raymoreart9

=aricatures using Paint.NET= = Background Removing - Paint.NET  =
 * "A **caricature** can refer to a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness."

Source: Wikipedia || Caricatures are fun. Caricature artists are able to see the most prominent features of their subject and make that characteristic stand out in such a way that we instantly recognize the person, despite the obvious distortion that takes place. The essence of the person's appearance is still there, but the image has been twisted into a humourous parody of the original.

Not everyone can draw caricatures, but using Paint.NET, it is possible to take a photograph and distort it in a similar way and have a little fun at the same time. LOVE

Step 1: Getting your image
Using Google Images, search for a photo of your favourite celebrity. Search through the images for a large image. Image size is determined by **resolution**, which means the number of pixels (or dots of colours) across times the number of pixels up and down. A good size would be 1024 x 768 or higher. **Make sure the image has a clear view of your celebrity's face**. You may want to choose a photo with an empty background or a background with a colour that is very different from the person's skin or clothing. Once you've found the image you like, save it to your home folder.

Step 2: Opening Paint.NET
You can open Paint.NET by going to your **Start Menu ==> All Programs ==> Paint.NET**. Paint.NET is a freeware photo and image editing program for Microsoft Windows. If you want, you can download it for personal use at home by going to www.getpaint.net. For a brief tutorial on Paint.NET, click here.

Next, we want to load the picture you saved previously. Go to "File" in the top menu and choose "Open." Navigate to the folder you saved your image in and open it.

[[image:Caricatures1.png width="384" height="231" align="left"]]Step 3: Applying the Distortion Effects
Paint.NET has a number of effects that can be used to enhance and improve images. They can also be used to distort an image and apply certain light and lens effects. Let's start with our basic image. I'm working with a photo of Tom Cruise. He's just so easy to make fun of.

Click on the "**Effects**" menu item and select "**Distort**." Most of our effects will be found in the distortion effects. The three most useful tools for this are "**Bulge**," "**Point Warp**" and "**Power Stretch**."

You want to exaggerate your subjects most **prominent features**. If they have a large chin, make it larger. If he or she has a small nose, make it smaller. In my case, Tom Cruise is known for his big smile, so I want to exaggerate that feature. I'm also exaggerating his hair just for fun. **It will take multiple bulges, dents, warps, and stretches to achieve your desired effect.**

Save your work as **Caricature 1.pdn** after you're done distorting it.

Step 4: Applying the Artistic Effects
Now that we've distorted the image, we need to make the photo look more like a caricature. Go to the "**Adjustments**" menu and select "**Brightness/Contrast**." Adjust your colours so that both the **brightness** and **contrast** are **high**.

The next step is to remove your background. Using the eraser tool, start erasing the background so that the area is **transparent**. Transparency is indicated by a grey and white checkerboard pattern.

Use a large brush to get rid of large areas, but switch to a smaller brush to get in close. You can also use the magic wand tool to get rid of larger chunks.

After you've cleared the background, apply the **Ink Sketch** effect by clicking "**Effects**" ==> "**Artistic**" ==> "**Ink Sketch**." Play with the options until you have something that looks like it was drawn using a pen and markers. There may be some final tweaking that needs to be done before you are ready to print it.

Good luck. HAPPY