Art Software

[keishamari]

It has been a while since I have posted, but I thought someone here might have a suggestion for me. I do digital art right now usually using only photoshop and painting in painter. However, for my full-time job, I write instruction manuals for a major tent manufacturer. These are printed in black and white. For illustrations in the manuals, I use photographs where I can, but sometimes the photos are too cluttered with background, so I trace the parts of the photo that I need (using AutoCad or Illustrator), print to pdf, put in photoshop and tweek to show what I need to show. (I am attaching a sample).
Does anyone have any ideas about how I could go about this process in a faster manner? Any type of software that might help? This can sometimes be very time-consuming if there is a lot of detail I need to show.
I would apprectiate any suggestions.
Thank you,

[jhercilia]

Why you are not doing the tracing in photoshop with the use of paths for straight lines, even the pecil works. Now with the use of perspective guides in photoshop cs and cs2 everything will be in proportion. This way you wouldn't have to be jumping from one program to the other.

You can also import your illustrator files directly into photoshop cs2 as linework or as a smart object in case you need to edit your illustrator file.

As for the example you are showing, I don't see why you couldn't do everything either in photoshop or illustrators (using gradients to do your shading). If done in illustrator, you can always resize the file without degradation.

[keishamari]

Illustrator is definitely a possiblity, however, I am very adept with drawing in AutoCad. I can draw/trace more quickly in this program than I can in photoshop. Unless, of course, you know of a tool in Photoshop of which I am unaware. I need to draw straight diagonal lines and I do not know how to do that in photoshop.
Do you know of a way to do this? But even so, it is still very time consuming. I was hoping there was a program that could somehow pick up outlines. I know...this is probably just a dream...but that is what I am after. Do you know of a way to do this?
I know I have seen commercials on TV done this way. They are very lifelike but are done in outlines. I am including another sample.
Thanks for your help.

[jhercilia]

in photoshop you would use the path tool which are vectors too. This picture you have here can be easily done with the path tool in photoshop. You control your shapes with the anchor points. Same as in Illustrator. Photoshop cs2 has an option for trancin edges. I don't know which version you have. But with this version you would select the Freeform Pen and the Pen tool.

Another simple option is just to trace loosely what you need and scan it. Illustrator has an option that will trace your image and conver it into paths or outlines. Then you would use the fill to fillout the areas. If you have a tablet, then just put the photo on your tablet and just trace the areas you want directly into any program, as this guy does: http://www.adobe.com/products/illust...o/joshuadavis/

Here: http://www.adobe.com/products/illustrator/overview.html you can see a demo about Illustrator's Live Trace. A more detaile video here: http://totaltraining.com/prod/adobe/illustratorcs2.asp (the second on the left column) It will trace any bitmap image and turn it into vector object which you can then fill out too. All programs has a learning curve. But if you didn't have trouble learning Autocad, I don't think you will have any problem learning the basics for Live Trace.

[keishamari]

Wow Janet! What a wonderfully detailed answer. Lots of information. I will try all of these. I do have a tablet and I have photoshop cs2.
I have not used these things yet. Thank you!

[jhercilia]

You're welcomed. Let me know how things work out. Your experience with these new tools.

[Elainepsq]

One more thing I'd like to add: In photoshop, when you are drawing with either the pencil or the paint brush tool, if you click at one point, and then hold down your shift key and click at a second point, photoshop will draw a straight line between those points. That can make drawing straight lines a lot faster and more accurate.

[LadyAlba]

Very clean drawings! ;o)

[keishamari]

Thank you so much for the suggestions...I do appreciate the help!
I will be trying these things soon...and some of them I already have.

[justjean]

Happy to see that Janet is here to help