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June 16, 2016

turn any photo into a painting | easy DIY gift idea

‘Tis the season for weddings, right? Well today I have a fun DIY wedding gift idea for you. If you can get your hands on a digital photo of the happy couple, you can turn that photo into a painting using Adobe Photoshop Elements. It’s really easy to do, and you can print it out at home on watercolor paper, frame it, and have a gorgeous, one-of-a-kind gift. (And hey, this obviously works with other types of photos, so you could make a gift for anyone using this technique, even yourself!)

A photo man and a woman walking in the grass turned into a painting

Wouldn’t you love to do this with one of your favorite photos?

A framed painting of a bride and groom

I love the finished effect. Here’s a before/after of the editing process:

Before and after of a photo of a bride and groom converted into a painting

(before photo © Can Stock Photo Inc. / [EpicStockMedia])

And then this is how it looks when it’s printed on watercolor paper:

A closeup of a painting of bride and groom

The easiest way to turn a photo into a painting is to use Adobe Photoshop Elements. I LOVE Photoshop Elements and am always amazed at how many cool things it can help you do to your photos. Thank you to Adobe for sponsoring this post!

Click here for more DIY photo craft ideas

How to turn a photo into a painting

Watch this video to learn how easy it is to transform a photo into a painting:


Once you’ve completed the edits, you can print the new photo at home on watercolor paper. This is the paper I use – I ordered it from Amazon for $6, and it’s the same paper the kids have been using to paint their personalized coloring pages.

pad of watercolor paper

Here’s another before/after using the same technique:

Bride and groom embracing in a photo; then in painting

(before photo © Can Stock Photo Inc. / [halfpoint])

And here’s what that one looks like printed on watercolor paper:

framed wedding painting

This technique works really beautifully on scenic photos and pictures of flowers, trees, etc.

How to turn any photo into a painting you can print on your home printer - this turns out awesome! Would be a perfect DIY gift.

You can even use this technique to transform a photo of your first home for a sweet (and cheap!) anniversary gift.

How to turn any photo into a painting you can print on your home printer - this turns out awesome! Would be a perfect DIY gift.

If you don’t want to print the edited photo at home, or if you want to print it larger, you can certainly just save the file as a .jpg and order a print from any photo processor.

A painting of a bride and groom walking away

Either way, it’s a fun and easy way to transform your photos, and make a really inexpensive handmade gift!

A painting of a bride and groom with wedding rings

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5 Comments

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Comments

  1. Melissa says

    June 24, 2016 at 7:54 pm

    I wonder how it would work to mod podge it on a canvas?

    Reply
  2. Kandie Bott says

    June 22, 2016 at 7:26 am

    No. Elements is a stand-alone program, very similar to the full-blown expensive Photoshop. I use both.

    Reply
  3. autumn says

    June 20, 2016 at 7:59 am

    Nope! Photoshop Elements is a separate program that’s simpler (and cheaper) than the full Photoshop.

    Reply
  4. pamela says

    June 19, 2016 at 11:50 am

    I love this! It looks exactly like a true watercolor. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  5. Clara says

    June 17, 2016 at 11:20 pm

    I love it! I hope I’ll be able to do it. Thank you very much.

    Reply

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I'm Autumn, a mom of five who loves ice cream, Masterpiece Theatre, and clothes that hide the fact that I eat so much ice cream. When I was 18 I got a job at a craft store and told everyone (regularly) how much I hated crafts. Well, things change! Read More…

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