Adobe Photoshop CS6 Top 100 Simplified Tips and Tricks by Lynette Kent

Paint a DIGITAL WATERCOLOR
You can create a digital watercolor starting with a
blank document and paint from scratch with the new
watercolor brushes to add colors in progressive
layers. You can also create a digital watercolor from a
photograph and give it a traditionally painted look.
Although Photoshop’s Filter Gallery includes a
Watercolor filter, this filter does not render a realisticlooking
watercolor.
Traditional watercolor paintings have transparent
colors, minimal transitions of color tones, and loosely
defined shapes without black outlines.
The technique in this task uses the Pattern Stamp
tool and the entire image as a pattern for a base
image. The Pattern Stamp tool’s Impressionist option
mixes the photo’s colors on the paper.
You start by simplifying the photo using the Camera
Raw technique or by applying the Reduce Noise filter
or the Median filter. Both these filters are in the Filter
menu under Noise. Then add white space around the
photo using a reverse crop or by creating a white
vignette. You paint on multiple layers with the Pattern
Stamp tool and the Impressionist setting, and change
the brush style and size according to the image.
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1 Open a previously simplified and
enhanced image and add a white
border around the photo using
the reverse crop method in task
#32, or add a white vignette
using Camera Raw.
2 Click Filter ➪ Filter Gallery.
The Filter Gallery appears.
3 Click Artistic.
4 Click Dry Brush.
5 Click and drag the sliders to
adjust the Dry Brush appearance
for your photo.
Note: The larger the brush Size
number and the smaller the brush
detail number, the less
photographic the image appears.
6 Click OK.
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The filter is applied to the image.
7 Click Edit.
8 Click Define Pattern.
9 Type a name for the new pattern
in the dialog box that appears.
0 Click OK.
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