Turning a photo into a sketch.
There are many ways to get a photograph turned into “art”. In this column, I will be covering only one way. Turning a photograph into a sketch. The choice of photograph is important. Sometimes, you will try this technique on a particular photograph it may not work. Do not fear, this is only one technique. The key here is to experiment.
For this tip, you will need to have a basic understanding in PhotoShop (version is not important) of layers, manipulating and reordering layers.
- Open your photograph in PhotoShop.
When you open an image in PhotoShop, you have only one layer, the Background layer. It usually contains the image on which you want to make your adjustments or edits. Unfortunately in this state, it is uneditable. Turn that frown upside down! Simply, double click on the background layer icon in the Layers Palette and create your first layer. (This is handy for other functions as well!)
- Now that your photograph is editable, you will need to duplicate your layer. In PhotoShop speak, you will “jump” your layer. Control/command J does this easy-piesy. Or do it old school, and find that command under the Layer menu>Duplicate Layer.
- The next thing is to desaturate this new layer. Don’t get fancy and do a “black & white” conversion here. We just need it simple and sweet. Keyboard shortcut? (Windows)Shift/Ctrl/U or (Mac)Shift/Cmd/U.
- YIKES! We need to duplicate this layer again...Settle down, just follow along. Remember that trick? Jump the layer: Ctrl/Cmd+J.
- Here comes the fun. Invert this layer. (Make it into a negative! Cool!) Cntrl/Cmd+I. Or old school: Image Menu>Adjustment>Invert. 7.tiff Now set this active layer to “Color dodge”in your Layer’s palette. You can do that by going up to the top of the Layers palette and clicking on the down-pointing arrow to the right of the word "Normal", and then select "Color Dodge" from the drop-down list.
- Don’t worry, you haven’t done anything wrong. Your image is now white. Really. The magic comes in next step.
- Apply the Gaussian Blur Filter to this active layer (the one you inverted and set to “Color Dodge”.
Depending on your tastes and your specific image, you can set the Radius amount of Gaussian blur with the slider bar at what ever level you like. Generally, a lower radius level creates an image that is very sharp - almost as if drawn with a hard lead and a mechanical pencil. The higher radius levels create more of a soft lead graphite look worked over with a stump. Its your choice! - You can by all means, stop here. I did on the portrait I did of my husband and partner in crime, Bryan, pictured above. You have a fabulous sketch, worthy of that empty frame! But, to me, color is also important. So, I will duplicate the background (again) and drag this new layer to the top of the stack of layers. On this active top color layer, its your original photograph, run an artistic filter on it. I chose Dry Brush. Once that is complete, change the layer mode to something that shows enough color without losing the wonderful sketchy feeling. Pin light worked best for this image. (I did run through all of them.)
San Xavier Mission outside of Tucson, AZ.
Photographed and artistically manipulated by Dawn Snow, CPP - A note: sometimes you will need to increase density of blacks or color, I will make these final image adjustments on a Levels or Contrast adjustment layer, and fiddle around with it until I like it.
The choice of photograph is important. Sometimes, you will try this technique on a particular photograph it may not work. Do not fear, this is only one technique.
As a friend of mine says: “If you aren’t having fun, you aren’t doing it right.”
So, have fun and experiment. (Thanks Mark! See, I was listening!)



