GET CREATIVE
Transform your pics into paintings
It’s never been easier to turn a photo into a more painterly work of art. Instead of finding an IRL professional (with actual canvas and paints) or shelling out major cash for complex software and a graphic-design degree, just use your phone.
Thanks to a few ingenious algorithms and some heavy lifting from the computing power of your iPhone or iPad, these apps can create a masterpiece in seconds.
Make an impression(ist)
Waterlogue is the original app for this – and thanks to recent updates it’s faster than ever. Watch your photos transform into delicate watercolour paintings before your eyes.
To try it, choose a photo from your iPhone or iPad, then apply one of the dozen or so filters. Results not to your taste? Scroll all the way to the right to change the level of detail as well as the brightness.
Once you’ve mastered watercolours, move on to oils. Oilist converts any photo to the painting styles of legends like Monet and Cézanne. The app will paint in real time, with the image evolving right before your eyes.
Make the composition all your own by toying with a variety of presets, brushes and effects. Oilist will never show the same result twice, so tap the picture frame icon to save the fleeting creation.
Make it minimal(ist)
With Olli by Tinrocket, turn your photos and videos into comic-style artwork. The Cel and Lux filters generate a bright cartoon effect, while Salt and Ground produce high-contrast images in the style of graphic novels. Eight options come free with the app, with more available via in-app purchase.
Inkwork reduces a photo to its essential lines and shapes, making it look like a monochromatic woodblock or screen print. You get two colours (one dark, one light) and dozens of pen styles to choose from. After finding the perfect filter, make tiny adjustments to get it just right. Try Inkwork to capture unusual patterns or close-up portraits too.