How to Use the Watercolor Filter in Adobe Photoshop

In the old days of Photography, I would try all sorts of tricks in the color darkroom to try to turn a photograph in to a watercolor. I never did discover the secret. Now in the days of digital photography it is easy to do with Adobe Photoshop. Print your creation on a fine linen stock or have it printed on canvas to heighten the effect.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Adobe Photoshop 6.0 or later running on a MAC or PC computer
• A copy of an image for experimentation.

1. 
   The Watercolor Control Panel

   Open your image in Adobe Photoshop and select FILTERS/ARTISTIC/WATERCOLOR to display the control panel. Select an image that would be typically a watercolor. A landscape, scenic view or still life works best. Use the PLUS and MINUS control to see the image in detail and full view so you can judge your adjustments.

2. 
   Adjusting shadow detail

   The detail of this image looked OK, but when I reduced the zoom to 11%, I could see the image was too dark. This is usually the case when using this filter, so I adjusted the shadow detail to 0. The larger the number, the more "plugged" the shadows become.

3. 
   Adjusting detail and texture.

   Adjust the BRUSH DETAIL and TEXTURE until you see the effect you are after in the preview window. It is better to do this while looking at the detail in the preview window. I adjusted the BRUSH DETAIL to 7 and TEXTURE to 3.

4. 
   Final Image

   Once you have made the adjustments you want, click OK and the image will re-render. Click UNDO if you don't like the results or use the STEP BACKWARDS command or the HISTORY PANEL. It takes some experimentation, so don't think twice about stepping backwards and starting over.

Tips & Warnings

• The image may still be "too dark" with a zero setting in shadow detail. Use the CURVES or BRIGHTNESS/CONTRAST adjustments to fine tune the image.
• Have the image printed on canvas (see resources below) for a real watercolor effect.
• Sign the print, after all it is now "art".
• Always use a copy of the image so you have an archival original.

Resources

• Canvas Printing
• Photogonia (Canvas Printing)
• Adobe Photoshop

[Melanierose]

on 9/3/2008 I love the watercoloring I can do with photoshop, thank you for writing!

[oneloved]

on 9/3/2008 Very cool!

[01KendraWrites]

on 9/3/2008 Fantastic picture. I am just amazed at your talent.

[Cherst1031]

on 9/3/2008 Watercolor is an interesting effect, very detailed article!

[purrfect1969]

on 9/3/2008 Thanks for the tips. I haven't really used photoshop much. I really need to give it a try.