My answers:

Thanks for the suggestions, good ideas for 3.5
In detail:

1)  If you have to dot this and that, why do you have to draw lines around the same areas.  It would seem to me that the drawing part would be better than dotting this and that.  It seems very repititious to me (of course, I'm not a programmer either).

Answer: the dots are to align TempMan (the 3D head) w. your photo. This is an effective and patented way to set up step 2 - the curves.

1. The interface is not intutive:  hovering the mouse pointer over an icon should tell you what it is for.  Simple to remedy.

Answer: agreed - will do.

1. User manuals should never be written by the programmer.  Too technical.  I've written many user manuals for proprietary company programs after just using them.  The instructions/user manual is vague and terrible.

Answer: we did rewrite/improve the manual in SR1. Still needs more work for 3.5.

4)  A good tutorial, and not one from someone who has only used it for a couple of days.  The tutorial included was okay, but skipped many steps.  No offense to the person who posted it, but in all honesty it lacked the professionalism for a tutorial for a program that is seriously dysfunctional.

Answer: yes and no. I just loved the freshness and style of the user (gojugirl). It is irresistable.

5)  Separate user's manual for the Pro and DAZ Studio versoins of the program.  Laziness includes both programs together only to confuse everyone.  While on the topic, put the export Poser figure (David, Vicky 4, etc.) at the beginning, then move on to FaceShop Pro instructions.

Answer: Laziness? No, but you have a point. We are thinking of issuing separate flavors (FS for Poser, Fs for Studio, Fs for 3DS Max, FS for Photoshop, etc.)

I hope this helps. Before you totally cream the program, pls. give us some credit - we work very hard every day to improve and make it a really compelling product. And yes, it has great promises - no argument there.
Laslo

Quote - Speaking of Meow. . .

I just tried to create a cat face for the Mil Cat using FaceShop Pro with terrible results.  The OBJ I imported into the program cut the cats ears off.  In real life, the cat actually had part of his left ear cut off by whoever had him before me.

The texture BMP didn't look anything like it should.  Am I to assume we can only work with M3 and V3/V4 in the Pro version as well as the basic version?

The product description says you can use "any" figure.  Obviously it was never tested on all figures (which would be impossible), but I would assume at least the DAZ Millenium figures.  It also doesn't work well with Apollo 2007 if you are using a photograph of  a man with a beard.  The beard figure is not available for the 2007 version and I was hesitant to use the 2005 version because it doesn't fit Apollo 2007.  The resulting texture map cuts off everything below the nose except the mouth.

Maybe I'm expecting too much.  I do think the program has great potential, but is far from being ready for primetime, or maybe just Poser.  I wonder if I'd have better results using DAZ Studio.

Hmmm. I tried FS Pro with the P7 Dog and found the following:

Best to export the dog with similar morphs than the photo. (What I mean is that on the photo of a German Sheppard the dogs mouth was open - so I used the dials to open the mouth before exporting. Similarly, in the photo the ears were pricked up, so I did same on the morph before exporting.
I got relatively nice results. Unlike with humans, this needs a lot of experimenting - so, patience is advised. However, animals can work. 
(BTW: we did remove the reference to many animals in the product page, exacctly because some animals were not tested at all).
Laslo

Quote - Hey, does anyone know who owns the copyright on this image?

This is funny:-)
But I don't think Bill owns the copyright. Mugshots, as well as political pictures (the official picture of the president) are in public domain, as are many other photos.
Ooops, I just fell into this trap again - flapping my lips about copyright.
Sorry,
Laslo

As I said, I am not a lawyer. I have addressed a question which asked how the application handled/created textures.
I also find this whole discussion way overblown. I am sorry to say this but it seems that some are bending backwards to find something objectionable at any price. (This, by the way is not a privilege FS hold, naysayers rip every other product to shreds, often without even trying to use it first).
Laslo

Developers reply:

In regard to the texture map: There are NO original pixels left in the texture map created by FaceShop: every pixel IS replaced and remapped.
The resulting new texture map is new in every respect. This new texture map is the result of how the user sets up/traces the curves - which is an artistic decision.
While I am not a lawyer, from technical point of view the new textures represent a new and unique art work that does not share pixels with the original image in any ways. 

Laslo

Quote - "Yes I still call it a Beta piece of software based on Laslo posting that they're still accepting BetaTesters for the software."

You mean selecting beta testers. All the promoting I have done and has made a point to ask others in every thread I have posted in.

