Enhancing 2D Plans With photoshop

[skip9]

Hey guys, Newbie here looking for some helpful tips.

 

I have a few plans i want to enhance with the use of photoshop - site plans and floor plans. What are some of the best way and effects to do these? I have been playing with photoshop and have some basic skills but nothing really advanced.

 

Thanks

[jinsley]

i don't know if this helps... I posted it a year ago or so...

 

 

just how I used to typically colour up my linework, etc... might be a good place to start.

[skip9]

Thanks Jinsley, Quite useful tips in there and it looks great!

 

What would be the best way to go about a site plan like the attached image, concentrating more on the things like the road, trees and grass?

[-MerlyN-]

is that a 2D plan at all? Looks a lot like a NPR rendering to me

[1d2d3d4d]

the best way is to make careful use of your layers both in cad and photoshop-

 

make sure in CAD that all your polylines are closed .

make sure each item is on its own layer (road layer, roof layer, etc)

 

plot either an eps or pdf of each layer individually.

open in PS at 300dpi

reassemble eps or pdf layers in photoshop.

 

the closed lines will help you to fill things, etc...

 

sometimes it works good, sometimes you need to experiment- especially with line-weights because you are going from vector to raster image so things can get pixelated..

 

for say, a road, sometimes an outline is good b/c you can fill it and make the oulline your curb...sometimes a solid hatch might work better if the alignment is complicated or tight

 

as far a specific effects- it depends on what you are doing..its best to experiment--

 

just make sure you dont use the 'drop shadow' for your building shadows..

[jinsley]

I agree with robert about making good use of your cad...

 

use shape layers, and your pen tool and try lots of different things... everyone works differently in PS. its a learning process.

 

if you can get a video of James Clyne working in PS, then that will help you a lot as far as seeing how he sets up his alphas for selections, etc...

[1d2d3d4d]

but warning..and this is a helpful tip:

 

as soon as you get your 300mb+ photoshop ready to print,

someone is going to ask for changes which are usually a pain when everything is rasterized and effects are added or painted...and they will need these changes asap...

 

it might be more helpful to make a good colored base in autocad or m-color (if that even still exists) and then add things like trees on top which can easily be deleted or moved if you have to bring in a new base...

 

or if you can scale it good, to combine photoshop and illustrator will give you the best possible lines for printing or for the all important 'pdf I can email'

[jinsley]

to plan for changes etc... stick with shape layers, you can adjust them later on, makes changes much quicker... create your document at full size and res, insert the pdf as a smart object so that you can just right click on the layer and update the contents...

 

colour out of cad is junk.

[Matt McDonald]

insert the pdf as a smart object so that you can just right click on the layer and update the contents...

 

You've had good luck with this? When I've placed CAD as a smart object and colored underneath I have found that the two don't quite line up when it comes time to output...

[jinsley]

You've had good luck with this? When I've placed CAD as a smart object and colored underneath I have found that the two don't quite line up when it comes time to output...

 

??? I don't know why it wouldn't line up? As long as you are using the same plot settings and not moving your viewports it should line up fine.

 

Does it look fine on the screen and then shift when you create the pdf?

 

I have been working like this for the last 3 years, the only time I get a problem is:

 

1. if someone doesn't have "media" selected as the bounding box when they place the pdf.

 

2. if someone using different plot settings or move their viewports in CAD.

[Amir.mohebbisefat]

Hi .

 

Might be good examples that I do look.

If you require more time to be spent to promote these images. Considering the importance of these images down to the project have been working this case, but if your project is sensitive or professional and need to have stronger techniques can make these techniques more Photoshop work performed.

 

I hope you succeed and win.

 

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Edited October 25, 2010 by Amir.mohebbisefat

[neko]

but warning..and this is a helpful tip:

 

as soon as you get your 300mb+ photoshop ready to print,

someone is going to ask for changes which are usually a pain when everything is rasterized and effects are added or painted...and they will need these changes asap...

 

it might be more helpful to make a good colored base in autocad or m-color (if that even still exists) and then add things like trees on top which can easily be deleted or moved if you have to bring in a new base...

 

or if you can scale it good, to combine photoshop and illustrator will give you the best possible lines for printing or for the all important 'pdf I can email'

 

or do everything you properly suggested, but instead of using photoshop at all (raster) just use illustrator (vector).