Playfield images

[Itchigo]

Is anyone interested in helping me clean up a playfield image? I'm trying to learn but it's new to me. I'm not sure what to use (filters, cropping, etc). I have Photobie, Paint.net, and Photopad if anyone wants to help walk me through what I should be doing. I'm not posting the picture as it's a secret- excepting if I'm working with someone obviously. But it's a table has hasn't had any attention for a while. What I need to do is sharpen it up and maybe brighten it up to make it look better, it's not in too bad shape, but I want it to look better and more crisp. Thanks.

 

[Shockman]

What do you have? A .jpg or .bmp, or some other format? If it's just image manipulation you need, you could e-mail it to me. I, and I think anyone else would have to see it to give advice. I don't know what filters those programs have, but I could run it through PS for you.

If you have not tried filters, you could try those, or tools that sharpen, dodge, burn, etc. There is really nothing that is magic though, The new PS showed some examples that looked like magic, but I so far could not get those kinds of results. I think those images were photoshopped :)

By the way. I don't know if it will help what you want, but I also wanted to mention in your 'sizing' thread at VPF that offset is handy as well, if you have not found and experimented with that, it seemed to be relevant to your first problem, but I'm banned from there again.

Good luck with your image.

 

[Itchigo]

I think I might have let it out inedvertantly at vpf in help, so here it is. The playfield looks better and is brighter but still looks a little out of focus when the game starts. The backglass I haven't done anything on yet. My thing is I'm not sure what tool to use or what they do- beyond brighten and sharpen. I'm hoping to get a real sharp image as I've seen the real game, the playfield was sharp, the backglass wasn't.

 

[Itchigo]

Here's the original playfield image.

 

[druadic]

Itchigo;

Here is the image after using Photobrush's "quick enhance" and "sharpen" modes. This may be a bit better for you. Let me know; I can dabble with this a bit more but it looks like you're stuck with some redrawing.

d

I HIGHLY recommend Photobrush 5 for just about everything graphic related.

 

[Shockman]

What this image needs most before any editing or filtering is done is to be run through a high quality resizer. I got a real good one from free give away of the day website about a year and a half ago but it did not make it to my new computer. What they do make an image larger, but make them look like they were made that way, not just enlarged.

It is going to need a redraw, but it's currently too small to do a redraw. You have one pixel between the | | of the letter N. One of them has two. But you need to get it so you have 3 and the least, you could move the | | apart but really you should have 4 or more pixels fot the \ . A good resizer has filters built in as well so you might be happy enough just using one of those when you hit on good settings. Look for a free trial of a nice one online, but make sure you can save an unmarked image.

Get it out of jpeg as soon as possible. Maybe before, maybe with, but not after resizing. But if you have access to a de-jpeg filter you will want to try running through that first thing of all, but revert if it goes too far. and forget it if it blends too much together.

With this image. Anything close to perfection will require a total redraw. However you might be happy enough if you put enough trial into the above suggestions.

Good luck.

 

[Itchigo]

Thanks guys, this is new to me so I don't know what are the limits of what can be done. I'm assuming a redraw is essentially painting the image from scratch over the old one. At least there's not a lot of intricate designs.

 

[druadic]

Thanks guys, this is new to me so I don't know what are the limits of what can be done. I'm assuming a redraw is essentially painting the image from scratch over the old one. At least there's not a lot of intricate designs.

Anytime Itchigo - sometimes the best thing to do is keep a file BMP - stays MUCH clearer than JPG. Anyway, I'll usually drop an image into Microsoft Paint and go at it pixel by pixel! Sometimes it's the only way to redraw something that a graphic program can't fix! It's the only way I could get a few of my WIP get to the finish stage! Cutting and pasting can work too.

d

 

[faralos]

MS paint works wonders

I also use MS paint for play field touch ups especially when I redid the zizzle tables! the actual playfields still had shots of the ball and flippers! they had to be taken out pixel by pixel take a gander at that Pharoah WIP I just started. all that crap on the playfield pic must be erased pixel by bloody pixel in MS paint! the field shot shows flippers, slings ball rails, and because I had to stretch the pic to get it to fit onto a table these things don't really line up with their vp counterparts, so must be taken off the playfield! See those circled areas? that is just one area that must be redone. There are no easy ways to do this so, welcome to the club! Now you see what crap some of us go thru for these fields good luck! have fun!

 

[tiltjlp]

I think I might have let it out inedvertantly at vpf in help, so here it is. The playfield looks better and is brighter but still looks a little out of focus when the game starts. The backglass I haven't done anything on yet. My thing is I'm not sure what tool to use or what they do- beyond brighten and sharpen. I'm hoping to get a real sharp image as I've seen the real game, the playfield was sharp, the backglass wasn't.

You might try adjusting the exposure. I did that tonight for the first time in Photo Brush, and the difference is stunning. Best $45 I've spent in quite a while.

 

[Itchigo]

Thanks, I saw exposure as well on one of the programs I have. I got it better and brighter but the letters and numbers look far away. I talked to Grizz and he offered to redraw it, not that I pawned it on him but he offered and I know it'll be great.

 

[faralos]

Always grab at an offer! I tend to volunteer my graphics expertise and you'd be surprised how many of us are lurking, waiting for the chance to work on someone else's table for a nice diversion from our own! It really is fun! I had a blast doing that brooklyn table and redoing the graphics for the Banjo-Kazooie and Zelda tables too! both at vpf.org. none of which were my own tables! so give him some time and work on something else!