Quick Study Painter

Turn a photo into a painting, from broad strokes to fine detail.

Preparing the sample.

Options

Photo → painting
Medium

Layered bristle strokes on toned linen.

4 s

Playback target. Detailed images can take longer.

Drop an image anywhere, or paste one from your clipboard. Your photo stays in your browser.

Output fits within 1,000 × 1,000 pixels. Small photos keep their original size.

Painting

The sample is drawn locally. Open your own photo to make a study.
How the painting works
  1. Build blurred color references for progressively smaller brushes. Brush radius is longest side ÷ pass divisor.
  2. Measure color error: √(ΔR² + ΔG² + ΔB²). Place new strokes where the painting differs from the reference.
  3. Find edges with Sobel gradients of L = 0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B. Guide strokes along the perpendicular direction (−Gy, Gx).
  4. Render bristles, washes, dots, matte gouache, broken pastel pigment, or angular knife marks. Finish with a linen or paper texture.