{"id":2978,"date":"2017-10-17T00:01:05","date_gmt":"2017-10-17T04:01:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.photoshopessentials.com\/?p=2978"},"modified":"2024-01-12T14:50:23","modified_gmt":"2024-01-12T19:50:23","slug":"watercolor-painting-photoshop-cs6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.photoshopessentials.com\/newsite\/photo-effects\/watercolor-painting-photoshop-cs6\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Create A Watercolor Painting Effect In Photoshop"},"content":{"rendered":"<section>\n<div class=\"video3\">\n<div class=\"video-container\">\n<iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/McT4ZnXcAOE\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"pdf-download-link\">Download PDF: <a href=\"\/?s2member_file_download=pdf\/photo-effects\/CC-Watercolor_Painting_Effect.pdf&s2member_skip_confirmation\" title=\"Download PDF\">CC - Watercolor Painting Effect<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"author\">Written by Steve Patterson.<\/div>\n<p>In this tutorial, we'll learn how to easily turn a photo into a beautiful watercolor painting with Photoshop! To create the watercolor painting effect, we'll use a few layers, filters and blend modes, and we'll keep the effect fully editable using Photoshop's Smart Objects and Smart Filters. This way, you'll be able to go back and try different filter settings when you're done to fine-tune the results for your specific image.<\/p>\n<p>I'll be using <a href=\"https:\/\/prf.hn\/l\/dlXjD2w\" title=\"Get Photoshop CC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Photoshop CC<\/a> but this tutorial is fully compatible with Photoshop CS6. If you're using Photoshop CS5 or earlier, you'll want to check out the original version of our <a href=\"\/photo-effects\/watercolor-painting\/\">watercolor painting tutorial<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This effect works best on images where rich colors and strong contrast are more important than fine details. Here's the photo I'll be using (<a href=\"https:\/\/prf.hn\/l\/gAQGZVa\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"View image on Adobe Stock\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">still life photo<\/a> from Adobe Stock):<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/original-image.jpg\" alt=\"The original photo used in the Watercolor Painting tutorial. Still life mage licensed from Adobe Stock by Photoshop Essentials.com\" width=\"507\" height=\"600\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The original image. Photo credit: Adobe Stock.<\/div>\n<p>And here's what the final watercolor painting effect will look like when we're done:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/photoshop-watercolor-painting-effect.jpg\" alt=\"A watercolor painting effect created in Photoshop CS6. Image &copy; 2013 Photoshop Essentials.com\" width=\"507\" height=\"600\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The final result.<\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n.ads-middle { display: inline-block; width:300px; margin:6px 0px 24px 0px; padding-top: 16px; padding-bottom: 16px; }\n@media (max-width: 515px) { .ads-middle { margin:20px 0; } }\n@media (max-width: 480px) { .ads-middle { margin:20px 0; } }\n<\/style><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6601556224092982\"\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\n<!-- photo effects 300x250 middle responsive -->\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle ads-middle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6601556224092982\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"4216941496\"\n     data-ad-format=\"rectangle\"\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script>\n<p>Let's get started!<\/p>\n<p class=\"members-ad-top\"><a href=\"\/print-ready-pdfs\/\">Download all of our Photoshop tutorials as PDFs!<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Related tutorials:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"f1\">\n<li><a href=\"\/photo-effects\/oil-paint-filter\/\" title=\"How to use the Oil Paint filter in Photoshop\">How to use the Oil Paint filter in Photoshop<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/photo-effects\/painted-edges-photo-border\/\" title=\"Create a painted edges photo border in Photoshop\">Painted edges photo border effect<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/photo-effects\/photoshop-pointillism-effect\/\" title=\"Create a Pointillism painting in Photoshop\">Create a Pointillism painting in Photoshop<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"sub\">How To Turn A Photo Into A Watercolor Painting<\/h2>\n<h3>Step 1: Duplicate The Background Layer<\/h3>\n<p>If we look in the <a href=\"\/basics\/layers\/layers-panel\/\" title=\"Learn more\">Layers panel<\/a>, we see our image sitting on the <a href=\"\/basics\/background-layer-photoshop-cc\/\" title=\"Learn more\">Background layer<\/a>, which is currently the only layer in the document:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/photoshop-layers-panel.png\" alt=\"The Layers panel in Photoshop CS6 showing the Background layer. Image &copy; 2013 Photoshop Essentials.com\" width=\"287\" height=\"288\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The Layers panel showing the photo on the Background layer.