Unleashing the Artist Within

Today’s Post by Joe Farace

While they might not want to admit it, some photographers have always envied artists. When we drive 300 miles over back roads to find the perfect sunset and the weather doesn’t cooperate, we can only reach into our backpack and try various filter combinations to approximate what that sunset might have looked liked look. An artist can make that same trek and stay inside their car making black and white sketches before finishing the painting back in a warm, dry studio adding whatever elements as well as colors that they might image that sunset might have contained.

Digital imaging lets us do what artists have done for years—work within a comfortable daylight environment to create images that could have been but may not have been the case when you were at a specific location. That’s why I enjoy working with in the digital darkroom using tools such as Topaz Labs’ Impression.

Topaz Impression can transform your photographs into (what looks like) fine, including oil painting, graphite drawing, watercolor and others. You can rework your images by applying a one-click preset such as ‘Van Gogh’ or create your own effect by choosing from 14 different realistic brushes. You can then adjust that brush as desired, manipulating its length, width, volume and how much is applied.