How To Pop Art A Photo

Pop art, short for popular art, emerged in the mid-to-late-1950s as a movement influenced by American pop culture. It transforms portraits and everyday objects into colorful collages, comic book elements, duotone silhouettes, and often a mix of all of the above. Of all the artists to emerge from the pop art movement, Andy Warhol's style is the most recognizable.

Warhol may have spent countless hours creating his pop art, but with BeFunky's Pop Art filters, you can transform your favorite photos into eye-catching pop art in just a few clicks! Whether you're wanting to turn a photo of an avocado into a pop art collage or use our Pop Art DLX effect to create a unique self-portrait, BeFunky has everything you need.

How to Turn Photos into Pop Art

To start creating your very own pop art using your favorite images (or stock photos!), follow the steps below.

Step 1: Upload a Photo

Head to BeFunky's Photo Editor and upload an image using the Open dropdown menu at the top of the page, or simply drag and drop an image right into the interface.

You can also upload a photo from your BeFunky account, Facebook, and more from the same dropdown.

Step 2: Crop and Erase Background Distractions

Pop art looks best when the subject is the main focus and there's nothing in the background to distract from that. If your image has a busy or distracting background, BeFunky has a few different tools in the Edit tab of the left sidebar menu to help you prepare the photo before adding a Pop Art filter.

First, use the Crop tool to crop most of the background out of the photo.

Next, if you need to replace your busy photo background with a solid color, click on the Cutout tool from the Edit menu on the left. The Remove Background button there will detect the subject in your image and remove the background around it.

Click the Remove Background button to erase the background around your subject (you can also use the brush options for this) and then choose a new Background Color. We recommend choosing a white background for this particular project.

Photo to pop art apply new background color

Step 3: Choose a Pop Art Filter

Click on the Effects tab in the left sidebar menu and choose the Pop Art category.

You'll be able to preview each Pop Art filter on your image by clicking on the thumbnails. When you find one you love, you can choose to further customize it in the next step, or click the Apply checkmark to apply the filter right away.

Step 4: Customize the Pop Art Effect Settings

Each Pop Art filter will have its own unique customization menu that you can access by clicking the Settings icon on the effect thumbnail.

For example, the Settings that can be adjusted in the Pop Art 10 menu are Halftone Size and Silhouette Amount. You can adjust these settings by moving the sliders to the right (to increase) or the left (to decrease).

Each Settings menu may include different customization options, so be sure to check out those options as you preview Pop Art filters on your images.

Step 5: Save Your Pop Art

Once your pop art looks perfect, click the Save button at the top of the Photo Editor to save and share your work.

And just like that, you've created your very own pop art masterpiece without ever having to break out the art supplies!

Photo to Pop Art Inspiration

BeFunky's Pop Art filter collection has a little something for everyone. Here are some of our favorite looks to create:

Motion Pop Art

Want to up the wow factor with your pop art creation? The Pop Art 5 filter is the perfect combination of a Holga effect and pop art, complete with halftones and colorful silhouettes to make it look like your subject is in motion.

Dreamy Duotones

Sometimes sticking to a duotone color palette is just the way to go. Instead of spending a ton of time editing your photo down to two colors, the Pop Art 6 filter instantly transforms your photo into a duotone silhouette.

If you want to switch up the color palette, you can even use the Replace Color tool to replace the Pop Art 6 filter with new hues of your choice.

Rainbow Filter Magic

Everything looks more magical with a rainbow filter on it! BeFunky's Pop Art filter collection includes a handful of colorful rainbow filters to add to your photos. Just look at how Pop Art 18 makes this portrait shine.