<\/div>\n<p>Let's duplicate the Background layer by clicking on it and dragging it down onto the <strong>New Layer<\/strong> icon at the bottom of the Layers panel:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/photoshop-duplicate-background-layer.png\" alt=\"Making a copy of the Background layer in the Layers panel\" width=\"287\" height=\"189\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Dragging the Background layer onto the New Layer icon.<\/div>\n<p>Release your mouse button, and Photoshop adds a copy of the Background layer, named &quot;Background copy&quot;, above the original:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/photoshop-background-copy-layer.png\" alt=\"The Background copy layer appears in the Layers panel\" width=\"286\" height=\"204\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The Layers panel showing the copy of the Background layer.<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/goo.gl\/qek5d1\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Watch the video\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Watch the video and share your comments on our YouTube channel!<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Step 2: Convert The Layer Into A Smart Object<\/h3>\n<p>Let's convert our new layer into a <em>Smart Object<\/em>. That way, when we apply a filter to it, the filter will be applied as a <em>Smart Filter<\/em>. Unlike Photoshop's regular filters which make permanent changes to the image, Smart Filters are non-destructive and fully editable, which means we'll be able to go back and make changes to the filter settings if we need to.<\/p>\n<p>With the &quot;Background copy&quot; layer selected, click on the <strong>menu icon<\/strong> in the upper right corner of the Layers panel<strong><\/strong>:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/layers-panel-menu-icon.png\" alt=\"Opening the Layers panel menu\" width=\"299\" height=\"211\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Clicking the Layers panel menu icon.<\/div>\n<p>Then choose <strong>Convert to Smart Object<\/strong> from the menu:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/photoshop-convert-to-smart-object.png\" alt=\"Converting the layer into a Smart Object\" width=\"239\" height=\"138\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Choosing &quot;Convert to Smart Object&quot;.<\/div>\n<p>It won't look like anything has happened to the image. But if we look at the &quot;Background copy&quot; layer's <strong>preview thumbnail<\/strong>, we now see a <strong>Smart Object icon<\/strong> in the lower right corner, telling us that the layer is now a Smart Object:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/photoshop-smart-object-icon.png\" alt=\"The Layers panel showing the Smart Object icon\" width=\"287\" height=\"205\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">A Smart Object icon appears in the preview thumbnail.<\/div>\n<h3>Step 3: Make Two Copies Of The Smart Object<\/h3>\n<p>We need to make two copies of our Smart Object so that we end up with three in total. To make the first copy, click on the &quot;Background copy&quot; Smart Object and drag it down onto the <strong>New Layer<\/strong> icon at the bottom of the Layers panel:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/photoshop-duplicate-smart-object.png\" alt=\"Dragging the Smart Object onto the New Layer icon\" width=\"287\" height=\"208\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Making a copy of the Smart Object.<\/div>\n<p>Then, to make the second copy, click on the \"Background copy 2\" Smart Object that appears and drag it down onto the <strong>New Layer<\/strong> icon:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/photoshop-duplicate-second-smart-object.png\" alt=\"Making another copy of the Smart Object\" width=\"287\" height=\"271\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Making a second copy of the Smart Object.<\/div>\n<p>We now have three Smart Objects, along with the original Background layer on the bottom:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/photoshop-three-smart-objects.png\" alt=\"The three Smart Objects and the Background layer in the Layers panel\" width=\"286\" height=\"290\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The Layers panel showing three Smart Objects plus the Background layer.