Make image look like painting

To make an image look like a painting, you can utilize various software and applications that employ digital painting effects, filters, and AI algorithms. For a quick transformation, explore online tools like deepart.io or Ostagram, which use neural style transfer to convert your photo into a stylized painting based on famous artworks. If you prefer more control and artistic flexibility, professional software like Adobe Photoshop allows you to apply painterly effects through its filter gallery e.g., “Artistic” filters like “Dry Brush” or “Paint Daubs” or by using mixer brushes and manual painting techniques. For dedicated painting software, Corel Painter Essentials offers an exceptional range of brushes and tools specifically designed to simulate traditional media, making it incredibly intuitive to transform photos into stunning digital paintings with authentic brushstrokes and textures. You can even get a 👉 Corel Painter Essentials 15% OFF Coupon Limited Time FREE TRIAL Included to try it out. Mobile apps like PicsArt or Prisma also provide one-tap solutions to make photo look like painting app with various artistic styles. Many users are looking for ways to “make photo look like painting ai” for quick results, or “make image look like painting photoshop” for granular control, or even “make picture look like painting free” options. Whether you’re aiming for a subtle painterly touch or a full artistic transformation, the key is to experiment with different tools and settings to find the aesthetic that best suits your image and artistic vision.

The Art of Digital Transformation: Making Images Look Like Paintings

Transforming a digital image into a painting is a fascinating intersection of technology and art, allowing anyone to imbue their photographs with the aesthetic qualities of traditional artwork.

This process, often referred to as photo-to-painting conversion, leverages various digital tools, from sophisticated AI algorithms to hands-on digital brushes.

The goal is not just to apply a simple filter, but to simulate the textures, brushstrokes, and color nuances that define a true painting.

According to a 2023 survey by Adobe, over 60% of digital artists frequently incorporate photo manipulation into their creative workflows, with painterly effects being among the most popular.

This trend highlights the growing desire to blend photographic realism with artistic expression, enabling users to “make photo look like painting ai” for quick, stylized results or to dive deep into “make image look like painting photoshop” for fine-tuned control.

The choice of method often depends on the desired level of realism, artistic intent, and the time commitment an individual is willing to invest.

Understanding Painterly Effects and Their Application

Painterly effects are visual characteristics that mimic traditional painting mediums such as oil, watercolor, acrylic, or pastels.

These effects are achieved digitally by manipulating pixels to simulate brushstrokes, canvas textures, color blending, and light diffusion.

• Brushstroke Simulation: This involves algorithms that detect edges and color variations in an image and then apply digital “brushstrokes” that follow these contours. Advanced software can vary the size, opacity, and direction of these strokes, mimicking the authentic hand movements of a painter.
• Texture Overlays: To give the impression of a physical canvas or paper, digital textures are overlaid onto the image. These textures can range from subtle linen weaves to more pronounced impasto effects.
• Color Palette Transformation: Some tools analyze the dominant colors in an image and remap them to a more limited or stylized palette, characteristic of certain painting styles e.g., impressionistic muted tones or vibrant Fauvist hues.
• Light and Shadow Manipulation: Painters often exaggerate or simplify light and shadow to create dramatic effects. Digital tools can apply similar adjustments, enhancing depth and mood.

AI-Powered Solutions for Instant Artistic Transformation

Artificial intelligence has revolutionized how we “make image look like painting ai,” offering powerful tools that can transform photos with remarkable speed and artistry.

These AI solutions often rely on neural style transfer, a technique where the stylistic elements of one image a painting are applied to the content of another a photograph. Coreldraw video editor free download

• Neural Style Transfer Explained: Developed by Leon Gatys and his colleagues in 2015, neural style transfer works by separating the “content” of an image from its “style.” A deep neural network learns the artistic patterns, brushstrokes, and color schemes from a chosen painting and then “paints” the content of your photograph using those learned stylistic elements.
• Popular AI Tools:
  • DeepArt.io: One of the pioneers in this field, offering a wide array of famous painting styles to apply to your photos. It’s known for its high-quality results.
  • Prisma: A popular mobile app that gained significant traction for its diverse range of artistic filters, making it easy for anyone to “make photo look like painting app” on the go.
  • Ostagram: Similar to DeepArt.io, allowing users to blend the style of one image with the content of another.
• Pros and Cons of AI:
  • Pros: Extremely fast and requires minimal user input. Can produce visually stunning results with a single click. Excellent for quick transformations or creative inspiration.
  • Cons: Less control over specific artistic details. Results can sometimes look generic or overly processed. Limited customization beyond selecting a style. While convenient, one must be mindful of the content being transformed.

