SkyBrowse photo-to-sketch service could be useful to inventors but needs a download button.
SkyBrowse CEO Bobby Ouyang casually mentions in a LinkedIn post that you can now upload a picture—any picture—and instantly have a sketch of it. How is this not worthy of a press release?
I’m sure SkyBrowse intends for this to be used for accident reconstruction, as that is what SkyBrowse was first known for. Apparently, sketches are required for traffic reports instead of photographs. Why police, investigators or lawyers would want a sketch instead of a photo is beyond me. A photograph contains much more information (color, shadows, detail…). It’s a dumbing down of information, pure and simple.
Another place where sketches are required instead of photographs? Patents. The United States Patent and Trademark Office insists that applicants provide a sketch to convey an invention—even if a CAD model would be far more descriptive and photographs of a prototype far more informative.
If you are being forced to create a sketch for whatever purpose, rather than question the rationale, you can simply drag and drop the photo from its folder and drop it into the “upload image” box at https://www.skyebrowse.com/sketch and it will be instantly transformed into a sketch that looks very much hand drawn.
However, the instant photo-to-sketch service is a bit of a tease. Although it functions as a technology showcase, its true purpose is as a lead generator for the sales department. The sketches produced by the free service are watermarked and there is no way to download them. You are told that a model (drawing?) is available for as little as $3, but your only choice is to fill out a long form with no place to upload the photograph. Plus, you are required to provide information that an inventor would not have, such as “How many drone pilots do you have?”
To make this impressive technology useful for engineers, I recommend a “buy” button that collects the fee and passes on the photograph that you have uploaded and delivers an unwatermarked PDF or JPEG file. The low cost is a no-brainer and by itself could make SkyBrowse a household name, but filling out a long form is a deterrent. No engineer wants to touch off an automated email barrage or have to field calls from salespeople trying to upsell you the company’s more expensive products.