<\/div>\n<h3>Step 4: Rename The Smart Objects<\/h3>\n<p>Rather than working with generic names like &quot;Background copy 2&quot; and &quot;Background copy 3&quot;, let's rename our Smart Objects. We'll name them based on the filter we're going to apply to each one. Start by renaming the top Smart Object. Double-click on the name &quot;Background copy 3&quot; to highight it, and then enter <strong>Median<\/strong> for the new name. <\/p>\n<p>Don't press Enter (Win) \/ Return (Mac) just yet. Instead, press the <strong>Tab<\/strong> key on your keyboard to jump down and highlight the next Smart Object's name. Change it from &quot;Background copy 2&quot; to <strong>Dry Brush<\/strong>. Then, press the <strong>Tab<\/strong> key again to jump down to the original Smart Object's name and change it from &quot;Background copy&quot; to <strong>Cutout<\/strong>. When you've renamed all three Smart Objects, press <strong>Enter<\/strong> (Win) \/ <strong>Return<\/strong> (Mac) on your keyboard:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/photoshop-rename-smart-objects.png\" alt=\"The Layers panel showing the new Smart Object names\" width=\"287\" height=\"291\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The three Smart Objects have been renamed.<\/div>\n<h3>Step 5: Hide The Top Two Smart Objects<\/h3>\n<p>Hide the two Smart Objects at the top (&quot;Median&quot; and &quot;Dry Brush&quot;) from view by clicking on their <strong>visibility icons<\/strong>. We'll come back to them in a few moments:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/photoshop-layer-visibility-icons.png\" alt=\"Clicking the visibility icons for the top two Smart Objects\" width=\"309\" height=\"227\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Turning off the top two Smart Objects.<\/div>\n<h3>Step 6: Apply The Cutout Filter<\/h3>\n<p>Make sure that the &quot;Cutout&quot; Smart Object is selected in the Layers panel. As you may have guessed from its name, the first filter we'll apply is Cutout. The Cutout filter is found in Photoshop's Filter Gallery. Go up to the <strong>Filter<\/strong> menu in the Menu Bar along the top of the screen and choose <strong>Filter Gallery<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/photoshop-choose-filter-gallery.png\" alt=\"Opening the Filter Gallery in Photoshop\" width=\"262\" height=\"144\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Going to Filter &gt; Filter Gallery.<\/div>\n<p>This opens the Filter Gallery, with a large image preview area on the left, a filter selection column in the middle, and the controls and options for the selected filter on the right. If you can't see your entire image in the preview area, press <strong>Ctrl+0<\/strong> (Win) \/ <strong>Command+0<\/strong> (Mac) on your keyboard to choose the <strong>Fit on Screen<\/strong> view:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/photoshop-filter-gallery.jpg\" alt=\"Photoshop Filter Gallery\" width=\"704\" height=\"393\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The Filter Gallery in Photoshop.<\/div>\n<p>The filters in the middle column are organized into different folders, or categories. Select the <strong>Artistic<\/strong> category at the top, and then choose the <strong>Cutout<\/strong> filter by clicking on its thumbnail:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/filter-gallery-artistic-cutout.png\" alt=\"Selecting the Cutout filter from the Artistic category in the Filter Gallery. Image &copy; 2013 Photoshop Essentials.com\" width=\"309\" height=\"271\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Choosing the Cutout filter from the Artistic category in the Filter gallery.<\/div>\n<p>Once you've selected the Cutout filter, the options for it will appear on the right. Set both the <strong>Number of Levels<\/strong> and <strong>Edge Simplicity<\/strong> to <strong>4<\/strong>, and then set the <strong>Edge Fidelity<\/strong> to <strong>2<\/strong>. When you're done, click OK to close the Filter Galllery:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/photoshop-cutout-filter-options.png\" alt=\"The options for the Cutout filter in the Filter Gallery.\" width=\"282\" height=\"224\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The Cutout filter options.<\/div>\n<h3>Step 7: Change The Blend Mode To Luminosity<\/h3>\n<p>Back in the Layer's panel, change the <strong>blend mode<\/strong> of the &quot;Cutout&quot; Smart Object from Normal to <strong>Luminosity<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/photoshop-luminosity-blend-mode.png\" alt=\"Changing the blend mode of of the Smart Object to Luminosity\" width=\"295\" height=\"304\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Changing the blend mode to Luminosity.<\/div>\n<p>The <a href=\"\/photo-editing\/layer-blend-modes\/luminosity\/\" title=\"Learn more\">Luminosity<\/a> mode blends only the <em>brightness values<\/em> from the Cutout filter effect, allowing the colors from the original image on the Background layer to show through:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/photoshop-watercolor-painting-cutout-filter.jpg\" alt=\"The image after changing the blend mode to Luminosity.\" width=\"507\" height=\"600\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The first part of the watercolor painting effect is complete.<\/div>\n<h3>Step 8: Select And Turn On The &quot;Dry Brush&quot; Smart Object<\/h3>\n<p>In the Layers panel, click on the <strong>&quot;Dry Brush<\/strong>&quot; Smart Object to select it, and then click on its <strong>visibility icon<\/strong> to turn it back on:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/select-dry-brush-smart-object.png\" alt=\"Selecting and turning on the Dry Brush Smart Object in the Layers panel.