Illustrations can enhance the manner and appeal of your ecommerce site. However, creating illustrations (or hiring skilled illustrators) can be costly and fourth dimension-consuming.

Thankfully, you tin can learn how to turn a flick into a line drawing in Photoshop CC 2019 following the steps below. Images of objects isolated on a white background work best for this technique, making this a great option for modifying or enhancing product photos.

Scroll down below the video for the written tutorial.

Before you begin: How to outline an image in Photoshop

If you lot want to plow a photo into a pencil sketch in Photoshop, but yous don't desire it to wait like you did information technology in Photoshop, you lot'll need to pay attention to detail and set up your paradigm properly before you apply whatsoever filters.

In the following tutorial, we'll go over one method that shows you how to convert your image into a pencil sketch flawlessly, and so we'll discuss specific tools you lot can explore to achieve other paradigm outlining furnishings in Photoshop.

Non all photos are the same, so yous'll need to use your judgement as yous adjust filters, blurs and layer opacities each time yous use Photoshop to convert a photo into a line drawing using the steps beneath.

How to turn a picture into a line drawing in Photoshop

  1. Adjust the dissimilarity of your photograph
  2. Set up your layers
  3. Catechumen the image to grayscale using an adjustment layer
  4. Convert your photo to a line cartoon
  5. Set up your Background and Foreground colors
  6. Add Pencil Shading to your image
  7. Add a cross-hatching event to your prototype
  8. Make your final tweaks

Step 1: Adjust the contrast of your photograph

In the example photo, the image of the shoes and sunglasses contrast significantly confronting the white groundwork. The paradigm of the change pocketbook and perfume tube, however, are so lite they nigh blend into the background.

We'll adjust the contrast of the entire photograph so the purse and tube stand out more.

Get to your Layers panel and make sure the layer that contains your prototype is selected. If you're working in a flattened image (such every bit a JPG), this layer volition be the locked Background layer.

Choose Image > Adjustments > Curves from the dropdown card at the top of Photoshop's application window.

The Curves dialog box will appear. Make sure Preview is checked.

In the graph on the left side of the dialog box, click on the eye of the line running diagonally through the graph and drag downwardly, creating a curved line in the graph. Y'all'll notice that the dark areas of the image will go darker, while the lighter areas will remain calorie-free.

Note: If you're working in a CMYK image, yous'd pull up on the middle of the line instead of down.

Once you're satisfied with the increased dissimilarity of the epitome, click OK.

Step two: Ready your layers

In your Layers console, duplicate the layer containing your prototype three times, and so that you have four identical layers.

To duplicate a layer, select the layer in the Layers panel, click on the Layers console menu in the upper right mitt corner of the panel, and choose Indistinguishable Layer.

Step 3: Convert the image to grayscale using an adjustment layer

Select the duplicated layer at the elevation of the Layers console.

Select the Adjustment Layer icon at the lesser of the Layers panel (the icon looks similar a half black, half white circle). Choose Hue/Saturation from the dropdown menu.

Yous've merely created an adjustment layer for Hue/Saturation, which means all layers that announced beneath the adjustment layer will retain the Hue/Saturation properties y'all set for that aligning layer.

With your adjustment layer even so selected, go to your Properties panel, located to the right of your image past default. If you don't see your Properties panel, you can choose Window > Properties from the dropdown menu at the acme of the Photoshop awarding window.

You'll see three sliders in the Backdrop panel: Hue, Saturation and Lightness. Elevate the slider for Saturation as far as it will go to the left, so that the value listed for Saturation is now -100.

Your image now appears grayscale.

How to convert an epitome to grayscale: an additional method

Having the Hue/Saturation adjustment layer makes your image appear grayscale, simply if you lot desire to eliminate all colour completely from your epitome every bit you work, you tin catechumen your image to grayscale past choosing Paradigm > Mode > Grayscale from the dropdown carte du jour at the top of the awarding window.

If you have an adjustment layer in place when yous convert to grayscale, the adjustment layer will be deleted.

Step 4: Convert your photograph to a line drawing

In this pace, you lot'll learn how to outline, or trace, the picture in Photoshop using a serial of layer effects. If your goal is to create just an outline of your photo, y'all may decide your flick is complete after this step.

Make your top ii duplicated layers invisible by clicking on the eye icons next to the layers in the Layers panel. Then select the visible layer that is second from the bottom of the Layers panel.

Click on the dropdown menu at the top of the Layers panel next to Normal. Select Color Dodge.

With the same layer all the same selected, invert the image by typing CTRL+I (COMMAND+I on a Mac). You can likewise invert the image by choosing Image > Adjustments > Invert from the dropdown carte at the top of Photoshop'southward awarding window.

Adjacent, choose Filter > Blur > Gaussian Mistiness from the dropdown menu at the peak of the application window.

In the Gaussian Blur dialog box that appears, arrange the slider until your prototype looks like a line cartoon.

Moving the slider the left volition result in thinner lines; moving the slider to the right and increasing the blur volition thicken and darken the lines, and add some shading to the paradigm.

Make sure that Preview is checked in the dialog box so that yous can run into how the paradigm changes equally you motion the slider to the right or to the left.

