Kirby Dots!

[Sparky]

I saw Tad’s post about Kirby dots (http://hellboyanimated.typepad.com/hellboy_animated/2007/04/dont_read_this.html) (those funky dot textures used by Jack Kirby and, to be more on-topic, by Mike Mignola) on his Hellboy Animated blog, and I sez to my husband…there’s gotta be an easy way to automate Kirby dots! So Lars wrote me Photoshop plug-in what a guy.

I thought some of you might have some fun with it, so here it is (it’s freeware, works with Photoshop 6 and up for Windows only): http://www.tcfh.com/octopusmotor/kirbydots

http://www.theycamefromhollywood.com/octopusmotor/kirbydots/pink_sm.gif http://www.theycamefromhollywood.com/octopusmotor/kirbydots/green_ball_sm.gif http://www.theycamefromhollywood.com/octopusmotor/kirbydots/blue_sm.gif

You can even Kirby-dot animation (use a Photoshop Action to apply the Kirby Dots filter to all your frames):

http://www.theycamefromhollywood.com/octopusmotor/kirbydots/explosion_thumbnail_animate.gif

There are more examples and a how-to up at the site...let me know if you try it out and have any suggestions, questions, etc.

[Sparky]

http://www.theycamefromhollywood.com/octopusmotor/kirbydots/BRUSHES/fake_mignola.gif

DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT AN ARTIST I’m sure lots of you already know this stuff

You can also place your own Kirby dots by using Photoshop’s dynamic brush settings (if you have Photoshop 7 or up). Pick a round, hard-edged brush, and under the Brush palette under Brush Tip Shape adjust the brush diameter and increase the spacing.

example of Kirby-ized round brush (http://www.theycamefromhollywood.com/octopusmotor/kirbydots/BRUSHES/brush_round_example.gif)

Under Shape Dynamics, increase the size jitter, angle jitter, rotation, and the roundness jitter so that the dots are more irregular:

example of diameter and spacing (http://www.theycamefromhollywood.com/octopusmotor/kirbydots/BRUSHES/brush_diameter_screen.gif)
example of shape dynamics (http://www.theycamefromhollywood.com/octopusmotor/kirbydots/BRUSHES/brush_scatter_screen.gif)

I made a little Photoshop brush set (here (http://www.theycamefromhollywood.com/octopusmotor/kirbydots/BRUSHES/KirbyDots.abr)) out of various weird clumps of dots, which you can adjust using Shape Dynamics as above to get some funky Kirby-like textures. Here (http://www.theycamefromhollywood.com/octopusmotor/kirbydots/BRUSHES/hg_test.jpg) are (http://www.theycamefromhollywood.com/octopusmotor/kirbydots/BRUSHES/brush_background_purple.jpg) a few (http://www.theycamefromhollywood.com/octopusmotor/kirbydots/BRUSHES/brush_background_bubl.jpg) images (http://www.theycamefromhollywood.com/octopusmotor/kirbydots/BRUSHES/brush_background_example.jpg) I made using these dot brushes well besides the BOGUS MIGNOLA above hehe

[dogboy443]

Very cool. My inner geek is screaming. Now all I have to do is wait for the Mac version.

Mk

[Jake Capps]

One word. Genius! Your the man Lars! Very, very cool. Also Sparky; I just picked up on your 2001 A Space Odyssey quote. :)

[Sparky]

Unfortunately, Apple and Adobe are huge pains in the butt to software developers, and each version of Pshop on the Mac requires a different SDK to write plugins and blahblahblaDIESTEVEJOBShargarghargh...

What version of Photoshop are most of ya'll using on the Mac? Are you all using the new Intel-based Macs? We'll need to write the plug-in for the version that's most popular.

My Mac is ANCIENT.

[Maija]

I'll probably have upgraded to an Intel-based Mac by the time I get around to drawing ANYTHING let alone using your swoopy Kirby dots filter.

You're probably safe with CS2 and CS3 Photoshop. Since the changeover to SystemX I don't know may folks using anything earlier.

You guys never cease to amaze me.







I think that distant "D'OH!" i just heard was Mike Mignola wondering why he's been hand-inking his dots all these years. ;)

[Maija]

You and Lars aren't human, are you? You're benevolent extraterrestrials sent to study and improve us, I think.

[Sparky]

You and Lars aren't human, are you? You're benevolent extraterrestrials

Benevolent?

Oh...why...yes, of course...benevolent...

MWUHUHUHUHUH back to perfecting the Death Ray

[Maija]

Benevolent?
Yes, if the first halves of most alien invasion movies/'80s mini-series have taught me anything.

I typically fall asleep before the second half. Does some important plot twist generally occur that I'm unaware of? :confused:

[Maija]

Kirby dots... animation... so... mesmerizing... telling me to trap my neighbors... deliver their brains to San Francisco...

[Neil Hill]

Now that's some damned fine stuff right there! :)

[Tad]

Taunt me with your non-Mac stuff, Witchy Woman.

What I'm hoping to do is use the dots only for their negative space. I want to animate an electrical arc like you'd find on a Jacob's Ladder but any given frame of electricity would have the edge texture as defined by the dots.

So the viewer wouldn't see the dots, only the energy but that energy would have a unique texture.

[hellboyone]

I WANT A LARS!!!!

Great work, guys. Right-click-save-use-make millions of dollars. :D

[shonokin]

That is definately very cool!

I can see the hosted graphics and sample movies, but when trying to download the filter I get...

