As you've probably seen I've been looking into automated illustration lately (I know you looked at Murder on the Stellar Schooner, and my latest book "Illustrated CONAN Adventures: The Phoenix on the Sword" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DQTF6NRT has about 80 algorithmically generated illustrations)
It seems to me that automating colorizing panels isn't too hard, and you could in practice just color a few pages and have a model juxtapose those with the remaining pages and inpaint the white areas on the uncolored page in a way that matched the existing style on the previously colored pages.
Though this appears to color pages individually, rather than use one page to color another as I'd probably implement.
Anyway if you have stuff you hate the coloring of you'd like me to try as a testcase, I'm up to see if the problem is particularly solvable by the above approach!
Yeah, even their examples were a bit oddly colored, even with hints provided. But it is a technology preview, after all. I don't know if my own approach would work any better. Generally I'd expect such things to mostly be useful as a base layer that people corrected with their own recolors on a higher layer for the ones they hate, while saving effort or thinking on the ones AI gets right.
To be clear, the above Conan book is just a heavily illustrated version with the precise original text Robert E. Howard wrote.
Amazon insta-approved without needing documentation--the original story (The Phoenix on the Sword, Weird Tales December 1932) is public domain in all countries around the world, but only public domain in the US due to the original publisher not renewing the copyright back in the 1960s--US is publication+95 for many works.
Some of the later Conan stories, particular the posthumously published ones, the copyright status is not so clear. But most countries are author death + 50 or +75 for non-posthumous works, and since Robert E. Howard died in 1936, we're in the clear almost everywhere.
As always, if there's a work people want me to do, let me know! I think for now I'll default to going through the Conan canon in publication order if there's any interest in these.
Theoretically, the character can be used as long as it doesn't reference canon that comes from stuff under copyright.
In practice Conan is used wild-west style by all sorts of people around the world without much concern for these issues.
However, I don't know if Amazon will make you wait for a month while they review your proof that Conan is public domain if you attempt an original Conan story or not, never having tried.
One thing I do to color other people's lineart is to copy-paste the lineart to a new layer. Set it to multiply, which makes all the white transparent. Then do all your coloring on the layer beneath. Select everything with the magic wand or lasso. You can draw funky shapes beneath the lineart and fill them in. That way the lineart stays clean and untouched, and all the messy coloring is on its own layer.
Coloring is very fast, it's sketching and inking that take a long time.
First I fill in all the blacks. Under the chin, in the hair, major shadows, etc. This is its own layer.
Then I do all color flats for characters. This can take an hour or so depending on number of panels and characters. I'm using select tools on lineart and filling in that selection on a new layer.
Shadows: new layer clipped to color layer, set to multiply. I use a very light, grayed-down purple. Shadows are drawn with lasso tool.
Ditto for highlights, except it's an Add Glow layer and a grayed down yellow or orange. I usually have to reduce the opacity on this layer because it's very bright.
Backgrounds get their own layers, first for flats, then for shading.
This process can take anywhere from 2-8 hours, depending on page complexity. I'm currently doing some pages set in foresty type places and I'm having to straight up pain the backgrounds. It's taking ages.
i'm not sure your coloring method. do everything on different layers underneath the top line layer. crosshatching art shouldn't be a problem it's the artists style - you want the artist to do shading so the colors won't have to do all the work. using the paint bucket shouldn't really be your go-to method. if it is, it'd be your first step (which won't really work most of the time) and not the only one in finishing something.
I'm still learning CSP's bells and whistles. I've begun adding shading with the spray paint tool, after the colors are added. In each panel, I imagine where the light sources are and shade accordingly. Since I'm learning as I go, there will probably be a noticeable difference between the first panels and the last.
As part of my prep work (connecting lines that are gapped in the line art; erasing stray marks/lines which should NOT intersect, etc.) I've begun simply erasing a lot of hatchwork from the reference layer before I add a layer for colors. This sucks, but makes the coloring a little faster.
If the artist had simply added the line shading on a different layer, that would have cut the coloring time by half or 2/3s, and the line shading would remain intact as the artist originally did it.
"...I've begun simply erasing a lot of hatchwork from the reference layer before I add a layer for colors. This sucks, but makes the coloring a little faster.
If the artist had simply added the line shading on a different layer, that would have cut the coloring time by half or 2/3s, and the line shading would remain intact as the artist originally did it."
i don't think you know how people draw... really, the colour has to work with the drawing, not the other way around. i know you are learning, but you are really approaching some things with a very wrong mindset here.
As you've probably seen I've been looking into automated illustration lately (I know you looked at Murder on the Stellar Schooner, and my latest book "Illustrated CONAN Adventures: The Phoenix on the Sword" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DQTF6NRT has about 80 algorithmically generated illustrations)
It seems to me that automating colorizing panels isn't too hard, and you could in practice just color a few pages and have a model juxtapose those with the remaining pages and inpaint the white areas on the uncolored page in a way that matched the existing style on the previously colored pages.
