! (By popular demandJ)
• Five “free” lines (up from the previous three) to create more details.
• Much improved “Mirror” feature. Now interactive and can be set manually.
• Improved speed and performance
• Zoom tool.
• Interface improvements

Laslo

Looks impressive.  Looking forward to the upgrade. Good job.

Thanks for the tip about the UV mapping. I know some really old Poser stuff pulled some tricks with this, before P5 brought in the ability to tile a texture. I can't think of any reason to do it with a figure's head. Might be some silly boundary error, using less-than where less-than-or-equal-to was required. Since the end result is a morph, the change in UV data is irrelevant, but it might be awkward for any texture processing.

Laslo, that sounds great!

It does sound great! ^^

Well, I'm stoked!
Cool!

Incidentally, I am starting to build a list of beta testers for FS 3.5. Anyone who is interested pls. send me an e-mail at info@abalonellc.com

Thanks, Laslo

Quote - It does sound great! ^^

Did I mention that in addition ot 3.5 there's a Macintosh version coming up in this Fall?
I think there are about 30% of the artists who use Macintosh computers.
Are there any stats on the CPU use - anyone?
Laslo

If anyone is looking to buy Faceshop Pro, don't buy it from Daz at full price. Go to the creator's site and save yourself $20.00

http://www.abalonellc.com/faceshop-pro.html

Attached Link: video demos and trial download

save your money !!!!!!!!!

YES, save your money and tri the FREE demo version first!
Laslo

On 3.5, it is a step forward but perhaps not the leap that some would be looking for. I have had mixed results from the "refine" feature which for me was the big potential improvement area, but some of the workflow updates are welcome.

All in all a useful utility - and considering what you can pay for just one character, when FSP gives you potentially unlimited characters of your own choosing, not half bad value too!

I attach a picture of a V4 face that started life as a picture of Uma Thurman...

I'm finding the demo interesting but crash happy.

If you are using 64-bit machines, crashes do happen (you can switch to 32-bit mode). We will be issuing shortly a FREE service release to address 64-bit machines.
Laslo

Angie Jolie?

There ya' go.

Halle Berry?

hehe I like this game. :)

Uncanny! I'm too scared to try this program...even the demo. LOL I'll just watch from the sidelines.

I am sorry to say the celeb look-alikes are not the slightest bit convincing, especially that Jolie attempt above. I am not criticizing the user nor the app, just the "re-animation" paradigm.

I purchased FaceShop3.5 the other day to create characters who do not look like anyone else. I won't be able to crack it open until next weekend, but am very excited to put it into play with photographs of interesting faces I have shot, and reference photos from here:
http://www.3d.sk/

If that makes me a party pooper, make the best of it.

::::: Opera :::::

The look of an individual is very dependent on the hair and skin. I've seen remarkable celebrity look-alikes created with FaceShop when a photo is used for the facial texture and the hair is cut and pasted onto the Poser image via PhotoShop, and when the figure is in the exact same pose as the original photograph. This raises a question. "Why go to all the trouble of reproducing a photograph you already have?" I have faceshop pro and consider it capable of creating good facial morphs. Things can also go very wrong, so don’t expect better than a 50% success rate.

I have to agree with operaguy - to make a REALLY convincing celeb look-alike, you would need to out in more work than just using FSP (although I believe it would be a good start!). But as a way to generate a range of interesting faces that no-one else is using, it is a great tool.  In case there is any confusion, FSP generates the morphs AND the texture from a single photo. I usually edit the texture to tidy it up, but again, it is a great starting point.