# Adobe PaintCan

> App transforms photos into paintings with smart, self-configuring brushes. (iPhone/iPad app by Adobe Labs, Inc..)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/adobe-paintcan/id953321195 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Adobe Labs, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/805812963)
- Category: Photo & Video, Entertainment
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.67/5 from 1,233 App Store ratings · 6 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 10.0 · 15 MB
- Languages: English
- Released: 2015-01-29
- Data updated: 2026-06-10
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/adobe-paintcan/id953321195/reviews.md

## What is Adobe PaintCan?

"With PaintCan, anybody can paint"™

PaintCan helps you paint beautiful artworks from your favorite photographs within minutes.

PaintCan is not a painterly effect applied to your image—you really are the painter! But don't worry, anybody can do it. PaintCan helps you paint, with smart brushes that configure themselves based on the image you are painting on, so that you are free to explore your creativity, instead of configuring settings.

So what are you waiting for? Create your first masterpiece today!

Please rate and review the app to help us make it the best product we can. If you have issues, don't write a bad review, but contact us at paintcan@adobe.com and we will try to help.

Connect with other PaintCan fans on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaintCanApp, and share your favorite paintings with the hashtag #PaintCanApp

FAQ:

iPad vs. iPhone UI:
=============
Due to the size difference between the devices, the interface for the iPhone is different from the iPad, but retains all of the most critical tools. In the future we will work to create a more similar interface for all devices based on user feedback and usage statistics.

Image resolution: 
=============
Resolution of paintings doesn't depend on input image size, but on the device you're using. We currently support output up to 16 Megapixels. We've printed PaintCan paintings from an iPad Mini on a  24"x18" canvas without pixelation artifacts. Note that high-resolution output may be slow on older devices. In that case, lower the resolution to "Legacy" mode in Preferences>Settings>Advanced>Resolution.

Suggested Workflow:
===============
Working in PaintCan is mostly about where to add more or less brushing detail, and what brushing styles to combine. If you want coarse, broad brush strokes, zoom out. If you want to add intricate detail, zoom in. Try this: Cover the photo roughly with large paint brushes (Background presets, available on iPad) and then add details where desired (Detail presets). If you added too much detail, simply go over it again with a background preset, or try one of the Extras presets to add or smooth textured areas. Most of all: Explore and have fun.

Document size:
===========
While the app itself is small (~10MB), the data it generates to function is closer to ~150MB (more for newer devices). This is to support the multiple levels of UNDO. Saving snapshots of paintings increases this data-size. You can always delete unused snapshots by going to the Start menu and selecting "Edit". Note: only your snapshots are automatically backed up to iCloud (not the app's cache).

Selecting Colors (and other low level control):
================================
Colors are chosen automatically, based on where you paint. This is done intentionally to give you the easiest, quickest, and most successful painting experiences possible. In the future, we may support additional color choices.

## Key features

- Transform photos into paintings
- Smart brushes adapt to image
- Easy to use for all skill levels
- Create unique digital artworks
- Adjust brush detail with zoom
- Multiple undo levels

## Recent user reviews (6 of 6)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/adobe-paintcan/id953321195/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Just what I’ve been trying to find!

*2021-06-04, version 1.5.13*

I have searched high and low for an app to do just what,                   ”PAINTCAN” does:).  I can’t count the number of apps I have downloaded that sounded good but didn’t come close to what I was expecting. PAINTCAN rocks. It’s an exact match to what I had in mind. It allows me to edit my own photos in a painterly way giving me the control to make it my style. While most other app simply automatically converted the photos where I had little to no control over the finished product. Thanks to the team that designed PAINTCAN:)

### 5/5 — Freedom to Be

*2020-11-22, version 1.5.13*

So grateful to those who stayed up and cogitated about algorithmic bs that engineered this miracle.  I have framed and printed several pieces of Art that were photos that may have been artistic and singular in composition and tone.  At the end of the day, still...a photo.  And with everyone (like I) who has always pined for an Artist’s Existence and whose responsibilities or rather adherence to responsibilities perceived by others as having more value as evidenced by currency made life nearly unbearable ...... until your app.  At first I wanted NO ONE to know.  I wanted to purchase and shutter your company.  Then, I opened to this being a beacon for the inevitable future....  you have created a new genre of art....  or popularized it.  Now Photography Meets Paint Or Paint Meets Photography.  Either way it is Paint Cam.
Long May she reign.  I am selling masterpieces at low prices.  We are #PaintCaMARKETPLACE.  Upload yours.

