Fantastic photoshop trick - Please Comment

[8thsinner]

If any of you have wondered how to turn your ABOK lined knots such as that from page 382 #2397. Heres what I just did, and it only took 15-20 minutes.

Assumming you have a scanned it or photo'd it or in some other way turned it digital..

I have the ABOK as a PDF so heres what I did...

NOTE

It might help to change your history states to 150 or so > EDIT > PREFERENCES > PERFORMANCE

1) Select page 382 in adobe pdf reader > RIGHT CLICK > COPY TO CLIP BOARD

2) Open photoshop (CS3)

3) Create new (clipboard size should be automatic) CTRL + V (to paste the image)

4) C > Crop image

5) W + CLICK all the gaps between the lines whilst holding SHIFT

NOTE

If you are used to using paths, this will save some time:

WHILST all of the gaps are flashing selected > RIGHT CLICK > MAKE WORK PATH

6) Making sure all gaps are selected hit DEL

7) V

8) ALT + UP

9) ALT + UP

10) ALT + UP

11) ALT + UP

12) ALT + UP

13) ALT + DOWN

14) ALT + DOWN

15) ALT + DOWN

16) ALT + DOWN

17) ALT + DOWN

18) ALT + RIGHT

19) ALT + RIGHT

20) ALT + RIGHT

21) ALT + LEFT

22) ALT + LEFT

23) ALT + LEFT

24) ALT + LEFT

25) ALT + LEFT

26) SHIFT + CTRL + E Merges all visible layers

You can see this has made multiple layers of the same image on top of each other so thickening the lines by a lot.

Now to make the lines hollow

27) W again, all those gaps, Or On the layer menu scroll over to the right and select PATH MENU > CTRL + RIGHT CLICK

28) Go back to LAYER MENU

29) Hit U and adjust lines to be filled selection and about 3-4 pixels wide, Also make sure gradients are not selected

30) Starting anywhere you want, I choose the top left, start adding lines in order to bridge the lines over 1 under one.

31) FOLLOW ONE LINE, otherwise you might get lost and have to retrace your steps.

Now at this point I was also using the FILL TOOL (G) and (SWITCH COLOURS (X) As I filled in one bridge I filled the colour inside that line a pale grey colour. The other cord, I used a red colour.

You might also use the short cut keys E (eraser)

I do this Because I have more of an interest in making the knot out of leather, there fore it makes it considerably easier to pin the strands into the correct shape before I begin weaving it.

Thats pretty much it.

Heres a sample of the one I just done...

[HorsehairBraider]

What a cool trick!

It looks wrong to me on the bottom, but maybe that's the way it's supposed to look.

[8thsinner]

Your right, well done on spotting that.

How long did it take you?

If anyone wants a paticular ABOK or similar knot done like this just ask me, I am doing a few of these myself at the moment so it shouldn't be too difficult.

[tonyc1]

I'll bite! What's an ABOK?

Tony.

[8thsinner]

A reference to Ashley's book of knots, It's pretty much the knot work bible.

When his knots are used on peoples projects they just use the ABOK# prefix because most of them didn't have names at the time.

[HorsehairBraider]

Your right, well done on spotting that.

How long did it take you?

If anyone wants a paticular ABOK or similar knot done like this just ask me, I am doing a few of these myself at the moment so it shouldn't be too difficult.

That's much better - thank you!

Actually noticed right away. There is something about it that just jumped out at me... but you know, it could have been one of the drawings where he is showing how it's done, or some of the knots are for a particular purpose and look different. But I feel much better now that the overs and unders all match!

[tonyc1]

A reference to Ashley's book of knots, It's pretty much the knot work bible.

When his knots are used on peoples projects they just use the ABOK# prefix because most of them didn't have names at the time.

Thank you. That's something I've learned today!

Tony