turning a photo into a water color

[brotell1950]

Can you use Affinity to turn a photo into a water color 

[smadell]

OK, maybe not exactly what you asked for. But, I posted this about 3 years ago, and you might want to take a look.

 

[firstdefence]

The easiest method is to use a plugin such as the very competent JixPix Watecolor studio or JixiPix Aquarella which is basically a cut-down version of Watercolor Studio but still produces some nice effects.

Example of Watercolor Studio

1. Are you looking for such as a plugin method?
2. Do you have a Drawing Tablet? (It makes it much easier to sketch a watercolour effect with Affinitys' watercolour brushes)

[GarryP]

In addition to the advice above, you can get something simple and quick by adding a Voronoi Live Filter (small Cell Size; No Line Width) and a Median Blur Live Filter.
Not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s very quick if you just want something that looks a little bit like it has been painted.

[jmwellborn]

@firstdefence JixPix Watercolor Studio is really nice, and I bought it, based on your entry above.  But I am having absolutely no success whatsoever in setting it up as a plugin.  I bought it through the JixPix website, rather than the MAC app store, so actually supposedly received the plugin support file.  However, when I check Filters>Plugins, I can get as far as JixPix, but then Watercolor Studio is greyed out.   I have tried over and over to get this set up properly in Affinity Preferences, and am right where I started.  Zero.  Granted I am a neanderthal insofar as this stuff goes, so in desperation I wonder whether you could explain how to set this up?   In the meantime, I am relegated to opening the app, placing an image, making the watercolor adjustments, saving as a JPG or PNG, minimizing the app, opening Photo, placing the image, and then if I don't like the look after all, minimizing Photo, opening Watercolor Studio, and staringt all over with the original image, etc.etc.   Serves me right for being a dolt.  I would truly appreciate your help!😧

[firstdefence]

2 hours ago, jmwellborn said:

@firstdefence JixPix Watercolor Studio is really nice, and I bought it, based on your entry above.  But I am having absolutely no success whatsoever in setting it up as a plugin.  I bought it through the JixPix website, rather than the MAC app store, so actually supposedly received the plugin support file.  However, when I check Filters>Plugins, I can get as far as JixPix, but then Watercolor Studio is greyed out.   I have tried over and over to get this set up properly in Affinity Preferences, and am right where I started.  Zero.  Granted I am a neanderthal insofar as this stuff goes, so in desperation I wonder whether you could explain how to set this up?   In the meantime, I am relegated to opening the app, placing an image, making the watercolor adjustments, saving as a JPG or PNG, minimizing the app, opening Photo, placing the image, and then if I don't like the look after all, minimizing Photo, opening Watercolor Studio, and staringt all over with the original image, etc.etc.   Serves me right for being a dolt.  I would truly appreciate your help!😧

You have to rasterise the layer, at the moment you have an image layer, rasterising it will convert it to a pixel layer and Jixipix will be active.

Oops was looking at Garry’s image Doh!

Having said that just check that the image is a pixel layer and not an image layer.

 

 

 

[jmwellborn]

@firstdefence  Said I was a Neanderthal!   That worked, except that I guess I am still in the 2nd Century A.D. because I can't figure out how to get the rasterized image in Photo into the plugged in Watercolor Studio.   It shows me the drag image here screen.   Help???

[firstdefence]

This is how I have Jixipix linked in Affinity Photo, I have Adobe software as well as Affinity so I’ve linked to the plugin folder. The file contained in the JixiPix _Plugins folder are .plugin files.

I wonder if you are linking to the actual app.

[jmwellborn]

@firstdefence This is what my Preferences looks like:

[firstdefence]

I think that is the problem, you are opening the app not a plugin. If you open the app directly you will get the drag image placeholder, so you need to place the plugin in to a folder. Maybe make a folder called Affinity Photo Plugins and drop the .plugin file into there and then link to that from preferences instead of the app directly.

