Edit
Photo to sketch
Pencil on paper, in a click.
Turn a photo into a pencil sketch, in graphite grey or colour pencil, with the detail and darkness you choose.
How did this tool do?
Good to know
How a photo becomes a pencil sketch
The effect works the way a classic darkroom trick does. The photo is turned grey, a blurred negative of it is made, and the two are combined so that flat areas turn paper-white while edges, where brightness changes quickly, stay dark. What's left looks like graphite lines on paper, drawn exactly where the photo has detail.
Detail sets how wide that blur is. Fine keeps hatching, hair and texture, which suits close-up portraits and pets. Bold keeps only strong outlines, which suits buildings, products and faces you want to look clean. Darkness then deepens the strokes: raise it when a light or low-contrast photo comes out faint.
Colour turns graphite into colour pencil. At zero the lines are grey; as you raise it, each stroke takes the colour of the photo underneath, so a red coat is drawn in red. The paper stays white either way.
Photos with a clear subject and even light make the best sketches. Busy backgrounds turn into scribble, so crop to the subject first, and very dark photos benefit from a little brightness before you start. The sketch keeps the photo's full size, so it prints as sharply as the original.
Where you'll meet it
Portraits and pets
A pencil version of a favourite photo, to print or share.
Colouring pages
Bold detail turns a photo into outlines to colour in.
Art references
See where the edges and shadows fall before you draw.
Guide
How to use it
- 01Drop your photos.
- 02Set Detail for fine or bold lines, and Darkness for how heavy the pencil is. Add Colour for a colour-pencil look.
- 03Tap Sketch and download.
Good to know
Questions, answered
Which photos make the best sketches?
Photos with a clear subject and good light: portraits, pets, buildings and objects. Very dark or busy photos turn into a lot of scribble, so crop to the subject first.
How do I get cleaner outlines?
Move Detail up. The lines get bolder and the fine texture drops away, which suits faces and simple shapes.
Can I keep the colours?
Yes. Raise Colour and the lines take the photo's own colours, like a colour-pencil drawing. At zero it's graphite grey.
Are my images uploaded?
No. Everything happens in your browser, so your images never leave your device — not even for a moment.