Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Impalpable Mar 09, 2015 12:27:44	This is a question for any designers out there. I'm a professional graphic designer and I am oft intrigued by the design choices of our friends at Wizards of the Coast. Of late I've been looking at the 5e books and I am curious about the decorative/abstract/paint-smear looking frames on many of the illustrations. I've been searching the internet and can't seem to find a way to replicate that effect in Adobe Indesign. So I ask the community, does anyone know how that effect is achieved?   Thanks for your time!
#2 ChrisTheS Mar 09, 2015 12:37:15	I don't know about these books, but I know that L5R books (which also go the fully patterned page route) can use something like four or five different transparent image layers for similar effects (page layer > image base layer > brush stroke frame > partial page layer to blend back into background > sometimes more brush strokes)   No idea how inDesign handles transparency and masking, though, so I can't help there.
#3 AaronOfBarbaria Mar 09, 2015 13:07:07	Give me a page refference on the specific visual effect you are talking about, and I'll see if I can at least tell you how I would do it.
#4 pukunui Mar 09, 2015 13:36:47	AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
(Reply to #4) Impalpable	pukunui wrote:
#6 pukunui Mar 09, 2015 14:39:09	Impalpable wrote:
#7 AaronOfBarbaria Mar 09, 2015 16:36:23	I agree with pukunui, those look to have been masked behind a layer (or three) of ink splotches and grungey brush strokes.   I would personally use Photoshop for that kind of effect, and have the image include tranparency because I've never gotten the hang of masking things within InDesign (on account of not needing to know how because I have other tools available).