As a follow up piece to my recent article on Examples of Flower Photo Art, this article shows some examples of how some of the filter effects in Topaz can be used with bird images, in this case a tight shot of an eagle’s head. As noted in my earlier article, transforming photographic images into other graphic interpretations may not be of interest to some photographers while others may be very intrigued and pursue these kinds of adaptations. These examples of eagle photo art show a range of outcomes with various filter options in Topaz.

Let’s have a look at our base image: (NOTE: click on images to enlarge them)

When selecting candidate images for photo art treatment I often look for dramatic images with clean lines. This type of image often provides the widest range of possible adaptations. You can certainly use other types of images like intricate landscapes, but you’ll likely find that some of the Topaz filters have marginal effect on those types of images.

The next image has had the ‘poster edge’ filter applied to it. I’ve found that this filter works quite well with a good range of subject matter.

You can apply the ‘palette knife’ filter which can give an image an oil painting feel.

Or, using the ‘dry brush’ filter can also create a painted appearance to your base image.

The ‘sponge’ filter creates another variation of a painted image.

Using the ‘plastic wrap’ filter can transform your image in ways that may be ‘over the top’ for many people.

The ‘cutout’ filter is one that I’ve found works with a good variety of images. If you want to simplify an intricate landscape image this filter often does a nice job.

The ‘accented edges’ filter also produces a painted image style of rendering but helps to provide better definition with highlights as seen in the example below.

Using the ‘glowing edges’ filter tends to produce very dramatic, neon-like images that may not be to everyone’s taste. Some types of décor that incorporate very sleek, modern furniture or when bright, primary colours are used, can suit this kind of photo treatment.

The next two examples use the ‘texturize’ filter and it is one of my favourite filters to use with bird and nature images. The ‘texturize’ filter has some options including the ‘canvas’ setting I used on the following image. In the next two examples I have applied the filter options a bit more aggressively than I normally would as this helps to see the differences between the ‘canvas’ and ‘burlap’ options. More subtle use of this filter can produce some very tasteful renditions with a fine art look to them.

The next image uses the ‘texturize’ filter with the ‘burlap’ option.

The various Topaz filters usually have three adjustment sliders which provides users with an almost infinite range of possible outcomes. In the final three examples I have used the ‘colored pencil’ filter with increasing amounts of aggressiveness with the adjustment sliders to give you a better idea on the range of adjustment that is possible within one specific filter. Here is the first example.

Now, the second example.

And, the final example.

It should also be noted that after you have applied a Topaz filter you can export your file through CS6 as a TIFF so you can do additional work to it if needed such as adjusting exposure, hues, or contrast.

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Article and all images, including filter variations are Copyright Thomas Stirr. All rights reserved. No use, duplication or adaptation of any kind is allowed without written permission.