[jmwellborn]

I am afraid I don't understand this.   Said I was a Neanderthal.   I opened Photo, placed an image, rasterized it, then FILTERS>Plugins>JixiPix>Watercolor Studio appeared.   Clicked on that.  Got the bar that said I needed to click SHOW to start it.  Clicked on it.  Up came the home screen for Watercolor Studio with the blank "drag image here" icon.  I could not get the image in Photo to show up on the new screen.

I am not an insides-of-the-computer whiz, and am really confused about where I "make a folder called Affinity Photo Plugins."  In Finder?   I have managed to get a single file there for Plugins, but it doesn't seem to do anything but sit there.   So discouraged.

[firstdefence]

The penny will drop, Jixi probably just assume you have Photoshop and the photoshop plugin folder as that is where  the .plugin file is normally placed.

1. Open Finder and select Application.
   
2. Go to File > New Folder
   
3. Rename the New Folder to Affinity Photo Plugin Folder
   
4. Drag the .plugin file into the Affinity Photo Plugin Folder
   
5. Open Affinity Photo Preferences and link to the .plugin file in Affinity Photo Plugin Folder, you might get away with just linking to the Affinity Photo Plugin Folder
   
     

 

[jmwellborn]

Thank you so much --  doing it now.   Got a little hair left, after tearing most of it out!!   I gather I am supposed to put this new folder into the "Plugin Search Folders" section?  Best locate your ear plugs in case you hear howls of anguish in a few minutes from across the Pond.

[firstdefence]

LOL! you can do it. If all else fails I have Teamviewer 😎

 

[jmwellborn]

9 minutes ago, firstdefence said:

LOL! you can do it. If all else fails I have Teamviewer 😎

 

Am now certifiably bald.  I followed your instructions to a T.  Here are the results.  I tried putting the plugin folder in the top section and then in both top and bottom, as shown.

[firstdefence]

Ok almost there...

1. Remove /Applications/Watercolor Studio.app from Plugin Search Folders section
2. Add /Applications/Affinity Photo Plugin Folder to Plugin Search Folders section
3. All you need in the Plugin Support Folders section is a /

You will also need to click on the Authorize Global Button because it is an Unknown plugin.

[jmwellborn]

Will try that now.    I do appreciate you sticking with this, but know that it is getting really late at your end.   5:48 p.m. here.   If I can't make this thing work, perhaps you would be kind enough to help me tomorrow?   We'll see.  Now back to the drawing boards . . . .

[firstdefence]

I don’t go to bed until about midnight so no biggie 10:50pm at the mo. 😁

[jmwellborn]

Last three hairs now gone.

Same thing.  Get the same result as above.  Here are the new Preferences settings.

[firstdefence]

Just doing a bit of testing

 

[jmwellborn]

Too cold to go out with a newly bald head, so I am lurking  . . . .  inside . . .  at my trusty MAC . . .  

[firstdefence]

Now you’re bald I thought I’d look for a wig for ya, I’ve heard the Mullet is making a comeback, this is the Grand Deluxe Edition… Expression is optional.🤣
 

[h_d]

I don't know if this will help or not, but I downloaded the trial version of Watercolor Studio, ran the app, and then quit. Without doing anything else, I then had access to the plugin in Affinity Photo. I just wonder if it's possible that you have to quit the JixPix app - which you seem to have running - and also quit Affinity Photo, and then restart Affinity Photo, before you get access to the plugin. (I know, it's "Turn it off, turn it on again", but it may be worth a try if you haven't done it already.)

As far as I can see your settings in Preferences are correct, but for what it's worth, on my machine the plugin is installed in Macintosh HD/Library/Application Support/Adobe:Plug-Ins/CC/JixiPix_Plugins/

The single "/" character in Affinity Photo's Plugin Support should find that.

 

[h_d]

2 minutes ago, firstdefence said:

Now you’re bald I thought I’d look for a wig for ya, I’ve heard the Mullet is making a comeback, this is the Grand Deluxe Edition… Expression is optional.🤣
 

That is bloody gruesome.

[jmwellborn]

@h_d  I will give it a try.  @firstdefence The "look" has its points, but being female, I am not quite sure how I can wangle the beard.  Although in this day and age, who knows?