### 4/5 — Fun and inspiring

*2020-11-03, version 1.5.13*

This is wonderful, though it feels like it’s in an early stage. The brushwork is a bit like you’re throwing the i-ching, which requires a little work to compensate for, and the line work seems to run on a very basic AI algorithm that is easy to spot, but I don’t want to quibble, because I want more of this! I’d love a “brush” mode, where you can scumble the paint manually, as if the colors were wet oil paint, just to make final touches and I wish there was a sense of the 3D quality of impasto painting, with a directional light. If I may, just one more thing: the biggest brushstrokes (splat) are so random and one-directional, that it makes large areas look more mechanically applied than I wish. Feels like it would benefit from a small touch of whatever the line work AI used. Just a little, to make the strokes look more intentional. 

Well, since I’m writing a wish list, it seems to lack the single brushstroke tool that the iPad tried to implement (and not well). Compared to the brilliant fill tools, you’d think the brush tool would be a piece of cake. But this stuff is like magic to me, so I only throw these things out there, certain that the developers have already thought about these. 

Fantastic fun.

### 5/5 — Exactly what I’ve been looking for!

*2020-05-15, version 1.5.12*

I’ve been looking for something like this—I love to paint but don’t have time to get everything out, work for hours and clean up. I love the impressionists and that is the style I try to paint in. But when I paint on a canvas, I always get bogged down with too much detail and it doesn’t turn out that way. This program doesn’t let me do that. It stays loose and interpretive. 
I can take a photo that looks good for composition but is just that, a photo. Then I can turn it into something I might see in a high end gallery. I can make a masterpiece in half an hour, with no clean up! 
I take the piece as far as I can in PaintCan and then work on it in Procreate to fine tune it—clean up stray lines and maybe tweak a color or detail. I recommend working on a tablet with a matching e-pencil rather than just your fingers on a phone. You will get much better results. In fact I’d say, don’t bother unless you have this. 
I’m loving this app! Can’t wait to see how it gets improved.

### 5/5 — Suggestion but great!!

*2019-11-03, version 1.5.9*

I'm veeeeeerrryyyyy happy with this app, and I'm a kid! The only thing I would suggest is an animal mode. I'm trying to do a painting of me and my dog in this app and I just can't get her quite as good as I want her to be but I get pretty darn close! I love how there are no ads either. My mom bought this one app that was kinda like this but way worse and every time you hit a button it played an add, it sucked. This is my favorite picture editing app and I will never stop using it :) To the makers of this app, keep making more of these cause it's amazing! I'd be pretty surprised if there were any bad comments :)

### 5/5 — My Apple Pencil started working and I love this app!

*2019-06-14, version 1.5.9*

The only request I have is more brushes, a better brush with fine line for details,  a color picker, more redos and layer capabilities. The water color effects are spot on! I will be using this app a lot. This app is on it’s way to pro applications, please upgrade. The way it is designed now I will have to do work here and fly it into procreate to get what I desire. It would be wonderful to not have do that. Thank you for designing an app that facilitates great watercolor affects. I have been looking for an app that does this for my digital illustration technique and you guys nailed it! My main medium is watercolor, so this is great for my digital illustration tool box 💙👩🏻‍🎨💙

## Frequently asked questions about Adobe PaintCan

### What does PaintCan do?

PaintCan transforms your favorite photographs into beautiful paintings. It uses smart brushes that automatically configure themselves based on the image you are painting on, making it easy for anyone to create art. You can focus on exploring your creativity rather than complex settings.

### How does the painting process work?

The app guides you through painting by offering smart brushes. You can zoom in to add intricate details or zoom out for broader strokes. The suggested workflow involves rough coverage with large brushes and then adding specific details. You can also use different brush presets to add or smooth textured areas.

### What is the image resolution support?

The resolution of your paintings depends on your device, with support for up to 16 Megapixels. High-resolution output might be slower on older devices. If you experience slowness, you can lower the resolution in the app's settings under Preferences > Settings > Advanced > Resolution.

### Is PaintCan available on iPhone and iPad?

Yes, PaintCan is available on both iPhone and iPad. The user interface is adapted for each device's screen size, with the iPhone version retaining critical tools. Future updates aim to create a more similar interface across all devices based on user feedback.

### How much storage space does the app use?

The app itself is small, around 10MB. However, the data it generates to function, especially to support multiple undo levels and saved snapshots, can be closer to 150MB or more on newer devices. You can manage this data by deleting unused snapshots from the Start menu.

## Version history (last 1 release)

### 1.5.13 — 2020-06-10

*** High-resolution output: We finally got around to adding this highly requested feature. PaintCan now offers two output modes: Legacy (max. resolution up to 4 Megapixels) and Maximum (up to 16 Megapixels). You can select this option via Preferences>Settings>Advanced>Resolution. Changes take effect on NEXT new project.

* Updates: We made numerous changes to our code for better compatibility with recent iOS versions. These changes should not be noticeable to our users, so if you spot something that's broken, please let us know. Thanks :)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*