How to Convert Graphics to Line Art

Many graphic designers today work primarily in digital formats, creating graphics from scratch directly on computers. While this has opened up new possibilities for designers, it also carries some restrictions that traditional media do not. One such restriction is a lack of line art, which is usually a vital step in traditional media but can be omitted entirely in computer graphics. Fortunately, line art can be created after the fact from a graphic file.

Things You'll Need

• Adobe Photoshop
• Graphic in digital format

Instructions

1. Open the graphic file in Photoshop.

2. Duplicate the background layer. To do this, open the Layers window, and drag the icon of the layer named "Background" to the New Layer icon at the bottom of the window. The result should be two identical layers, each containing the graphic, named "Background" and "Background Copy." Select the "Background Copy" layer by clicking it.

3. Change the document's foreground color to pure black. To do this, find the foreground and background colors in the tools window (they will look like two squares, one overlapping the other, and by default are set to black and white) and click on the small double-headed arrow pointing between the two. You can also use the key command Ctrl + D (or Command + D if you are using a Mac computer).

4. Apply the High Pass filter by selecting the Filter menu, then "Other," then "High Pass." Set the radius as low as you can while still being able to see the image; the exact amount will vary depending on the graphic.

5. Apply the Note Paper filter by selecting the Filter menu, then "Sketch," then "Note Paper." Set graininess and relief to zero and image balance to 24 or 25, depending on which looks better with your graphic.

6. Darken the lines of the graphic. To do this, select the Image menu, then "Adjustments," then "Threshold," and adjust the slider until the graphic appears black and white instead of grey.

7. Remove any unwanted black pixels by Selecting the Pencil tool, setting the foreground color to white (click the double-headed arrow again), and clicking them individually.

References

• lunacore.com: Photo to Line Drawing Tutorial