Luminous Landscape Forum

Raw & Post Processing, Printing => Digital Image Processing => Topic started by: PeterAit on April 19, 2020, 09:59:48 am

Title: Program for a painting effect
Post by: PeterAit on April 19, 2020, 09:59:48 am
In my abundant spare time, I have started experimenting with making photos look more like paintings. Photoshop has a few tools in this line but they seem limited. Any suggestions for something that is more powerful and flexible? Thanks.
Title: Re: Program for a painting effect
Post by: jrsforums on April 19, 2020, 10:30:01 am
You may want to look at either Topaz Labs ‘Studio’ or Exposure Software (was Alien Skin) ‘Snap Art 4’
Title: Re: Program for a painting effect
Post by: chez on April 19, 2020, 01:35:28 pm
I use Corel Painter. Very powerful with many brushes and options. There is an automation option where you pick your brush types and set a few parameters then let it lose on a photo. I've been using it for a few years and have sold prints made from photos that I've painted using Painter.
Title: Re: Program for a painting effect
Post by: Bart_van_der_Wolf on April 19, 2020, 02:24:50 pm
I use Corel Painter. Very powerful with many brushes and options. There is an automation option where you pick your brush types and set a few parameters then let it lose on a photo. I've been using it for a few years and have sold prints made from photos that I've painted using Painter.

Yes, Corel Painter is probably the best, but obviously comes at a price.

Topaz Impression, as a plugin to Topaz Studio, does a good job as well (especially because of the many presets to get one starting).
Title: Re: Program for a painting effect
Post by: PeterAit on April 20, 2020, 11:14:39 am
Thanks y'all. I have been experimenting with Corel Painter and it is very impressive! I'll be having some fun.
Title: Re: Program for a painting effect
Post by: jrsforums on April 20, 2020, 01:01:42 pm
You may want to look at either Topaz Labs ‘Studio’ or Exposure Software (was Alien Skin) ‘Snap Art 4’

I meant ‘Studio 2’, which includes ‘Impression’ and many other previous standalone pieces.
Title: Re: Program for a painting effect
Post by: rollsman44 on June 01, 2020, 08:37:24 am
Thank you everyone for the recommendations. 
Title: Re: Program for a painting effect
Post by: Alan Klein on June 01, 2020, 09:55:00 am
Peter, You could try actually painting photo prints.  When I visited Clyde Butcher's galleries in Venice Florida, his wife Niki Butcher had color painted B&W photo prints for sale.  I'm not sure what type paint she uses. But this is a long established art.  Here's one my wife bought, framed, that we hung in our home.  You can check Niki's work out here and processes.  https://nikibutcher.com/
Title: Re: Program for a painting effect
Post by: drralph on June 07, 2020, 08:01:52 am
Back in the wet darkroom days, I did a lot of hand coloration of silver halide prints using Marshall's Photo Oils.  I have not tried them with inkjet papers, but I bet it would work.  That would be a fun process to resurrect.  From the look of Niki's sample, the colors look very much like the Marshall's palate.
Title: Re: Program for a painting effect
Post by: Alan Klein on June 07, 2020, 08:41:18 am
Back in the wet darkroom days, I did a lot of hand coloration of silver halide prints using Marshall's Photo Oils.  I have not tried them with inkjet papers, but I bet it would work.  That would be a fun process to resurrect.  From the look of Niki's sample, the colors look very much like the Marshall's palate.
I have pictures of me and my sister from 70 years ago when photographers would color paint BW pictures of children's portraits.  Rosy red cheeks and some flesh tones.
Title: Re: Program for a painting effect
Post by: drralph on June 07, 2020, 09:26:54 am
Those colors are something it would be near impossible to simulate with a digital painting app.  I find them very appealing. I think the same process was used to colorize post cards in that era, which I also find to have a wonderful palette.
Title: Re: Program for a painting effect
Post by: Jim Kasson on June 07, 2020, 10:25:00 am
I use Corel Painter. Very powerful with many brushes and options. There is an automation option where you pick your brush types and set a few parameters then let it lose on a photo. I've been using it for a few years and have sold prints made from photos that I've painted using Painter.

I think that program is descended from Fractal Painter, which I used in the 90s. It was an excellent program. How many people remember that, for the first year or so, the program came inside a one-gallon paint can? It had autopaint back then, but a better mode for what the OP is talking about was (and maybe still is) to set the program to pick up the colors from the image and do the brushstrokes yourself.