The Art of Digital Hand-Painting in Photoshop

When a Photograph Becomes a Painting

Exploring the Creative Possibilities of Photoshop with Samantha Lee Osner

There’s something magical about watching a photograph evolve into an artwork — not with traditional paint or canvas, but through a thoughtful and artistic process in Photoshop. It’s a creative space where the boundaries between photography and painting begin to blur, allowing for a more interpretive, emotion-led form of visual expression.

In recent years, artists have increasingly turned to Photoshop not just as a tool for editing, but as a platform for making art. One standout example comes from Samantha Lee Osner’s course, Photoshop for the Artist, where she teaches how to transform a black and white photograph into a hand-painted digital masterpiece.

The lesson is gentle, immersive, and surprisingly intuitive. Samantha takes you step-by-step through her process, showing how to layer colour and depth onto a monochrome image using nothing more than the tools within Photoshop. The result? A finished piece that feels less like a digital manipulation and more like a brush-painted work of art.

What makes this approach so rewarding is that it opens up possibilities for photographers who want to explore a more expressive, painterly side of their work — without needing traditional painting skills or materials. It’s also a great way to bring new life to older images, allowing you to revisit your archive with fresh eyes and a different intention.

And here’s the good news — Photoshop for the Artist offers eight free lessons, designed to introduce you to the artistic potential of Photoshop in a clear and creative way. The final lesson in this free series is the Hand-Painting in Photoshop tutorial — a highlight for many of our students. When you sign up, you’ll receive all eight lessons, and you can scroll to the bottom of the lesson list to access the hand-painting video when you're ready.

If you've ever felt limited by what your camera captured, or found yourself wondering how to push your image-making further, this is a great place to start.

🎨 Try this technique for yourself
Learn how to hand-paint your images today with this free lesson from Photoshop for the Artist.
Access all 8 lessons here