Colouring Book

[Billc1952]

I have some photographs that I would like to delete all the colours and just leave edges to create a Colouring Book effect so I can can print them for my wife to paint.

I have searched to see if I can work this out but to no avail. I am a new user to Photo so please tell me if I have missed a tutorial or method?

[Gabe]

Hi @Billc1952,

Welcome to the forums.

We do not have a tutorial for this, but you can try the following:

• Desaturate your image - Layer > Adjustment Layer > HSL
• Duplicate the layer
• Invert the duplicate ( Layer - invert )
• Change the blending mode to colour dodge
• Apply gaussian blur FX on this top layer. Adjust the radius until you're happy with the result. 
• Apply Levels adjustment if needed on top of everything. 

Thanks,

Gabe.

[Gnobelix]

Hello Billc in 1952,
GabrielM showed you the procedure, how you should proceed
User R C-R has created a macro for Pencil Sketch. (click here)
or watch the video from Affinity Revelution. (click here)
I hope it helps.

 

Cheers

[toltec]

The results will always depend on what is in the images but another thing you try if you want more of an "edges" effect. The pencil sketch effect might leave in too much grey.

 

I used this image because the black in the bodies makes it a very difficult subject. 

 

Go Filters > Detect > Detect Edges

 

Invert the layer, Layer > Invert

 

Adjust the levels. Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels.

 

 

Apply a threshold adjustment. Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Threshold

And adjust until you like the result. The slider makes quite a difference to the output.

This is just one outcome, you will need to experiment until you find something you like. Or not!

 A different setting.

Not too bad for a difficult image. Paint out a little bit of the black if you really want to.

 

This is the result from following the pencil sketch approach for comparison. Probably too much grey for your purpose?

 

As I said, it will depend on the image.

[Billc1952]

Awesome responses everyone. I will give you suggestions a try. Thanks again

Bill

[John Rostron]

Digital Camera Magazine recently offered Sketch Drawer for free so I downloaded it. I tried it on @toltec's Penguin picture and it looked like this: 

Not all that different from @toltec's final  image. I would have like to have said that getting this in Sketch Drawer was dead simple, but it was not. It involved a great deal of trial and error and a fiddly interface. I probably would not have bought it at the current price, but since it was free, I may try it on other images. 

The free offer is now over, it you want to try it, it is available from here.

 

[toltec]

21 minutes ago, John Rostron said:

 Not all that different from @toltec's final  image. I would have like to have said that getting this in Sketch Drawer was dead simple, but it was not. It involved a great deal of trial and error and a fiddly interface.

 

It would be interesting to see if rather than using a Threshold adjustment, maybe Levels followed by Black and white would match the Sketch Drawer result. I am not on a PC at the moment, so can’t try.

I must say it was very easy to do in Photo. The hardest thing was knowing which result to go for.

[gdenby]

Here's my go at a process. Hope the brief description of the steps suffices.

Load image
Denoise, denoise, ...

Duplicate image, shift +2 pixels
set blend to difference
Merge visible

Duplicate image, shift -2 pixels
set blend to difference
Merge visible

Turn off image copies

Change 2nd difference merged layer to add
Merge visible

Adjust HSL, desaturate
Invert adjustment, hard mix blend
Brightness/Contrast to reduce remnant grays
FloodFill w. black, which the invert adjustment turns white.

Depending on the image, slight variations to the adjustments will be needed. If its B&W to begin, obviously no need to desaturate.

 

[abbylady]

Thanks, I will try these methods