Mastering Photo-to-Painting in Adobe Photoshop

For those who demand precise control and customizability, Adobe Photoshop remains the go-to professional tool to “make image look like painting photoshop.” It offers a robust suite of filters, brushes, and blending modes that allow for a highly personalized artistic transformation.

Utilizing Photoshop’s Filter Gallery for Painterly Effects

Photoshop’s Filter Gallery provides a starting point for converting images into paintings by applying various artistic filters.

These filters simulate different painting techniques.

• Accessing the Filter Gallery: Go to Filter > Filter Gallery.
• Key Artistic Filters:
  • Dry Brush: Simplifies the image into areas of solid color, simulating sparse brushstrokes. It’s excellent for creating a minimalist, almost sketch-like painting effect.
  • Paint Daubs: This filter applies broad, impressionistic brushstrokes, with options to control brush size, sharpness, and type e.g., simple, sparkle, wide blur. It’s effective for generating a more painterly, textured look.
  • Cutout: Reduces the number of colors in an image and converts it into flat shapes, mimicking a stencil or linocut. While not strictly a painting, it can be a foundation for a stylized, graphic art piece.
  • Fresco: Simulates the look of a fresco painting with soft, textured strokes.
  • Poster Edges: Defines image edges with sharp, dark lines, mimicking a posterized effect, which can be a base for comic book or pop art styles.
• Layering and Blending: For more complex effects, apply filters on duplicate layers and experiment with blending modes e.g., Soft Light, Overlay, Multiply and opacity to combine the filtered effect with the original image data. This technique allows for subtle integration and nuanced control. For example, applying a Paint Daubs filter on one layer and blending it with a Dry Brush effect on another can create a rich, multi-layered painterly texture.

Advanced Techniques with Mixer Brushes and Manual Painting

Beyond automated filters, Photoshop’s advanced tools allow for manual digital painting, giving the artist ultimate control over every “brushstroke.”

• The Mixer Brush Tool: This powerful tool simulates traditional painting by mixing colors on the canvas, much like a physical brush.
  • Setup: Select the Mixer Brush tool B. In the Options bar, choose Clean Brush for fresh strokes or Load Brush to pick up colors from the canvas. Experiment with Wet how much paint is loaded, Load how much paint is picked up, Mix how colors blend, and Flow paint output speed.
  • Application: Start by duplicating your image layer. Use the Mixer Brush on the duplicate layer, sampling colors from the original. Begin with broad strokes to establish the general painterly feel, then refine details with smaller, more precise strokes.
  • Brush Presets: Photoshop comes with a variety of Mixer Brush presets that mimic different paint types e.g., thick oil, watercolor, pastel.
• Manual Painting with Standard Brushes: For a completely custom painting, artists can use standard Photoshop brushes to paint over the image, tracing contours and adding textures.

  • Tablet Use: A graphic tablet like a Wacom Intuos or Cintiq is highly recommended for manual painting, providing pressure sensitivity that mimics real brushes.

  • Custom Brushes: Download or create custom brushes that simulate specific natural media e.g., bristly oil brushes, watery watercolor brushes, grainy pastel brushes. Websites like DeviantArt or Adobe Brush presets offer thousands of options.

  • Step-by-Step Approach:

    1. Start with a duplicated layer of your image.

    2. Reduce the opacity of the original image layer to use it as a guide.

    3. On new layers, begin painting over the image, focusing on color blocking, then adding details, highlights, and shadows. Download coreldraw 2022

    4. Experiment with different blending modes for each new layer to build up depth.

• Combining Techniques: Often, the best results come from combining automated filters with manual refinement. Apply a filter first, then use the Mixer Brush to smooth transitions, add custom brushstrokes, or enhance specific areas.

Mobile Apps for On-the-Go Painting Effects

The rise of powerful smartphones and tablets has made it incredibly convenient to “make photo look like painting app” directly from your device.

These apps offer varying levels of control, from one-tap filters to more sophisticated drawing tools.

Popular Mobile Applications and Their Features

Many mobile apps provide quick and easy ways to transform photos into artistic renditions.