Think it was something I said? LOL.

Poser faceroom lost a lot of use being restricted to EF figures.

Laslo answers:
Just for clarification:
FaceShop 3.15 is final and shipping. It is not beta!!!
I am asking for beta testers to sign up for FUTURE releases (3.5 and beyond).
Laslo

Quote - > Quote - My issues with Faceshop Pro are that they are charging way too much money for what is essentially, a BetaTest piece of Software! I find charging your beta testers a full software package price to be at best a slip shode way of getting a decent software package to market at worst, slightly unethical. Just my opinion. I returned it and got my money back. Feel free to let me know when you guy's are completely done beta-testing it.

 

The product ISN'T in Beta. It's complete software. Now if you had said it was simply something you couldn't learn within what you consider a reasonable amount of time, then fine, but don't call it Beta software. It's giving some people the results they expected.

If you expected to scan a picture from a magazine cover, and in 10 minutes be working with a replica of Jessica Alba, then you paid a few hundred bucks too little for your "Beta."

Anyway, Laslo, would it be possible for me to get into the Beta for the next version? I'd love to be involved. I've got previous Beta experience on a high level. I'd love to help be a part of making this an even better product! (Is there somewhere we should watch for an announcement of the Beta opening up?)

Positvely. Pls. e-mail me to info@abalonellc.com and I'll place you on the beta list.
And yes, we are very interested in suggestions to fixes and new features.
Laslo

Quote - Excellent! I am happy to hear that improvements are in the works.

Is this a good place to post improvement suggestions?

Yes, yes and yes.
Laslo

Quote - I haven't been all that impressed with what I've seen of FaceGen.  It's an awful lot of money for a mono-use 3D app.  Sure, you can generate some great virtual duplicates of people......but at a very high price.  If a relatively low-cost app comes along which does the same thing as FaceGen for a reasonable price, then FaceGen might just find itself out of business.

Could FaceShop Pro be that app.........?  Maybe.

TrueSpace has a built-in face generating function -- and at least with TS, you are getting a full-blown modeling app for the money: not just a restricted-use face creation software package.  On top of which, FaceGen isn't Poser-friendly, either.  You've got to jump through a lot of hoops to create a workable face for V4 -- or any other Poser figure -- using FaceGen.

If they can smooth the wrinkles out of FaceShop Pro (no pun intended): then they'll have an advocate for the program in me.

Hi XENOPHONZ
I love your pun (smooth the wrinkles out of FaceShop Pro ), it shows humor and a generous spirit, something that is not shared by a few here.
Yes, indeed, we are smoothing. I hope we can smooth a lot and add a few useful features to 3.5 (due out in the Fall). 
One of the new features I am thinking of is the abilty to create a head, trun it to a new angle AND then go back and re-iterate it again. This woulod be a process where you could refine the intial results using new angles.
Of course I also agree with idea of adding sliders to controll deformity (as applied to specific items).
Pls. sign up for 3.5 beta when it is time:-)
Laslo

Quote - Thanks to both of you.  I'll probably give FaceShop a shot at some point.

It does something that I'd very much like to be able to do.  Or at least it offers the possibility of doing something that I'd very much like to be able to do.

Hi there!
If it helps, pls. check out some of the cool threads on DAZ, as well as the Celebrity Look-alike contest (http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/contests/public_vote/-/?id=21)
Laslo

Quote - Odd..

I am still getting 3.1 when I click that box, but I am able to select 2048x2048

So do I have the revised version?

:0/

You do. Only SR1 has the 2048 res.
Laslo

Well said. I will talk to DAZ about this.
Laslo

Quote - Thank you Laslo, I just did.... I find it rather peculiar that DAZ customers have never been notified that a SR was available.... Omission? Sloppiness?... Total disregard for customers?... All of the above?.... None of the above?.... Well, maybe it's because of the climatic changes.... :))
OK... I'm going to have another go at the thingy and let's hope.... Hope is everything in this life, isn't it?.........:unsure:

Panko,

Spoke too soon. There was a huge newsletter announcing the upgraded version.
I also posted announcements on the forums.
At any rate, SR1 (FS 3.15) is here and it works:-)
Laslo

HeRe,

Maybe the program is not the only thing slovenly here.
When you click on the info button (BIG RED ARROW, so that even you can see), it gives you the info about the product version, the creation day and so on.
Good morning.
Laslo

Check out the Celeb Look-alike contest at DAZ:
http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/contests/public_vote/-/?id=21

Laslo