It looks like CSP already has some auto-colorizing tech, as well as crosshatch/shading removal: https://help.clip-studio.com/en-us/manual_en/390_filters/AI_Tools.htm#1364086
Though this appears to color pages individually, rather than use one page to color another as I'd probably implement.
Anyway if you have stuff you hate the coloring of you'd like me to try as a testcase, I'm up to see if the problem is particularly solvable by the above approach!
I followed directions from the link, but it doesn't work very well yet.
Yeah, even their examples were a bit oddly colored, even with hints provided. But it is a technology preview, after all. I don't know if my own approach would work any better. Generally I'd expect such things to mostly be useful as a base layer that people corrected with their own recolors on a higher layer for the ones they hate, while saving effort or thinking on the ones AI gets right.
I do have 3 of your books; but not the Conan book yet. I guess he’s public domain now—did you have to jump through hoops to use the character?
Anyway, I’ll see how much time I have to read over Christmas. My TBR pile just grew again, since the last Based Book Sale.
To be clear, the above Conan book is just a heavily illustrated version with the precise original text Robert E. Howard wrote.
Amazon insta-approved without needing documentation--the original story (The Phoenix on the Sword, Weird Tales December 1932) is public domain in all countries around the world, but only public domain in the US due to the original publisher not renewing the copyright back in the 1960s--US is publication+95 for many works.
Some of the later Conan stories, particular the posthumously published ones, the copyright status is not so clear. But most countries are author death + 50 or +75 for non-posthumous works, and since Robert E. Howard died in 1936, we're in the clear almost everywhere.
Basically if it's listed as public domain here: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Phoenix_on_the_Sword it theoretically is good to use.
As always, if there's a work people want me to do, let me know! I think for now I'll default to going through the Conan canon in publication order if there's any interest in these.
So the actual stories can be re-published by any and everybody. How about using the character in original fiction?
Theoretically, the character can be used as long as it doesn't reference canon that comes from stuff under copyright.
In practice Conan is used wild-west style by all sorts of people around the world without much concern for these issues.
However, I don't know if Amazon will make you wait for a month while they review your proof that Conan is public domain if you attempt an original Conan story or not, never having tried.
One thing I do to color other people's lineart is to copy-paste the lineart to a new layer. Set it to multiply, which makes all the white transparent. Then do all your coloring on the layer beneath. Select everything with the magic wand or lasso. You can draw funky shapes beneath the lineart and fill them in. That way the lineart stays clean and untouched, and all the messy coloring is on its own layer.
I've learned to do all that...AND I use the dustpan tool to clean up what stray pixels it will.
About how long does it take you to color 12 panels (my average 2 pages)?
Coloring is very fast, it's sketching and inking that take a long time.
First I fill in all the blacks. Under the chin, in the hair, major shadows, etc. This is its own layer.
Then I do all color flats for characters. This can take an hour or so depending on number of panels and characters. I'm using select tools on lineart and filling in that selection on a new layer.
Shadows: new layer clipped to color layer, set to multiply. I use a very light, grayed-down purple. Shadows are drawn with lasso tool.
Ditto for highlights, except it's an Add Glow layer and a grayed down yellow or orange. I usually have to reduce the opacity on this layer because it's very bright.
Backgrounds get their own layers, first for flats, then for shading.
This process can take anywhere from 2-8 hours, depending on page complexity. I'm currently doing some pages set in foresty type places and I'm having to straight up pain the backgrounds. It's taking ages.
One of my latest comic pages. The backgrounds took aaaaages. Usually they're not this detailed. But coloring the characters is generally pretty fast. https://afteratlantis.thecomicseries.com/comics/125/
Thank-you for sharing that--and for the insights!
i'm not sure your coloring method. do everything on different layers underneath the top line layer. crosshatching art shouldn't be a problem it's the artists style - you want the artist to do shading so the colors won't have to do all the work. using the paint bucket shouldn't really be your go-to method. if it is, it'd be your first step (which won't really work most of the time) and not the only one in finishing something.
I'm still learning CSP's bells and whistles. I've begun adding shading with the spray paint tool, after the colors are added. In each panel, I imagine where the light sources are and shade accordingly. Since I'm learning as I go, there will probably be a noticeable difference between the first panels and the last.
As part of my prep work (connecting lines that are gapped in the line art; erasing stray marks/lines which should NOT intersect, etc.) I've begun simply erasing a lot of hatchwork from the reference layer before I add a layer for colors. This sucks, but makes the coloring a little faster.
If the artist had simply added the line shading on a different layer, that would have cut the coloring time by half or 2/3s, and the line shading would remain intact as the artist originally did it.
"...I've begun simply erasing a lot of hatchwork from the reference layer before I add a layer for colors. This sucks, but makes the coloring a little faster.
If the artist had simply added the line shading on a different layer, that would have cut the coloring time by half or 2/3s, and the line shading would remain intact as the artist originally did it."
i don't think you know how people draw... really, the colour has to work with the drawing, not the other way around. i know you are learning, but you are really approaching some things with a very wrong mindset here.
anyway, good luck.
Seeing as how I used to draw myself, I kind of have an idea. Thanks for the well wishes.