How to achieve this effect?

[Kbmann90]

Hello all!
Imagine a perfect circle filled with an illustration. Is there an easy way to make the edges look sort of like the sketch I have attached? I want it to be random so each illustration looks different. At the very least, is there an easy way to just make the perfect circle randomly squiggly like in the picture?

Thanks!

 

[Rich54]

I tried using various Distort filters to see if I could distort the edges of a circle, but that didn't work. Then I thought of this:

1. Take the image that you want inside your circle and bring that into Photoshop on its own layer.
2. Add a layer mask to this layer.
3. Using the Elliptical Marquee Tool, create a perfect circle on your image. Go to Select>Invert to invert the selection, and then fill the layer mask with black. You should get something that looks like this:



4. Now use a hard brush and manually—by hand—paint white or black over the layer mask to distort the perfect circle. In effect, you are using the perfect circle as a rough guide, but the natural imperfection of tracing the outline by hand will give you random jiggles, something like this:



5. As an optional step, apply a Layer Style to your image to create a stroke outline of your jiggly layer mask. If you later change the layer mask, the stroke will automatically adjust itself.

 

[Kbmann90]

Problem is that the illustration is already a circle, and I need the background to be transparent.

I'm at work and just theorizing right now. I suppose I could upload the sketch into illustrator and use a trace edge feature and then fill it in. Then import into photoshop and select it with color range or whatever. Then free transform it over the circle, inverse select, and delete.

I would just have to hand draw these for each one which isn't so bad.

 

[Rich54]

It's easy to make the background transparent. I put a light blue background on mine, on a separate layer, just so that you could more easily see what I did. If you do my method without a blue background layer, you will have a transparent background.

Regarding the fact that your illustration is already circular, I don't see why that's a problem. My method would still work.

 

[IamSam]

I'm at work and just theorizing right now. I suppose I could upload the sketch into illustrator and use a trace edge feature and then fill it in. Then import into photoshop and select it with color range or whatever. Then free transform it over the circle, inverse select, and delete.

Based on what you have described in your op, this would be excessive overkill in order to get the results you desire.

@Rich54's technique is exactly what you asked for.

Round illustration on transparent BG....



Round illustration with layer mask.


Round illustration (still on transparent BG) with layer mask and randomly brushed edges that will be different for each illustration.
Super fast and easy. A one layer fix.