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Photo to Sketch

Turn a photograph into a pencil sketch.

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Drop an image here, or click to choose one

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Quick Tool Overview

Photo to Sketch uses the colour-dodge technique: desaturate, invert, blur, then blend back over the original so that only the edges survive as pencil lines. The blur radius is the control that matters, deciding whether you get fine hatching or bold contour, and a paper texture and coloured-pencil mode finish it.

What it does
Turns a photo into a pencil drawing
You give it
A portrait or clear-subject photo
You get back
A line-drawn sketch version
Best for
Portraits, buildings and gift prints
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About the Photo to Sketch

The pencil sketch effect is a specific and rather elegant trick: desaturate the image, invert it, blur the inverted copy, then blend it back over the original in colour dodge. What survives is exactly the edges, drawn as lines.

The blur radius is the control that matters, because it decides how much of the image counts as an edge — small radius gives fine, scratchy detail, large gives bold contour lines. Beyond that there is line darkness, an optional paper texture, and a coloured-pencil mode that keeps some of the original hue. Portraits and architecture work best; anything with a busy background turns into scribble, which is a limitation of the technique rather than the tool.

Key features of the Photo to Sketch

Colour dodge method

The same technique used by hand in editors, which produces genuine pencil-like lines rather than a traced outline.

Detail control

The blur radius decides between fine scratchy hatching and bold contour lines.

Paper texture

An optional grain behind the lines, which is most of what makes it read as drawn rather than filtered.

Coloured pencil mode

Retains some original hue behind the lines for a coloured-pencil rather than graphite result.

Says when it will not work

Busy backgrounds produce scribble, and the page tells you that rather than letting you find out.

How to use the Photo to Sketch

  1. 1

    Load a photo

    Portraits, buildings and objects on plain backgrounds work best.

  2. 2

    Set the detail

    The blur radius decides whether you get fine hatching or bold contours.

  3. 3

    Adjust the line darkness

    Enough to read clearly without turning the mid-greys black.

  4. 4

    Add paper and colour

    A paper texture and a little retained colour make it look drawn rather than filtered.

Frequently asked questions

The image is desaturated, inverted and blurred, then blended over the original in colour dodge. That combination cancels everything except the edges, which come through as pencil lines.

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