Affinity Photo - Weathered Letters

[Dekade]

Affinity Photo

I have a section of old wooden boards in a photo. What would be the best method/tool/settings to paint white letters onto those boards to simulate weathered letters? In other words - letters that look like parts of the letters have been worn down/off by harsh winds, sun, and years gone by.

[Gnobelix]

maybe help this video from @Multi4G

 

Cheers

[Dekade]

1 hour ago, Gnobelix said:

maybe help this video from @Multi4G

Thanks for replying. I don't think his procedure is where I want to go. I don't think it will give me what I want because I would like some portions of some letters to looked almost weathered all the way off. The video gives the same effect over all the letters. The video demonstrates and returns a kind of architectural 'white wash', which is not what I'm after. I will try it while I wait for any additional input but I don't think I'll get what I want.

[Multi4G]

Maybe you should show us a picture of what you want to achieve so it is easier to help you. Also, the letters are all the same, because no additional masks or effects are applied. but you are free to do so if you want.

[Dekade]

2 hours ago, Multi4G said:

Maybe you should show us a picture of what you want to achieve so it is easier to help you. Also, the letters are all the same, because no additional masks or effects are applied. but you are free to do so if you want.

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[carl123]

As already advised you will need to start with the Displacement Filter but after that you can "distress" it further to get whatever result you want.

 

 

[Multi4G]

@Dekade 

My Displacement Tut should work great for that. You should also use grunge maps to make it look old and withered as in this tutorial at around  7:34

 

[catlover]

@Multi4G  : Thank you !!

C.L.

[Dekade]

Thanks for all the input. I want to say this first: I was looking for something a little easier.

BUT . . . I do understand that perfection takes time. That said, I have no choice but to follow the advice of already accomplished experts. Thanks again so much for the input, advice, and video links. I guarantee you I will put it all to use.

[Fixx]

Sounds like OP would like to use a plugin like mr retro machine wash filter.

[Dekade]

5 minutes ago, Fixx said:

Sounds like OP would like to use a plugin like mr retro machine wash filter.

Not sure I understand. Could you elaborate?

[Fixx]

https://www.misterretro.com/filters/machine-wash-deluxe

It will probably not work with Affinity Photo, but it is untested AFAIK.

[R C-R]

3 hours ago, Fixx said:

https://www.misterretro.com/filters/machine-wash-deluxe

It will probably not work with Affinity Photo, but it is untested AFAIK.

And only about twice the price of Affinity Photo, too. 

[MikeW]

46 minutes ago, R C-R said:

And only about twice the price of Affinity Photo, too. 

Who cares if it works and speeds up the workflow? At least for a commercial concern. But even for someone doing this stuff as a hobby and is doing enough of it, it pays in time/sanity.

I purchase widgets that cost from a few hundred to the several hundred dollar range just to speed up what I do that either cannot be done natively or take too much time without them. And if I were to switch production from the applications I use to APub (yeah, not what this thread concerns), for instance, and those widgets were made for APub, I would buy their license regardless of what APub ends up priced at. It isn't necessarily a comparison between the cost of an Affinity application and the widgets that matters. It's their value to what one does repetitively that matters.

[R C-R]

19 minutes ago, MikeW said:

Who cares if it works and speeds up the workflow?

My point was simply that as @Fixx said, it is unlikely it would work with Affinity Photo & thus its purchase price would offer no value if that is the app one intended to use it with.

[Pariah73]

I use Blend Ranges to get that flaking/fading paint effect.

[firstdefence]

None of the Mister retro plugins work as they should so the retro wash deluxe is going to be the same.

With a bit of organisation you could probably get very similar results with less effort than you think. Collect or design some overlays to have a distressed look, Categorise them, create the effects and have them added to the styles panel again under categories like Erosion, Stain, Rust and Bleach. probably wouldn't take long to amass a nice set of distressed styles.

[Jowday]

12 hours ago, MikeW said:

Who cares if it works and speeds up the workflow? At least for a commercial concern. But even for someone doing this stuff as a hobby and is doing enough of it, it pays in time/sanity.

I purchase widgets that cost from a few hundred to the several hundred dollar range just to speed up what I do that either cannot be done natively or take too much time without them. And if I were to switch production from the applications I use to APub (yeah, not what this thread concerns), for instance, and those widgets were made for APub, I would buy their license regardless of what APub ends up priced at. It isn't necessarily a comparison between the cost of an Affinity application and the widgets that matters. It's their value to what one does repetitively that matters.

Indeed!

[Dekade]

16 hours ago, MikeW said:

Who cares if it works . . . it pays in time/sanity.

I can use the time and sanity but I can't use the extra expense. That's why I was respectfully seeking a shortcut. I actually thought when I started there might be a brush stroke that could suffice, but, I have found the quest to be much more intense for a few times usage versus daily application.

 

[MikeW]

5 minutes ago, Dekade said:

I can use the time and sanity but I can't use the extra expense. That's why I was respectfully seeking a shortcut. I actually thought when I started there might be a brush stroke that could suffice, but, I have found the quest to be much more intense for a few times usage versus daily application.

 

I understand and my comments were directed at R C-R's comment about the price of the widget versus Affinity applications.

You can download one of a bazillion free grunge-type of textures, add it to a layer above the subject and use a blend mode to perhaps achieve a desired effect. There are also likely free Photoshop brushes that one can paint on the subject.

Mike

[Dekade]

1 hour ago, MikeW said:

I understand and my comments were directed at R C-R's comment about the price of the widget versus Affinity applications.

You can download one of a bazillion free grunge-type of textures, add it to a layer above the subject and use a blend mode to perhaps achieve a desired effect. There are also likely free Photoshop brushes that one can paint on the subject.

Mike

Thanks Mike, I understand through your clarity now. I never took your post as a direct hit but I certainly appreciate your clarification. Sounds like you are a more intense user of Affinity than I am. Most on this forum probably are. I'd give anything (well almost) to know Affinity Photo and Designer like you and others that are pros with the software. I could really spruce up the work I do do if I did. (that was a mouthful). Thus, it's easily understood your usage of various plug ins and additional expenses for your daily design routines. Best wishes for you to do well in your ongoing design endeavors.

[Fixx]

13 hours ago, Dekade said:

I can use the time and sanity but I can't use the extra expense. That's why I was respectfully seeking a shortcut

You asked for a shortcut and I posted it :-) ...I also posted Wash Machine as it shows the effect. 

You can either get PS and Wash Machine (and do what you need with one click shortcut) or invest some time for designing the effect by yourself (get grunge textures and use them in layers and masks; not a shortcut).

[Dekade]

Well . . . I just came across a solution that might fit my unprofessional needs. I googled and came up with some "distressed" and "destroyed" fonts that seem to be good enough for my needs. I experimented real quick with a couple and they look pretty good. Is there a quick tip I could get from anyone on how to take one or two individual letters of a text string and fade them even further? I played with the blur effect some and even though the blur affected the entire text string it did make it a bit more real. Now if I can choose certain letters and fade them even further I might have what I am looking for.

Thanks to all for your patience on this thread. I am very much aware it can be irritating at times advising an inexperienced user but just want you to know I very much appreciate your time.

[carl123]

Convert the text to Curves and you will then get a group with each individual letter on its own layer which you can manipulate without affecting the other letters

[firstdefence]

You could convert the text to curves, which in turn separates each letter to its own layer, from there you could adjust the layers parameters like opacity blend modes and add filters.