What technique is used to create these pictures?

[fizzyfizz]

Just wondering how this style of picture is created. They appear to be constructed from original photographs using either Illustrator or Photoshop.

I originally thought some use of Photoshop's Cutout filter was involved but now I'm not so sure.

Any ideas anyone?

THANKS

[Doug A Roberts]

You might be able to get a vague appoximation of the result you want using a limited colour image trace, and then using Edit Colours:

but I do suspect there's much more of a decision-making process happening in those original works. Don't assume everything is automatic.

[JETalmage]

The generic term for the effect is "posterization"; reducing the total number of colors by averaging similar adjacent colors to a single color. It can be done in raster imaging programs (most have a filter specifically named Posterize), and is sort of an unavoidable consequence of auto-tracing. But it has been done since long, long before the advent of graphics software.

So Doug' comment is correct, and something all beginners should hang on the wall: Don't assume that everything that looks pleasing in digital artwork is the result of some instant-gratification click of the right button.

Such filters and features, when used, should be considered only a rough "sketch" to then begin working on with some artisitc taste. Your software's auto-trace feature or filters don't know anything about what a shape actually represents to the human eye, and has zero aesthetic discernment.

JET