How to Turn Any Photo Into a Realistic Oil Painting Online
Ever wondered what your favorite photo would look like as a classic oil painting? With BeFunky’s AI-powered Oil Painting effects, you can create painterly masterpieces in seconds – no brushes, palettes, or studio time required. Whether you want to craft wall-worthy art, give your social feed a signature style, or simply explore your creative side, our tools offer the perfect way to turn digital photos into timeless works of art.
Let’s dive into the oil painting tools BeFunky offers, how to use them effectively, and creative ways to bring your oil painting-style images to life.
Meet the Oil Painting Effects
BeFunky’s Oil Painting effects span a wide range of artistic styles – from smooth and serene impressionist looks to bold, textured impasto-inspired transformations. You’ll find these effects categorized under two areas in the Artsy tab:
- Oil Painting Effects: A collection of varied styles, including Realist, Expressionist, and Impasto GFX, which give your photos the look of hand-painted works.
- Oil Painting GFX: Found within the Oil Painting category, GFX effects are AI-powered and deliver painterly results with a fine-art feel. They allow for extra control over fidelity and variation, making them perfect for detailed customization and more authentic painting textures.
- Oil Painting DLX (under the Digital Art section): This AI-enhanced effect creates highly detailed, dynamic images with brushstroke textures that echo gallery-worthy pieces.
Each effect can be customized using advanced settings, including Fidelity and Variation sliders, which give you deeper control over the final outcome.
How to Go From Photo to Oil Painting With BeFunky
You can go from a standard photo to an expressive oil painting in just a few clicks. Here’s how to get the best results, with step-by-step guidance.
Step 1: Open Your Photo
Navigate to the Photo Editor on BeFunky and upload your image. You can do this by dragging and dropping a photo directly onto the canvas or using the Open menu to select a file from your computer, BeFunky account, or cloud storage.
Once your image is loaded, head to the Artsy tab on the left-hand menu.
Step 2: Choose an Oil Painting Effect
Open the Oil Painting section and browse the available effects. If you’re aiming for a lifelike result with visible brushstroke details, Realist GFX is a great place to start. For abstract, color-forward results, Oil Painting DLX in the Digital Art category offers more painterly flexibility.
When you hover over any effect thumbnail, you can preview the transformation before applying it. Use the slider on the thumbnail to adjust the intensity right away.
Step 3: Customize the Settings
Once you’ve selected an effect, click the Settings icon (represented by a slider symbol) on the thumbnail. This is where you’ll unlock fine-tuned controls like:
- Amount: Adjust the strength of the overall effect.
- Fidelity: This slider determines how closely the result resembles your original image. Lower settings create a looser, more interpretive painting; higher settings preserve more detail.
- Variation: This generates alternate stylistic versions based on the same effect – great for experimenting with composition, brushstroke placement, and tone.
To isolate the effect to certain areas, click the Select tab and choose from a brush, lasso, or paint bucket to apply the oil painting only where you want it.
Pro Tip: Combining multiple effect layers with Select mode lets you create complex compositions – like making only the background look painted while keeping your subject crisp and realistic.
Step 4: Save Your Artwork
Once you're happy with the transformation, click Save at the top of the screen. You can save your artwork as a high-quality JPG or PNG file, upload directly to social platforms, or even export as a PDF for printing.
If you’re planning to frame your creation, opt for PNG or PDF with a resolution of 300 dpi for best print results.
Oil Painting Photo Inspiration
Looking for ideas on how to put your new oil painting creations to good use? Whether you're designing for personal projects, gifts, or digital content, here are some versatile and SEO-friendly ways to showcase your AI-powered masterpieces — with tips and tool recommendations to help you go even further.
Create Frame-Worthy Wall Art
Transform travel memories, pet portraits, or nature photography into gallery-ready canvas prints using the Realist GFX or Oil Painting DLX effects. For best results, combine these effects with BeFunky’s Crop and Photo Enhancer tools to perfect your image before printing. Need a guide? Our How to Print Your Photos Like a Pro tutorial has tips on preparing files for canvas or fine art prints.
Enhance Your Social Media Feed
Give your content a painterly twist with oil painting-style posts that stop the scroll. Pair consistent fidelity and variation settings to create a visual series or brand aesthetic. Use the Text Editor to overlay quotes or captions and take it further by combining your artwork with Graphic Designer templates for carousels, Pinterest pins, or story highlights. For more ideas, check out Step Up Your Social Media Game.
Add Flair to Invitations and Cards
Custom cards and invites look elegant with oil painting-style imagery as backgrounds or portrait features. Use the Impasto GFX effect to add texture and dimension, then bring your designs into BeFunky’s Card Templates or start from scratch in the Graphic Designer. Whether you’re making thank-you notes or wedding stationery, explore our guide to designing invites for layout inspiration.
Use in Digital Collages and Scrapbooks
Oil painting photos make a perfect base for digital memory-keeping. Create personalized scrapbooks, family collages, or photo journals by turning each image into a different style of painting, then assembling your pages in the Collage Maker. Need help getting started? Our collage tutorials can walk you through multi-photo layouts and creative page designs.
Make Unique Zoom or Desktop Backgrounds
Upgrade your virtual workspace with custom oil painting-style backgrounds. Use a serene nature photo or an abstract image and apply the Oil Painting DLX effect for a refined, artistic touch. For added functionality, overlay your calendar, to-do list, or motivational quotes using the Text Editor to create a productivity-focused digital wallpaper.
Go From Photo to Painting in Seconds
With BeFunky’s Oil Painting effects, you don’t need years of practice to create stunning artwork – just a photo and a few clicks. Whether you're designing art for your home, elevating your brand visuals, or exploring a new creative outlet, the tools are right at your fingertips.
Explore the Oil Painting and Digital Art tabs to find the style that best fits your vision – and start turning your photos into paintings today.
