ArtsFunia: How to Create Painting Effects from Photos in Photoshop

In this Photoshop lesson I will show you how easy it is to create a painting effect on a photo just by creating a layer and then applying the right filters and color blending modes on each layer. For best results, you should choose a photo that doesn't have fine details because to create this painting effect, filters will be used that reduce the detail of the image. Also make sure the photo you choose has good color contrast.

1. Open Photo Then Duplicate Layer.

Open the photo by selecting File> Open then duplicating the Background layer by pressing Ctrl + J. Duplicate the Background layer three times. Name each layer according to the filter to be applied, namely from the lowest order Cutout, Dry Brush and Median. You do this by double clicking on the layer name then type the name and press the Enter key.

Duplicate the layer three times. Stock for this Photoshop Tutorial: Pixabay.

2. Give a Cutout Filter on the Cutout Layer.

Click the Cutout layer then select Filter> Filter Gallery> Artistic> Cutout. Fill in the Number of Levels: 4, Edge Simplicity: 4 and Edge Fidelity: 2. Click the OK button. Change the Cutout layer's Blend Mode to Luminosity.

Give the cutout filter to the cutout layer and change the blend mode to Luminosity.

3. Give the Dry Brush Filter to the Dry Brush Layer.

Click the Dry Brush layer then select Filter> Filter Gallery> Dry Brush. Fill in Brush Size: 10, Brush Detail: 10 and Texture: 3. Click the OK button. Change the blend mode of the Dry Brush layer to Screen.

Apply a Dry Brush filter and change the blend mode to Screen.

4. Give Median Noise On the Median Layer.

Click the Median layer (the top layer) then select Filter> Noise> Median. Fill in the Radius 25 pixels then click the OK button. Change the blend mode of the Median layer to Soft Light.