Smart Object
Copy the full-size picture below into a new PS document (1400 x 700 px).
Rename it “photo”.
Unlock and delete the Background layer. Then go to more layer options… Convert to Smart Object.
You should see this icon in the layer thumbnail.
Filters
Dry Brush
Make sure your photo layer is active…
Then go to Filter > Filter Gallery.
Under Artistic, choose Dry Brush: (10, 10, 1)
You will see the smart filter in the layer.
Watercolor
Go to Filter Gallery again, under Artistic, choose Watercolor (14, 0 , 1)
You will see the smart filter in the layer.
Smart Blur
Go to Filter > Blur > Smart Blur … (5, 100, high quality)
Double-click on the slider for the smart filter…
Change the blend mode to Screen and reduce opacity to 50%.
This is the result…
Find Edges
Go to Filter > Stylize > Find Edges.
Double-click on the slider for the smart filter…
Change the blend mode to Multiply
This is the result…
Paper Texture
Expand Canvas
Select the Crop Tool.
Pull out from the tops and sides (evenly), something like this…
[Enter] to apply the cropping.
Paper Photo
Click on the picture below and copy the full-size photo into your document.
Paste it in your document (CTRL+V).
Rename the layer to “paper”.
CTRL+T to resize it to cover the entire canvas; [Enter] to apply the transformation.
Bring the layer to the bottom…
Brushes
Brush Folder
Add a new layer above paper. Rename it “wide”.
CTRL+G to put it into a group/folder.
Clipping Mask
Hold ALT and hover just above the group/folder until you see the down arrow, then click…
Wide
Select the Brush tool. Make sure your colors are the default (‘D‘), black the foreground color.
Then go to the top-right panel and go to the Brushes tab. Expand the Watercolor Painting folder, and select one of the Wide brushes…
Make the “wide” layer active, then click once in the middle of the canvas.
Make sure the brush doesn’t touch the edge of the photo. If it does (get a straight edge), CTRL+Z to undo and try again.
Tall
Add another new layer, rename it “tall”…
Expand the Tall folder and choose one of the brushes.
Click on the canvas near the middle – make sure you don’t get any straight edges!
Edges
Add another new layer, rename it “edges”.
Select a few brushes from the Edges folder. Click near the edges, but don’t get any straight lines.
Straight Lines?
If you see the straight edges from the photo, then you need to:
- Switch your color to black and paint on the layer mask with with a variety of smaller brushes on the edges of the photo to get a softer/nicer edge.
- Then switch color back to white (‘X‘) and paint in some nice jagged edges (so long as the edge of the photo isn’t showing).
Spray
Add another new layer. Rename it “spray”.
Choose a spray brush and click 2x (in different areas) …
So your layers should look like this…
Reset the Brush tool to the default…
Change Photo
Click on one of the photos below and copy the full-size image.
Double-click on the smart object icon on the photo layer…
This opens the linked PSB file.
Paste the picture (CTRL+V).
Save the file (CTRL+S), then go back to your main document.
You should now see the updated result.
Get your project checked …
