How to make a Van Gogh effect in Photoshop

In this Photoshop tutorial, you’ll learn how to make a Van Gogh effect in Photoshop. I’ll explain everything in so much detail that everyone can learn how to make Van Gogh masterpieces in Photoshop, even those who have just opened Photoshop for the first time.

What you’ll learn in this Van Gogh effect tutorial

1. How to make a Van Gogh-style painting
2. How to add textures to Van Gogh masterpieces
3. How to make adjustments to the Photoshop effect
4. How to add Photoshop brush effects
5. Recommended painting effect Photoshop actions

What you’ll need

• A child in a field of sunflowers
• Fragment of a colorful drawing on the wall
• Colorful acrylic painting
• Gray burlap textured background

1. How to start creating a Van Gogh effect

First, open the photo that you want to work with. To do this, go to File > Open, choose your photo, and click Open. Before we get started, just check a couple of things:

1. Your photo should be in RGB Color mode, 8 Bits/Channel. To check this, go to Image > Mode.
2. For best results, your photo size should be 2500–4500 px wide/high. To check this, go to Image > Image Size.
3. Your photo should be the Background layer. If it is not, go to Layer > New > Background from Layer.

2. How to create the Van Gogh style

Step 1

In this section, we’re going to create a Van Gogh-style Photoshop effect. Press Control-J on your keyboard to duplicate the photo layer. Then, right-click on this new layer and choose Convert to Smart Object. Name this layer Base Painting.

Step 2

Go to Filter > Blur > Surface Blur, and set the Radius to 10 px and Threshold to 15 levels.

Step 3

Now go to Filter > Stylize > Oil Paint, and set the Stylization to 10, Cleanliness to 5, Scale to 10, and Bristle Detail to 10. Check the Lighting Option and set the Angle to 135° and Shine to 1. Then, go to Filter > Stylize > Oil Paint again, uncheck the Lighting option, and set the Stylization to 2.5 and Cleanliness to 1.

Step 4

Go to Filter > Filter Gallery > Artistic > Dry Brush, and set the Brush Size to 10, Brush Detail to 0, and Texture 1.

Step 5

Go to Filter > Stylize > Oil Paint, and set the Stylization to 2, and Cleanliness to 2. Then, go to Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask, and set the Amount to 500%, Radius to 0.3 px, and Threshold to 0 levels.

Step 6

Select the Background layer and press Control-J to duplicate it. Then, drag this new layer just above the Base Painting layer in the Layers panel, and press Control-Shift-U to desaturate it. Name it Base, go to Select > Color Range, and set Select to Shadows.

Step 7

Right-click on the Background layer and choose Duplicate Layer to duplicate it. Then, drag this new layer just below the Base layer in the Layers panel. Next, go to Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal Selection to add a layer mask that reveals the selected area of the layer and hides the rest, and hide the Base layer.

Step 8

Right-click on this layer and choose Convert to Smart Object. Then, Alt-click on the Smart Filters icon of the Base Painting layer and drag it to the current layer. Change the Blending Mode of this layer to Multiply, set the Opacity to 25%, and name it Shadows Painting.

Step 9

Select and show the Base layer. Go to Select > Color Range and set the Select to Midtones. Then, right-click on the Background layer and choose Duplicate Layer to duplicate it, and drag this new layer just below the Base layer in the Layers panel. Next, go to Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal Selection to add a layer mask that reveals the selected area of the layer and hides the rest, and hide the Base layer.

Step 10

Right-click on this layer and choose Convert to Smart Object. Then, Alt-click on the Smart Filters icon of the Base Painting layer and drag it to the current layer. Change the Blending Mode of this layer to Soft Light, and name it Midtones Painting.

Step 11

Select and show the Base layer. Go to Select > Color Range and set the Select to Highlights. Then, right-click on the Background layer and choose Duplicate Layer to duplicate it, and drag this new layer just below the Base layer in the Layers panel. Next, go to Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal Selection to add a layer mask that reveals the selected area of the layer and hides the rest, and hide the Base layer.

Step 12

Right-click on this layer and choose Convert to Smart Object. Then, Alt-click on the Smart Filters icon of the Base Painting layer and drag it to the current layer. Change the Blending Mode of this layer to Screen, set the Opacity to 75%, and name it Highlights Painting. Lastly, right-click on the Base layer and choose Delete Layer to delete it.

3. How to place textures over Photoshop effects

Step 1

In this section, we’re going to place some textures over the effect. Go to File > Place Embedded, select the first texture from the link, and click Place. Then, transform and position the texture to fit the canvas, change its Blending Mode to Soft Light, and name it Painting_Texture_1.

Step 2

Now select the Highlights Painting layer, go to File > Place Embedded, select the second texture from the link, and click Place. Then, transform and position the texture to fit the canvas, change its Blending Mode to Soft Light, and name it Painting_Texture_2.

