I am looking for software, or a web service, that can make real photos of people in to avatar pictures. I found a few of the facebook app types, but they are loaded with spyware (like most facebook apps). I am hoping someone here may have knowledge they could share with me.
@Mark: I'm guessing you don't wish to mess with Photoshop or any of its knockoffs....
I've wandered through many of the free web-based sites that purport to convert your photo to an illustration, and most did not really produce the kind of output that I thought was high-quality... but I suppose I got what I paid for...
The site befunky (http://www.befunky.com/) has some user-friendly photo-editing manipulations you can try.
MyWebFace, which you've seen, tries to approximate an illustration based on automated analysis of the submitted photo. So the illustration quality is fairly good but whether it resembles the photo is - in my experience - a bit of a crapshoot.
@Mark: I just don't know of any super quick (and free) software or site that reliably makes real photos of people into avatar pictures, if by "avatar pictures" you are conceiving of a vector based illustration that doesn't just look distorted, crudely filterized or posterized.
Here is a list of 10 sites from the Cartoonize the World blog. As for embedded spyware on each these - I don't know.
Have you looked into CrazyTalk software. We've been using it at work with great success. You're able to take an image , it can be still and add a few facial movements, add mouth movement. You import the audio and sync it to the movement of the mouth.
Have you thought about using clip art in PowerPoint and breaking up the images as in one of Tom's blogs? I create loads of stuff like this, and through just building up shapes from scratch in PowerPoint. It's worked quite well for me...
@Chris - This is a really creative idea. If you ever found time to do a quick Screenr tutorial showing an example of how you've done that, I'd be super-interested.
@Randy, I'll see if i can get chance to do one in the next couple of days and post it on here. I dont get much opportunity to do things that require audio recording at work is the only issue. (It's open plan in herre!!)
I have used a program for websites and portals called "sitepal" they are very good and I think they have already introduced the technology to create an avatar based on a person's photograph. Plus you can get the avatar to speak based on text you compose or prerecord etc... all sorts of cool applications. Not sure if this is what you are looking for but well worth considering.
I'm using SitePal at the moment, but I can't seem to get it to work with Articulate. Has anyone else had experience of using this? You can embed as a web object easily, but I'm trying to put it into the presenter tab. I think I need to embed it in an swf, but when I try the code that Sitepal provide in AS2, it doesn't work!!
If anyone's done this before, please let me know how because at the moment I'm tearing my hair out!!
Also, I like CrazyTalk, too. Used it several years ago, was well-received. We had Albert Einstein delivering Lock Out Tag Out training, and a dalmatian dog share Quality updates.
@/Mariano - Hi, Mariano. This was one of the ones you could choose when you registered for the forums. I think that is s good idea, to offer people a choice they can use as well as the option to upload their photo.
I'm using SitePal at the moment, but I can't seem to get it to work with Articulate. Has anyone else had experience of using this? You can embed as a web object easily, but I'm trying to put it into the presenter tab. I think I need to embed it in an swf, but when I try the code that Sitepal provide in AS2, it doesn't work!!
If anyone's done this before, please let me know how because at the moment I'm tearing my hair out!!
C
Hi Chris - I know this is an old post, but I'm wondering if you ever figured out how to use sitepal with Articulate in the presenter tab? I'm trying to do the same thing.
Hi Shelby and you're absolutely right that *all* questions are welcome here. Regarding Crazy Talk - yah, I believe that it allows you to export to swf, right? So you could insert the swf into Quizmaker. In fact Dave Moxon had an example of that awhile back, on his blog:
48 Replies
Hi Mark - would something like this work for what you have in mind?
http://www.converttocartoon.com/index.php
It's web-based and free.
Thank You Jeanette
It's very close. It does a photoshop watercolor conversion.
More like http://www.squidoo.com/mywebface, but this (to my knowledge) is a spyware site (if you download anything).
I might be able to sandbox it but I would rather not risk it.
Lots of people in this forum have cartoons as their avatars... I wonder where are these coming from...
I would never use a cartoon as my avatar
@Mark: I'm guessing you don't wish to mess with Photoshop or any of its knockoffs....
