“I can tell you put a lot of work into it.”
Your friend is an artist, and he created a beautiful piece of art. It's very detailed, and you know by looking at it that it took a long time. You want to tell your friend that you can see all his hard work, so you say this.
I can tell you put a lot of work into it.
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(someone) can tell (clause)
When you "can tell" something, it means that you are able to know it by seeing it, tasting it, feeling it, etc.:
I can tell that you're getting better at it.
Could you tell I wanted to leave?
You can leave "that" out in casual conversation, but in formal speaking or in writing you should definitely include it:
I can tell that you put a lot of work into it.
put (a lot of) work into (something)
When you "put work into" something, it means that you work hard on it. You use the phrase "put work into ___" when you're talking about projects that need a lot of work, and take a while to finish. For example, you might "put a lot of work into":
- a big presentation for work
- an essay for school
- a website that you built
The adjective phrase "a lot of" is commonly used with "put work into ___". For example:
The Patzers bought their house for $ 125,000 in the early 1990s and put a lot of work into it, including some indoor remodeling.