Sunday, January 27, 2008

Face Generator

While I was hunting around for some links to go with the character cards post, I came across the Morphases Editor, an online composite face generator. I put a link in comments, but this one is so interesting and potentially helpful in creating character portraits that I thought I'd put up a finished example, too, to show you all what can be done with it:

Will Scarlet, composite face made online with Morphases Editor

This is something like my vision of my character Will Scarlet. I took elements from five different faces and manipulated them to generate the composite, so it's my creation and does not require a model's release form for me to use the image. If I decided to use this in a promotional character card, it would need more work -- I'd like to run it through photoshop to clean up the image, change the length of his hair, even out his skin tone, pack up those dark bags under his eyes and otherwise fiddle with it -- but it's a very good place to start.
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11 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:58 AM

    I was just trying to figure out how to "see" certain characters in my mind - outside of the way I'd described them -- and this is a very fun way to try and do that. I just wish they had about 200 more faces up, of course.

    Very cool site, and thanks for coming up with such a great idea as applying this to the images of fictional characters.

    I do have a question -- and it may be because I'm technologically challenged -- but how did you get a jpeg of that image off the flash file?

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  2. Anonymous9:12 AM

    Thank you, Lynn! This is perfect, and just exactly what I needed. How completely cool.

    In addition to the trading card idea, I also like to have faces just for myself. I make a sort of scrapbook of my characters that I can turn to from time to time.

    This beats the heck out of looking through magazines/modeling sites, hoping that someone who looks like my characters will show up.

    Thanks again for all you do for your readers. This is super neato.

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  3. the author10:13 AM

    Doug wrote: ...how did you get a jpeg of that image off the flash file?

    I hit the print-screen button once I had the face finished on Morphases, then pasted the screen into Microsoft Photo-It. From there all I had to do was excise the face from the screen image with a select tool.

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  4. the author10:14 AM

    bran fan wrote: Thank you, Lynn! This is perfect, and just exactly what I needed.

    Glad I could help. :)

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  5. Anonymous12:20 PM

    I started to ask you about copyright in you last post, but was called away. Looks like you an read minds too! :) Thanks.

    JulieB

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  6. Anonymous2:16 PM

    I've been a lurker on your blog for awhile now, but you're post about the Morphases Editor inspired my own blog post this morning about characters and disguises.

    I usually put together what I call a 'bucket' - usually images and music - for whatever novel I'm working on. Anything that helps me get into the world and story I'm writing about goes into the bucket.

    Thanks for sharing such a great resource. I expect I'll use up many hours (maybe days?) creating new images for my bucket. :)

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  7. Anonymous3:15 PM

    Thanks for answering that -- I always forget about the print-screen button.

    I guess I'm so used to putting my email address on Blogger sites when I respond to something that I forgot that yours didn't ask for it. Sorry about that!

    Best,

    Doug

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  8. Anonymous9:57 PM

    Hmm. I tried posting a comment earlier today. I promise I'm not spam!

    I've been lurking for awhile and appreciated this post. The Morphases Editor is now on my list of things to play with.

    ReplyDelete
  9. the author10:47 PM

    Jamie wrote: I promise I'm not spam!

    Oh, sure you're not. Until things get busy, and you start blithely offering to enhance the size of our body parts or transfer to our bank accounts ten point five billion dollars that your father, the deceased King of Botswanna, smuggled over to London, just out of the goodness of your heart, right?

    Kidding. :) Lurkers are always welcome here.

    I'm sorry about the problems with comments, they do tend to get a bit sticky at times. One day I'll give up my principles and get one of those expensive pay-for blogs that actually work most of the time.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous11:13 PM

    Thanks. Now that you mention it though, my deceased father does need to... wait, wait! I'll stop now. I don't want to be banned for life! :)

    I just finished reading Blade Dancer last night. All in one sitting. I'm kind of tired today, but eagerly awaiting your next Star Doc novel.

    ReplyDelete
  11. the author8:42 AM

    Jamie wrote: I just finished reading Blade Dancer last night.

    Thanks for investing. I also found your original comment, sort of stuck in the blog moderation page, and posted it (see above.) For some reason it didn't go through to the e-mail account, which is where Tom does the actual moderating.

    ReplyDelete

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