• Prisma iOS/Android: As mentioned earlier, Prisma is a leader in mobile AI artistic filters. It offers a vast library of styles inspired by famous artists and art movements, providing instant results with a single tap. Its strength lies in its diverse filter collection and user-friendly interface.
• PicsArt iOS/Android: A comprehensive photo editing suite that includes a dedicated “Magic Effects” section with numerous painterly filters e.g., “Fattal,” “Watercolor,” “Oil Painting”. PicsArt also offers drawing tools and a brush editor for more manual artistic touches, making it a versatile option to “make photo look like painting procreate” if you’re looking for a similar level of flexibility on a mobile device.
• Painnt iOS/Android: Specializes in artistic filters, boasting over 1000 filters and effects. It allows for high-resolution output and offers a variety of artistic styles, from classic to modern.
• Brushstroke iOS: Specifically designed for converting photos into paintings, offering a range of styles oil, watercolor, abstract and the ability to customize canvas textures and frames. It’s known for its high-quality output and intuitive interface on iPhone.
• Artomaton iOS: Unique for its “living art” effects, where the painting animation seems to evolve on its own, mimicking a painter’s hand. It’s a more experimental but visually captivating option for iPhone users.
• VanceAI Toongineer Web/API: While not strictly an app, VanceAI Toongineer offers AI cartoonizer and painting effects online, making it accessible from mobile browsers to “make image look like painting ai” without downloads.

Tips for Achieving Best Results on Mobile

While mobile apps offer convenience, getting the best results requires a few considerations.

• High-Resolution Source Images: Always start with the highest resolution photo possible. This ensures that the transformed image retains detail and avoids pixelation, especially if you plan to print it.
• Experiment with Filters: Don’t settle for the first filter you try. Each app has a unique interpretation of “painting,” so try multiple styles and adjust intensity sliders.
• Fine-Tuning: Many apps offer sliders for adjusting brush size, color intensity, or texture strength. Use these to fine-tune the effect and make it less generic.
• Output Quality: Check the output settings of the app. Some free versions may limit resolution or add watermarks. Consider premium versions for professional-quality results.

Software Alternatives and Online Tools for Free Transformation

While professional software like Photoshop and dedicated painting programs offer the most control, several free software alternatives and online tools allow you to “make picture look like painting free.” These options are excellent for casual users or those on a budget.

Free Desktop Software for Image Transformation

• GIMP GNU Image Manipulation Program: A powerful open-source image editor that serves as a free alternative to Photoshop. While it doesn’t have a direct “Filter Gallery” like Photoshop, it offers various artistic filters under Filters > Artistic e.g., Cartoon, GIMPressionist.
  • GIMPressionist Plugin: This plugin for GIMP is specifically designed to simulate various painting styles. It allows users to choose brush types, sizes, and styles to transform images into oil, watercolor, or impressionistic paintings.
  • Manual Techniques: GIMP also supports layers, blending modes, and custom brushes, allowing users to apply similar manual painting techniques as in Photoshop.
• Krita: A free and open-source digital painting program widely used by artists. While primarily a painting application, Krita can import photos and offers a wide array of brushes and blend modes to paint over an image, effectively transforming it into a digital painting. Its strength lies in its robust brush engine.
• Paint.NET: A simpler image editor for Windows that offers some basic artistic filters and plugin support. While not as feature-rich as GIMP or Krita, it’s user-friendly for basic transformations.

Online Tools for Quick Photo-to-Painting Conversion

Many websites offer free, browser-based tools for artistic photo transformation, often leveraging AI or simple filter algorithms.

• Fotor: Offers an “Artistic Filters” section with various painting and sketch effects. It’s easy to use and provides quick results.
• Befunky: Similar to Fotor, Befunky provides a “Artistic” effects category with numerous painterly filters. It also includes basic editing tools.
• VanceAI: As mentioned earlier, VanceAI offers several AI-powered tools, including a cartoonizer and an image to painting converter, accessible directly through a web browser.
• DeepArt.io Free Tier: While it has premium options, DeepArt.io offers a free tier for processing images, albeit with longer processing times.
• Online Photo Editors with Filters: Many general online photo editors like Pixlr, Photopea include basic artistic filters that can give an image a painting-like appearance.
• Considerations for Free Tools:
  • Quality and Resolution: Free tools might offer lower resolution outputs or add watermarks.
  • Privacy: Be mindful of uploading personal images to free online services, as their data handling policies may vary.
  • Limited Control: Free tools typically offer less customization than paid software.

