Photoshop tips - convert your pet to a painting
December 17, 2023 2:13 PM Subscribe
On Etsy there are a ton of companies that will convert your pet to a painting for like, $12. Unfortunately I'm picky. :) Instead of ordering from them about seven times to make edits and test other photos, can I just do it myself with my rusty Photoshop skills and a one-month Photoshop subscription? Use the lasso tool to clip the pet from the background, put on a solid background, use some image filter on that layer, put text nearby, convert to high-quality JPG -- feasible, right? How hard is that image filter to get right?
We paid to try it out, but I want the text more gray to match their fur, and I want the text closer to them. The clip-out of the pet could be slightly less angular and more rounded in a spot or two. Also the photo we gave them turned out to not be so good once run through their filter so I want to try a few other pics or play with things like contrast. I'm pretty sure I could handle this unless my Photoshop skills circa 2008 have fallen too far out of date on the software, but I've never tried any of the "make a picture look like a painting" filters. Think it's possible? Any tips?
This is the Etsy seller I used so you can see the desired effect. They did decent work - if you want this kind of thing, it's a good deal - I'm just picky. (Also I have no relationship to the seller... Not here to promote them but also don't want to criticize their fairly decent work.)
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1541962260/custom-pet-portrait-from-picture-custom
We paid to try it out, but I want the text more gray to match their fur, and I want the text closer to them. The clip-out of the pet could be slightly less angular and more rounded in a spot or two. Also the photo we gave them turned out to not be so good once run through their filter so I want to try a few other pics or play with things like contrast. I'm pretty sure I could handle this unless my Photoshop skills circa 2008 have fallen too far out of date on the software, but I've never tried any of the "make a picture look like a painting" filters. Think it's possible? Any tips?
This is the Etsy seller I used so you can see the desired effect. They did decent work - if you want this kind of thing, it's a good deal - I'm just picky. (Also I have no relationship to the seller... Not here to promote them but also don't want to criticize their fairly decent work.)
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1541962260/custom-pet-portrait-from-picture-custom
If you haven't tried some of the free online image editors (like Lunapic) you might try them; I'm pretty useless at graphics but I found them easy to use and adjust and get decent results!
posted by The otter lady at 2:37 PM on December 17, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by The otter lady at 2:37 PM on December 17, 2023 [2 favorites]
If you do go the Photoshop-it-yourself route, there are three features that will really speed this up for you, that weren’t available the last time you used the software. You can search Adobe’s forum for explanations & instructions:
1. Select Subject
2. Generative Fill
3. Adobe Fonts
posted by D.Billy at 4:56 PM on December 17, 2023 [1 favorite]
1. Select Subject
2. Generative Fill
3. Adobe Fonts
posted by D.Billy at 4:56 PM on December 17, 2023 [1 favorite]
You could also try your hand using the free and open source GNU Image Manipulation Program.
posted by oceano at 5:00 PM on December 17, 2023
posted by oceano at 5:00 PM on December 17, 2023
Photoshop now has something called neural filters. Using neural filters and style transfer you can apply the style of an artist or image to a photograph that you upload. There are many of these artists/styles bundled with Photoshop but you can upload your own as well. There may be some ethical questions around copyright and originality, but if you have a decent quality photograph you can turn it into something Monet-esque (or any other artist-esque) in 2-3 seconds. Photoshop now also has a tool called "select subject" or "remove background" that is a gazillion times better than the magnetic lasso tool that you may have worked with in 2008. You can follow that up with something called "select and mask" to get an even better selection. Adding text is simple.
However. Having taught many years of students Photoshop basics I can tell you that these things are often more difficult that you assume just starting out. If you like tinkering then I'd say go for it, but expect it to take longer than you think it will. And while these images will impress lots of people they may look Photoshop-y to anyone with a passing knowledge of the program.
posted by Cuke at 5:07 PM on December 17, 2023 [4 favorites]
However. Having taught many years of students Photoshop basics I can tell you that these things are often more difficult that you assume just starting out. If you like tinkering then I'd say go for it, but expect it to take longer than you think it will. And while these images will impress lots of people they may look Photoshop-y to anyone with a passing knowledge of the program.
posted by Cuke at 5:07 PM on December 17, 2023 [4 favorites]
Response by poster: while these images will impress lots of people they may look Photoshop-y to anyone with a passing knowledge of the program
The main person to impress is a 7yo whose letter to Santa only asked for the family's two dead/lost cats *insert crying emojis*. (We're going to print the images locally and frame them.)
posted by Spokane at 7:57 PM on December 17, 2023 [5 favorites]
The main person to impress is a 7yo whose letter to Santa only asked for the family's two dead/lost cats *insert crying emojis*. (We're going to print the images locally and frame them.)
posted by Spokane at 7:57 PM on December 17, 2023 [5 favorites]
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posted by Spokane at 2:14 PM on December 17, 2023 [1 favorite]