Content

• Steps
• Warning

This wikiHow teaches you how to use Adobe Photoshop to stroke (trace) your photos on a Windows or Mac computer.

Steps

Part 1 of 2: Preparing photos for focusing

1. 

   Open the photo you want to trace in Photoshop. When Photoshop is open, click File (File) in the menu bar at the top of the screen, click Open ... (Open ...) and select an image.

2. 

   
   
   Click Layer (Class) in the menu bar.

3. 

   Click Duplicate Layer ... (Duplicate the layer…) then click OK.
   • You can also give another name to the new layer, otherwise the layer will be named "copy."

4. 

   
   
   Click on the duplicated layer in the "Layers" window in the lower right part of the screen.

5. 

   
   
   Click the field "Opacity:"(Transparency) in the top right of the Layers window.

6. 

   
   
   Set 50% transparency.

7. 

   
   
   Click the padlock icon at the top of the Layers window to lock the layer.

8. 

   Click Layer in the menu bar.

9. 

   
   
   Click new (New) and then click Layer ....

10. 

    Name the new layer "Tracing" then click OK.

11. 

    
    
    Click on the layer labeled "Background" in the Layers window.

12. 

    Press the key combination Ctrl+← Backspace (PC) or ⌘+Delete (Mac). The layer will be filled with a white background.
    • You should now have three layers in the layout window: The "Tracing" layer at the top; The layer is locked with your photo in the middle and the white bottom layer. If the layers are not in this order, drag the mouse to arrange as in the order above.
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Part 2 of 2: Focusing on the image

1. 

   
   
   Click the "Tracing" layer at the top of the window.

2. 

   Click View (View) in the menu bar.

3. 

   
   
   Click 200% to enlarge the photo. Click Zoom In or Zoom Out in the drop-down menu View and set the image to the right size for easy focus.

4. 

   Choose a color for the stroke. Click the overlapping square button in the color menu on the top right of the screen, then click the color in the spectrum below the squares. Click in the remaining square and then click on a similar color.
   • Black and white are on the right side of the spectrum.

5. 

   Select a tool in the Tools menu on the left side of the window.
   • Pencil Tool: produces ink strokes of equal density and size from start to finish. This tool is suitable for going for small strokes at the end. The Pencil Tool is pencil-shaped and is near the second end of the tools menu. If you see a brush icon instead of a pencil, long-click on the brush shape, then click Pencil Tool.
   • Brush Tool: creates lighter and narrower lines at the end, darker in the middle. This tool is suitable if you want to go soft brush strokes. The Brush Tool has a brush icon and is near the top of the second part of the tools menu. If you see a pencil icon instead of a brush, long-click on the pencil icon and then click Brush Tool.
   • Pen Tool: Creates editable paths with anchor points that you can move or adjust. Pen Tool is suitable for objects that you want to change or refine a lot after creating strokes. Click the fountain pen icon below the text T in the tools menu to select the Pen Tool.

6. 

   Adjust the settings of the Pencil and Brush Tool in the upper left part of the window.
   • Click the drop-down box next to the tool icon to adjust the density and gradient (increase / decrease or hardness) of the stroke. The higher the gradient, the more the stroke looks like drawing with a real pencil or brush.
   • Click the folder icon to the right of the size menu to adjust the shape and characteristics of the brush or pencil.

7. 

   Adjust the Pen Tool settings in the upper left part of the window.
   • If you want to use the Pen Tool to create paths while stroking, click the drop-down box to the right of the icon and click. Path.

8. 

   Start to stroke. Use the mouse or the trackpad to move the tool over the line you want to tracing.
   • To use the Pencil and Brush tools, keep clicking and dragging the tool over the brush stroke. Release the mouse button to move the tool and start a new stroke.
   • To use the Pen Tool, you click and release the mouse vertically on the stroke of the image you want to trace, a line will appear between the start and end points. With highly detailed curves or lines, you'll need more clicks.

9. 

   Hide the original photo. To see your work, click the eye icon next to the middle layer (the layer containing the original photo). The original image will disappear, and the image you map on will appear on a white background.
   • Once done, click View in the menu bar, then click to select 100% to view the photo in actual size.

10. 

    Save photo. Click File in the menu bar and select Save As ... (Save as…). Then, give the file a name and click Save (Save). advertisement

Warning

• You need to understand and respect the copyrights of the owners of the original photos.
• Don't just go and copy other people's work.