Tom, I find it easier to trace the image in Autocad (no fighting the inference problems), then importing the dwg linework (image erased of course) into SU to finish up.

There are tracing programs that can create a path that can be exported as a dxf, but I personally found the clean up of such took longer than tracing in acad.

Have fun, Tom.

Cool...but why not just hit "reverse faces" :`)

...the work of extending and refining my rendering skills ("now" refered to my satisified smile :`)

...new (satisfied) smile: now the real work begins.

...2016!

...if any :`)

Wow! Dale, what a great link and site...thanks a bunch! (It is fun foolin' with a bunch of layers and playin' the possibilities, huh?)

I use PSP and I assume there may be a way to write a script for repeats, but...what I do is save a PSP file with all the layers and settings, then for a new image I start with that: either copying my new stuff into it or layers from it into my new file. It works, and I can then fuss the new as I choose.

Really cool, Dale, and the color composition is great!

I had an idea to try: make a layer copy of the image before applying the stroke filter, then play with erasing out areas to give the stroks some variance and punch...?

Thanks, Fred, Ross...the link in this link explains the tech: http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=81&t=22160&p=186553#p186371 have fun!

...which suddenly looks much better to me than it did :`) Whada-you think?

You must really enjoy pissin' people off to want a bunch of serious photographers to study and consider your fake work...

Early morning LOL, thanks! (Though they all sound more like fetish clubs than restaurants :`)

My fav is the "Pu Pu Hot Pot"!

We "look" with a DOF, much like a camera (or the camera like us, I guess), but we don't "see" with a DOF (even if we try, we can't really visualize its full extent)...our mind's eye fills the blurry edges with focused info. So to me, an image using much DOF almost always looks "wrong"...unless, of course, the subject isn't really the stuff of the image, but rather the mood, the "place" or "time", the atmosphere and experience of actually being in the space with that stuff in the image.

So I guess I agree with those here who would apply DOF postpro...artistically calculated for effect, rather than mechanically calculated for "realism".

Durantism...?

...just for grins: need to finish the back story so I can finish the composition. Any suggestions?

(BTW...1000wide Twilight Easy07 render with a couple of heavy handed postpro layers in PSP)

Thanks Nom, did one of the ballpark (real loose) and now done for awhile:

Cool...really cool! (Last one's my fav...so far? :`)

Continuing to explore the tech from this thread http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=81&t=22020#p185307 (BTW thanks again for all the kind words there...it has been a long road, huh?) I went back to a couple of the early models I'd used for render practice before (sorry about some of the growies in the last three...they are a couple of years worse that my recent) and here are the results. Look pretty good to me, even if I do say so myself...what do you all think?

lipsurinal thank you

+1 on the grass...looks a bit dodged out?
+1++ on everything else...lovely image!