Making Charcoal "sketches"

R
Posted By
RegisDale
Feb 1, 2004
Views
708
Replies
9
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Closed
I can’t figure out how to change portrait photos of people to decent looking charcoal sketches of people. They end up being far to dark – almost like negatives. How can I prepare the photo to make it end up looking like a decent charcoal sketch? Any advice?

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R
Ray
Feb 1, 2004
Regis,

Open image,
duplicate layer (just for reference), and work on duplicate.

Enhance / adjuste color / Remove color
Filter / Stylize/ Find Edges
Image / Adjustment / Invert
Filter / Sketch / Charcoal
Image / Adjustment / Posterize, 6 levels.

If it’s not what you desire, at least, I think, it’s a good start.

Ray
JC
Jane_Carter
Feb 1, 2004
Hi Ray, I love your tutorials, and others that people put on the forum,,,,here are 3 of mine. <http://www.pbase.com/image/25676643>
Jane
JF
Jodi_Frye
Feb 2, 2004
Jane, very cool ! Have you ever seen those little photo booths in the Shopping malls where you sit in there and have your pics taken ? Well about a month ago we saw one that did ‘ sketches ‘ of the people instead of photographs and they looked alot like the ones you posted…same style I mean…I’m pretty sure it’s some sort of Photoshop action going on in there behind the scenes. 😉
SS
Susan_S.
Feb 2, 2004
Trouble with charcoal sketches is that different people do them very differently – and they are a beast to get realistic from photographs. This one
<http://www.users.on.net/sestewart/IMG_3063copy.jpg>

looks something like one of my charcoal sketches (only rather more accomplished – I suck at drawing portraits!) – when I’m drawing with charcoal I tend to use a lot of directional lines and smudging to draw in the tones rather than the linear style that Ray’s method would give you….

I’m not sure if I could replicate this if wanted to! – I started by removing the colour, lightening the image, duplicating the layer then adding some noise and motion blurring (to give the impression of directional strokes), then setting the blending mode of this layer to vivid light – which really increases the contrast. Then I flattened, duplicated the layer, and applied the chalk and charcoal filter – and reduced the opacity of this top layer a bit and merged down…(then I stoped taking notes and as I tried things and went back I’m not quite sure what happened!) – there was some manual smudging using the smudge tool, a posterise at about 9 or ten levels, some highlights added back by hand using a chalk brush, and finally a texturiser filter using the sandstone filter to imitate the texture of rough paper…..

NB One thing, you always have to be careful using the sketch filters (particualrly charcoal and charcoal and chalk) that you have the default colours set or you can get some very odd results.
TF
Terri_Foster
Feb 2, 2004
Jane and Susan, those are awesome. I have wanted a filter that does exactly what Jane did with her photos. Looks like I don’t have to look any further than my original filter package and Ray’s charcoal tip! Thanks, Ray.

Terri
JC
Jane_Carter
Feb 2, 2004
I did a lot of them and they all come out very different! I just posted these 3, as they had color. This is so much fun! We could make 100 of them and they would all come out very different from each other.
I just fire the filters at them! Make more layers and use the blending modes too. I use all the PSE filters and then I try some of the EyeCandy and the Flaming Pear ones and more. We do have to remember that I am still only 10 months into PSE, so my results tend to be *very erratic and odd*, but it is one whole lot of fun!
Ray sets my imagination going with the tutorials, and everybody else here with their suggestions too.
Fun—thanks, Jane

PS If I didnt have to cook dinner and watch our hometown football team play in Texas, I would have a lot more posted, but thats life,,,,,,
J
SK
Shan_Ko
Feb 2, 2004
Jane,

Love your images. The third one especially should be printed and framed.

Shan
SK
Shan_Ko
Feb 2, 2004
Susan and Ray,

Thank you for your tutorials. Will experiment when I find suitable images among my junk pile.

Shan
R
Ray
Feb 2, 2004
Jane, the last one is totally cool!!! Neon like effect 😉

Ray
P.S. I just completed my writing… I will be more present on this board, finally !

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