Create a Pencil Drawing From a Photo In Photoshop
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- 0:00 Introduction
- 0:34 Step 01 - Extract the background from the foreground.
- 2:50 Step 02 - Convert the Photo into a Smart Object
- 3:39 Step 03 - Create the Main Line Drawing Effect
- 6:00 Step 04 - Use the Charcoal Filter to Add Shading.
- 8:56 Step 05 - Use the Find Edges Filter to Add Lines.
- 12:55 Bonus: Fine Tune The Image &
- 17:34 Bonus: Smart Object Trick
- 18:57 Bonus: Create Line Paper
Your choices stick across every tutorial on this device.
Pencil drawing in Photoshop comes from stacking a Smart Object with inverted, shaded, and outlined copies of itself, blended with Color Dodge and Multiply.
In this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to create a realistic pencil drawing from a photo in Photoshop.
This effect is very straightforward. You can apply it to almost any image, but keep in mind that it will look better when you have a subject with a white background or no background.
You can follow along with your own image, but keep in mind that you may have to enter different values so that they work on your image.
Key Takeaways
- A Smart Object holds every filter non-destructively, so you can double-click any of them later and change the settings without starting the effect over.
- The line-drawing pass comes from inverting a duplicate layer and setting it to Color Dodge, then blurring it with Gaussian Blur until the lines appear.
- The Charcoal filter only reads in black and white, so your foreground and background colors have to be reset before you apply it.
- Multiply is the blend mode that keeps the dark lines and hides the white background on every layer in the stack.
- The Glowing Edges filter traces the outlines of the photo, then gets inverted so the lines print black instead of white.
Table of contents
- What You Will Learn
- Requirements
- Pencil Drawing in Photoshop Keyboard Shortcuts
- Step 01 – Extract the Background for Your Pencil Drawing
- Step 02 – Convert the Photo into a Smart Object
- Step 03 – Create the Main Pencil Line Drawing Effect
- Step 04 – Use the Charcoal Filter to Add Shading
- Step 05 – Use the Find Edges Filter to Finish the Pencil Drawing
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Recap: Your Pencil Drawing
- Related Links
What You Will Learn
- How to isolate a subject with the Quick Selection tool and a layer mask
- How to convert a layer into a Smart Object for non-destructive filters
- How to build a pencil drawing effect with Color Dodge and Gaussian Blur
- How to add shading with the Charcoal filter and the Multiply blend mode
- How to trace clean outlines with the Glowing Edges filter
Requirements
Before you start
- Photoshop 2019 (version 20.0 or later) or the current version
Pencil Drawing in Photoshop Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| Duplicate layer | Ctrl J | Command J |
| Invert | Ctrl I | Command I |
| Subtract from a selection | Alt | Option |
| Split a Blend If slider | Alt | Option |
| Reset default colors (black/white) | D | D |
| Group layers | Ctrl G | Command G |
| Rotate the canvas view | R | R |
| Brush tool | B | B |
| Decrease brush size | Left Bracket | Left Bracket |
| Zoom tool | Z | Z |
| Save | Ctrl S | Command S |
Practice Files
This tutorial updates the original 2015 line drawing tutorial. Download the source image and follow along with the steps below.
Step 01 – Extract the Background for Your Pencil Drawing
This effect works better when you extract the background from the foreground.
You can use the Quick selection tool to select your subject. Then you can click on the Layer Mask icon to create a mask out of the selection. Doing so will hide the background.
Step 02 – Convert the Photo into a Smart Object
It’s always a good idea to work non-destructively so that you can always come back and edit your adjustments later.
To convert a layer into a Smart Object right click on a layer and select “Convert to Smart Object.”
Step 03 – Create the Main Pencil Line Drawing Effect
To create the main line drawing effect first duplicate the Smart Object by pressing CtrlJ (Windows) or CommandJ (macOS).
Then go to Image > Adjustment > Invert.
You can then change the layer Blending Mode to Color Dodge.
To make the lines visible and create the line drawing effect, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur.
