A Photos To Painting Demo

A photos to painting demo.

Turning photos to painting canvases that are better than the original photograph isn't just a function of our 6-step filtering process, or whatever technique you choose to apply. The preparation work put into the image prior to the painting process is very important also.

Here is a very cute shot of Chloe, an adorable puppy wearing a white flower on her neck. The problem with the submitted photo is the overly dark face and body of the dog, obscuring the details. Too many people assume this is just something that has to be accepted, what can be done after the fact? Especially if you can't go back and relight the situation. The truth is, there are usually details that are actually in the digital image waiting to be uncovered and pulled out. The proper preparation for this particular photos to painting project is to selectively lighten and brighten the problem areas.



By using the lasso tool (I prefer the polygonal lasso tool because the selection is paused as you go) set to a very wide feathered edge, shown by the orange outline. The wide feather used here was 24 pixels, meaning that once the selection has been made and the area is brightened, the effect is spread out over a 24 pixel wide area so it is not unnatural or too harsh. This can be done in stages if needed. The decking area was also in heavy shadow cast by the puppy's body so that was brightened as well to bring out the wood grain detail.

Another aspect of turning photos to painting canvases that really sparkle is to pay attention to the levels of overall color saturation and contrast. Depending on the painting techniques used (our process tends to add some color saturation as well as contrast) the final prepped digital image may need adjusting as well. In the case of little Chloe here, not much needed to be changed in that department until the 6-step process altered those levels naturally. A photos to painting undertaking that has a lot of bright color in the original may need to be toned down a bit in the preparation stage so the addition of color saturation and contrast during the painting process doesn't create an overblown garish look. The example shown is primarily black, white and grey tones with the most color being the flower leaves and the inside of her ear.



This particular photos to painting effort was kept to our 'standard' degree of realism in terms of the brush stroke effect. Note the 3 enlarged details where the painted effect is evident. It is still fairly realistic, but obviously not a photograph, as is the preference of most of our customers. This is a very adjustable issue however. There are a couple of ways to create an alternative version of your photos to painting canvas with a greater or lesser degree of brushstroke realism. The most simple way is to apply whatever formula of filtering you typically use (assuming you have a tried and true favorite method as we do) but vary the size of your original photo. For instance, if the first painting proof was created at an image size using a resolution of 180 set to 8 inches in height, try 6 inches in height for a more 'painterly' effect or try a 10 inch high version for a more realistic look.

The other, more custom approach to varying the degree of realism and brushstroke look would be to start adjusting whatever your percentage of filtered layers you are using. This photos to painting approach would need to be carefully documented since each is a unique approach an a client may want this particular style repeated on other images at a later date.