Niche Applications: Lightroom, Procreate, and iPhone Specifics

Beyond the mainstream options, specific software and devices offer unique approaches to make images look like paintings, catering to different workflows and user preferences.

Achieving Painterly Effects in Adobe Lightroom

While primarily a photo cataloging and non-destructive editing tool, Adobe Lightroom can be used to lay the groundwork for a painterly effect or to apply subtle artistic touches.

It’s not designed for painting in the traditional sense, but its powerful adjustments can simulate painted aesthetics. Corel photoshop

• Clarity and Dehaze Adjustments: Reducing Clarity can soften details and create a smoother, more blended look, akin to painted surfaces. Increasing Dehaze can sometimes add a dreamlike, almost hazy effect.
• Texture Adjustments: Reducing Texture in Lightroom Classic or Detail in some versions can smooth out fine details, making the image appear less photographic and more illustrative.
• Brush Adjustments Local Adjustments: Using the Adjustment Brush K, you can selectively paint over areas to reduce Clarity, Texture, or Sharpness, or even adjust Color or Saturation to mimic painted strokes or color shifts in specific regions. This is useful for subtly blurring backgrounds or simplifying complex areas.
• Color Grading and Toning: Applying custom color profiles, split toning, or granular color adjustments can shift the overall mood and palette of an image, pushing it towards a painted aesthetic. For instance, using a cool tone in the shadows and a warm tone in the highlights can create a classic oil painting feel.
• Grain and Vignette: Adding a subtle Grain effect can simulate the texture of a canvas, while a Vignette can draw attention to the center, much like a painter might frame a subject.
• Export to Photoshop: Often, Lightroom is used for initial raw image processing and global adjustments, after which the image is seamlessly sent to Photoshop Photo > Edit In > Adobe Photoshop for more intensive painterly transformations using brushes and filters. This workflow is common among professionals who make photo look like painting lightroom as a first step.

Digital Painting on Tablets with Procreate

For iPad users, Procreate has become an incredibly popular and powerful app for digital painting, allowing artists to make photo look like painting procreate by literally painting over them.

• Importing Photos: You can import any photo into Procreate as a new canvas.
• Layer-Based Workflow: Work on separate layers. Keep your original photo on one layer perhaps at reduced opacity and create new layers above it to paint on. This non-destructive approach allows for experimentation.
• Extensive Brush Library: Procreate boasts an incredibly diverse brush library that simulates every traditional medium imaginable: oils, watercolors, acrylics, charcoals, pastels, and more. You can also import custom brushes or create your own.
• Blending Modes and Adjustments: Procreate offers a full range of blending modes and adjustment layers e.g., Curves, Color Balance similar to desktop software, allowing for fine-tuned color and tone manipulation.
• Techniques in Procreate:
  • Tracing and Painting: Import the photo, lower its opacity, and create a new layer above it. Use appropriate brushes to paint over the photo, recreating it stroke by stroke. This gives the most authentic painted look.
  • Color Picking: Use the eyedropper tool to pick colors directly from your photo to maintain color accuracy while painting.
  • Smudge Tool: Use the smudge tool with various brush textures to blend existing photo pixels, creating a soft, painterly effect without completely painting over.
  • Alpha Lock and Clipping Masks: These features allow you to paint within specific areas or apply effects non-destructively to underlying layers.
• Pressure Sensitivity: Paired with an Apple Pencil, Procreate offers incredible pressure sensitivity, allowing for realistic brush dynamics and varied stroke thicknesses.

iPhone Specific Techniques for Photo-to-Painting

Many iPhone users want quick ways to transform photos into paintings directly on their device.

Beyond the general mobile apps, the iPhone’s built-in capabilities and specific app features cater to this.

• Photos App Filters: While limited, the iPhone’s native Photos app offers some stylistic filters that can slightly alter the image’s appearance, though they don’t explicitly create painting effects.
• Third-Party Apps as listed above: Apps like Prisma, PicsArt, Painnt, Brushstroke, and Artomaton are specifically designed for the iPhone’s ecosystem, leveraging its processing power for quick transformations.
• Live Photos to Video: While not a painting effect, Live Photos can be exported as short videos, and some apps can apply animated painting effects to these video clips, creating a dynamic art piece.
• Shortcuts Automation: Advanced iPhone users can create custom Shortcuts that chain together actions from various photo editing apps if they support Shortcuts integration to apply a series of filters or adjustments, effectively creating a custom “painterly” automation.
• Considerations: iPhone storage and processing power can limit the resolution or complexity of effects, especially for very large images or intricate transformations.