\" width=\"304\" height=\"202\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Selecting and turning on the &quot;Dry Brush&quot; Smart Object.<\/div>\n<h3>Step 9: Apply The Dry Brush Filter<\/h3>\n<p>To add more detail to the watercolor effect, we'll use Photoshop's Dry Brush filter. Like the Cutout filter, Dry Brush is found in the Filter Gallery. Go back up to the <strong>Filter<\/strong> menu in the Menu Bar and once again choose <strong>Filter Gallery<\/strong>. Since the Filter Gallery was the last item we chose from the Filter menu, you'll find it at the top of the list:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/choose-photoshop-filter-gallery.png\" alt=\"Choosing the Filter Gallery from the top of the Filter menu\" width=\"262\" height=\"135\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Choosing &quot;Filter Gallery&quot; from the top of the Filter menu.<\/div>\n<p>When the Filter Gallery re-opens, choose <strong>Dry Brush<\/strong> from the <strong>Artistic<\/strong> category. You'll find it directly beside the Cutout filter. Then, in the options for the Dry Brush filter, set both the <strong>Brush Size<\/strong> and the <strong>Brush Detail<\/strong> to <strong>10<\/strong>, and set <strong>Texture<\/strong> to <strong>3<\/strong>. Click OK when you're done to close out of the Filter Gallery:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/photoshop-dry-brush-filter-options.png\" alt=\"The Dry Brush options in the Filter Gallery in Photoshop\" width=\"554\" height=\"318\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Selecting the Dry Brush filter and setting its options.<\/div>\n<h3>Step 10: Change The Blend Mode To Screen Or Lighten<\/h3>\n<p>With the &quot;Dry Brush&quot; Smart Object still selected in the Layers panel, change its <strong>blend mode<\/strong> from Normal to <strong>Screen<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/photoshop-screen-blend-mode.png\" alt=\"Changing the blend mode to Screen\" width=\"298\" height=\"224\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Changing the blend mode of the &quot;Dry Brush&quot; Smart Object to Screen.<\/div>\n<p>The <a href=\"\/photo-editing\/layer-blend-modes\/screen\/\" title=\"Learn more\">Screen<\/a> blend mode lightens the overall effect:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/photoshop-watercolor-painting-screen.jpg\" alt=\"The watercolor painting effect using the Screen blend mode\" width=\"507\" height=\"600\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The effect with the &quot;Dry Brush&quot; Smart Object set to Screen.<\/div>\n<p>If you find that Screen makes your image look too bright, try the <strong>Lighten<\/strong> blend mode instead:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/photoshop-lighten-blend-mode.png\" alt=\"Changing the blend mode from Screen to Lighten\" width=\"297\" height=\"224\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Switching from Screen to the Lighten blend mode.<\/div>\n<p>With the Lighten blend mode, you'll lose much of the brightening effect but you'll gain detail. Choose the blend mode that works best for your image. In my case, I prefer the Screen blend mode, but here's what the effect looks like using Lighten:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/photoshop-watercolor-painting-lighten.jpg\" alt=\"The watercolor painting effect using the Lighten blend mode\" width=\"507\" height=\"600\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The effect using the Lighten blend mode.<\/div>\n<h3>Step 11: Select And Turn On The &quot;Median&quot; Layer<\/h3>\n<p>Two filters down, one more to go. Click on the <strong>&quot;Median<\/strong>&quot; Smart Object in the Layers panel to select it, and then click on its <strong>visibility icon<\/strong> to turn it on:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/select-median-smart-object.png\" alt=\"Selecting and turning on the Median layer in the Layers panel. Image &copy; 2013 Photoshop Essentials.com\" width=\"304\" height=\"193\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Selecting and turning on the Median Smart Object.<\/div>\n<h3>Step 12: Apply The Median Filter<\/h3>\n<p>The third filter we'll use is Median, which will remove more of the detail in the image while keeping the edges of objects well-defined. Median is not found of the Filter Gallery. Instead, we access it by going up to the <strong>Filter<\/strong> menu, choosing <strong>Noise<\/strong>, and then choosing <strong>Median<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/photoshop-choose-median-filter.png\" alt=\"Selecting the Median filter from the Filter menu in Photoshop CS6. Image &copy; 2013 Photoshop Essentials.com\" width=\"178\" height=\"112\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Going to Filter &gt; Noise &gt; Median.