Inside Photoshop® CS

Trick 5: Making a Painting from a Photo

This trick is at the top of my bag because it just dawned on me a week or so ago that the new Photoshop CS brushes could indeed be used in combination with the Lighting Effects filter to produce painting-like compositions from photos, models, or other photo-realistic endeavors. “Just like Painter does,” I exclaimed to myself upon gleaning the similarity in approach between my idea and what Painter does in the Apply Surface Texture command.

We use a fanciful poster instead of a photograph in the steps to come because, until you get a real grasp on the technique here, you can make loved ones look hideous with a minimal amount of effort.

You Need Layers to Make Different Paint Strokes

Unlike Corel's Painter ...