Photoshop Tutorial for the Artistic Effect: How to Convert Your Photo Into a Pencil Sketch Photo

Convert you personal photo to a pencil sketch photo using this easy, awesome technique.

Step#1:
-First open the personal or any photo to start with.

-Second to continue we need to make some adjustment in our photo. we need to auto levels the colors of the photo to have a good output in our final photo.

So Go To Image>Adjustments>AutoLevel

Check the attached photo.

Step#2:
-Now we need to change the photographic photo to a black and white photo

To change the photo to black and white : we will use a special effect .

Go to Image>Adjustments>Desaturate

( Ctrl+shift+U if you are using windows OR Command+Shift+u in Mac)

Check the attached photo.

Step#3:
- First :On the layer pallets duplicate you photo layer .

Go to Layer>Duplicate Layer , then in the Duplicate Layer dialog box press ok .

- Second : with the duplicated Layer Selected we will invert it's colors .

Go to Image>Adjustments>Invert

( Or just press Ctrl+I with the duplicated layer selected )

Check the attached photo.

Step#4:
-with the duplicated layer still selected , and in the layer pallet

Change the mode of the layer from normal TO color dodge ….

Don't worry from this output , cause now after you inverted the colors in the duplicated layer ,and changed the image mode to color dodge with the master photo we will have just a white photo .. Cool right .

Check the attached photo.

Step#5:
-Now the fun part started …

All we have to do NOW .. Select the duplicated Layer .

Go To Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur .

In the Blur dialog box you will find a drag bar called radius. Start moving this drag bar and keep you eye in your image … keep moving until you realize the deference .

Then keep moving until you have the perfect sketch effect in your photo.

Why I can't tell you a specific number for the radius value , cause every picture we be different than the other , each picture will have it's radius value that change it to an artistic sketch photo , and that depends on the values of the black color , and the white color of the photo and theses colors values usually deferent from one photo to anther .

Check out my Final photo.

I think it's just a an awesome idea, right ?

Until next time, have fun .