John, Do I understand right that you want to generate b/w (or primary color) simple line images from a photograph? like converting a picture of an open cardboard box into a drawing of a simple box? I do this from time to time to generate etching stencils -- which must be low-res b/w. it's always trouble when I get a photo. If you haven't played much with the big packages, you'll eventually pick up that the standard "filter" algorithms can do a lot, but they can't pick out, connect and draw lines as clearly as we can in the"mind's eye." so you probably won't get what you want . . . but. If you want an automated routine for "quick and dirty" look into "edge finding" routines. It will look for regions where the color takes a sharp turn and pop in a line there. usually not bad, but not as clean as you'd want for a published illustration, and tend to pick up shadow lines as edges(sometimes good, sometimes not). The second option, (which can be done with or without the first) is to do a layered drawing. most of the big photo editing packages will allow you to draw on a layer like you would on a acetate sheet over a photo. this would allow you to draw the illustration using the picture as a tracing guide. bit complicated in setup, but much more powerful in results than a freehand drawing. Normally, it can be done in Gimp, Photoshop, et al., but come crunch time, I usually do it in Word (mostly for availability, but portability is also great). Just import your image and start drawing lines. every once in a while hide the image to see where you are. And no matter what package you use, UNDO is your friend! Best of luck, Dan Crews, E.I.T. (crews.dan@gmail.com) <>< On Tue, 8 Mar 2005 19:43:22 -0800, John Pearson wrote: > Is there a software package for making illustrations from photos? > -- -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist