D/L'd this on the giveaway day and registered it. Tried to use it yesterday and it was unregistered leaving a watermark on all sketches I made. I put the registration number back in (from the readme file) and then it worked for me. Opened it again today and it was unregistered AGAIN! Today it wouldn't re-take the registration number, saying that reg. number was already taken. What a disappointment. I emailed my concerns to the company yesterday but they have not gotten back to me.

I remember this from last year. It was fun but a little slow.

Ran three pics just before I nuked the old version with today's offering. Sadly, Version 1.3 does not seem any faster.

The thing that bugged me about the previous version (and now this one) is that you have to keep track of what settings that you used to get a certain look.

Why can't SD put the current settings into the EXIF data -- the Comments field for example? (Enable via Tools > Options... checkbox)

I just looked at a newly output "sketch" and found all the original EXIF data was retained. (Good)

Or output the settings to a text file? Append data to common file for each picture processed in a folder?

I also thought it was weird that it popped up an example of the presets based on SoftOrbits' test picture rather than the image that the user had open. Of course, given the slowness of the "Run" process I can see how achieving this would be difficult - but perhaps the user could pick a small, critical area of their picture that could be more quickly processed for pop-up previews (especially on multi-core processors).

So many programs claim to do this, but this is the only one I've seen do it RIGHT. Only wish that you could preview the final product.

#43 Chuck-I have had the same problem for some time. Nothing from this site will install. I get an error message indicating the installation file may be corrupt. Today, I tried several downloads using different browsers and with anti-virus off. Still won't install. It seemed to start after I upgraded to Windows 8.1, but I'm not sure. If Glary or Shareware on sale offer the same application, I have been able to download and install without any trouble. This is very frustrating, as I have been downloading and trying out new software from this site for several years.

I installed this program. Cut and Pasted the reg. code and manually entered my email. I hit OK and got a window thanking me for registering. After trying out the program which worked great; I closed it. About thirty minutes later I opened it and was surprised to find the "unregistered version" message back at the top. I then reopened the install program to get the reg. code and entered it manually. Now I can change profiles and it still shows it registered. My conclusion is although the program will accept cut and paste entries, it will not enter them in the registry unless it is entered manually.

Other than the very minor registration issue I had; This program works great! My grandson uses it to help him learn to draw by creating sketches then draws them by hand. I am glad I did not pass on installing this one!

I love this program! Can't get the GAOTD suggestion box to work, it won't accept the captcha code after 4 or 5 tries. So here's my suggestion:

Select part of the picture using typical select tools (box, draw a polygon region, paint a region, etc., plus invert, feather, expand, contract selected region), then apply the sketch effect only to that region.

This would let me apply different sketch settings to various parts of a picture, or sketch just the background behind someone, or highlight one person in a group. Can be done by using Sketch Drawer in combination with another program, but very cool to have this power built-in. Would also be good to specify whether sketching can extend beyond selection border.

Thanks for listening -- and for the giveaway! Anyone who hasn't tried this program yet needs to give it a shot.

While I instinctively launch Photoshop for most image editing chores (and trust me, with Photoshop, EVERYTHING is a chore!*), Paint.net's sketch filter beats PS and eliminates multiple PS-steps when I just want to produce a simple sketch.

I was interested to see if Sketch Drawer was better/worse as a dedicated single-function product costing a whopping $80. Sketch Drawer seems much slower and not as user friendly (Paint.net instantly changes your image, SD offers previews of a default image when you hover over various presets - unless I missed a settings pref somewhere that makes YOUR image the preview.)

It took a lot of experimenting to come up with a combination of settings that produced a realistic "sketch" with SD similar to Paint.net despite the previewer. At first they all seem to come out looking like gravestone rubbings.

Wishing there was some sort of "Save Drafts" button that would plop trials into a cache bucket AND retain ALL settings prefs for each trial, i.e., HISTORY. Then, I could display half a dozen or a dozen side by side in a viewer to make a selection. Saving to file only saves the finished result with no settings. In that regard, it's like a miniature version of Twisted Brush that can suck up hours of experimenting. I'll keep it in my toolbox but I much prefer Paint.Net for ease of use.

A bug or just poor help documentation? When I try to save work product as an SKA, a tiny popup appears titled "PhotoStampRe..." with an exclamation mark, no words. Help is useless. Searched Photostamp, Stamp, ERROR and even Secret Keyring in case it was for PGP encryption... no results! I've heard of cryptic error messages, but that's going above and beyond cryptic. :)) The SKA did not complete the save process. sigh

Some might be confusing a sketch with line art. FWIW, Paint.net has several plug-ins if you like to create line art.

*for those using PS 7 to (at least) CS3, here's a forum thread with several tips for creating a decent pencil sketches if you're used to jumping through non-intuitive hoops -
http://www.justskins.com/forums/pencil-sketch-filter-137980.html

I downloaded fine but when I run setup I get an error. Setup integrity is bad. anyone else have this problem?? Tried with three separate downloads -- same problem

Thanks #21. I guess that's what happened with my previous regular version. When I went to open it and check if it differed from this version, I found it had reverted to an unregistered trial and was asking for payment to continue using. I've had a few gaotd programs revert to trials before, quite disappointing when it happens. So anyway, I uninstalled that version and downloaded and installed this new pro version. Actually it took several tries to get the registration to "take". After getting the message that it was registered, when I closed the program and reopened it later, it came back as "unregistered". This happened several times. Though now it seems to be fine, how long it lasts? who knows.
Anyway I tried a black and white nude photo with a plain white background, only adjusting the program to add a fill on the white area and to colorize. It came out beautiful. The next try was with a color photo, making several adjustments - did not come out good at all. I'll read the directions and do some more experimenting, am hopeful that this is a keeper. Thanks, gaotd.

The processing is slow but I am happy with the end product. I used the presets. I really like the big "save as" button. I wouldn't pay $80 for it though.

Thanks for today's software offering. Got a question for softorbit, you stated "We would like to explain that Pro license is addressed to Professionals who uses program regulary in their job. That is why it has a batch mode and watermarking feature. In most cases it also requires an extanded customer support. That is one of the reason of the $79 price. For home users we suggest Standart or Liter versions that are $49 and $29. They have a few limitations and allow to get great results" Any future release scheduled soon with spell check included to aid us?

@30: unfortunately turning a sketch into a photo is a much harder operation than the reverse, and I am not aware of the existence of any such program. Ten years from now, maybe.

No problem with installation Win 7 Home Premium 32-bit and registration was very fast. I ran a half dozen photos through, all with different objects and got mixed results. It seemed that how "busy" the photos were, some with only a foreground face and smooth background, others with bridges, boats, etc. and the program gave best results on very simple images. Anything complex seemed to give poor results at best. This would maybe make a decent plug-in for Photoshop or other programs at a $9.95 price point, but to ask $79.99 for it is a terrible mistake. I'd say out of 100 different combinations of photos and Sketch-Drawer options I was able to get 2 photo results that were acceptable. This is a No from me, and I'm uninstalling.

Slow like a molasses with photos over 8MB px. Nothing spectacular in comparison with other programs. Thanks but uninstalled.

Actually, testing different software for sketching and it's one of the best on my list. Accurate and very true to the original. No big distortion or graphic errors.
Good Product just a little bit too expensive. Especially when you compare to product as Photoshop Element or Lightroom.

Installed it. First results on some trial pictures were terrible. (The installer really ought to have a demo-exercise file that offers good example results). But I tried in on some bigger photos and the output was good. Definitely recommended. To the developer: try to get this working across multi-cores. I'm seeing just 1 CPU utilisation on an 8 core system.

It would be better to specify What's new on this version. I noticed some products doesn't specify what new on its version.

Installed and registered easily on Win7 64 bit. I have several of these programs and this Sketch Drawer Pro 1.3 ranks right up there at the top of the list for what it offers. If it is not working for you, then you have not taken the time to learn what it will do. I recommend it for anyone wanting to create sketch portraits

Will this program also do the reverse? (Convert pencil sketches to photos.) I have some pencil sketches I would like to do that with. Thanks, GAOTD!

Installed and runs fine.
I don't see any difference (so far) from free version 1.1
Free 1.1 offer an update to 1.3; not tried fearing it expects $$.

I agree with virtually all above: no preview, a bit slow, used very infrequently, anything over $10 US is way too pricy...I have 3 other comparable free sketch programs.
Even 70% discount seems too costly unless user fell in love with this prog....I did not. It is very good but only competitive, not outstanding.

6.4euros = about $11 US.

Does this free GOTD expire?

Nice. It does a good job. However, it is really over priced. This is a simple, small program.

Fotosketcher is the way to go!
Free & easy to use. Frequent improvements. No nags and no hidden ads.

Oh, my Gosh, I love how it sketches! Have tried several pictures and it's plain and simply awesome!! Great job!

Just tested it. Despite some negative comments, I see this as a good program. Love it.

Asraf

Go back into PS, save using the compatibility option and it may work.

I see no reason to pay 79+ bucks for a program if you can get the same results with a free paint.net program.

Just a heads up... Soft Orbits links your registration to your machine. So of a free offer, any change that crosses their threshold, and your license will revert t0 "trial". I had this happen too many times now, so I don;t even try. Paint.Net works for me.

Hi, having last year's Giveaway of Sketch Drawer (also called 'Sketch Converter'.. don't understand why not calling it simply one Name?) and finding out it was version 1.0 - I was interested to see some history of this Software and how given today version IMPROVED from previous..

Well, on SoftOrbis site front page for Sketch Drawer the ONLY references to previous versions are mentioned in (12) comments below, that's all.
Adding to confusion - one can see here and there either 'Try Sketch Drawer Free', or 'Buy Sketch Drawer Home Version:$29.95'..??

Call it lack of basic Information! (on Developer's part) - One has to go to ORDER PAGE to learn anything about which Version offers what and for what price. There is Lite, Standard, Pro (Today's Giveaway) and even Business Versions. You can find it here:

http://www.softorbits.com/photo-to-sketch-converter/order-editions.html

I personally dislike when something so obvious, so simple has to be a quest as to 'go on a mission' in order to find out why to upgrade at all.. (here - from 1.0 to 1.3 Pro), yes we imagine that it 'must' be better.. Come on, for that price? Never mind that it's free Today! HISTORY of how given Software evolves is surely of interest to any potential user/buyer!

Finally, did I learn how today's Version differ (graphic features) from one I already have? I guess not.

ok I asked for this program back on DEC 19th

and after trying it out all I can say is,
it downloaded and registered just fine on my WIN7 64
I tried it out on a few pics to try it out and well
It gives me Exactly what I was looking for,
others here may not like what they end up with, but when I did the pics I was trying, I used the presets as Default, edge strength as simple and left the rest blank, and it worked out just as I wanted,

BUT at $80.00 for a Pro License come one guys who is really going to pay that, and that is not even a business license LOL

so all in all as a free give away and since I asked for it

I LOVE IT, IT DOES WHAT I WANTED AND WAS WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR,

as for a paid Product, sure it does what I wanted & what I was looking for BUT I don't think I would be paying $80.00 for it and if you check out the website if you click on the link given to us at the top of the page

( Purchase an Unlimited personal license (with support and updates) at 70% discount )

you just might notice they might be pulling a fast one on you, as that link is only good for the standard version which sells for $49.99 and not the pro version that sells for $79.99

so I do have to thank GAOTD and SoftOrbits for giving me what I asked for, for free, but when it comes to that kind of money with a discount code for something not even offered here, but a lesser version of it, you should be ashamed,
please don't try to test our intelligence just because we wanted to try your software out for free 8=)

The Pro edition of Sketch Drawer, even if you pay full price for it, cannot be used for commercial work. Some may misread the use of the word "professionals" as show on the version comparison chart Ashraf included in his full review. That chart labeled the Pro edition's typical usage as including batch mode and copyright protection for professionals. That terminology is a a bit misleading.

See this different comparison chart at SoftOrbits that shows there are four editions, and clarifies usage permitted for each:
http://www.softorbits.com/photo-to-sketch-converter/order.html

Sketch Drawer Lite for $29.99, Standard for $49.99, Pro edition for $79.99, and the Business edition for $99.99 is shown. Although the Pro edition offers batch mode and watermarking not available with either the Lite or Standard editions) the use allowed is still for non-commercial purposes in a non-business, non-commercial environment. You have to buy the $99.99 Business license in order to use the software for commercial use (stated as use "in a corporate, government, or business environment." Of course, the Giveaway limitations include strictly personal usage anyway, as well as no free technical support or free upgrades to future versions, but if anyone is considering purchasing the Pro version, one should understand that it will cost an additional 20 bucks for commercial use rights.

Would I buy it for 80 bucks? heck no. Am I glad it is on offering for free today? heck yeah. I use both fotosketcher and sketchdrawer from time to time just for fun and both have their pro's and con's.
fotosketcher needs more tweaking before a decent image can be generated but gives you a side by side comparison where sketchdrawer does not give a side by side but is more intiutive to use.

I also compared it to paint.net pencil sketch and I think there is not to much difference with that specific effect
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/7318152/manja-paint.net.jpg
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/7318152/manja-sketchdrawerpro.jpg

We would like to explain that Pro license is addressed to Professionals who uses program regulary in their job. That is why it has a batch mode and watermarking feature. In most cases it also requires an extanded customer support. That is one of the reason of the $79 price. For home users we suggest Standart or Liter versions that are $49 and $29. They have a few limitations and allow to get great results.

I actually brought this before christmas and it cost me £6.40, whatever that equates to in $$$$ american I have no idea, and I have to say it is a nice simple programme, output in different options is very easy to do, yes it does lag on converting some, but the final finish is brill. I have no complaints about the fact I brought it, well not for the price I paid, but would not even think about paying their $79.99 price tag, not worth anywhere near that price. But as it's free try it, what have you got to lose. I know there will be negative score on this, and it does not appeal to everyone, but people asked for this to be given away as a freebie just before christmas & SoftOrbits have listened and done it.

While there those who claim "well I can do that with PS" there is a great advantage in specialized "I just do this" programs. This is one of those great little specialized tools, and for free!!! Go for it. Print a sketch on "water color paper" and generate art or keep kids busy for a rainy or frozen day.

