Welles

Two steps...

The specific settings require experimentation, particularly depending on whether it's screen resolution or print.

? Filter > Artistic > Poster Edges...

Edge Thickness: 5
?Edge Intensity: 4
Posterization: 3

?Filter > Artistic > Cutout...

No. of Levels: 7
Edge Simplicity: 0
Edge Fidelity: 1

You can do this in PS CS Filter Factory in a single two layer step.

Blinky2004

Ooo! Hey try this too! [excited]

Poster Edges: Thickness=0 Intensity=5 Poster=3
Add another effects layer.
Film Grain: Grain=0 Highlight=9 Intensity=10 -- option: Highlight between 9 & 12, depending on the look you want. 12 is interesting too.


And an alternate effect would be: (see 2nd example image)

Poster Edges: Thickness=0 Intensity=2 Poster=0
Film Grain Grain=0 Highlight=20 Intensity=5 to 10

FYI: the 3rd image is the 2nd example saved out as a 4 colour Gif.
The 1st image is the source photo.

Blinky2004

Here... i may as well show you some other "look" one can get with similar technique. I'll be including this effect on the CD as an Action, and also be explaing it step-by-step in a tute too. [excited]

Once the initial effect is produced, literally every variation between and including these ones can be generated; with only a couple more options added.

PS: the source photo has Jpg artifacts in it that dullened it.

Welles

That's a fine series of effects, Mark. [righton]

I took the liberty of using your second source picture to exemplify the settings I had shared in the original post. (I should have added a sample image in the first place... } )

Blinky2004

Aah cool.

Do you notice how your settings have made her look older?

I used similar settings before to make this girl look like an old lady, and also a very young girl -- without the clone tool or repainting. Here's how...

Simply apply the Other/Minimum & Maximum filters to the photo. Amount settings depend on photo clarity/complexity, so play with em a little. (we're talking 1-2px)

Welles

Very interesting. It wasn't quite what I had imagined but I can sort of see the old/young effect. So we can make up a rule... Bright and Smooth = Young. Darker and Blotchy = Old. Hmmm... [bustagut]

MsOz

OOh, cartoon effect from photograph!
One of my favorite challenges! I've yet to do it the same two times in a row, but my current favorite is to strive to convey depth, such as the folds and drapes in the fabric...

Klaatu Baradda Nikto

Nice effect MsOz. We particularly like your first black and white version.

In our version we set:
Film Grain
Grain=2
Highlight area=16
Intensity=10

Added
Dust & Scratches
Radius=1
Threashold=1

Then:
Posterized
Levels=7

Duplicated this layer
then:
Diffuse
Anistropic

Set this layer Blending Mode to:
Lighten

Then:
Merged layers.

(Photos courtesy of Liquid-Venus)

MsOz

Fabulous effect on the detailed sections, Klaatu. Now, how would you go about evening out the blotchy colors in the skin tones? That was why I went to B&W, because the skin tone colors were starting to dither too much.

Klaatu Baradda Nikto

Here's another version using the above settings with some additional work.

This time we Duplicated the final Merged layer (cmd/cntrl+j) and ran the Dust & Scratches filter once again on the duplicate. Then adding a Layer Mask (Hide All) to this copy, we painted over the shadow transition areas with a white brush (avoiding the black lines in the image) so that the shadow edges were less splattered and more even (as they probably would be in a real cartoon drawing).