Marion Boddy-Evans is a professional quilter, artist, and writer with 15 years’ experience specializing in quilting and painting. She is a commissioned artist at the Isle of Skye Art Studio located in Scotland, where she also teaches workshops.
How to Turn Photos into Paintings: 5 Options for Creating Painted Masterpieces!
Do you have a photograph that you just wish you could have as a painting hung on your wall?
Perhaps it’s a picture of a fond memory, a much-loved family member, or just a picture that you’re incredibly proud of. Whatever it is, fear not.
We’ve created a list of five ways you can turn your photo into a painting.
Now, as much as we’d love to just give you an easy solution, it’s important to remember that no two painters will be the same. Choosing the right person for your painting job is essential. You’ll want to think about skill level, style, and the amount of money you’re willing to pay. That way, you’ll have someone who can turn your photo into a painting, just how you had it in mind.
With that said, if you’re concerned about paying up for a service with an unknown outcome, there are ways you can turn a photo into a painting without touching a brush.
We’ve covered all these methods in this article, to hopefully offer an option for everyone!
How to Turn a Photo into a Painting
Turning a Photo into a Painting (5 Options):
1. Turn Your Photo into a Painting with an Order from Paint Your Life
Just a few months ago, we did a full-blown review of Paint Your Life’s photo to painting service. And, quite honestly, this option is a fool-proof one.
Customers simply need to submit a photograph to the site, choose a medium, and place your order. From there, an artist behind the scenes gets to work.
What you get isn’t simply a photograph edited to look more painterly. Instead, your photo is entirely reimagined as a painting. The strongest areas shine through, and weaker spots are enhanced to create something that goes beyond reality. Each handmade piece is entirely unique.
Whether you’re looking for oil, acrylic, or watercolor, someone on the Paint Your Life team can pull off your request.
This might sound like the perfect deal, but Paint Your Life isn’t the cheapest option available, nor is it the quickest. However, you’ll be sure to love the physical painting that you receive at the end of the process!
2. Invest in Some Painterly Editing Software
A necessary tool in any modern professional photographer’s arsenal is photo editing software. We all know that the right program can significantly enhance a photograph.
Why not make the most of it and try something a bit more out of the box?
The most obvious choice to transform photographs into paintings is likely Adobe Photoshop. With the use of their filter gallery and a few quick slider adjustments, you can get a relatively convincing “painting” in just a few minutes.
With subscriptions starting at $20.99/month, it’s a pretty affordable option that could be useful for future photography.
Of course, Photoshop isn’t the one and only option out there. If the subscription fees aren’t for you, Corel Painter 2020 is another promising solution available for a flat one-time fee. With over 900 brushes to choose from and the ability to pull colors from source photographs, it’s a bit more specialized for those looking to paint.
There are also a few freeware options worth checking out. In particular, FotoSketcher seemed like a promising option. Unfortunately, I couldn’t try it out as it is Windows-exclusive software.
3. Try out a Painterly Smartphone App
Looking for something quick that immediately gets down to the nitty-gritty?
A smartphone app might be a viable (and affordable) option to check out.
There are dozens of different apps to explore which will turn your photos into painting style images, and each has its own unique style to fall in love with.
Despite their differences, almost all of them are available for less than $5 USD.
Being a little less sophisticated than the desktop options out there, they may not always produce the best results.
However, their low cost is well worth the reward of finding a diamond in the rough.
A few popular options include:
- The BrushStroke App is one of the most highly rated of its kind on the Apple Store. However, Android users should proceed with caution as it seems to frequently crash when working outside a Macintosh device. Price: $3.99
- The Prisma App won the distinction of “App of the Year” in 2016. It boasts over 120 million users worldwide. Price: Free!
- The Waterlogue App produces gorgeous watercolor effects. If you fall in love with the app, there’s also a more advanced desktop app available for macOS! Price: $4.99
- The Deep Art Effects App has a wide variety of stylistic options to choose from. For a fee, you can also gain access to a more advanced PC-compatible desktop app. Price: Free!
4. Explore Web-Based Services
We highly recommend Paint Your Life from experience, but we understand that it isn’t right for everyone. If that is the case, there are a few other web-based services worth researching and testing.
For instance, Instapainting is a very similar service to Paint Your Life that comes at about half the cost.
The mediums to choose from aren’t quite the same, but like Paint Your Life, there’s a collection of artists who you can request work from. You can even upload your shot and generate a preview of it in a specific art style before committing to a paid piece!