The Human Element: When to Use Digital and When to Avoid It

While digital tools offer unparalleled convenience in making images look like paintings, it’s crucial to consider the broader ethical and practical implications of their use, especially in the context of our faith.

True artistic creation, which involves skill, patience, and devotion to a craft, carries a different weight than mere digital manipulation.

The Value of Skill and Effort in Art

In Islamic tradition, the pursuit of knowledge and skill is highly encouraged, as is the mindful use of one’s talents.

While digital tools are permissible, the underlying principle is to ensure they are used for beneficial and permissible purposes.

• Mastery Over Automation: Relying solely on one-click filters, while convenient, can sometimes bypass the personal growth and development that comes from mastering a craft. Learning to manually paint digitally or traditionally develops hand-eye coordination, understanding of light and shadow, and color theory—skills that enhance cognitive abilities and offer a deeper appreciation for creation.
• Authenticity vs. Imitation: A digitally “painted” image, especially one done purely by AI, can lack the soul and unique imperfections that define a hand-created piece. The true value often lies in the human effort and intention behind the work.
• Time and Patience: Just as a traditional painter spends countless hours perfecting their craft, a digital artist who manually transforms a photo into a painting invests significant time and patience. This process fosters perseverance and attention to detail. In a world of instant gratification, cultivating patience through a creative endeavor is a valuable spiritual exercise.

Discouraged Entertainment and Over-Reliance on Technology

While technology is a tool, excessive engagement with entertainment-focused applications or a mindset of constantly seeking superficial digital transformations can lead to unproductive habits.

• Excessive Use of Entertainment Apps: Spending countless hours on apps primarily designed for fleeting entertainment, rather than genuine artistic expression or skill development, can distract from more meaningful pursuits. If the goal is merely to generate “cool” images for social media likes without any underlying artistic intention or learning, it falls into the category of idle pastime.
• Distraction from Core Responsibilities: While creativity is encouraged, if digital image manipulation becomes an obsession that distracts from one’s familial, professional, or spiritual duties, it crosses into an area that requires moderation.
• The Illusion of Creation: Relying solely on AI to “create” art can create an illusion of artistic ability without the actual effort required to learn and practice. This can be detrimental to personal growth and a true understanding of art.
• Alternatives and Balance:
  • Focus on Skill Development: Instead of just applying filters, learn the fundamentals of digital painting in software like Corel Painter Essentials or Krita. The journey of learning to blend colors, form brushstrokes, and understand composition is far more rewarding.
  • Traditional Art: Consider exploring traditional drawing, painting, or calligraphy. Engaging with physical materials offers a unique tactile experience and a direct connection to artistic creation.
  • Photography as an Art Form: Develop your photography skills to capture beautiful images directly, appreciating the world around you as it is, without needing excessive digital transformation. This can encourage a deeper appreciation for Allah’s creation.
  • Beneficial Content Creation: If using digital tools, focus on creating content that is uplifting, educational, or beautiful in a way that aligns with permissible values. This could involve creating visual aids for religious lessons, producing artistic representations of nature, or illustrating stories.

In essence, while digital tools are a gift, the wisdom lies in using them as a means to enhance our permissible creativity and skills, rather than allowing them to foster idleness or an excessive pursuit of superficial outcomes.

The true beauty lies in the effort, the intention, and the positive impact of our creative endeavors. Ai to photo

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the easiest way to make an image look like a painting?

The easiest way is to use AI-powered online tools or mobile apps like Prisma or DeepArt.io, which offer one-tap artistic filters to transform your photo instantly.

How can I make image look like painting AI?

To make an image look like a painting using AI, upload your photo to a neural style transfer service like DeepArt.io, Ostagram, or use mobile apps like Prisma.

These tools apply the artistic style of a chosen painting to your photo using artificial intelligence.

What software can make image look like painting Photoshop?

Adobe Photoshop is a powerful software that can make images look like paintings.

You can achieve this using its Filter Gallery e.g., Dry Brush, Paint Daubs, the Mixer Brush tool for manual painting, or by painting directly with various custom brushes on new layers.

