Poly-Graphics

Your Original Image MUST HAVE these qualities:

• Photograph
  • clear image (not blurry or grainy)
  • well exposed (not too bright, not too dark)
  • close up shot or one that is high enough quality of
• ANIMAL (not a person)
• Eye, and it must include:
  • Pupil
  • Iris
  • Highlight
• Head
  • Top of the skull to the lower neck area

Link to youtube tutorial: Low Poly HOW TO VIDEO TUTORIAL

Setting up your Project:

• Open the photograph that you wish to base your graphic off of (with Adobe Photoshop)
  • The photo need to be "print ready", meaning it has been processed (color corrected, sharpened, and ready for output as a quality photograph)
• Set your crop to:
  • WIDE SHOT: 10x8(inches)
  • TALL SHOT: 8x10(inches)
• Crop the photo so that the top of the skull to the lower neck area is the only features in the shot (close up shot)
• Go to IMAGE > IMAGE SIZE > and set the resolution to 300 ppi
• Uncheck anti-alias
• Set up Grid Preferences:
  • Preferences > Guidelines, Grids...
    • set to pixels
    • set grid line number to 10
• Go to View > Show > Grid (note, if the grid is distracting, you may not want to keep it turned on)
• Go to View > Snap (make sure there is a √ check next to snap)

Keyboard Commands (if you are not using an action):

• Throughout this project, you will need two main keyboard commands:
  • COMMAND D = deselect
  • COMMAND F= applies the last used filter

Creating an ACTION:

• Open the ACTIONS palette WINDOW > ACTIONS
• Create a new set (folder icon) on the bottom of the action's palette, name it poly
• Create a new action (paper icon) on the bottom of the action's palette, name it poly
• Click Stop
• Make a random selection with the polygonal lasso tool (placement doesn't matter)
• Click RECORD BUTTON on the ACTIONS PALETTE
  • Click on the background layer (since this is our reference)
  • press command J
  • name the new layer polygon
  • make a selection by holding command then click the new layer thumbnail with the copied polygon shape
  • go to Filter > Blur > Average
  • Command D (to deselect)
  • STOP the recording
• Double click the new action, to open it's options
  • Set a short cut: Use F5

System Preferences:

• Open the system preferences
• Go to Keyboard
• √ check the use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys

The Process:

• This is a very simple process, however YOU must examine your values constantly throughout the project. Value, Size, shape, and direction are elements that you must look closely at for each and every triangle that you make.
• All sides MUST match an adjacent side
• Use small triangles for detailed areas (eyes), use larger triangles for less detailed areas (skin, fur)
• Create a triangle using the polygona
• Beginning the process.
  • THE EYE
    • Zoom in on the eye's pupil
    • Use the polygonal lasso tool to select a triangular portion of the pupil, be sure that is has the same or a similar value within the triangle
    • Go up to Filter > Blur > Average
      • This will make an average of the color that you have selected and it will make a solid shape with 1 color/value
      • Now that you have "set" this command on the computer, you can use COMMAND F each time instead of going up to: Filter > Blur > Average
    • Continue working with just the EYE.
    • Keep the triangular selections of the EYE very small, and contained only within the eye.
  • THE FACE
    • This is a bit trickier, the process is exactly the same, however now you have to recreate the fur or features on the animal.
    • To re-create the fur or feathers, you need to be conscious of the direction that the fur is growing in.
    • You also need to search for natural triangles that are created by light and shadow within the image.