Another unique option that caught our eye was MiiCreative. If you, personally, would like a hand in transforming your photo into a painting, this is the service for you.
For a small fee, they’ll take any photograph you submit and convert it into a paint-by-number canvas! They’ll even match paints to the dominant colors in your shot.
5. Hire an Artist to Turn Your Photo into a Painting
Lastly, you might consider commissioning an artist to take on converting your photo into a painting. But how, exactly, does one find the artist to take on such a job?
Fiverr is a low-budget option for those trying to keep prices down. With thousands of artists on call, prices start as low as $5 per piece. However, there’s some degree of risk involved.
Artists may “pump up” their skills to gain an edge over the competition. Some may make promises they can’t confidently deliver.
You may also consider trying out a freelancing platform like Upwork.
There, you can post a listing detailing exactly what you want accomplishing and at what cost. Qualified freelancers can apply at will, and you can then interview, explore, and chat with applicants on your own terms.
You’ll also find a wide variety of for-hire artists on Etsy.
Though custom paintings come at a higher price than they would at a place like Fiverr, there’s a little more in terms of stylistic choices and talent. While you can go the traditional photorealistic route, you may also opt toward a cartoonish or abstract style.
Wherever you end up, take the time to look over an artist’s portfolio to ensure that their style is in line with what you’re looking for. Also, study their ratings and reviews.
Focus on the quantity of reviews as well as quality – while a single 5-star review is great, 1000 5-star reviews show a history of excellent service.
From Snapshot to Centerpiece
Though it may seem a little gimmicky to some, it’s exciting to see our favorite photos transformed into paintings. Some are drawn to good old fashioned pigment or brush. Others are fascinated by transformative AI art being developed each day.
Whatever your preference happens to be, it’s easier to access than most realize. So, why not give one of your favorite photos a makeover today? Please let us know in the comments which services you’re most eager to try out!
Who Holds the Copyright?
The creator of the photograph, i.e. the photographer, usually holds the copyright to the photo and unless they’ve expressly given permission for its use, making a painting based on a photo would infringe the photographer’s copyright. In terms of US copyright law: “Only the owner of copyright in a work has the right to prepare, or to authorize someone else to create, a new version of that work.” You may be able to obtain permission to use a photo for a derivative work from the photographer, or if you’re using a photo library, buy the right to use it.
You might argue that the photographer is unlikely ever to find out if you use it, but are you going to keep a record of such paintings to ensure you never put it on display or offer it for sale? Even if you’re not going to make commercial use of a photo, just by creating a painting to hang in your home, you’re still technically infringing copyright, and you need to be aware of the fact. (Ignorance is not bliss.)
As for the argument that it’s fine to make a painting from a photo provided it doesn’t say “do not duplicate” or because 10 different artists would produce 10 different paintings from the same photo, it’s a misconception that photos aren’t subject to the same stringent copyright rules as paintings. It seems that all too often artists who would scream if someone copied their paintings, don’t hesitate to make a painting of someone else’s photo, with no thought to the creator’s rights. You wouldn’t say “as long as a painting doesn’t say ‘do not duplicate’ that anyone can photograph it and declare it their original creation”.
The absence of a copyright notice on a photo doesn’t mean copyright doesn’t apply. If a copyright statement says ©2005, this doesn’t mean that copyright expired at the end of 2005; it generally expires several decades after the creator’s death.
What Is Copyright?
According to the United States Copyright Office, “Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (title 17, U.S. Code) to the authors of ‘original works of authorship,’ including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. Copyright protection subsists from the time the work is created in fixed form.” Copyright gives the creator (or the creator’s estate) of an original work exclusive rights to that work as soon as it is created, for a duration of seventy years following the death of the creator (for works created after January 1, 1978).
Due to the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, an international copyright agreement that originated in Berne, Switzerland in 1886 and adopted by many countries over the years, including the United States in 1988, creative works are automatically copyrighted as soon as they are “in fixed form,” meaning that photographs are copyrighted as soon as the picture is taken.
How to Avoid Copyright Infringement Issues
The easiest solution to avoiding copyright infringement issues when painting from photos is to take your own photos. Not only do you not run any risk whatsoever of copyright infringement, but you have complete creative control over the entire artistic process, which can only benefit your art making and painting.
If taking your own photos is just not possible, you can also use the Artist’s Reference Photos, photos from somewhere such as Morgue File, which provides “free image reference material for use in all creative pursuits”, or combine several photos for inspiration and reference for your own scene, not copy them directly. Another good source of photos is those labeled with a Creative Commons Derivatives License in Flickr.
