Photoshop or FireWorks question

[Liesje]

Is there a simple way, in either PS or FW, to take an image that is on a white or transparent canvas and convert it to just a simple black outline of the image? For example I have a simply graphic of a dog. I've erased around the outline of the dog, but his body is still filled in (it's a black and white scan) and I'd like to end up with a totally white or transparent image with a black outline of the dog.

 

[ntalwar]

Some ideas here- How to Make an Outline in Photoshop | eHow.com

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

play with your sketch filters in photoshop... should be able to get the desired effect you want.

i might also try your ink outlines filter, or play with the image's threshold

 

[Jive Turkey]

You could also make a selection of your dog that you've already cut out (command click on the layers palette), fill it with black if it isnt already completely black (edit>fill with your foreground colour set on black), shrink your selection a couple of pixels (select>modify>contract), then inverse that part of the image (command i). So you'll have a black outline with a white inside. If you prefer a transparent inside, instead of inversing on the last step, cut the selection away with command x.

If you've already got a cut out, totally black dog on a transparent background, the quick way would be to use the magic wand to select the black dog, then Select>Modify>Contract by 3 pixels or so, then command x. done

 

[Jive Turkey]

or if you post the image or link, I can do if for you really quick

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

or you can use your filters...


unless you wanted just the outside outline, in which case the above would probably be the best way to go

 

[Jive Turkey]

Ya, filters wont work as I was under the impression she just wanted the outside line. Besides, by the time you start messing around with filters, you could already have it done. Its a 10 second job

 

[Liesje]

Here's the file (it's a png file, in my FireWorks it has a transparent canvas). I just want an outline of the dog, with a line anywhere that body parts overlap (like the front legs, ears, and the left knee and tail).

http://www.dutchbingo.net/personal/stack.png

 

[Liesje]

I don't do much with filters and all of that, the only way I'd know is to fill in the dog solid, then add a small "glow", and then make the fill transparent.

 

[Jive Turkey]

Is this how you wanted it? Could probably use a little finessing
There might've been a little bit too much feather on the original close cut, but it seems to look fine at 100%

 

[Liesje]

That's good enough thanks! I'm thinking of getting a dog tattoo, I want a small one on my left foot, just an outline. I'm trying to decide between a dog "stacked" (standing) or in motion and I already had a motion outline. Also it has to be a dog with ideal conformation and the dog in that graphic has correct joint angles (at least what I like) so I wanted to see how he looked as an outline. I actually like that a lot so now that I can compare the two outlines, I can choose and just take the original images to the tattoo artist to sketch.

This was my moving dog, it's small but enough for comparison

 

[Jive Turkey]

No problem.
That would be a cool tattoo. imo the stacked dog might be a more recognizable outline, but both are pretty cool

 

[Liesje]

Yeah I think I like the stacked dog better. I like the balance of the moving dog, but the stacked dog is easy to make more masculine (I would tweak the outline of the head a bit).