trace an image using photoshop

How to Trace an Image Using Photoshop[1]

Edited by DaveJTaylor, Monica, Martyn P, FlaminPunkMonkey and 26 others

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

Steps

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Open an image you want to trace. For practice, you can grab any image you likefrom the Internet, scan something yourself, or to follow along with this tutorial, useour sample image by Control-clicking here[3]. (Command-click on a Macintosh). Savethe image to your computer where you can find it easily.

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http://www.wikihow.com/Trace-an-Image-Using-Photoshop

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Open Photoshop. Check the interface to make sure both the Layers window and thePaths window are visible.There are two ways to accomplish the next step, which is to place your image ontop of a plain white layer:

Make a new blank file in Photoshop (or any other image editing program thatsupports 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," abovethe layer named Background.Double-click on the image thumbnail in the Layers window, and in the resultingdialog, change the name to "Original Image."

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Try this alternate method when necessary. Open the original image in Photoshopwithout creating a new document first. This is useful when you want to capture thesize and dpi of the original, though it takes a couple extra steps to prepare.

Right-click on the Background layer thumbnail, and choose Layer fromBackground... In the resulting dialog, change the name to "Original Image."Create a new layer by clicking on the "Create a new layer" button.

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[5]Drag the new layer so that it is below the layer "Original Image."

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Click to select the layer "Original Image." Change the opacity of Original Image to50% or so. This will "gray out" the image making your new copy lines easier to see.

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Select the zoom tool (Z). Click and hold in the center of the image you want to zoomin on, and move your mouse to adjust the size.

It does not matter how fuzzy the original might be, since you are creating yourown new artwork and just using the original image as a guide. However, if youroriginal is very tiny, you may want to rescale it before you copy (use Image|Sizewith "Resample" checked).

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Click on the Paths tab. Create a new path by clicking on the 'Create new path buttonat the bottom of the Paths window. Double click on it, and rename it. We've called it"Fishy" in this example.

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Select the Pen tool (P). Use the pen tool to trace over the key lines from the imageyou 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 thefins. Control points will spring out from the click location. Release the mouseabout where shown, here:

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[10]Create a second anchor point under the dorsal fins, and drag to the right, asshown. The key with tracing is to use as few anchors as possible, for the smoothestlines.

[11]Note that as you create these anchor points, you'll see the Bezier curve betweenthem. In the end, we want this curve to match the outline of the drawing, but it'snot necessary to get it perfect on the first pass. It's easier and faster to clean up thelines using the Direct Selection tool, which we'll cover below.Add another anchor point at the tip of the nose, and another where the nosebecomes the smile. You will notice at this point that you can finish the smile, orcontinue drawing the body. We're going to continue outlining the body, but as youcan see, there is a sharp turn between the smile and the rest of the body. To breakthe 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 theline aligns with the body:


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[12]Finish tracing the main body of the fish. To make very tight corners, such as themiddle of the tail, simply click once instead of clicking and dragging.

[13]To close off the body path, click on the original anchor point. Don't worry if theend looks totally wrong: we'll fix that after we finish filling in the details.

[14]To keep all the paths on the same Path layer, deselect, then re-select the samepath before continuing. To create a new Path layer for each part, deselect the path,then start drawing with the pen tool. A new path, entitledWork Path, will becreated. Be sure to double click on the path and rename it before continuingworkpaths are only temporary.

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Add the details. First, using the same techniques of clicking, dragging, and using theAlt (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, theeyeball, and the pupil, until the whole fish is outlined.

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Clean up the curves. Chances are, the Bezier lines aren't exactly tracking the originaloutline of the fish. To clean these up, first select the Direct Selection tool[17] (A) fromthe tool palette.

As you click on each anchor point, you'll see the handles on either end of theBezier curve that control the shape of that curve. Adjust those so that the linematches the original line as closely as possible. Use the Alt (Option) key as neededto move a control point independently.

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Make it unique! Turn your tracing into your own brand new creation by moving theanchor points and handles around. Try making heads bigger or smaller, turning asmile into a frown, adding extra featureswhatever tickles your fancy! You can alsomodify a Bezier curve by clicking on the line itselfas you drag, the handles on eitherend will adjust automatically.

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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.Select the Brush tool (B). From the brush menu, choose a round brush, set it to 5pixels diameter (for the fishy exampleuse whatever size is appropriate for otherdrawings), and set the Hardness to 100.

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Switch back to the Paths tab. Select the Path Selection tool (A) (Make sure youchoose the Path Selection, not Direct Selection tool. It's a black arrow rather than awhite one).

Click on the line that defines the body of the fish, and select Stroke Sub Path.

[19]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 thisoption. You now have the outline of the fish!

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http://www.wikihow.com/Trace-an-Image-Using-Photoshop1.http://www.wikihow.com/Image:FishHeart_585.png2.http://www.wikihow.com/images/7/7f/FishHeart_585.png3.http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Photoshop-layers-and-paths.jpg4.http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Photoshop-create-a-new-layer.jpg5.http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Drag-layer-1-below-original-image.jpg6.http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Photoshop-50%25-opacity.jpg7.http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Sized-fish.jpg8.http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Photoshop-New-Path.jpg9.http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Start-at-tail.jpg10.http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Top-of-fish.jpg11.http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Sharp-turn-1.jpg12.

[20]Continue with each subpath you createdfins, mouth, and eyeballselecting,right-clicking, and choosing Stroke Subpath for each one. Choose Fill Subpathfor the pupil.To clean up any lines, switch back to the Layer tab, and erase or trim whatever youdon't like (or use the brush tool to add more detailseven fill with color). Whenyou're done, your fish should look something like this:

[21]Use various brush sizes and types to make your cartoon more interesting.


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http://www.wikihow.com/Image:One-click.jpg13.http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Last-click.jpg14.http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Fishy-finpath.jpg15.http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Directselection-tool.jpg16.http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Adobe-Photoshop-Tools17.http://www.wikihow.com/Image:New-layer.jpg18.http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Stroke-subpath.jpg19.http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Fish-outlined.jpg20.http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Grouchfish.jpg21.


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trace an image using photoshop

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