hello :) does anyone know of any filters, actions, or whatever to make a photograph look like a painting...or something along those lines. i've gotten some off of the adobe exchange already i don't seem to understand actions really well.. i think i'm missing something important when i try to use them... i'd take the time to learn it but i kinda need this in a hurry. thank you for any help!

Well a real quicky, but easily spotted as a "generic" photoshop filter is the **filter > artistic > watercolour** filter...I'm not sure exactly what kind of effect you are looking for or for what purpose, but this *might* suit...I'll post an example. :-)>

...this filter can give you results something like this (above)...play with the settings to get what you like...experiment with the other filters too! (Best way to learn and it's fun) - I usually do this on a duplicate background layer to prevent irreversable stuff-ups! Always have a duplicate copy of your source file somewhere too...just in case! I hope this helps... ;-)>

hmm.. i've thought of that filter earlier.. but i completely forgot about it by the end of the night. lol guess i was working on my project too long. maybe if i mix it with some of the other filters i found it will give the look closer to what i was hopeing i could get... without actually painting it myself :| thank you so much for kick starting my brain into thinking again ;)

To get a glossy look, duplicate the layer, use plastic wrap filter and change the blanding mode and opacity. You can also put a layer between the two other, by duplicating the original one and applying Dry brush or palette knife then changing the opacity. :)

I find to get a painterly look, it's best to duplicate your layer several times, use different artistic filters on each one, then recombine them at different levels of transparency, usually 40% or less, depending on the effect you want.

Is anyone else under the impression that this is outright cheating? If you want a flower, paint one! Don't just apply filters to a photo and try to pass it off as a painting. I do not see the point of it. It is no wonder so many traditional artists still turn their noses at digital art. Here is the perfect example. If you can't - or refuse due to laziness - do things from scratch, then perhaps it's time to quit.

It's not cheating unless someone dishonestly claims that they did create a painting. Media are a means towards an end, including digital media and tools. Used well, filters which simulate conventional media can enhance anything from one's 3D render to a snapshot of the family cat. To assume that the use of the tools at one's disposal is "cheating" is too assume too much, at least in lieu of context, which in this case wasn't provided. Professional who use Photoshop for print and Web media frequently employ simulations of "natural" media for illustrative effect. It's not cheating any more than, say, the use of a live model or optical device is "cheating" in painting. Or for that matter, a photograph for reference when drawing or painting, which is in many cases a wise thing to do. Finally, there's the obvious fact that not all accomplished Photoshop users can paint, which is no reason not to try simulating a painting-like effect using the digital palette.

Self-correction: Context was provided in the sense that MoonRose said they needed the image quickly.

Grim, lighten up...the context was there, as has been stated, they needed this done within time constraints, what do you care?...btw, MoonRose didn't state they wanted a flower painted, that was the example I gave...and seeing as I took the photo of the Orchid in the first place, who really cares what filters I apply to it, it is my image to do with what I want. So long as I don't state that I actually painted it...(which I could do if I had the time and inclination) :-)>

i haven't been getting the ebots for this post so i didn't know there was any more replies... so i just want to say to Grimtwist...... i'm in a graphic design class..and my teacher suggested i do it this way... i wasn't looking for a way to cheat... but uh thanks to your very unhelpful reply and thanks to everyone else for the ideas... turned out i just ran it through various filters ... came close to what i wanted, and the teacher liked it ;)

Cheating ? Why do you use a computer, Grimtwist ? Cut a tree, do your own paper under your own papermill (built from scratch), then do your ink straight from ashes and publish your own newsletter. By the way, I'm sure you wrote your own version of Photoshop..; (in Phtoshop you get the word "Photo"). :(

so he can scan in those images LOL.... in all seriousness the honour of creative imagry is quite nice... I't only recomended that you use no filters if you have the time and are being paid well to do so.... or are about to inherrit a few million dollars... or miraculously avoid all authority organisation...CIA, FBI, NSA, CSI, CNN etc. (lol) <<<--- just learn to design it with in mind exactly want you want to do with it (ie CMYK and two spot colour printing / web / tattoo / whatever) or not it's your choice.

Just wanted to add my two cents to all the comments concerning cheating! Art in all forms is a means of stimulating peoples senses. People don't always care how it was achieved, unless they are stuck-up a**holes!! Most people want to simply see beauty, whatever their opinion of that is! Our goal in life as artists should be (in my opinion) to do our damndest to give that to them, and at the same time, stimulate our own senses and be proud of what we achieved, whether great or small!! As an example, I am new to the digital art arena, but used to draw quite a bit, and have been a musician for about 9 years, and most people think I am better at all of it than I myself, think, but either way, I am always proud of my accomplishments, whether or not it may be 'cheating'!! Cheers

Photoshop could be renamed Faux-O-Shop. Or something along that road. It is for a lot of people THE tool of choice for loads of cheating. Removing someones unwanted facial hair/zips/spots/tattoos(?) is cheating. Adding a blurred layer whith a nicely choosed blend mode to get that soft focus feeling or simply doing a automatic level adjustment is cheating too. Because it turns whatever you have in front of you into something else. Mmmm. Maybe turning something into something else is not cheating. But creating. Thousands of Photoshop enthousiasts see right through filters. Millions of unaware viewers appreciate the image as what it is. It is sad, really. Run the plastic wrap filter, live, on a photo and a lot of people standing around and gazing at your monitor will be shocked and awed (apart from commenting "Do you really have to sit in front of this all day?"). Do a pencil sketch filter and they will loose their faith in whatever any artist will try to sell them for more that 5 bucks. WE know the difference. But if one stumbles upon a situation that can be solved, including thumbs up from whoever, by applying a filter, one still can take credit for knowing what to do. Do not forget a lot of people will be thinking about cigarettes when the word 'filter' is used. Or car engines.

To hoofdcommissaris: to call filters cheating relies greatly on the point of view. To term cheating, you are simply making things easier for yourself. Correct? So wouldn't you consider using the smudge tool or the dodge and blur tools in Photoshop, when you draw hair and clothing perhaps, be considered.......cheating? It is certainly easier than just using nothing but the airbrush (although it still takes lots of practice to perfect). Just like the filters, you must have a good knowledge ot the tool to use it PROPERLY! I will admit that I cannot use filters beyond the blur properly to save my life. How is it cheating if I don't know how to use them? Also, another thing to ponder. Some people consider some of the simplest works throughout history to be true masterpieces, when some of the most complex works are hardly recognized. As I said- point of view! But I do agree that people should not be left in the dark about how the artist achieves whatever look is in question. Let the viewer decide whether they think it cheating or not. Whether something is good or not, cheating or not, talented or not, pleasing or not, is all a point of view!! We can't go setting rules for creativity, now can we?! It is not a sport, but a passion: ...no matter how we achieve it!! Cheers, Dall