Digital camo using current paint.net

[michaelwplde]

Found the tut 

 but not sure this is using an obsolete version.

 

I am starting from clouds, the naive approach, layers of desired color mingled with alpha transparency. However, the colors appear to be very gradient. Not desirable as a starting point. How do I flatten that pallete in each of the layers, for starters?

 

After that, might like to distort, blend, sharpen, or pixelate in some manner, to achieve the digital look. Again, scanning the tut above, seems obsolete to the current version, even with couple of 3P plugins.

 

Any advice?

[Ego Eram Reputo]

Try this alternative. No plugins are required:

1. Open a new canvas (I used 800 x 600)
2. Set Primary color to Brown (Hex 846757)
3. Set Secondary color to Green (Hex 506153)
4. Render Clouds @ Scale 138 and Roughness 0.83
5. Add a new layer
6. Set Primary color to Black
7. Ctrl + F to repeat Clouds
8. Set Secondary color to Brown (Hex 846757)
9. Add a new layer
10. Ctrl + F to repeat Clouds

 

You should have three layers with clouds rendered in Brown/Green, Black/Green and Black/Brown.

 

1. Apply Effects > Distort > Pixellate @ Cell size 18 to each of the three layers.
2. Activate the Magic Wand and lower the Tolerance to around 12.
3. On the top two layers, Shift + Click a random cell then press Delete
4. Flatten and save.

[michaelwplde]

It looks way too granulated, the colors are not maintaining their original distinctive hue. That's what I am talking about. I am trying for a brown-ish base color, and a red orange yellow digi-cam overlay. As you can see here, looks way too muddied. How do I clarify the colors first and foremost?

 

Edited September 24, 2023 by michaelwplde
Examples

[michaelwplde]

I feel like there should be a hue step, somehow, between the pixellation and magic wand steps, but I'm not sure which tooling to use there.

[Ego Eram Reputo]

 

3 hours ago, michaelwplde said:

It looks way too granulated, the colors are not maintaining their original distinctive hue

 

Taking the tolerance of the Magic Wand up a few notches will remove more of the top two layers = larger areas will show through. You can also render the clouds at a larger scale to make the pattern larger.

 

You can freely change the colors involved.

[michaelwplde]

I'm not hundred percent sure how to do that. The clouds is a nice start; but the diffision is all over the place. I want to mitigate for that to the base desired colors, if at all possible.

 

My initial swag was to start with a flat base background.

 

Then with each of the three overlay clouds, cloud between the target color and transparent alpha channel. But like I said, the result was a nasty looking filtering effect, that I really want to mitigate for, shave off excess alphas, solidify nearer desired colors... 

(?)

[michaelwplde]

Also to clarify, I've tried up and down the Clouds scaling, but the resolution just does not vary that much, or at least perhaps not in the resolution I am trying to achieve, in the range of 2048x. It is large, I know, but that is necessary given the source I am trying to augment, before I am willing to sacrifice detail for the same of camo layers.

[BDP]

Now this is real camouflage! Spot the Grandson trying it out . . .

 

Brian

[Ego Eram Reputo]

Here's a little CodeLab script to generate a random pattern at pixel level using the three colors.

 

Spoiler

// Name: Camo Pattern
// Submenu: Render
// Author: Ego Eram Reputo
// Title: Camo Pattern
// Version:
// Desc:
// Keywords:
// URL:
// Help:
#region UICode
#endregion

void Render(Surface dst, Surface src, Rectangle rect)
{
Color[] colors = new Color[]
        {
            Color.FromArgb(80, 97, 83),   // Dark Green
            Color.FromArgb(80, 97, 83),   // Dark Green
            Color.FromArgb(80, 97, 83),   // Dark Green
            Color.FromArgb(80, 97, 83),   // Dark Green
            Color.FromArgb(0, 0, 0),     // Black
            Color.FromArgb(0, 0, 0),     // Black
            Color.FromArgb(132, 103, 87),   // Brown
            Color.FromArgb(132, 103, 87),   // Brown
            Color.FromArgb(132, 103, 87),   // Brown
        };

         Random random = new Random();

    ColorBgra currentPixel;
    for (int y = rect.Top; y < rect.Bottom; y++)
    {
        if (IsCancelRequested) return;
        for (int x = rect.Left; x < rect.Right; x++)
        {
            Color color = colors[random.Next(colors.Length)];  
            currentPixel = ColorBgra.FromColor(color);

            dst[x,y] = currentPixel;
        }
    }
}

 

 

Run it over your canvas then run Pixelate at whatever Cell Size you find pleasing. Scale Down should be Bicubic and Scale Up Nearest Neighbor.

 

 

[michaelwplde]

How do you commit what CL did? As soon as I leave CL the result vanishes.

[Ego Eram Reputo]

In CodeLab hit the OK button. That forces a render to the canvas (so long as there are no errors).

[michaelwplde]

did not see an OK button. but I was able to build the script to its own plugin, that seemed to do the trick. and CSharp, huh. not the sharpest editor on the face of the planet, TBH, but it 'works'. is there a published API for it?

[BoltBait]

17 minutes ago, michaelwplde said:

did not see an OK button

Yeah, cause we hid it

in the same place it is on every dialog box ever. 
 

17 minutes ago, michaelwplde said:

CSharp, huh. not the sharpest editor on the face of the planet,

Yeah, well, you know, that's just like, uh, your opinion, man.
 

17 minutes ago, michaelwplde said:

is there a published API

There is. But your attitude is so off putting… I just can’t be bothered to tell you where. 
 

 

[michaelwplde]

same place every dialog box? not a valid assumption quite frankly... but I figured it out.

[LWChris]

I would say the easiest way without plugins is:

• Color the background layer with your base color, eg. some █ dark olive green

For each additional color of patches, repeat the following steps:

• Create a new layer (Ctrl+Shift+N)
• Reset colors to default black/white
• Use "Effects > Render > Clouds..."
  • Use "Scale" to select number of patches:
    smaller values = more and smaller patches; bigger values = fewer but bigger patches
  • Use "Roughness" to select uniformity of patches:
    smaller values = more uniformly sized, rounded patches; bigger values = more variously sized, jagged patches
• Use "Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast..." (Ctrl+Shift+T) to break it up into edges with sharp colors:
  • Turn "Contrast" to 100% - this will basically split everything into either white or black
  • Use "Brightness" to modify connectivity - adjust until you like either the size and distribution of white or black patches
• Use "Paint Bucket" tool (F) with "Flood Mode: Global" to color the patches in the desired color
• Use "Magic Wand" selection tool (S, S, S, S) with "Tolerance: 0%" to select the other parts and delete (Del)

Tips:

1. Rather than create one densely packed layer per patch color, create multiple loosely packed ones and mix the layer orders such that each color can overlay patches of other colors (e.g. Scale 100, Roughness 0.30, Brightness -40)
2. If you have varying patch sizes, order layers from bigger to smaller patch sizes
3. Create a top layer with medium sized patches of the base/background color

[Ego Eram Reputo]

An excellent technique @LWChris. It produces a more organic pattern than the OP was asking for (digital) which I assumed meant blocky/pixelated.

[lynxster4]

@michaelwplde If you have the G'mic-Qt plugin installed, go to the Camouflage filter under Patterns. 

 

I do like your way @LWChris, it allows for more 'adjustment'. I just made an animal print seamless pattern using your technique. Thank you. 😊