Quick wins for a faster PC:
Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →ThatPainter is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn More
This 2015 roundup is best read as an archive of food-themed Photoshop ideas, not as a verified directory of tutorials that still work today. It ranges from photo manipulation and painted food to food-textured lettering, illustrations, icons and a coffee-shop menu layout. Its count is inconsistent: the title says 38, while the introduction also refers to 50.
What the roundup covers
The collection brings together several different ways to make food imagery in Photoshop. Some examples aim for photographic realism; others use food as a subject for painting, graphic design or playful lettering. That variety makes the page more useful as a source of project ideas than as a single, step-by-step course.
Photo manipulation
One example builds a coffee cake from pieces of multiple photographs, using paths and Smart Objects in the composition. This approach is about assembling and blending source images rather than painting every ingredient from scratch. It is a useful direction to explore when the goal is a convincing composite, though the specific source-image and workflow requirements depend on the linked tutorial.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
#1 Best Overall
Painting food
The roundup includes a broken egg and yolk drawing, with reflections and shadows, as well as a realistic loaf of bread and a green-apple illustration. The Japanese-language republication singles out a hamburger painting that compares hard and soft brushes. Together, these examples point to different painting concerns: edges and texture, translucent or reflective surfaces, and the way light and shadow give food form.
Food-inspired lettering and typography
Several ideas turn food into the material or visual language of type. Named effects draw inspiration from honey, bagels, jelly beans, ketchup, cookies, strawberries, chocolate and fruit. The Japanese republication also highlights chocolate-coated lettering and a 3D typographic illustration. These are distinct design problems: a coating effect suggests surface texture, while dimensional type depends on the look of depth and lighting.
Illustrations, icons and layouts
Other entries include food icons and illustrations, a coffee-cup icon, a cereal-box design and a coffee-shop menu layout. These broaden the collection beyond isolated food pictures into graphic assets and presentation design. The cereal-box tutorial uses older Photoshop 3D tools, so it should not be assumed to match current Photoshop capabilities or menus.
How to choose an idea to try
| Approach | Examples in the roundup | What to check before starting |
|---|---|---|
| Photo manipulation | Coffee-cake composition assembled from multiple images | Whether the tutorial identifies its source photographs, uses Smart Objects or paths, and specifies a Photoshop version. |
| Digital painting | Broken egg and yolk; bread; green apple; hamburger brush comparison | Whether the instructions explain brush choices, reflections, shadows and other details needed for the particular subject. |
| Typography and text effects | Honey-, bagel-, jelly-bean-, ketchup-, cookie-, strawberry-, chocolate- and fruit-inspired lettering | Whether the effect relies on filters, layer styles, 3D features or other tools, and whether those steps apply to your version. |
| Illustration, icons and layout | Coffee-cup icon, food illustrations, cereal-box design and coffee-shop menu | Whether the tutorial is focused on a standalone graphic or a complete design, and whether it depends on older features such as Photoshop 3D. |
For a painting exercise, the hamburger brush comparison or the egg study offers a clear subject-specific question to investigate: how brush hardness, reflection and shadow affect the result. For compositing practice, the cake example offers a different challenge—integrating pieces from separate images. Typography and layout projects suit readers more interested in graphic treatment than realistic rendering.
What the title’s number means
SmashingApps published the page under the title “The Ultimate Roundup Of 38 Delicious Photoshop Food Tutorials” and marked it last updated February 25, 2015. Its introduction first says it compiled 38 tutorials, then later calls the collection 50. The figure in the title is therefore the roundup’s headline count, not a reconciled total of entries.
A Japanese-language republication appeared on March 2, 2015. It emphasizes a hard-versus-soft-brush hamburger painting, a 3D typographic illustration and chocolate-coated text as representative examples. These highlights illustrate the collection’s range; they do not establish that every original tutorial remains available.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to verify before following an old tutorial
The roundup is more than a decade old. Before investing time in an entry, open its individual tutorial and check that the instructions and images still load, then confirm the Photoshop version and features it uses. This matters especially for workflows built around older 3D tools: a historical tutorial may describe controls or capabilities that do not correspond to the software you have now.
Quick Recap
- Confirm that the tutorial page is accessible and complete.
- Check its stated Photoshop version and any named tools or features.
- Look for required source images or other assets; the roundup itself does not establish that a physical product or particular stock-photo service is required.
- If a feature or menu is missing in your version, treat the tutorial as a visual reference rather than assuming its exact steps will transfer.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
Recommended Free Tools