A photo that is labeled “royalty-free” in photo libraries is not the same as “copyright free”. Royalty free means that you can buy the right from the copyright holder to use the photo wherever you want, whenever you want, however many times you want, rather than purchasing the right to use it once for a specific project and then paying an additional fee if you used it for something else.
Disclaimer: The information given here is based on US copyright law and is given for guidance only; you’re advised to consult a copyright lawyer on copyright issues.
How to Paint from a Photo
Creating a painting from a photo is a great way to turn a favorite photograph into a unique work of art. It is also a great way to improve your skills as an artist, as it allows you to focus on the technique of painting without having to worry about drawing the subject accurately. It can also be a fun and rewarding creative project for anyone interested in art, regardless of their skill level. In this article, we’ll go over the steps for creating a painting from a photo, including the materials you’ll need and some tips and techniques to help you get started.
Materials needed:
The photo you want to paint:
The first step in creating a painting from a photo is to choose a reference photo. This should be a high-quality photograph that you love and want to turn into a painting. It’s important to choose a photo that has good lighting, composition, and detail, as these will all be important when creating the painting. If you’re not sure which photo to choose, you can always start by painting a simple still life or a landscape.
Canvas:
Next, you’ll need a canvas to paint on. Canvases come in a variety of sizes, so choose one that is appropriate for the size of the painting you want to create. You can also use other surfaces such as paper or board, but canvas is a popular choice because it is sturdy and has a nice texture for painting.
Acrylic or oil paints:
Acrylic paints are a popular choice for creating a painting from a photo because they dry quickly and are easy to work with. Oil paints, on the other hand, are slower drying and require more time to work with, but they are known for their ability to create rich, vibrant colors and textures. Choose the type of paint that you feel most comfortable working with.
Brushes:
You’ll need a variety of brushes to create your painting, including small, medium, and large brushes for different areas of the painting. It’s also a good idea to have both round and flat brushes to give you more control and versatility.
Other supplies:
You may also need other supplies such as a palette, easel, and turpentine or paint thinner (if you are using oil paints). You may also want to have a palette knife, and some rags or paper towels on hand.
Steps for creating a painting from a photo:
- Print out the reference photo: Before you start painting, it’s a good idea to print out a copy of the reference photo. This will allow you to see the details more clearly and have a reference to work from as you paint.
- Get the basic outline of your image onto the canvas: This doesn’t have to be perfect, as you will be refining it as you go along. There are a few different ways to transfer the image onto your canvas or paper. One method is to use a grid system, where you draw a grid over the photo and then draw a corresponding grid on your canvas. Then, you can fill in each square of the grid on the canvas with the corresponding colors from the photo. Another method is to use a projector. This can be especially useful if you’re working on a larger canvas. Simply project the image onto the canvas and trace the outline with a pencil. Whichever method you use, you should end up with the basic composition of the painting on the canvas. This will help you get a sense of the overall layout and proportions of the painting.
- Block in the basic colors: Begin by blocking in the basic colors of the painting. This means filling in the large areas of color with flat, solid blocks of paint. Don’t worry about getting the colors perfect at this stage, just focus on getting the basic structure of the painting in place. As you paint, be sure to take breaks and step back to look at your work from a distance. This will help you see the overall composition and make any necessary adjustments.
- Add the details: Once the basic colors are in place, you can start adding the details to the painting. This might include adding highlights and shadows, blending colors, and adding texture. Use smaller brushes and add in the finer details of the image, such as the texture of fabrics or the wrinkles on a face.
- Finish the painting: As you near the end of the painting process, you can start to refine the details and add any final touches. This might include making any necessary adjustments to the colors or adding any final details to the painting. Once you’re happy with your painting, it’s time to give it a final coat of varnish to protect it. You can use either a gloss or matte varnish, depending on the effect you want to achieve. Once the varnish is dry, you can frame your painting and display it proudly!
Creating a painting from a photo can be a time-consuming process, so it’s important to take breaks and give yourself time to rest.
As mentioned previously, remember to step back from the painting to ensure the composition looks right as a whole and not just from close-up as this will generally be how the painting is viewed.
Or if you like, we are more than happy to paint your photo for you. Our artists have been trained for over 10 years and are masters of their craft and we would be delighted to turn your photo into a beautiful oil painting.
Have a look here at the photos that our customers have had painted: Customer paintings
Or, start today by sending us an enquiry to Contact Us