Step 04 – Use the Charcoal Filter to Add Shading
Duplicate the Original Smart Object, then go to Filter > Filter Gallery > Sketch > Charcoal
Set the Blending Mode to Multiply to keep the dark pixels and hide the bright ones.
Step 05 – Use the Find Edges Filter to Finish the Pencil Drawing
Duplicate the Original Smart Object.
Then desaturate the layer by going to Image > Adjustment > Black and White.
You can then go to Filter > Filter Gallery, and select Stylize > Glowing Edges. Adjust accordingly.
Press CtrlI (Windows) or CommandI (macOS) to Invert the pixels and make the white lines black.
To keep the black lines set the Blending Mode to Multiply.
Frequently Asked Questions
Extract the subject with a layer mask, then convert it to a Smart Object. Stack an inverted Color Dodge layer, a Charcoal filter layer, and a Glowing Edges layer set to Multiply to combine them into one pencil-drawing effect.
A Smart Object applies every filter non-destructively. You can double-click any filter later and change its settings without redoing the effect from scratch.
Color Dodge brightens the layer below based on the inverted layer above it. Blurring the inverted layer with Gaussian Blur is what turns that brightening into visible line work.
The Charcoal filter redraws the image using your foreground and background colors, which gives the shading layer its rough, hand-drawn texture. It only works correctly when those colors are black and white.
Multiply hides every white pixel and keeps the dark ones. That is how the Charcoal and Glowing Edges layers blend their lines and shading into the layers below without covering them in white.
It works best on a photo with a plain or removed background and a clearly separated subject. A busy background carries through the line and shading filters along with the subject.
No. The layer stack builds the entire effect with filters and blending modes alone. A tablet only helps if you want to hand-paint extra pencil strokes on top of it.
Yes. Every filter sits on a Smart Object, so you can double-click any smart filter in the Layers panel and change its settings at any time.
Recap: Your Pencil Drawing
That layer stack is how you build the pencil drawing effect in Photoshop. An inverted Color Dodge pass makes the lines, a Charcoal pass adds the shading, and a Glowing Edges pass creates the outlines.
Every one of those layers sits on a Smart Object, so nothing about the effect is permanent. Adjust any filter’s settings until it matches your own photo.
Watch the full video above, and comment on the video if you have a question about any of the five steps.
Selections and Masking Mastery
Complete course includes 2.5 hours of step-by-step lessons, 6 structured modules, downloadable practice files, and custom Photoshop brushes. Everything you need to master selections and masks in one place.
Keep going
Next, learn how to turn a photo into comic book art.
Related Links
Final Image
Drag the slider to see before and after
Hi Jesús,
I enjoyed this tutorial and really wanted to make it work just like you did it. I tried it twice by following along with every step. My image looked just like the one in your video up until I applied the charcoal filter. When I did it, the image turned mostly green. Is there an obvious mistake that I might have made?
Thanks,
~scott
Scott, was your foreground and background color black & white?
If you have other colors set, then it will use those colors for the filter. Use black for foreground and white for background.
One thing it would be helpful to mention somewhere is that in Photoshop CC, the FILTER GALLERY is only available for 8 bit color depth photos. I spent a hour or more trying to figure out why it was greyed out for my target photo, which turned out to be 16 bit…..
Donald, that’s a great point. I will try to remember to mention that in future videos. Thanks for your comment.
I enjoyed the tutorials on color correction.
Crystal, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Which Photoshop program should I download?
Roxanne, You can only get Photoshop CC.
I guess you can also get Photoshop Elements but that is not a professional program.
thak you so much. i like it, simple but amazing
Thank you!
Great tutorial. Instead of the last step where you copy a new picture and use the settings, why not make an action. I made an action for this tutorial, & will be glad to share.
I am interested in the banana icon but didn’t see in the description what it was.
It was ok. I had no problems. Thanks for the tip
The “Create a Pencil Drawing From a Photo In Photoshop” tutorial has the wrong video!