what tools do you use for speed lines?

[QueenTroll38]

I noticed that some speed lines from panels to panels vary in thickness. and it is a perspective thing. how do I do that?

thanks a million.

[Xiam]

I'd also like to know this.

I've just been using the line tool and various graphs and guidelines to sort of keep them even. Unfortunately I can't alter the thickness of the lines, unless I do two lines in a triangular... thing... and then fill in the space between them... and argh, it's so time-consuming.

I totally cheated with my cleanup on a page that looked absolutely awful, though. I had an array of white lines, layered over a darker surface, making the dark surface look like the speed lines focusing on the center location. Which was better than whatever bizarre star pattern I was doing that wasn't even speed lines. emotion_awesome

[Kaxen]

What medium are you looking for? I only know how to do it with Photoshop.

[Xiam]

Kaxen

What medium are you looking for? I only know how to do it with Photoshop.

H-how do you do it with Photoshop? Would it work with Elements? Because I saw a tutorial and was confused because I'm pretty sure it was CS# and mine is like...

It's like how you got the luxury cars, tricked out with all the spiffy s**t, and then you've got the bare minimum model with no GPS, no autopark, no camera rear-view, no fingerprint recognition, not even four-wheel drive, and I'll honestly be lucky to have cup holders, because I should just consider myself lucky I get to have the damn thing.

[Kaxen]

Xiam

Kaxen

What medium are you looking for? I only know how to do it with Photoshop.

H-how do you do it with Photoshop? Would it work with Elements? Because I saw a tutorial and was confused because I'm pretty sure it was CS# and mine is like...

It's like how you got the luxury cars, tricked out with all the spiffy s**t, and then you've got the bare minimum model with no GPS, no autopark, no camera rear-view, no fingerprint recognition, not even four-wheel drive, and I'll honestly be lucky to have cup holders, because I should just consider myself lucky I get to have the damn thing.

As I haven't used Elements in a long time, I wouldn't really be able to say.

Well anyhow...

Get the basic circle brush. turn off all the settings except the one for messing with the opacity and make it random.



Make a horizontal straight line of dots with the brush on a new layer. Free transform the layer taller.



Should have something like this after finalizing the transformation.



Futz with line with various Distortion Filters (polar coordinates, sheer, wave, etc) or the Perspective Transform to make speedlines of speediness. If wanting less gray, merge the layer on something White and use Image > Adjustments > Threshold.

Example with polar coordinates (kind of rough around the edges, but eh.)



Alternatively, you download speedline brushes for photoshop and then distort those. I can't remember where the hell I downloaded my speedline brushes...

[Xiam]

Kaxen

Xiam

Kaxen

What medium are you looking for? I only know how to do it with Photoshop.

H-how do you do it with Photoshop? Would it work with Elements? Because I saw a tutorial and was confused because I'm pretty sure it was CS# and mine is like...

It's like how you got the luxury cars, tricked out with all the spiffy s**t, and then you've got the bare minimum model with no GPS, no autopark, no camera rear-view, no fingerprint recognition, not even four-wheel drive, and I'll honestly be lucky to have cup holders, because I should just consider myself lucky I get to have the damn thing.

As I haven't used Elements in a long time, I wouldn't really be able to say.

Well anyhow...

Get the basic circle brush. turn off all the settings except the one for messing with the opacity and make it random.



Make a horizontal straight line of dots with the brush on a new layer. Free transform the layer taller.



Should have something like this after finalizing the transformation.



Futz with line with various Distortion Filters (polar coordinates, sheer, wave, etc) or the Perspective Transform to make speedlines of speediness. If wanting less gray, merge the layer on something White and use Image > Adjustments > Threshold.

Example with polar coordinates (kind of rough around the edges, but eh.)



Alternatively, you download speedline brushes for photoshop and then distort those. I can't remember where the hell I downloaded my speedline brushes...

I seem to have found some sort of list of options, but they're pretty minimal and look nothing like that... but you lost me at "straight line."

Do you mean the straight line tool? Because I'm pretty shitty even with that...

[Kaxen]

Xiam

I seem to have found some sort of list of options, but they're pretty minimal and look nothing like that... but you lost me at "straight line."

Do you mean the straight line tool? Because I'm pretty shitty even with that...

Straight line using the brush tool. Hold shift down while you draw the line and it'll be perfectly straight.

[Xiam]

Kaxen

Hold shift down while you draw the line and it'll be perfectly straight.

Wh--

WHAT? All this time, I...

Holy s**t, I can probably do it with this alone. :O All I need to do is know where the hell I should be placing the lines. I always draw them too... well-patterned.

[QueenTroll38]

overall I think hand-drawn is a lot better. using photoshop to draw speedlines is a bit...artificial.

[Kyousouka]

QueenTroll38

overall I think hand-drawn is a lot better. using photoshop to draw speedlines is a bit...artificial.

Speed lines drawn in PS can look as natural as ones done in ink on paper. The key is not being lazy and drawing the lines yourself, instead of using the filter technique above. The technique above does have its uses though, and looks particularly good in very clean, technical art styles, though.

When drawing the lines yourself, it's important to vary the weight and spacing of the lines. This makes them look like speed lines rather than a static pattern.
I only use a ruler (traditional) and the shift+click (Photoshop) for very long speed lines, for shorter ones, I draw them freehand, since it's faster and gives more natural-looking results. It takes quite a bit of practice to learn to do straight lines and uniformly curved freehand, but it's worth it, especially if you do comics that require a lot of speed lines.

[QueenTroll38]

Kyousouka

QueenTroll38

overall I think hand-drawn is a lot better. using photoshop to draw speedlines is a bit...artificial.

Speed lines drawn in PS can look as natural as ones done in ink on paper. The key is not being lazy and drawing the lines yourself, instead of using the filter technique above. The technique above does have its uses though, and looks particularly good in very clean, technical art styles, though.

When drawing the lines yourself, it's important to vary the weight and spacing of the lines. This makes them look like speed lines rather than a static pattern.
I only use a ruler (traditional) and the shift+click (Photoshop) for very long speed lines, for shorter ones, I draw them freehand, since it's faster and gives more natural-looking results. It takes quite a bit of practice to learn to do straight lines and uniformly curved freehand, but it's worth it, especially if you do comics that require a lot of speed lines.

cool tips.