<\/div>\n<p>This opens the Median filter dialog box. Set the <strong>Radius<\/strong> value to <strong>12 pixels<\/strong>, and then click OK: <\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/photoshop-median-filter.jpg\" alt=\"Setting the Radius value for the Median filter in Photoshop\" width=\"325\" height=\"346\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Setting the Radius value to 12 pixels.<\/div>\n<h3>Step 13: Change The Blend Mode To Soft Light<\/h3>\n<p>Finally, change the <strong>blend mode<\/strong> of the &quot;Median&quot; Smart Object from Normal to <strong>Soft Light<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/photoshop-soft-light-blend-mode.png\" alt=\"Changing the blend mode of the Median layer to Soft Light. Image &copy; 2013 Photoshop Essentials.com\" width=\"299\" height=\"189\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Changing the blend mode to Soft Light.<\/div>\n<p>And with that, we're done! Here's my original image once again for comparison:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/original-image.jpg\" alt=\"The original photo\" width=\"507\" height=\"600\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The original photo once again.<\/div>\n<p>And here, after applying the Median filter and changing the blend mode to Soft Light, is my final watercolor painting effect:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/photoshop-watercolor-painting-effect.jpg\" alt=\"A watercolor painting effect created in Photoshop\" width=\"507\" height=\"600\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">The final watercolor painting result.<\/div>\n<h3>Editing The Watercolor Painting Effect<\/h3>\n<p>Even though we've completed the watercolor painting effect, you can still go back at this point and experiment with any of the Smart Filter settings to see if you can fine-tune the results for your specific image. If you look below each Smart Object in the Layers panel, you'll see the name of the Smart Filter that we applied to it. To re-open a filter's dialog box and change any of its settings, double-click on the filter's name. Double-clicking on &quot;Filter Gallery&quot; below either the &quot;Cutout&quot; or &quot;Dry Brush&quot; Smart Objects will re-open the Filter Gallery to the Cutout or Dry Brush filters. Once you've made your changes, click OK to close the filter's dialog box. Since Smart Filters in Photoshop are non-destructive, you can make as many changes as you like without losing image quality:<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/photo-effects\/cc\/watercolor-painting\/photoshop-smart-filters.png\" alt=\"The Layers panel showing the Smart Filters listed under the Smart Objects\" width=\"287\" height=\"338\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-desc\">Double-click on any of the Smart Filters to experiment with the settings.<\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n.ads-bottom { width:300px; padding-top:16px;padding-bottom:16px; }\n<\/style><div align=\"center\"><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6601556224092982\"\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\n<!-- 300x250 page bottom responsive -->\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle ads-bottom\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6601556224092982\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"2879809098\"\n     data-ad-format=\"rectangle\"\n\t data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/div>\n<p>And there we have it! Visit our <a href=\"\/photo-effects\/\">Photo Effects<\/a> section for more Photoshop effects tutorials!<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p><div class=\"members-ad\"><a href=\"\/print-ready-pdfs\/\">Get all of our Photoshop tutorials as PDFs!<\/a> Download them today!<\/div><br \/>\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn how to easily turn a photo into a watercolor painting, and how to keep the effect fully editable, using Smart Filters and blend modes in Photoshop.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15344,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cc-photo-effects-2","category-photo-effects"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How To Create A Watercolor Painting Effect in Photoshop - Step by Step<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In this tutorial, you&#039;ll learn step by step how to create a watercolor effect in Photoshop by turning a photo into a beautiful watercolor painting. And, we&#039;ll keep the watercolor effect editable and non-destructive using Smart Filters and layer blend modes. For Photoshop CC and CS6.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.photoshopessentials.com\/newsite\/photo-effects\/watercolor-painting-photoshop-cs6\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Photoshop Watercolor Painting Effect Tutorial\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn how to easily turn a photo into a watercolor painting, and how to keep the effect fully editable, using Smart Filter and blend modes in Photoshop! Step-by-step tutorial. 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