Is there a free way to make picture look like painting free?

Yes, you can use free online tools like Fotor or Befunky’s artistic filters, or free desktop software like GIMP with its GIMPressionist plugin or Krita to transform your pictures into paintings.

Can I make photo look like painting app on my phone?

Absolutely.

Popular mobile apps like Prisma, PicsArt, Painnt, Brushstroke for iOS, and Artomaton for iOS offer a wide range of filters and tools to make your photos look like paintings directly on your smartphone.

How do I make photo look like painting in Lightroom?

Lightroom isn’t a painting software, but you can achieve painterly effects by reducing Clarity and Texture, applying localized adjustments with the Adjustment Brush, and using precise color grading or split toning to soften details and shift the image’s overall aesthetic.

For true painting, it’s often used as a first step before exporting to Photoshop. Photo video bundle ultimate

What is the best app to make photo look like painting for iPhone?

Prisma, Brushstroke, and Artomaton are highly regarded apps for making photos look like paintings on iPhone, each offering unique artistic styles and customization options.

Can I make photo look like painting in Procreate?

Yes, Procreate on iPad is excellent for making photos look like paintings.

You can import your photo as a layer and then manually paint over it using Procreate’s extensive brush library, layer system, and blending modes to achieve a hand-painted look.

What is the difference between a filter and a true painting effect?

A filter often applies a pre-defined set of pixel manipulations, which can sometimes look generic.

A “true painting effect” especially when achieved manually or through advanced software involves more nuanced control over brushstrokes, textures, color blending, and light, aiming to simulate the artistic process and unique imperfections of a real painting.

How long does it take to turn a photo into a painting digitally?

It can take anywhere from seconds with AI tools and simple filters to several hours or even days for detailed manual digital painting in software like Photoshop or Procreate, depending on the complexity of the desired effect and the level of detail.

What type of photos work best for painting conversion?

Photos with good lighting, clear subjects, and distinct colors often work best.

Overly busy or low-resolution photos may produce less desirable results.

Do I need a drawing tablet to make images look like paintings?

While not strictly necessary for simple filters, a drawing tablet like Wacom or Apple Pencil for iPad is highly recommended for manual digital painting in software like Photoshop, Corel Painter, or Procreate, as it provides pressure sensitivity and precision similar to traditional art tools.

What are “neural style transfer” tools?

Neural style transfer tools are AI algorithms that use deep learning to combine the content of one image your photo with the artistic style of another image a famous painting or abstract artwork. Screen recorder and editor for pc

Can I choose specific painting styles e.g., Impressionist, Cubist for my photo?

Yes, many AI-powered tools and apps offer a selection of famous artistic styles e.g., Impressionist, Expressionist, Cubist, Watercolor, Oil that you can apply to your photos.

How do I add canvas texture to my digital painting?

Most digital painting software Photoshop, Corel Painter, GIMP allows you to add canvas textures as overlays or through specific filters.

You can also find texture images online and blend them with your digital painting using blending modes.

Is Corel Painter Essentials good for turning photos into paintings?

Yes, Corel Painter Essentials is specifically designed for digital painting and is excellent for turning photos into paintings.

It offers a wide range of realistic brushes that mimic traditional media, making the process intuitive and the results authentic.

Are there any ethical considerations when turning photos of people into paintings?

Yes, always ensure you have permission from the person in the photo before transforming and sharing their image, especially if it’s for commercial use. Respecting privacy and copyright is crucial.

Can I make a photo look like a watercolor painting?

Yes, many apps and software offer specific watercolor filters.

In Photoshop, you can use the Watercolor filter or manually paint with watercolor-simulating brushes.

Corel Painter Essentials has excellent watercolor brush sets.

How can I make image look like painting with more control over details?

For more control, use professional software like Adobe Photoshop or Corel Painter Essentials. Screen recording software free download

These programs allow you to manually adjust brushstrokes, blend colors, apply textures, and fine-tune every aspect of the transformation.

What’s the best way to learn digital painting for photo transformations?

Start by experimenting with simpler apps, then gradually move to more advanced software.

Watch online tutorials on platforms like YouTube or skillshare for specific software e.g., “Photoshop photo to painting tutorial” or “Procreate painting from photo tutorial”. Practice regularly and focus on understanding core artistic principles.