Technique 38: Painting Watercolors with Filters
Save Time By
Applying filters
Adjusting blending modes and opacities
Filters are one of Photoshop’s great features. They give you so much with just a few clicks of the mouse. When I started using Photoshop (I won’t tell you how long ago!), I was immediately enchanted with filters, and those early impressions still remain.Photoshop cs comes with more than 100 filters that you can combine to create interesting and beautiful results. This technique takes a look at creating watercolor paintings by using filters. No painting is involved (unless you want to add a few highlights or details). Of course, you use the Watercolor filter, but this technique doesn’t stop there. You use two other filters, the Underpainting and Note Paper filters, to enhance the results of the Watercolor filter, highlighting detail and adding luminosity.So, open a photograph or an image that would make a good watercolor and have a go. If you want to use a photograph that isn’t saved in digital form, turn to Technique 10 to find out all about scanning images and importing them into Photoshop. Color Plate 38-1 shows how the Watercolor filter looks when applied to a photograph.