Rob wrote:
> Hi, I just downloaded insta sketch beta. How can I improve on this?
> I would like it to look more like a sketch like some of the others
> I have seen on here. I'll give a pre and post.
>
> Thanks in advance
>
> rob
>
>
> http://image.pbase.com/u36/rjburk/large/23574648.1353560_IMG
>
> http://image.pbase.com/u36/rjburk/large/23574274.13535601_IMG
>

I agree with the cropping suggestion. The good news is, you've got a very nice base image to work with.

Here's another possibility...

Insta-sketch has a tendency to make skin areas look (using the word my wife used) "diseased." Here's one way to remedy that...
* When the action finishes, with the Eyedropper tool sample an area of "non-diseased" skin on the Pencil layer. The sample will be light gray in most cases
* Create a new layer below the Pencil layer and Edit > Fill it with the foreground color just sampled
* Back to the Pencil layer, Layer > Add Layer Mask > Reveal all
* Select the brush tool, choose a soft-edged brush, set opacity to about 50%, flow 50% and turn on the airbrush setting
* Set foreground color to black

* Start airbrushing areas of skin (Layer Mask is active). Adjust opacity, flow and brush size settings as needed. This will suppress the diseased-looking areas of the Pencil layer, revealing the skin-colored layer below.
* If you "erase too much," switch to white and paint where you goofed to recover as much as you like.

If you don't like the results when you get done, hold down the alt key and drag the layer mask thumbnail into the trash. You'll be back where you started w/o harming the original layer.

Keep on experimenting. The more you do so, the more fun you'll have!

~Danny~