How to make the strokes of your line drawing thicker in Photoshop

If you lot want to thicken the strokes of your line drawing, indistinguishable your original layer ane more time and move the new layer above the layer yous simply adapted (layer with Colour Contrivance alloy fashion).

Cull Filter > Filter Gallery... from the dropdown menu at the pinnacle of the application window.

Choose Glowing Edges under Stylize. Here, y'all can adjust the Edge Width on the right-hand side of the window. Reducing Edge Brightness will event in a cleaner edge.

Click OK.

Back in your layer, click CTRL+I (COMMAND+I on a Mac) to capsize the layer, and change the layer blend style to Multiply.

The outlines of your image will at present be thicker and darker.

Stride five: Set your Background and Foreground Colors

In your Toolbar, set up your Groundwork Color to white by double-clicking on the Background Color icon. In the Color Picker (Background Color) dialog box, click on the upper left-hand corner of the big color box.

Next ready your Foreground Colour to a medium gray. Double click on the Foreground Color square in the Toolbar. In the Color Picker (Foreground Color) dialog box, click midway down the left side of the large color box.

Other colors in the large color box (such equally the blues and reds visible in the Color Picker panel image below) are irrelevant since y'all're keeping the cursor all the way to the left side of the large color box.

Related: 9 alternatives to white background product photography

Step vi: Add Pencil Shading to your image

In the Layers panel, select the layer above the layer you but worked with. Click on the eye icon to make the layer visible again. Your epitome will now await similar a black-and-white photograph again.

Cull Filter > Filter Gallery... from the dropdown bill of fare at the top of the application window.

In the Filter window, click on the binder marked Sketch and choose Charcoal.

Adjust the Charcoal Thickness, Detail, and Light/Night Balance sliders until the image in the preview window has the appropriate corporeality of particular. Remember, you already have a line drawing of the photo in a lower layer, so yous only demand to create shading in this stride.

Click OK.

In the Layers panel, click on the dropdown carte du jour next Normal and accommodate the Layer Blend Mode of the charcoal layer to Multiply.

Step vii: Add a cross-hatching consequence to your prototype

In the Layers panel, click the eye icon on the elevation layer to brand the layer visible. All layers should now exist visible in your image.

With the last layer selected, cull Filter > Filter Gallery... one time more from the dropdown menu at the top of the application window. If you see the Filter Gallery option more one time in the dropdown, make sure you lot select the lower option.

In the Filter window, click on the option marked Sketch and choose Torn Edges. Adjust the toggles on the right-manus side of the window until yous can see the details of your epitome.

Once you're happy with the appearance of the Torn Edges filter, click on the New icon located at the lower right-manus side of the Filter window. (This icon looks like a piece of paper with a folded corner, just similar the New Layer icon in the Layers panel.)

You'll see Torn Edges appear twice in the correct-hand side of the Filter window. While the top example of Torn Edges is still selected, click on the Graphic Pen filter and modify the Stroke Diagonal to Left Diagonal.

You tin can also conform the sliders for the Graphic Pen filter until you lot're satisfied with the prototype in the preview window. As with the previous layer, you're only creating shading at this stage.

Click OK.

Change the Layer Blend Manner from Normal to Multiply as y'all did with the previous layer.

Finally, because the graphic pen filter is crisper than the charcoal filter we applied to the lower layer, we'll add together a slight motion blur.

With the same layer yet selected, choose Filter > Blur > Motion Blur from the dropdown carte at the top of the application window.

In the Motion Mistiness dialog box, set the angle to -45° and motility the Distance slider to the left to create a very slight blur. Brand certain Preview is checked so you lot can see the blur before you apply information technology.

Click OK.

Step 8: Make your final tweaks

You're non done notwithstanding! Playing with the opacity of your layers and cleaning up any dark spots that y'all see in your image will put the final bear upon on your new pencil sketch.

Accommodate opacity of layers

You can conform the opacity of the top two layers to reduce the intensity of the pencil shading.

In the prototype beneath, the height layer's opacity is reduced to 60% and the next layer down has an opacity of 70%.

You should not suit the opacity of the bottom two layers equally doing so could undermine the line cartoon upshot you have created.

Clean upwardly any artifacts

In the example prototype, there are several places where the white background looks as if information technology has smudges, or dark spots.

In order to remove dark spots such as these, stamp the layers past selecting all layers, including the Hue/Saturation aligning layer, within the Layers panel. Blazon CTRL+A+East (Control+Choice+Eastward on a Mac) to create a stamped layer, which will appear at the top of your Layers panel.

Set your foreground color to white in the Toolbar and choose the Brush tool from the Toolbar. Within the new stamped layer, carefully pigment over any smudges using the brush tool.

Are you aware of all of the tools bachelor in Photoshop CC 2018?

Your finished image will now look similar a pencil sketch.

Now that you lot know how to turn a picture into a line drawing in Photoshop, be certain to check out our other Photoshop tutorials to master your skills.

Scan Photoshop tutorials and fine tune your prototype-editing skills

Becky Kilimnik

Bio: With over xviii years feel as a graphic designer, Becky is passionate nigh helping people enhance their content by mastering image manipulation software. Becky has worked with a variety of educational publishers in the U.S. and U.K. and has taught design at six universities.