Not Found

The requested URL /octopusmotor/Kirby.8bf was not found on this server.

[Sparky]

That is definately very cool!

I can see the hosted graphics and sample movies, but when trying to download the filter I get...

Whoops -- I just fixed it!

[Petersen]

Downloaded it and it's fun! Thanks Sparky and Lars!

[Sparky]

Great work, guys. Right-click-save-use-make millions of dollars. :D

Just think of all those years people spent slaving in the Kirby Dot mines! Why, my grandfather was nearly killed in the Kirby Dot Mine Collapse of '68. Thankfully, now we have found a way to artificially synthesize them.

[shonokin]

Yaaay, it works now. Thanks!

You know what happens when you're in the mine and get hit on the head by falling Kirby Dots? You go to Kirby's Dreamland.

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/9527/mignolaesquekirbydotsko3.jpg

[6are54]

awesome cool!
thanx 4 that.

[Jake Capps]

Taunt me with your non-Mac stuff, Witchy Woman.

What I'm hoping to do is use the dots only for their negative space. I want to animate an electrical arc like you'd find on a Jacob's Ladder but any given frame of electricity would have the edge texture as defined by the dots.

So the viewer wouldn't see the dots, only the energy but that energy would have a unique texture.

I think it's called a Tesla Coil. Do you remember that part in Ed Wood where he says "He won't go near that damn thing, because he burned his hand last time" ?

[dogboy443]

You'll be safe to create the brushes for P'Shop 7, CS, CS2 and CS3.
CS3 is the first Intel written version and so far I've heard it's amazing. We're sticking with P'Shop 7 becasue of familiarity and budgetary restraints.

Mk

[evening]

Very cool, Sparky!
Your formidable creative vision rears it's head again!

Unfortunately, I'm one of those Mac 10.4.9 people who has version 8...
Granted, I'm only using about 5% of it's awesome power at this point.:D

[dogboy443]

Tiger Rocks! Waiting on Leopard!

Mk

[Gene Poonyo]

My Photoshop is 5.5 and I use Mac OS, so I will be missing out on this fun ride. Have fun you WinTel people...

[Tad]

I think it's called a Tesla Coil. Do you remember that part in Ed Wood where he says "He won't go near that damn thing, because he burned his hand last time" ?

A Jacob's Ladder and a Tesla Coil are two different things but they both arc in a similar way. However, get a load of this:

Not Kirby dots but ULTRA-COOL! (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.lifeaftercoffee.com/wp-content/upload/500_kV_Switch1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.lifeaftercoffee.com/2006/05/23/worlds-biggest-jacobs-ladder/&h=338&w=450&sz=24&hl=en&start=54&um=1&tbnid=HxNx8UbpQ8towM:&tbnh=95&tbnw=127&prev=/images%3Fq%3Djacob%2527s%2Bladder%2Belectricity%26 start%3D40%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl% 3Den%26sa%3DN)

Click on the picture for the movie.

[Jake Capps]

A Jacob's Ladder and a Tesla Coil are two different things but they both arc in a similar way. However, get a load of this:

Not Kirby dots but ULTRA-COOL! (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.lifeaftercoffee.com/wp-content/upload/500_kV_Switch1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.lifeaftercoffee.com/2006/05/23/worlds-biggest-jacobs-ladder/&h=338&w=450&sz=24&hl=en&start=54&um=1&tbnid=HxNx8UbpQ8towM:&tbnh=95&tbnw=127&prev=/images%3Fq%3Djacob%2527s%2Bladder%2Belectricity%26 start%3D40%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl% 3Den%26sa%3DN)

Click on the picture for the movie.

Not the first time, and surely not the last...Tad has taken me to school. Why didn't I use Google to confirm my 5th grade science knowledge? That's a crazy pic. Talk about the right place at the right time.

[Tad]

Click on the pic! Click on the pic! Click on the pic!

Awesome in motion!

[Jake Capps]

Click on the pic! Click on the pic! Click on the pic!

Awesome in motion!

Ok now I see! What is the purpose of something like that? It's insane! Very cool...maybe they use it to scare birds...or cook them?

[Jankenstein]

That is way cool, Sparky! :D


Probably a good thing I don't have Photoshop. Between that and the guitar, I'd never leave the house.

[gdeo]

A Jacob's Ladder and a Tesla Coil are two different things but they both arc in a similar way. However, get a load of this:

Not Kirby dots but ULTRA-COOL! (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.lifeaftercoffee.com/wp-content/upload/500_kV_Switch1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.lifeaftercoffee.com/2006/05/23/worlds-biggest-jacobs-ladder/&h=338&w=450&sz=24&hl=en&start=54&um=1&tbnid=HxNx8UbpQ8towM:&tbnh=95&tbnw=127&prev=/images%3Fq%3Djacob%2527s%2Bladder%2Belectricity%26 start%3D40%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl% 3Den%26sa%3DN)

Click on the picture for the movie.

I could be reaching a bit ...but the outline looks like maggie simpson:rolleyes: ;)

[Rachel Edidin]

Just think of all those years people spent slaving in the Kirby Dot mines! Why, my grandfather was nearly killed in the Kirby Dot Mine Collapse of '68. Thankfully, now we have found a way to artificially synthesize them.

[Insert joke about four-color lung]
What? It's early!

[Jankenstein]

's no worse than the joke about them climbing the lung of the corporate ladder.


Say....I was born in '68. Do you think some of the Cosmic Dots from the mine collapse could have affected my DNA?