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04 Jul 2008 05:46 PM, by devvv (Bernhard Stockmann), translated to English by redforce (Richard H.)

Making a pencil drawing from a photo

Comic artists have it easy - they can scan their pencil drawings and then edit them. But how to make a realistically looking pencil drawing from a photo? In this tutorial you will learn how to convert almost any image into a good-looking pencil drawing, and yon even won't need edge detection filters. All you need are a few different layer modes.

This article has been written using GIMP 2.4. It's divided into 7 steps and takes about 20 min to complete for an average user. 51055 times read so far. Category: Photos / wallpapers, required skill: 1 of 5

30 comments have been posted so far.

Available in other languages:

Files you need if you try this tutorial:

Relevant links:

  1. 1
    Open any photo you like. If you want to do the tutorial exactly as shown here, feel free to use the photo of Angelina Jolie (download link on the right side below the tutorial details).
    Screenshot of step 1
    Click to enlarge
  2. 2
    Duplicate the background layer. Then remove the colors by using Colors / Colorize / Saturation. Set the saturation to -100:
    Screenshot of step 2
    Click to enlarge
  3. 3
    Duplicate this color-less layer again. Now you have 3 layers.
    Screenshot of step 3
    Click to enlarge
  4. 4
    Now choose Filters / Blur / Selective Gaussian Blur, value: 4. Then use Colors / Invert. Then change the opacity of the layer to 50% to get a grey layer that shows the photo's edges very weak.
    Screenshot of step 4
    Click to enlarge
  5. 5
    Merge the layer with the layer down: right-click the layer in the Layers window and choose "Merge down".
    Screenshot of step 5
    Click to enlarge
  6. 6
    Duplicate the now merged layer and change the new layer's mode to "Dodge".

    Now the pencil drawing is finished!
    Screenshot of step 6
    Click to enlarge
  7. 7
    If you want to point out the grey lines some more, you can do so as follows:

    Merge the two grey layers so that you can find the line drawing on a single layer. Duplicate the layer again and change its mode to "Multiply".

    Repeat this step as often as you like (until the width of the lines is OK).

    On my image I have applied a layer mask over the line drawing so there is a transition between photo and line drawing.

    Have fun!
    Screenshot of step 7
    Click to enlarge

This article is licensed under the following license: Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Austria

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Comments

Post your own comments, questions or hints here. The author and other users will see your posting and can reply to it. Of course, you can also ask in the chat.

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  1. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Fri 04 Jul 2008 06:13:21 PM CEST Beaniebaby2468, 04 Jul 2008 06:13 PM

    Cool effect. :) Would you be able to make a tutorial on blending two images together?

  2. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Wed 27 Aug 2008 12:41:39 AM CEST jonesrachael, 27 Aug 2008 12:41 AM

    how do i make this for my self?

  3. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Wed 27 Aug 2008 01:01:15 AM CEST devvv, 27 Aug 2008 01:01 AM

    take a picture of yourself. use a bright / white background and apply the steps shown in the tutorial!

  4. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Fri 03 Oct 2008 10:31:56 PM CEST tyler, 03 Oct 2008 10:31 PM

    how so you change the layers mode..i dont know how to do that..

  5. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Fri 03 Oct 2008 10:42:08 PM CEST devvv, 03 Oct 2008 10:42 PM

    in the layers dialog look above the opacity/transparency ruler. there is a dropdown called "mode"

  6. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Sun 05 Oct 2008 01:32:44 AM CEST blackrain, 05 Oct 2008 01:32 AM

    can this tut work in gimp 2.6.0? cause, i've tried it and it dosen't work...

  7. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Sun 05 Oct 2008 07:43:05 AM CEST devvv, 05 Oct 2008 07:43 AM

    it should work definately. the technique is using only very basic things such as layer modes. i dont think 2.6 has changed something here

  8. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Fri 10 Oct 2008 12:52:07 PM CEST Guillermo Maldonado, 10 Oct 2008 12:52 PM

    Have you tried edge detection, I think it works a bit cleaner and the traces are better.

    Good tutorial though.

    Regards.

  9. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Sat 11 Oct 2008 12:47:10 AM CEST GameCreator, 11 Oct 2008 12:47 AM

    It would be good effect if used with some trick to flatten colours. Then it would look like coloured sketch or watercolour ;)

  10. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Wed 15 Oct 2008 11:32:39 AM CEST joshuam, 15 Oct 2008 11:32 AM

    im new o gimp and dont know how to change the layer opacity. Can someone tell me please

  11. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Sun 09 Nov 2008 03:00:57 PM CET Anders, 09 Nov 2008 03:00 PM

    Hi. Have get the plugin pencil-drow..for gimp.How do i install it i the program?

