Two toned image - drawing?

[Macro-design]

I've been looking for a way to modify some of my images into a very few number of color-tones, but still looking good. You're propably thinking, what the hell is he talking about, so I'll drop a few links to images with the effect I'm trying to make.

Is it just the time swollowing way, by sitting down and draw it all out, or is there a faster and smarter way to do it?

http://www.vectorizedme.com/projects/Kalendar.jpg
http://www.vectorizedme.com/projects/Vektorika.jpg

Tommy_S, hope you don't mind, love your new(???) website.

I'm talking about the effect on the girl ( 1st img. ) and the head ( 2nd img ).

[GW02]

Best way I can think of would be to draw it out.

Easiest way would be just to go crazy with the contrast controls.

[DDD]

you could try a color overlay and play with the blend modes. Depending on the image. Then play with the colorize and contrast.

[simplistik]

Use Illustrator, plain and simple.

[jerez_z]

Flash has the trace bitmap feature. That may help.

[gmandesign]

If you have an image you want to use, try creating a few different layers in photoshop, one for each number of colours you are aiming for. Adjust the threshold for each layer to a different level and then colour adjust them using the hue and saturation. And apply a blend of some format, whatever gives you the effect you are looking for, or you could adjust the white level in the layer to lose all white. This can be effective. In order to create the samples you saw, you would have to redraw them or use streamline and delete parts out of it. There is no real easy way. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it!

[simplistik]

There is no real easy way. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it!

Yes there is... those were created in Illustrator for one. When you create an image in Illustrator they become individual objects and you can color them w/ a click of a button. Trying to do that in Photoshop or a non-vector based program would be obsured. If you insist on doing in PS to a pre-existing image you need to use Hue&Saturation or Selective Color adjustment layers and then mask off individual sections. Mind you the picture needs to flat, but this would be the easiest way to do it. But again... recreate it in Illustrator.

[Macro-design]

Thanks for all the good advices, it's really useful, I've tried the Photoshop ways, and it looks okay. But I think I'll take a look at Illustrator, my company bought for a while ago, but I've never used it. Whenever I was supposed to create/deliver vector based GFX I made it in flash.

If anybody has any good tips and or tricks to solve this project eaiser, please let me now. I'll start painting in Illustrator now,

thanks, Morten

[DDD]

Man if I knew you had access to Ill I would have said use that as well. Freehand also has a convert to vectors tool. Its pretty good if you get the settings right. Then you may have to do some combining.

[Macro-design]

Wow, Illustrator is really powerful, I just discovered a whole new world of vector GFX. Guess thats why we keep bying Adobe products, when you've tried them once, you're never going back to the old, non-effective programs. That goes for Macromedias products too. They just keep developing their programs to the better. Unlike other producents.

This went a little of the record, thanks for the help, really appreciate it