Tip #3604 - Creating Watercolor Photos
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Creating
Watercolor Photos
Did you know that
even you, the non-artist, can turn an ordinary photo into a beautiful
watercolor painting that looks something like this? It's no longer a dream.
Today, you'll learn how to make it come true for your photos!
The Watercolor filter
in Photoshop is part of the artistic family of filters in the Adobe Photoshop
program. The Watercolor filter produces unbelievable results that resemble
a watercolor painting, just like one created by a professional artist.
Before applying the
Watercolor filter, it is important to create a copy of the original image.
This is a good idea, just in case you don’t like the results (which
come on, is pretty much unlikely with this beautiful filter!)
To create a copy of
the original image, you need to create a Duplicate Layer. Go to Image
and select Duplicate. Name the duplicate image something
that you can easily remember.
Now you're all set
to become a watercolor artist (don’t worry, your secret is safe!)
Since this photo is
a little dark and intense, it needs to be adjusted. There are different
ways to decrease the intensity of the photo before it is put through the
Watercolor filter.
This way is easy,
because you can control the results better.
The Brightness/Contrast
box will pop up, allowing you to change the image in real time.
To lighten the image, increase the brightness. You can see how light it
will be before you save the changes.
Once you like what
you see, click OK.
Once the image is
to your liking, you can now go in and start playing with the Watercolor
filter. Go to Filter and select Artistic.
From the Artistic
menu, click on Watercolor.
The Watercolor menu
gives you, the watercolor artist (wink, wink), a couple of different options
to help you get the painting just the way you want it.
You can control how
the brush looks, the shadows and even the final texture of the painting.
To make the image
look like it was painted with a wide or round brush, use a larger number
for the Brush Detail.
Here's an example:
Or, make the image
look like it was painted with a smaller brush, which shows more detail.
You can also change
the Shadow Intensity to remove any dark portions.
Use the Texture
feature to make the image look like it was painted on smooth or rough
paper.
Voila! You just made a watercolor
painting, without the drying time!
Now, remember to experiment
with the different settings to best personalize your photo to a watercolor
image!
~ Veronica West
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