Installed no problem, ran one photo in several differing modes. Yes,slow processing but I suspect that blame is my 5 year old computer. As a Camera Club Prolevel Photographer I highly recommend this program.

Man, I was really surprised when I saw how many positives this software giveaway had!?! Especially for such a practically useless software, which is my opinion, that costs $80.00! I couldn't see spending $80.00 for something like this! Heck, I could take that money and purchase my wife and kids a couple new outfits for that price!

Re: Price

There are so many smartphone (and, I'm guessing, iPhone) apps that do this and what Fotosketcher do and SO MUCH MORE that are free or only a few dollars that for years I've been transferring my photos to my smartphone (ty, Dropbox!) and processing them there. I can't believe this paid category at anything over $10 still exists.

Installation and registration was easy as this one comes with a registration code and there is no need to "wait" for one to arrive in an email.

Program started with absolutely no issues. I decided to try this with one of my largest and most detailed photos. I initially tried it on it's default settings. This converted the photo in less than a minute. Providing reasonable results. Then I changed the settings to the "color" option. Slightly slower conversion time but still managed to make the conversion in about a minute.

I would suggest, possibly, a few more "texture" options as well as a little more control over the color, hardness and detail options.

I believe that I'll be keeping this one as do like a number of options whenever I do my photo editing. This will make a nice addition to my choices.

Two great programs today, Sketch Drawer and Ashraf’s freeware offering of FotoSketcher, two programs that tend to produce very different results, both exceptional.
Worth looking at their sites to give you an idea of what they are capable of, FotoSketcher’s being particularly interesting if you like the Impressionists.
Much as I like today's download I would be unwilling to pay such a high price simply because it is something I would rarely use.
Fortunately today they are both free and well worth downloading.

This version also worked well, produced realistic sketch. Could not find version history on web site.
Previously installed stable version 1.1 became trial, it is not good if new version may show any bugs.

Have tried many sketch prgrams as well as Photoshop plugins before, but never been very impressed by the outputs. Tested todays giveaway on some pictures now, and I am happy to say that this is the first program I have tried where the output actually looks like a drawing. So even if it won't be used much, this program is a keeper for me!

#1 Ashraf: Did you try renaming the extension to .psd and check if it works?
Perhaps you need a specific Photoshop, if your is too new or too old, it might not work...

Nice software.It would be nice to add a possibility to convert a photo or image to a jigsaw... Well it's just an idea.

Installed and registered on a Win 81. 64 bit system without problems.

I was a big fan of these "be your own artist - automatically" products. Meanwhile I use my software (Postworkshop 3) few times from month to month. Mainly for wallpaper art.

The Sketch drawer is a simple to use program. You choose your picture and choose a mode for the drawing process. That's all, but is much to less for a good result. There is the most important tool missing, a pencil or a brush, where YOU define, which parts of the picture should be altered to a drawing. e,g. keep the eyes nearly original, the face as a color pencil sketch and the surrounding background as a rough and low contras black pen.

The added ability for watermarking the pictures is simply ridiculous, but this s together with an useless batch mode the only difference between the standard and pro edition. Who wants to batch a lot of pictures to a sketch without checking the result from picture to picture beforehand?

The systems works very slow, even on my machine with 16 gig memory and a I5K processor.

The software is free today, but compared to other sketch programs, free or paid, the software delivers nothing to justify the price tag.

Will stay on my computer for some quick and dirty sketch tasks and an addition to other photo manipulation software.

I would not buy it. If you want a real good program look after postworkshop. This program shows (IMHO) what is really possible on the top end.

Thanks GOATD and Softorbits

Version 1.1 (Feb 2013 GOTD, not Pro) still works excellent way, very realistic sketches.
Let's test this new and Pro.

What is the difference between the PRO version and previous GAOTD Sketch Drawer 1.3 ?

I used a photo with which I'm very familiar, and tried some 30 or so combinations of different effects, edges, etc... some with color. The result looked like my photo put through many different effects, none of which bearing the slightest resemblance to a pencil sketch. Somewhat of a disappointment.

I thought, could this be better than Paintnet's pencil sketch? Then I gave this a try. It proves to be not even close to paintnet. Not really worth the HD space, let alone $79,99. Nice try but no cigar.

Pros
*Turn your digital pictures into sketches easily
*Creates both black and white or color sketches, and has other types you can pick from
*Can batch convert pictures to sketches
*Tons of adjustable options to customize your output sketches
*Can adjust brightness, saturation, and contrast of input images plus rotate, flip, and crop
*Supports JPG/JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, ICO, TIF, TGA, PCX, and WMF image input formats

Cons
*Interface can be laggy at times
*Claims to be able to take in PSD inputs but it won’t, as per my tests

Free Alternatives
FotoSketcher

Final Verdict
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