I've wandered through many of the free web-based sites that purport to convert your photo to an illustration, and most did not really produce the kind of output that I thought was high-quality... but I suppose I got what I paid for...
The site befunky (http://www.befunky.com/) has some user-friendly photo-editing manipulations you can try.
MyWebFace, which you've seen, tries to approximate an illustration based on automated analysis of the submitted photo. So the illustration quality is fairly good but whether it resembles the photo is - in my experience - a bit of a crapshoot.
I have photoshop and do well with it. I was just hoping to find some faster method.
Be funky looks like a fun application, I will give it a try. Thank You
@Mark: I just don't know of any super quick (and free) software or site that reliably makes real photos of people into avatar pictures, if by "avatar pictures" you are conceiving of a vector based illustration that doesn't just look distorted, crudely filterized or posterized.
Here is a list of 10 sites from the Cartoonize the World blog. As for embedded spyware on each these - I don't know.
Mark - I just re-checked that Cartoonize the World blog post and the links are now all re-directed. I doubt it will be of much use- sorry
Have you looked into CrazyTalk software. We've been using it at work with great success. You're able to take an image , it can be still and add a few facial movements, add mouth movement. You import the audio and sync it to the movement of the mouth.
I will. Even if I don't find exactly what I'm looking for, all the great ideas are a real asset to the forum. Thanks for all the posts.
Thanks for the tip on crazytalk Tekeye. That one is a must have!
What a great way to spice up a boring training topic. Lately, I have a lot of those
types of topics.
Have you thought about using clip art in PowerPoint and breaking up the images as in one of Tom's blogs? I create loads of stuff like this, and through just building up shapes from scratch in PowerPoint. It's worked quite well for me...
@Chris - This is a really creative idea. If you ever found time to do a quick Screenr tutorial showing an example of how you've done that, I'd be super-interested.
@Randy, I'll see if i can get chance to do one in the next couple of days and post it on here. I dont get much opportunity to do things that require audio recording at work is the only issue. (It's open plan in herre!!)
I have used a program for websites and portals called "sitepal" they are very good and I think they have already introduced the technology to create an avatar based on a person's photograph. Plus you can get the avatar to speak based on text you compose or prerecord etc... all sorts of cool applications. Not sure if this is what you are looking for but well worth considering.
www.sitepal.com
I'm using SitePal at the moment, but I can't seem to get it to work with Articulate. Has anyone else had experience of using this? You can embed as a web object easily, but I'm trying to put it into the presenter tab. I think I need to embed it in an swf, but when I try the code that Sitepal provide in AS2, it doesn't work!!
If anyone's done this before, please let me know how because at the moment I'm tearing my hair out!!
C
Not sure if this is what you're looking for, but it is kind of fun. http://www.amctv.com/originals/madmen/madmenyourself/
And I look JUST LIKE the one I just created
Also, I like CrazyTalk, too. Used it several years ago, was well-received. We had Albert Einstein delivering Lock Out Tag Out training, and a dalmatian dog share Quality updates.
@Jodi, Where is your avatar from? (the one you're using for the forums, not the one you have attached to the msg)
@/Mariano - Hi, Mariano. This was one of the ones you could choose when you registered for the forums. I think that is s good idea, to offer people a choice they can use as well as the option to upload their photo.
HAHA!!! I just found a new way to absorb my time instead of working!
Thanks!,
Dave
Very cool thank you.
Hi Chris - I know this is an old post, but I'm wondering if you ever figured out how to use sitepal with Articulate in the presenter tab? I'm trying to do the same thing.
Thanks!
Ren
Keeping in mind there is "No Such Thing as a Stupid Question!" Is it easy to insert a Crazy Talk animation into Articulate?
Hi Shelby and you're absolutely right that *all* questions are welcome here. Regarding Crazy Talk - yah, I believe that it allows you to export to swf, right? So you could insert the swf into Quizmaker. In fact Dave Moxon had an example of that awhile back, on his blog:
http://daveperso.mediaenglishonline.com/2010/02/10/create-a-video-hotspot-question-in-quizmaker-09/
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