OneTaskBy Tim King · Updated
Oil Painting Effect
Turn a Photo Into an Oil Painting With Adjustable Brush Size and Detail
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How the Oil Painting Effect works
This oil painting effect turns a photo into a painterly picture: fine detail dissolves into small patches of solid colour that look like dabs of a brush, while the shapes, light and composition of the original stay clear.
How to use the oil painting effect
Drop in a photo and it is repainted in a second or two. Brush size sets how large each dab of paint is, so small values keep more detail and large values give a loose, impressionist feel. Colour detail controls how finely brightness is split when choosing each dab's colour; lower numbers give bolder, blockier strokes. Download the painting as an image.
How the oil paint filter works
For every pixel, the filter looks at the square of pixels around it and sorts them into brightness bands. It finds the most common band in that neighbourhood and paints the pixel with the average colour of that band. Neighbouring pixels usually agree, so they merge into flat strokes, but edges between light and dark areas survive, which is what keeps the picture readable.
Size and speed
The filter is heavy, so photos are processed at up to 1,200 pixels on the long side. That still makes a crisp image for screens and social media. Larger brush sizes take a little longer because each pixel looks at more of its neighbours.
Private by design
The painting is made in your browser and the photo is never uploaded.
FAQ
How do I turn a photo into an oil painting?
Drop the photo in and the effect is applied immediately. Raise Brush size for a looser painted look or lower it to keep detail, then download the result. Landscapes, flowers and portraits all work well.
Why is the result smaller than my photo?
The oil paint filter compares every pixel with dozens of neighbours, which is slow on very large images. Photos are scaled to 1,200 pixels on the long side so the effect finishes in a second or two.
What does Colour detail change?
It sets how many brightness bands the filter uses when deciding each dab's colour. Fewer bands merge more pixels into each stroke for a bold, chunky style, and more bands keep subtle shading and texture.
Is this the same as the oil paint filter in Photoshop?
It uses the same classic idea of grouping neighbouring pixels by brightness, so the look is similar. Photoshop adds lighting and brush direction on top, so its version shows more visible stroke texture.
See also: all Images tools, Audio, Video & Screen, PDF, SVG, Simulations & Screensavers, Generative Art, Chart Makers, 3D Model Viewers, Drawing Pads, Mockups & 3D Making, Diagram Makers, 3D Science, Tracker Music.
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