How to Make Silhouettes With a Copier

Turn an image into a silhouette using a copy machine.

A silhouette consists of a black shape on a white background and creates a simple graphic representation of a person, symbol or item. To turn an ordinary image into a silhouette, you increase the contrast between the light background and shaded foreground until the background disappears. Since few copy machines utilize a "Contrast" setting, you manually increase the contrast by increasing and decreasing the brightness in succession.

Instructions

1. Open the lid of the copy machine. Place the paper the contains an image on the copy machine with the image side facing the glass.

2. Close the lid of the copy machine.

3. Press the "Copy" button.

4. Alter the settings using the scroll bar or arrows. Scroll to "Black and White" and press the "OK" or "Select" button. Scroll to "Intensity" or "Brightness" and increase the brightness.

5. Press the "Copy" button to copy the image. Look at the copied image to determine the visibility of the silhouette. For a proper silhouette, the image needs a white background and black foreground. Determine which portion of the image requires the greater change.

6. Lift the lid of the copier and remove the original image. Place the copied image on the glass and close the lid. Press the "Copy" button and select the "Settings" option. Scroll to the "Brightness" or "Intensity" setting. If the image needs a lighter background, increase the brightness. If the image needs a darker foreground, decrease the brightness. Press "Copy."

7. Continue copying new versions of the image until the image displays a silhouette.

Tips & Warnings

• Alternatively, cut the image from the copy machine using a pair of scissors. Place a white paper behind the image and copy it to create a simple silhouette.

References

• G5: Sharp Copy Machine Manual
• Pepperdine University: Copier Guide
• PC World: Make Silhouette from Photos

Resources

• Silhouette Clip Art