Steampunk Userpic

[Jarvis Oswald]

I've been meaning to get a steampunk userpic for some time and finally struck on an idea. I had taken a picture of me some time ago and had put it through this program that made it all cartoony like Obama's promotional posters. Since I don't actually own any steampunk gear I decided to scrounge around the Internet and find pictures that I could Photoshop onto my cartoon self. Those pieces would be put through the same generator to give them a cartoon look as well making things blend easier. With a sepia filter and some textures I made a decent old time photograph with a steampunk twist.

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/9302/steamy.jpg

[Utini420]

I wonder where that "style" originally comes from.  We were using that identical style to the Obama stuff to promote, "Save Farscape," years ago.

Nice pic, btw.

[Jarvis Oswald]

I'm not sure. Obama was the first place I really noticed it.

And thanks

[WillRockwell]

I'm not sure. Obama was the first place I really noticed it.

And thanks

The Obama poster was created by Shepard Fairey, a Boston grafitti artist who has been sued for using an AP photo as the basis for his poster.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepard_Fairey

Where do you find the program to make yourself look like that?

[JingleJoe]

Where do you find the program to make yourself look like that?

Photoshop

Go to Image > Mode (makje sure it is in RGB mode) then change it to indexed colour and select about 6 levels in the dialog box that opens, have a play around with all the settings for indexing your image, you can get stuff to look like low-bit video (like on the Sega CD )

There's also the cut-out filter but I like the control and retro look you get from indexing the colours

[Jarvis Oswald]

Where do you find the program to make yourself look like that?

Photoshop

Go to Image > Mode (makje sure it is in RGB mode) then change it to indexed colour and select about 6 levels in the dialog box that opens, have a play around with all the settings for indexing your image, you can get stuff to look like low-bit video (like on the Sega CD )

There's also the cut-out filter but I like the control and retro look you get from indexing the colours

Actually I've been using this site,

http://obamiconme.pastemagazine.com/

But thanks for the other method!

[JingleJoe]

That was fun

[Jarvis Oswald]

Where do you find the program to make yourself look like that?

Photoshop

Go to Image > Mode (makje sure it is in RGB mode) then change it to indexed colour and select about 6 levels in the dialog box that opens, have a play around with all the settings for indexing your image, you can get stuff to look like low-bit video (like on the Sega CD )

There's also the cut-out filter but I like the control and retro look you get from indexing the colours

Where are the indexed colors part in Photoshop?

[JingleJoe]

Where do you find the program to make yourself look like that?

Photoshop

Go to Image > Mode (makje sure it is in RGB mode) then change it to indexed colour and select about 6 levels in the dialog box that opens, have a play around with all the settings for indexing your image, you can get stuff to look like low-bit video (like on the Sega CD )

There's also the cut-out filter but I like the control and retro look you get from indexing the colours

Where are the indexed colors part in Photoshop?

Right next to where it says RBG in the same menu.

[Jarvis Oswald]

I don't see it. Maybe we're using different versions of Photoshop? I've got CS3

[WillRockwell]

Fun and easy

[Grave]

Not mine but had to post.

Nice Forum image. BTW :-)

[Sorontar]

LOL. Makes me start imagining what Steamy Transformers would look like.

I'm a Linux guy. Does anyone know if GIMP has something that will convert pictures into this format?

[Jarvis Oswald]

LOL. Makes me start imagining what Steamy Transformers would look like.

Actually, your question as already been answered. There was a run of comics titled Hearts of Steel in which a few of the Autobotsawoke early to stop a plot by other Decepticons. There was a train and a zeppelin, if I remember right. I don't remember the other transformations

[Utini420]

A quick google image search shows most of them.  Not bad, really.  I kinda like Shockwave:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[Benzworth]

LOL. Makes me start imagining what Steamy Transformers would look like.

I'm a Linux guy. Does anyone know if GIMP has something that will convert pictures into this format?

You can achieve a similar effect using GIMP by first dropping the color saturation down to nil then use the posterize function and slide it till it looks right(both functions are in the color menu).  You can then play around with the individual colors by selecting by color and messing with the colorize function.

Here's a quick one I did in the Gimp using its built-in functions:


Might try and make a script-fu script later to automate the process.

[Mallin]

The Obama poster was created by Shepard Fairey, a Boston grafitti artist

Boston? Last I checked he was in San Diego/LA. and was originally from New York in the late 80s early 90s.
*Scampers off to check*
(sorry, he is one of my favorite artists, I wrote a paper on him in college)

EDIT: Yeah, wikipedia confirms that he is currently in LA, but I did not know he was born in Charleston, South Carolina



His high contrast style that was used in the Obama posters was original influenced by world war 2 propaganda posters like this one

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

and the russian ones too
 

[Jarvis Oswald]

Now that you point it out I can see it much more in other places. Guess you learn something new everyday

[Waterbug]

Saving an image to any color reduced format, like 16 bit BMP in Microsoft Paint, and then changing the palette will get a similar result although with far less control found with the already mentioned features in Photoshop and GIMP. Hard to beat that web site though if you want that exact look.