Photo to pencil sketch

This tutorial will show you how to easily transform a photograph to a pencil sketch using only Photoshop’s built in tools and filters.

Before and after:

Step 1

You need to start off with a good quality image

Crop the image so you have not much more than the face

Image>Image Size – set the width to 1000, auto height

Duplicate the layer

Rename this layer ‘base’

Duplicate the layer

Step 2

Image>Adjustments>Desaturate

Duplicate the layer

Step 3

Image>Adjustments>Invert (Ctrl + I)

Set the layer mode to Color Dodge (you will see very little on the screen right now – don’t panic!)

Filter>Other>Minimum – apply the following settings:

Step 4

Set the opacity of base copy 2 layer to 85%

Set the opacity of base copy layer to 68%

With base copy 2 layer active

Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur – apply the following settings:

This setting is totally dependent on the image you are working with – set the blur to whatever looks good

Step 5

Make the base layer active

Filter>Brush Strokes>Sprayed Strokes – apply the following settings:

Click on the new layer icon at the bottom of the filter gallery screen as indicated in the screenshot above

Select Angled Strokes and apply the following settings:

Step 6

Duplicate the base layer

Image>Adjustments>Desaturate

Lower the layer opacity to 40%

Add a layer mask by clicking on the icon at the bottom of the layers palette

Select a soft, round brush and mask out the eyes and the lips to make them brighter

Step 7

Make the base layer active

Select the Brush tool, set the opacity to around 35%, foreground colour black

Paint over the areas that are showing too much colour, ie the red speckles on the rim of the hat – you may have to go over this a few times until you are happy with the result

The image below shows before (in the frames) and after painting and masking:

The finished project: