Trace an Image Using Photoshop

If you love to make line art, but are calligraphically challenged, take heart: Photoshop makes it easy for you do create flawless line drawings by tracing. We'll show you how to take an existing image and create your own version that you can adapt, modify and improve for yourself! The methods here will work on both a PC and a Mac, and all versions of Photoshop (or any graphics application that supports Bezier curves).

Steps

  1. Open an image you want to trace. For practice, you can grab any image you like from the Internet, scan something yourself, or to follow along with this tutorial, use our sample image by Control-clicking here. (Command-click on a Macintosh). Save the image to your computer where you can find it easily.
  2. Open Photoshop. Check the interface to make sure both the Layers window and the Paths window are visible.
  3. There are two ways to accomplish the next step, which is to place your image on top of a plain white layer:
    • Make a new blank file in Photoshop (or any other image editing program that supports Bezier curves).
    • Set your image size to match the image you have chosen to trace. For this tutorial, set your image size to 5" x 7" at 300 dpi, with a white background.
    • Open your chosen image. It will appear as a second layer named "Layer 1," above the layer named Background.
    • Double-click on the image thumbnail in the Layers window, and in the resulting dialog, change the name to "Original Image."
  4. Try this alternate method when necessary. Open the original image in Photoshop without creating a new document first. This is useful when you want to capture the size and dpi of the original, though it takes a couple extra steps to prepare.
    • Right-click on the Background layer thumbnail, and choose Layer from Background... In the resulting dialog, change the name to "Original Image."
    • Create a new layer by clicking on the "Create a new layer" button.
    • Drag the new layer so that it is below the layer "Original Image."
  5. Click to select the layer "Original Image." Change the opacity of Original Image to 50% or so. This will "gray out" the image making your new copy lines easier to see.
  6. Select the zoom tool (Z). Click and hold in the center of the image you want to zoom in on, and move your mouse to adjust the size.
    • It does not matter how fuzzy the original might be, since you are creating your own new artwork and just using the original image as a guide. However, if your original is very tiny, you may want to rescale it before you copy (use Image|Size with "Resample" checked).
  7. Click on the Paths tab. Create a new path by clicking on the 'Create new path button at the bottom of the Paths window. Double click on it, and rename it. We've called it "Fishy" in this example.
  8. Select the Pen tool (P). Use the pen tool to trace over the key lines from the image you wish to copy, as follows:
    • Trace the primary image. For our example, start where the tail joins the body. Click and hold there to create an anchor point, then drag your mouse towards the fins. Control points will spring out from the click location. Release the mouse about where shown, here:
    • Create a second anchor point under the dorsal fins, and drag to the right, as shown. The key with tracing is to use as few anchors as possible, for the smoothest lines.
    • Note that as you create these anchor points, you'll see the Bezier curve between them. In the end, we want this curve to match the outline of the drawing, but it's not necessary to get it perfect on the first pass. It's easier and faster to clean up the lines using the Direct Selection tool, which we'll cover below.
    • Add another anchor point at the tip of the nose, and another where the nose becomes the smile. You will notice at this point that you can finish the smile, or continue drawing the body. We're going to continue outlining the body, but as you can see, there is a sharp turn between the smile and the rest of the body. To break the Bezier curve at this point, Alt-click (Option-click) on the left control point. The cursor will turn into an inverted V. Pull it down the control point so that the line aligns with the body:
    • Finish tracing the main body of the fish. To make very tight corners, such as the middle of the tail, simply click once instead of clicking and dragging.
    • To close off the body path, click on the original anchor point. Don't worry if the end looks totally wrong: we'll fix that after we finish filling in the details.
    • To keep all the paths on the same Path layer, deselect, then re-select the same path before continuing. To create a new Path layer for each part, deselect the path, then start drawing with the pen tool. A new path, entitled Work Path, will be created. Be sure to double click on the path and rename it before continuing—work paths are only temporary.
  9. Add the details. First, using the same techniques of clicking, dragging, and using the Alt (Option) key to break the curves, trace out the top fins First, make sure the path "Fishy" is selected, then add the fins:
    • Continue, using the same process, to add the two bottom fins, the smile, the eyeball, and the pupil, until the whole fish is outlined.
  10. Clean up the curves. Chances are, the Bezier lines aren't exactly tracking the original outline of the fish. To clean these up, first select the Direct Selection tool (A) from the tool palette.
    • As you click on each anchor point, you'll see the handles on either end of the Bezier curve that control the shape of that curve. Adjust those so that the line matches the original line as closely as possible. Use the Alt (Option) key as needed to move a control point independently.
  11. Make it unique! Turn your tracing into your own brand new creation by moving the anchor points and handles around. Try making heads bigger or smaller, turning a smile into a frown, adding extra features—whatever tickles your fancy! You can also modify a Bezier curve by clicking on the line itself—as you drag, the handles on either end will adjust automatically.
  12. Draw it out. Once you have a basic path you like, you can turn it into a line drawing. Switch back to the Layer tab, and create a new layer above the Original Image layer.
  13. Select the Brush tool (B). From the brush menu, choose a round brush, set it to 5 pixels diameter (for the fishy example—use whatever size is appropriate for other drawings), and set the Hardness to 100.
  14. Switch back to the Paths tab. Select the Path Selection tool (A) (Make sure you choose the Path Selection, not Direct Selection tool. It's a black arrow rather than a white one).
    • Click on the line that defines the body of the fish, and select Stroke Sub Path.
    • In the resulting dialog window, make sure "Brush" is selected in the Tool menu. You can choose to simulate pressure or not. For this example, don't enable this option. You now have the outline of the fish!
    • Continue with each subpath you created—fins, mouth, and eyeball—selecting, right-clicking, and choosing Stroke Subpath for each one. Choose Fill Subpath for the pupil.
    • To clean up any lines, switch back to the Layer tab, and erase or trim whatever you don't like (or use the brush tool to add more details—even fill with color). When you're done, your fish should look something like this:
    • Use various brush sizes and types to make your cartoon more interesting.

Tips

  • Practice on easy images like the fish picture. When you learn to control the Bezier curves, you'll be able to do very complex editing, or make very sophisticated line art.
  • Look for other articles on how to paint, color and shade your line art cartoons.
  • Add captions for a variety of humorous situations.
  • Create a library of objects and characters that you can build and grow.
  • If you do a lot of line art, you might find a tool like Illustrator to be much better for your needs.
  • Get inspiration from a variety of different sources, adapt and improve - make it your own!
  • Submit to your local school letter, newspaper, society group etc. People are always looking for amusing additions to liven up their publications, especially if you provide it for free!
  • For any public distribution, whether free or paid, be sure that any images you use are yours or you have permission from the copyright holder. Copying original works—even if you modify them—is still a violation of the copyright laws.
  • You can also use photographs to create very realistic looking line art, like this 8 track cartridge made in a few minutes with the above steps.

Warnings

  • Know and respect the copyrights of the original artwork owners.
  • Don't just copy other people's work (where's the fun in that?).

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