Rediscovering the Road Not Taken …

I’ve always liked working with textures and several procedural texture generators have caught my eye over the years. At first I simply wanted an easy way to create textures and many professionals looked down at these automatic texture generators. Over the years they have gotten better and better and now it is possible to find some that will create photo real textures. Among the many commercial options Filter Forge stands out and has been at the top of my wish list.

Filter Forge is a high-end plugin for Adobe Photoshop that gives you the power to create your own filters without any programming knowledge at all. Filters include seamless textures, visual effects, distortions, patterns, backgrounds, frames, and more.

The key features of Filter Forge include the filter editor and a free online library of user-created filters. You can access the library directly from the user interface of Filter Forge. Currently the library contains more than 7500 filters.

All filters are adjustable, resolution-independent, support real-world HDRI lighting, and most of them can be seamlessly tiled. Also, filters can automatically generate diffuse, specular, bump, and normal maps, which makes Filter Forge an essential tool for artists creating 3D models and environments, architectural visualization and high-end game content. All filters are built in the filter editor – a visual node-based environment allowing users to connect familiar operations, such as blurs, gradients, color adjustments, distortions, or blending, into a network to combine their effects.

Filter Forge Editions

Filter Forge comes in three versions. A Basic Edition provides unlimited access to the filter library but cannot create new filters. Currently there are about 7500 or so user uploaded filters and most of these have controls which allow you to generate many variations so this alone is a pretty substantial offering.

The Standard Edition allows you to create your own filters, effects, textures, patterns, backgrounds and more. You get everything except specialist features such as 16- and 32-bit image modes, bitmaps resolutions larger than 3000×3000 pixels and bump/normal maps. This edition is a good choice if you don’t need extra large resolutions or need bump, diffuse, normal and other maps for 3D.

The Professional Edition was designed with the needs of 3D content and game creators in mind. It includes support for very large bitmaps, 16 and 32-bit image modes, some specialized file formats, the export of various map types useful in 3D, support for multi-core, various anti-aliasing options and more professional options.

Creating Filters
Creating your own filters with Filter Forge is accomplished via a visual node-based editor. You basically grab components and drop them on the stage, then link them together. It is conceptually simple and indeed creating basic filters is fun and fast. Most people would have no problem creating a simple effect in a minute or two.

As an example of this Filter Forge has a program that allows you to get points if you submit a filter that becomes popular  -these points can be redeemed for dollars off or even a free copy of Filter Forge. In my very first test with the Filter Forge demo I submitted an Embroidery Filter that earned me a 20% off discount.

Advanced effects and filters, of course, will require more effort and exploring the different components in more depth. If you have the Standard Edition or higher you can download the 7500 or so filters, open them in the Visual editor and look at how they are set up. You can also edit or copy and paste bits of existing filters and modify them to create your own new creations. If you browse the filter gallery you’ll see that it is possible to create some pretty complex and stunning effects; achieving this level of mastery will take work. To assist you in accomplishing this there is also a very helpful and active community of users you can discuss your own filters with.

For some users wanting the Pro version the cost may seem daunting but professionals will actually find Filter Forge Pro Edition to be a great value compared to the price of some of the single function Photoshop filters out there. The average user who wants to create filters will find the Standard Edition to be a great value. Filter Forge does run sales from time to time so you should definetly keep your eyes open for that.

Since they say a picture is worth a thousand words I recommend you check out the Gallery to see the filters in use, Browse the filter library and Download the trial version.

I am planning to create some filters and will be posting them on the site. I may also turn out a few tutorials. I anticipate using this product to not only generate finished textures but layers and details I can use in my own Photoshop work. It really is amazing stuff - so check it out.

I have had to reorder my goals a bit and so I will be staying at this job - to feed the family- and doing the creative stuff on the side. I’m going to start by trying to animate a short poem (looking around nervously in case I get slapped by any ‘real’ poets).

I’m slowly plodding along and hope that getting this short bit done will give me what I need to encourage me to get out several longer stories that have been fermenting in my brain for a number of years.

Lynda.com recently added a new set of videos to their Creative Inspirations section featuring the animation duo behind Mexopolis animation studio. As an artist, hopeful that some day I can pitch my own ideas,  I find their story very inspirational - maybe my Latino roots are also to blame it really resonated for me.

From Lynda.com:
“Jorge R. Gutierrez is a Mexican animator, writer, director, and self-proclaimed troublemaker and cartoonista. Along with his partner and wife, Sandra Equihua, he created the acclaimed animated television series El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera for Nickelodeon. Gutierrez and El Tigre have been honored with five Emmy Awards and two Annie awards.”

I have a subscription to Lynda.com yet hadn’t really noticed this Creative Inspirations series before today. It is fantastic. Even if you don’t have a subscription you can watch the first 3 videos free and I recommend you do just that.

A quick update on recent history. After going back to school to study art and animation, getting my first industry job, living the dream for 10 months then living the nightmare (getting laid off with 26 fellow artists and spending 8 months unemployed) I took a job at a construction company ABR USA.

I’ve been doing some web design, trade show publications, some Photoshop paint overs (to show what painting might look like), some advertising and now trying to learn a little Coldfusion (though my brain ain’t too happy). The adventure has made me believe it might be wise for those studying animation to get at least a few credits in graphic design and print.  It seems there were hundreds of graphic design jobs for every animation listing I found.

This job seems stable and given the way things are going I think I’ll stay. I’m trying to do some of my own work on the side. Hopefully I’ll have a Grandma Moses type renascence in my old age and get some of these ideas out of the gray matter and onto paper.

Other than that I’m still picking away at my own rambling site Stormvisions. All the rest revolves around my family - they seem fond of me for some unfathomable reason.
That’s all for now.