Here's another easy to do effect. It's similar to Tutorial 08, but twisted a bit.

Original image taken from Photo-art mini-challenge 98 (Lighthouse):
http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=46871

Steps:
1. Duplicate Background (new layer name: Spatter)

2. Layer Spatter: Apply Brushstrokes > Spatter (10,5)

2A. CTRL + F (to apply step 2 again)

3. Duplicate Background layer again (new layer name: Find Edges)

4. Drag the new layer to the top of the layer stack

-OR-

try this keyboard shortcut:

While holding down ALT+CTRL+SHIFT, click the ] key. Not of great value when in this mode, but an important shortcut to know if you build actions.

5. Anyway... Find Edges layer: Run Stylize > Find Edges

6. Find Edges layer: Change the layer blend mode from Normal to Overlay.

That's it...

To summarize:
* This is another easy method of creating "photo-art."
* Will it work on all images? Nope. Will it work on some? Sure.

- - - - - - - - - -

CLICK HERE (http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5480) to discuss this tutorial, ask questions or share your results.

Hope this was fun!
~DannyR~

This modification is NOT an attempt to recreate a particular style.

Here's a variation you might try "just because."

1. Duplicate the Spatter layer (new name: Spatter+DS+Angled Strokes)

2. Turn off Spatter layer (click eyeball)

3. Spatter+DS+Angled Strokes layer: Apply Noise > Dust and Scratches filter (3,0).

This combines the spatter marks into (what look like) blobs of paint. I like the D&S filter better than Gaussian Blur for this purpose because D&S seems to retain distinct colors better, while Gblur turns seems to turn everything into a muddy haze.

4. Spatter+DS+Angled Strokes layer: Apply Brushstrokes > Angled Strokes (36,25,1).

This gives the softened blotches some "movement."

Pretty cool, huh?

You are, of course, permitted to further experiment. In fact I encourage it!

Have fun...
~DannyR~

Original image:
http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=47004

...borrowed from another thread.

How the attached image was created:

1. Followed steps in the first post in this thead.

2. To the Spatter layer, applied Artistic > Fresco (2,8,1).
Yikes: Too dark.

Started experimenting with Find Edges layer blend modes...

3. Change the layer blend of the Find Edges layer to Exclusion.

Different, anyway...