Welcome to the KJ Clipper blog, where we present tips and tricks for photo editing.  We'll start with a straightforward photo technique.

Almost every editor provides some basic photo-to-art filters.  When you exercise one of these filters, typically you'll be presented with a list of controls that allow you to adjust various attributes that the developer deems relevant to the transformation.  The basic idea is that the more knobs, sliders, wheels and buttons presented to you, the better.  This notion is especially popular with certain software reviewers.  Our goal with KJ Clipper is to present the user with a minimal set of simple transforms and filters that the user can use to maximal effect.  We would rather see you put your creative energy into photo editing rather than learning the quirks of a photo editing tool.

So onward to the first example.  On holiday, you've captured a scene that you think has potential as an artistic piece.

Run KJ Clipper and insert the photograph into the project.  Click on the photo to make sure it is the active (selected) object.  Go to the Filters menu and select Paint.

Once you've clicked on the Paint filter you'll see the transform results being updated on screen as the algorithm progresses.  You can stop the processing at any point by pressing a key.  I stopped the transform at a point I found aesthetically pleasing by pressing the space bar at the point shown below.

In itself this isn't such a bad result, but we might try to make it a little more interesting.  Let's run the edge filter on the transformed image.

The result should look something like this:

Right click on this image and select Copy to place a copy of this image on the clipboard.  With the edge filtered image still selected as the active object, click on the Undo button to reverse the last operation.  Now position the cursor over the upper left corner of the paint filtered image, right click and select Paste.  Using the arrow keys for fine control, position the edge filtered image directly over the paint filtered image (with a little practice you'll be able to drop the pasted image right on top).

With the pasted image selected as the active object, click on the Partial Transparency button.  Select None for the gradient pattern and turn off the auto-blend feature, then adjust the amplitude slider to about eighty percent.

Click on OK, and finally use the rectangular select tool to select/crop out a flattened copy of the stacked images.

And that's it!  You're on your way to becoming another Picasso.  Uhh … well, maybe not.