  12. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Wed 12 Nov 2008 10:39:57 PM CET Victor Ramirez, 12 Nov 2008 10:39 PM

    Hi, good tutorial, congratulations. I've experimented a bit and increased yellow in color balance, previous to desaturate(don't know if makes difference), and substituted selective gaussian blur by "focus blur" value of 8. The results are pretty good and the lines are more thick.
    Can this proccess be automated as a script fu?

  13. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Mon 24 Nov 2008 08:41:05 AM CET isthur, 24 Nov 2008 08:41 AM

    trim's tutorial gimp nya

  14. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Sun 28 Dec 2008 07:48:21 PM CET ño, 28 Dec 2008 07:48 PM

    excellent tutorial! thank you ^^

  15. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Sun 25 Jan 2009 11:14:59 PM CET sandyroyale, 25 Jan 2009 11:14 PM

    Thank you, that was exactly that i searched !

  16. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Sun 01 Feb 2009 03:15:37 AM CET nick, 01 Feb 2009 03:15 AM

    how to do you change the opacity to 50%?

  17. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Sun 01 Feb 2009 03:19:04 AM CET nick, 01 Feb 2009 03:19 AM

    the toolbar that has the copies on it it doesnt show up! why?

  18. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Sat 07 Mar 2009 04:55:41 PM CET josh, 07 Mar 2009 04:55 PM

    I can't figure out how you change the opacity to 50% on gimp 2.6

  19. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Tue 17 Mar 2009 11:18:31 AM CET Adrian, 17 Mar 2009 11:18 AM

    Excellent tutorial - thanks! And thanks to devv for pointing out where to find "dodge" - sich things not always obvious to the newbie!!

  20. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Thu 02 Apr 2009 10:50:49 AM CEST ShockwaveLover, 02 Apr 2009 10:50 AM

    This is an awesome tutorial. For those asking, Opacity can be changed via a slider in the Layers, Channels and Paths Toolbar (the one with the gradients and colours on it)

  21. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Thu 09 Apr 2009 03:35:53 PM CEST Moku, 09 Apr 2009 03:35 PM

    I have the same problem as blackrain. Though I have experienced that following your steps sometimes results in something different (XD) and I have to alter the steps sometimes - but in the end, it would always work.

    By the way, blackrain option two you will find under hue something, but not colorize in 2.6.

    So, my problem is step four. I tried to trick this effect with a bumb map and some other stuff. It still wouldn't work. I feel stupid, for not getting that one right, because it's one of the easiest I've read so far. ~.~

    Thanks
    Moku

  22. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Fri 17 Apr 2009 07:44:07 PM CEST kdroxx, 17 Apr 2009 07:44 PM

    My image turned our very good.
    But can someone tell how to keep half of it in colour ??

  23. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Fri 17 Apr 2009 07:46:55 PM CEST kdroxx, 17 Apr 2009 07:46 PM

    My image turned our very good.
    But can someone tell how to keep half of it in colour ??


    Click to enlarge

  24. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Sun 17 May 2009 08:45:12 AM CEST claudegals, 17 May 2009 08:45 AM

    Great tutorial... Keep up the good work...

  25. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Sun 17 May 2009 09:52:56 PM CEST Mark, 17 May 2009 09:52 PM

    No comment. Just thanks for the great tutorial.

  26. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Mon 29 Jun 2009 12:24:46 PM CEST Karen, 29 Jun 2009 12:24 PM

    How do I change the opacity to 50% on gimp2.6

  27. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Sat 08 Aug 2009 05:17:36 PM CEST matteob8, 08 Aug 2009 05:17 PM

    Very nice tutorial. I'm using Gimp 2.6.3 and there's some minor differences in the dialogs, e.g. in the "Selective Gaussian Blur" there 2 parameters "Blur radius" and "Max Delta". I made some experimentation to find a good result.

    Bye

  28. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Thu 03 Dec 2009 12:52:30 AM CET Anon, 03 Dec 2009 12:52 AM

    If you go to Wondows/dockableDialogs/Layers the second thing from the top is Opacity and you can just slide it to 50%... you can also use the box to change the mode and create a duplicate layer

    Thanks for the tut

  29. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Mon 14 Dec 2009 10:06:20 AM CET Raymond, 14 Dec 2009 10:06 AM

    I like What Ive learned so far and I have Archived a lot by using gimp please notify me when new things are out on gimp THANXX!

  30. http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/making-a-pencil-drawing-from-a-photo.html Fri 08 Jan 2010 03:08:26 AM CET Ibnu Zain, 08 Jan 2010 03:08 AM

    Great! Awesome! Thanks for the tutorial. I never guess that effect will be as easy like that :D thanks for sharing.

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