Create an artistic charcoal effect with Topaz Impression Plugin

Create an artistic charcoal effect with Topaz Impression Plugin

Digital charcoal and pastel effects bring authentic artistic texture to your photos with just a few clicks. Topaz Impression offers preset categories dedicated to these classic drawing techniques, from rough hand-drawn charcoal to soft, smudged pastels.

This tutorial demonstrates how to achieve professional results using one-click presets and simple adjustments.

Watch the Tutorial

Video by Topaz Labs. Any links or downloads mentioned by the creator are available only on YouTube

Essential Tips for Charcoal and Pastel Effects

These techniques help you create more realistic artistic effects and customize presets for different image types.

  • Start with the dedicated Charcoal and Pastel preset category for the most realistic base effects
  • Use the first three presets in each category for rough, hand-drawn looks with visible stroke marks
  • Choose smudged presets for blended effects that mimic finger or paper towel blending techniques
  • Adjust the Coverage setting to full right position to eliminate unwanted background texture at image edges
  • Increase the Spill slider for softer, more expressive edges that look less perfect and more natural

Explore more creative techniques for adding artistic elements to your photos.

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