Photoshop Creative Issue

Turn any photo

into an

abstract oil

painting

T

here are several ways to create an oil

painting effect in Photoshop. The fastest

and easiest way is a rather cool feature, aptly

named the Oil Paint filter. It enables you to take

any photo and easily turn it into a ‘painting’ by

tweaking a few sliders. As is the case with many

other Photoshop filters, using it alone creates a

common-looking, much less interesting result.

However, combining it with other filters opens up a

whole new world of possibilities.

In this tutorial, we’ll take you through the process

of transforming a mandrill photo into an illustration,

and show you how we use filters in Photoshop to

speed up and achieve a painting effect. We’ll also

show you how to prepare your image before

applying the filters to get the result we want. Check

out our Expert Tip for more specific advice on the

Blend-If sliders.

The images used in this tutorial are all provided

on the FileSilo. You can also download the layered

PSD to get a better understanding of exactly how

you can build up your artwork. Once you have

worked through the technique, you can try applying

it to other kinds of photos.

Transform a photograph with the use of filters in Photoshop

On the FileSilo

Download your free

resources at http://www.filesilo.

co.uk/photoshopcreative

Content-Aware fill

02

We are going to extend the image.

Using the Rectangular Marquee Tool,

click and drag to make a selection at the top

of the image. Go to Edit>Fill>Content-Aware.

Repeat to extend the bottom and both sides

of the image.

Import the image

01

Begin by searching for your desired

image from your own library or the

web. We will be using a mandrill image we

found as a base for our painting. Place your

guidelines according to the rule of thirds,

and drag the image into your canvas.

Patch Tool

03

Depending on your image, some

weird artifacts may result. We’re

going to remove these by using the Patch

Tool. Select the area you wish to clean up,

and simply drag to the area you wish to

sample. Repeat this a few times to

thoroughly remove any strange areas.

Want different results? Repeat the Glass and Oil Paint filters

Essentials

Works with

What you’ll learn

How to use filters to

apply an abstract painting

effect on a photo

Time taken

1-3 h o u r s

CS CC

Expert

BÜRO

UFHO

“We found that combining

Photoshop’s Oil Paint filter

with other filters can yield

some interesting results.

“Being both an artist,

under the moniker kittozutto,

and graphic design studio,

BÜRO UFHO, we have been

using Photoshop for over

10 years. In 2015, we had

the privilege to be invited

by Adobe, together with 70

artists, to celebrate its 25th

Anniversary of Photoshop.”

Elements