How to create low-poly portraits in Photoshop

How to create low-poly portraits in Photoshop

Low polygon art transforms ordinary portraits into striking geometric masterpieces using triangular shapes and bold color blocks. This technique creates a modern, digital aesthetic that works beautifully for logos, artistic portraits, and creative design projects.

The process involves breaking down an image into triangular sections, each filled with an average color to create a faceted, three-dimensional appearance.

Watch the Tutorial

Video by Nemanja Sekulic. Any links or downloads mentioned by the creator are available only on YouTube

Essential Tips for Low Polygon Portraits

Master the low polygon technique with these practical strategies that will speed up your workflow and improve your results.

  • Create an action to automate the triangle-filling process - record the steps of applying blur average, duplicating to a new layer, and returning to the background
  • Use Photoshop's grid with snap enabled to create precise triangular connections and maintain clean geometry
  • Work on half the face and mirror it for symmetrical subjects to cut your work time in half
  • Vary triangle sizes based on detail areas - use smaller triangles around eyes and nose, larger ones for simple background areas
  • Follow natural shadow lines and color boundaries when placing triangle edges to maintain realistic form

More Tutorials About Low Polygon Effects

Explore additional techniques for creating stunning geometric artwork and portrait effects.

Low Poly Portrait Effect in Photoshop
In this tutorial FX-Ray will teach you, how to create a portrait, that looks like a low poly 3D model. You will be using the Polygonal Lasso Tool to paint triangles, the average blur filter to calculate an average color of a selection and create your own action, so you'll have less work. Photoshop's grid will help you to connect the triangles. In the end, we will apply different layer style effects to the polygons. Watch tutorial
How to Create Low Polygon Images from Photos in Photoshop
In this Photoshop tutorial, you will learn how to transform your photos into stunning low-polygon images. The process is straightforward and can be applied to various types of images, allowing you to create captivating low-poly portraits or abstract artwork. The tutorial, presented by Marty Geller from Blue Lightning TV, guides you through the essential steps to achieve this visually striking effect. You'll discover how to use Photoshop's powerful tools and techniques to seamlessly convert your
Convert Low-Resolution Graphics to High Resolution in Photoshop
Low-resolution graphics often limit design projects, especially when you need to scale logos, icons, or simple illustrations for print or large-format displays. While vector formats offer infinite scalability, many graphics exist only as pixelated bitmap files that become unusable when enlarged. This tutorial demonstrates two effective methods for converting low-resolution graphics into crisp, high-resolution versions using Photoshop's built-in tools. You'll learn techniques that work specifica
How to convert a low-resolution image to high-resolution in Photoshop
In this tutorial, Aaron Nace demonstrates how to enhance low-resolution images using Photoshop's Super Resolution feature. This tool, available in Adobe Camera RAW, allows you to increase image resolution significantly by doubling the width and height of your photos, resulting in a fourfold increase in pixel count. Aaron walks you through the process of applying Super Resolution, explaining how it uses advanced algorithms to improve image detail and clarity. The tutorial covers preparation tips

Get tutorials & freebies delivered to you.

Subscribe to the Photoshop Roadmap newsletter, a weekly roundup of new tutorials, insights and quality downloads, trusted by 6500+ readers.

You might also like

How to Use the New Color, Clarity, Dehaze, and Grain Adjustment Layers in Photoshop

Three powerful new adjustment layers bring Camera Raw's most popular tools directly into your layers panel. Color and Vibrance, Clarity and Dehaze, and Grain adjustments now work as standard adjustment layers with full masking capabilities and non-destructive editing. These tools eliminate the need for smart objects when applying...

How to Apply Patterns and Tattoos to Skin in Photoshop

Creating realistic skin patterns and tattoos requires more than simply overlaying images onto photographs. The key lies in using proper blending techniques and layer settings to make decorative elements appear naturally integrated with skin texture. This technique works for everything from Japanese kintsugi-inspired cracks to floral tattoo designs, transforming flat...

How to Transform Photos into Digital Paintings Using Photoshop Brushes

Busy backgrounds and photographic detail can overwhelm your artistic vision. This technique shows how to prepare photos for digital painting by strategically overpainting backgrounds and replacing photographic elements with painterly textures. The approach combines subject isolation, textured brush work, and color sampling to create a foundation that bridges photography and...

How to Use Textures for Color Grading in Photoshop

Textures offer a powerful way to color grade images beyond traditional adjustment layers. By layering colored textures with specific blend modes, you can create unique tonal shifts, add visual depth, and achieve artistic looks that standard color correction can't match. This technique works by using the color information...

Complete Guide to Digital Photo Compositing in Photoshop

Creating fantasy digital artwork requires mastering the art of photo compositing, where multiple elements come together to form a cohesive scene. This comprehensive tutorial demonstrates how to build a dramatic composition featuring a wolf and human figure in a mystical nighttime setting. The process covers every aspect of professional compositing,...

Understanding Blend Modes, Curves, Channels, and Fill vs Opacity in Photoshop

Most users cycle through blend modes randomly or avoid the curves panel entirely, missing out on precise control over their edits. These fundamental tools become intuitive once you understand the logic behind their organization and function. This tutorial breaks down four essential concepts that separate casual users from confident editors:...

You’ve successfully subscribed to Photoshop Roadmap
Welcome back! You’ve successfully signed in.
Great! You’ve successfully signed up.
Success! Your email is updated.
Your link has expired
Success! Check your email for magic link to sign-in.