Step 3

Go to Layer > Layer Mask > Hide All to add a layer mask that hides the whole layer. Then, set the foreground color to #ffffff, choose the Brush Tool (B), pick a soft brush, and brush where you want to reveal this texture.

Step 4

Control-click on the Painting_Texture_1 layer to select both layers at the same time, and press Control-G to add these layers to a group. Go to Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All to add a layer mask that reveals the whole group. Then, set the foreground color to #000000, choose the Brush Tool (B), pick a soft brush, and brush over the subject to remove the textures in these areas. Name this group Painting Textures.

Step 5

Go to File > Place Embedded, select the third texture from the link, and click Place. Then, transform and position the texture to fit the canvas, change its Blending Mode to Soft Light, set the Opacity to 25%, and name it Burlap Texture.

Step 6

Now go to Image > Adjustments > Levels and set the Shadow Input Level to 125, and Midtone Input Level to 1.50.

4. How to make the final adjustments

Step 1

In this section, we are going to make the final adjustments to the effect. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map to create a new gradient map adjustment layer, and name it Color Look. Then, double-click on this layer thumbnail, and in the Properties panel, click on the gradient to open the Gradient Editor panel. Enter the settings below:

Step 2

Change the Blending Mode of this layer to Hue. Then, right-click on it, choose Blending Options, Alt-click on the white slider of the Underlying Layer option to split it, and drag the left half of the slider to 50.

Step 3

Double-click on the Base Painting layer thumbnail, and a new file will open. In the newly opened file, go to Image > Adjustments > Levels, and set the Highlight Output Level to 225.

Step 4

Now choose the Quick Selection Tool (W) and select the sky. Use the Shift-Alt buttons on your keyboard to add or subtract areas from the selection. After you’ve made a perfect selection, you can go to Select > Modify > Smooth or Select > Modify > Feather to further adjust the selection. Then, go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color to create a new solid color fill layer, name it Sky Color, and choose the color #87ceeb. After that, press Control-S to save the changes, close this file, and get back to the original file.

Step 5

Select the Highlights Painting layer, and go to Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All to add a layer mask that reveals the whole layer. Then, set the foreground color to #000000, choose the Brush Tool (B), pick a soft brush, and brush over the sky and the overly highlighted areas. Then, select the layer mask of the Color Look layer, and use the same tool and color to brush over the sky and the subject to reveal the original colors.

Step 6

Now you can remove the sunflower on the girl’s head if you want by following the method described in this tutorial on How to Remove a Person From a Photo. Keep in mind that you have to do it for all painting smart object layers that include that part. Here is my result:

Step 7

Hide the Burlap Texture layer, and press Control-Alt-Shift-E on your keyboard to make a screenshot. Then, go to Filter > Stylize > Emboss, and set the Angle to 135°, Height to 2 px, and Amount to 500%. Next, press Control-Shift-U on your keyboard to desaturate this layer, change its Blending Mode to Soft Light, set the Opacity to 50%, and name it Emboss.

Step 8

Press Control-Alt-Shift-E to take a screenshot, and then press Control-Shift-U to desaturate this layer. Then, go to Filter > Other > High Pass and set the Radius to 2 px. Change the Blending Mode of this layer to Hard Light, set the Opacity to 50%, and name this layer Sharpening. Lastly, show the Burlap Texture layer again.

You made it!

Congratulations, you’ve succeeded! You’ve now learned how to create Van Gogh masterpieces in Photoshop and how to add Photoshop brush strokes.

Here’s our final result:

5 painting Photoshop effects from Envato

Want to see some cool painting effects? Check out this list of painting Photoshop actions from Envato.

Painting Photoshop Action (ABR, ATN, PAT)

Turn your photo into a real piece of art with just a few clicks! This action is super easy and fun to use, plus you get 25 different color looks to choose from. The results are also randomized, which means that each time you run the action, you get a unique result.

VAN Impressionist Painting Action for Photoshop (ABR, PAT, ATN)

Transform your photos into impressionist paintings inspired by the Van Gogh art style. There are ten actions included, and each one of them creates three different painting effects. 

Vincent Photoshop Action (ATN, PAT)

The name says it all! This Photoshop action will create a Vincent Van Gogh-inspired painting effect from your photos. Just make sure that you have the Oil Paint Filter enabled as it is required for the action to run.

Van Gogh Digital Painting Photoshop Action (ATN)

You don’t need professional skills to create painting effects when using this action. It works with all languages, it’s easy to use, and it includes both CS6 and CC versions of the action.

Impressionist Photoshop Action (ABR, ATN, PAT)

Create an advanced impressionist painting effect using this action. The action comes with a detailed video tutorial demonstrating how to set up your file and customize the results.

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