Unknown Effect & Sharper Outline?

[ronanzer0]

Ok, I have two questions.

What is the effect called in this picture? (the background)

 

 

Also, in the picture, I notice the ouline is MUCH more accurate and generally more quality than the 2 outline plugins I found. (pyrochild & boltbait)

On some images I see that are most likely made with photoshop, there are some jagged objects and the outlines are much sharper and cleaner than those plugins.

 

When using the outline plugin by pyrochild or boltbait, let's say I have a square object I want to outline. Sure, it outlines it, but the edges of it are rounded. This should not happen as it is square.

 

So please answer the questions above, thank you

[pyrochild]

The background is MadJik's Light Rays plugin: http://forums.getpaint.net/index.php?showtopic=4495

[ronanzer0]

Thanks, that works great.

But what about the outlines?

[BoltBait]

Try using the magic wand to select the object you want to outline, press Ctrl-I to invert the selection, then run Effects > Selection > Outline.

 

Get it in this pack: http://forums.getpaint.net/index.php?/topic/11514-

 

See if that helps.

 

Remember, you should always work at 2x your final size and resize for final render.

 

(for example, if your final graphic is going to be 100x50, create your canvas at 200x100.  Do all your work at this size and save it that way as a .pdn file.  Then, flatten and resize your image to 100x50 before saving to .png for final display.)

[ronanzer0]

Doesn't work. No matter the settings with what you suggested it makes all of the selection pure white.
And I don't really like using selection that much on anti aliased things. If I try to say recolor something I anti alias, poof, anti alias is gone because selection doesen't work with that

[ronanzer0]

Oh, I was using outline instead of outline selection... oops...

Well that isn't it either. Still the same situation :

 

the edges of the outline are rounded. This should not happen as it is square.

Edited January 8, 2013 by ronanzer0

[pdnnoob]

The way the outline object plugins work is they color pixels that are within a user-specified distance from the existing pixels. For example, if you had a single pixel and ran the outline object plugin at 5 distance, all pixels 5 or less pixels away will be colored. If you think about it, that sounds a lot like the definition of a circle (the set of all points in a plane that are a given distance from a given center point).

With an object, then, the plugins are essentially making overlapping circles around all the pixels in that object, resulting in rounded corners.

A solution to the sharpness problem is to run the outline object plugin at maximum sharpness (so it's all pixelated), then use the Basic Antialias plugin to smooth it out.

[ronanzer0]

Uh, that's the FIRST thing I tried... and by jagged, I MEAN JAGGED. (lines match up 99.9% perfect with picture.)

 

 

problem(smoothness = 0, pre anti-aliased):

Edited January 8, 2013 by ronanzer0

[pdnnoob]

I assure you if you followed what I said in my previous post, it would have turned out smooth like apshredder's sig.

However...I have a new solution that is actually quite a bit more simple: Drop shadow

Just use drop shadow without the blur and x/y shifts, and with full opacity. 1 plugin, 1 step.

EDIT: Just noticed what it is you are saying in the above post. There isn't a way to fix it other than manually squaring up the outline. Please read the paragraph in my previous post.

Edited January 8, 2013 by pdnnoob

[ronanzer0]

Can't there be another line or 2 of code to fix that/set a setting for it?

[BoltBait]

It was a little more than 2 lines of code... but, I have built a BETA/Test version of my Selection > Outline effect.

 

Try it out and see if it is what you want.

 

      OutlineSelectionSquare.zip

 

If it looks good, I'll make it part of my official plugin pack.

[ronanzer0]

Very good! But can you make a version where you don't have to select it? Because it's not always accurate w/ magic wand.

[BoltBait]

Very good! But can you make a version where you don't have to select it? Because it's not always accurate w/ magic wand.

 

I'm afraid that what ever I did you'd never be happy.

 

So, no.  I will make no further edits.

 

The source code is here, if you'd like to do it yourself.

[Djisves]

It was a little more than 2 lines of code... but, I have built a BETA/Test version of my Selection > Outline effect.

 

Try it out and see if it is what you want.

 

      OutlineSelectionSquare.zip

 

If it looks good, I'll make it part of my official plugin pack.

 

It works perfectly for right angles BoltBait. It still needs some fine tuning for acute and obtuse angles.

Still, perfectly useable as it is. Thank you, it can come in handy.

Hidden Content:

A bug, perhaps? With "Preserve canvas edges" selected, it would not draw a selection border close to the canvas edge. Not closer than the "Outline Width" selected. This was the case at the bottom right of the "X" in the image above.

[DrewDale]

A nice addition BoltBait. I will be using this for sure, thanks for creating it

[doughty]

Pyrochild's Outline Object, if angle is clicked, will give sharp corners on only one or both sides of an object. It would be real nice to see some sharp corners at every angle.

I haven't tested the plug-in yet, but from what I see above I like.

I'm pretty sure this will be a hit with sig makers.

[BoltBait]

A bug, perhaps? With "Preserve canvas edges" selected, it would not draw a selection border close to the canvas edge. Not closer than the "Outline Width" selected. This was the case at the bottom right of the "X" in the image above.

That is "by design."

If pyrochild added zoom blur to his effect it would probably do what you want.

[skullbonz]

Oh goody,goody,goody,another plugin from BoltBait. I have needed this a few times in the past,Thanks man.