How to convert an image to line art using Photoshop

Photoshop is a powerful tool that can help with any kind of graphic purpose, such as creating, painting, and editing a picture. Converting an image to line art using it is very easy without using Brush tracing or using the Pen.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Opening an Image File in Photoshop

Convert an Image Into a Line Drawing Using Photoshop Step 1

Step 1. Launch Photoshop

To launch Photoshop, double-click on its shortcut on the Desktop. This applies to all versions of Photoshop. Wait for the program to start.

If your desktop does not have a Photoshop shortcut, find it in the list of programs and click on the corresponding icon in this list.
If you don't already have Photoshop installed on your computer, you can use the trial version from Adobe's website. You can find out more about this in the corresponding article.

Convert an Image Into a Line Drawing Using Photoshop Step 2

Step 2. Open the image in Photoshop

To do this, in Photoshop, go to the Menu at the top of the screen and choose File. Select “Open” from the dropdown menu and a browser window should appear.

Find the file and then click “Open”. The corresponding image will be opened in Photoshop, and the file name will be displayed in the document window

Part 2 of 3: Preparing the image

Convert an Image Into a Line Drawing Using Photoshop Step 3

Step 1. Unlock the image layer

If you open a JPEG file, its layer is locked; this means you cannot move it. You need to unlock it using the "Layers" panel, which is located on the left side of the screen, by double clicking on the "Background" layer.

A pop-up window will appear; just click “OK”.
You can also change the filename from “Layer 0” to whatever you like.

Convert an Image Into a Line Drawing Using Photoshop Step 4

Step 2. Duplicate the layer

To do this, go to the Layers panel, right click on the layer of your image and choose Duplicate Layer.

A pop-up window will appear; change the name of the layer to "Background copy" and click "OK"

Convert an Image Into a Line Drawing Using Photoshop Step 5

Step 3. Lock the original layer to avoid changes to it

For editing, you only need to use a duplicate layer. Go to the original image layer or the background layer in the panel and click on the lock icon.

Part 3 of 3: Converting an Image to Line Art

Convert an Image Into a Line Drawing Using Photoshop Step 6

Step 1. Change the color mode of the duplicate layer from "Normal" to "Dodge"

Go to the Layers panel. You can find the color mode at the top of the layers, its default value is “Normal”. If you click on it, a list of other modes will appear; select “Color Dodge”.

Your image may look overly contrasting if both layers are visible

Convert an Image Into a Line Drawing Using Photoshop Step 7

Step 2. Invert the color image of the duplicate layer “Background copy.” The keyboard shortcut for inverting colors in Windows is CTRL + I; for Mac users this is CMD + I.

Alternatively, you can select "Image" from the Menu Bar at the top of the screen. The "Invert" option is in the "Adjustments" section.
The image will turn black and white.

Convert an Image Into a Line Drawing Using Photoshop Step 8

Step 3. Apply the "Gaussian Blur" filter

On the Menu Bar go to "Filter", select "Blur" and then "Gaussian Blur".

The image will look like a sketch with a few colors

Convert an Image Into a Line Drawing Using Photoshop Step 9

Step 4. Change the radius between 10 and 20 pixels depending on your image

Just make sure it looks like a sketchy drawing.

Convert an Image Into a Line Drawing Using Photoshop Step 10

Step 5. Create a Background / Saturation layer on the Adjustments layer

You can add an Adjustment layer from the Menu or using the "Layers" panel.

The Adjustment Layer is at the bottom of the Layers panel. It's a circle icon next to the Vector Mask.
In the "Adjustment Layer" section, select "Hue / Saturation". A new layer will appear in the layers panel.
You can also find the Adjustment layer on the Menu Bar under the "Layer" section. In the "Layer" section, select "New Adjustment" and click on "Hue / Saturation".
The Adjustments layer properties will appear in the Palette panel, which is located on the right side of the screen.

Convert an Image Into a Line Drawing Using Photoshop Step 11

Step 6. Set the Saturation value to -100 to turn the image into line art

Move the Saturation arrow in the Background / Saturation properties and you will notice that the image turns black and white. It will become more like a pencil drawing.

Convert an Image Into a Line Drawing Using Photoshop Step 12

Step 7. Save your line art

Ready! The image now looks like a hand-drawn line art. You can now save it as a Photoshop file or as an image file

Save the image as a Photoshop file, press CTRL + S (or CMD + S for Mac).
To save the image in a different format and / or with a different file name, press SHIFT + CTRL + S (or SHIFT + CMD + S for Mac). In the Save As field, select the format in which you want to save the file and enter a file name in the text field above the Save As field.