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lil cactus

How to turn a photo into a pencil sketch

Beginner7 minutesUpdated

Quick answer

In Lil Cactus, duplicate the photo with Layer then Duplicate Layer and choose Image then Adjustments then Desaturate. Duplicate that gray copy, choose Image then Adjustments then Invert, and set its Blend mode to Color Dodge. Apply Filter then Blur then Gaussian Blur… at Radius 9 px for the sample, then add Layer then New Adjustment Layer then Levels… with the left input value at 160 and click Apply to strengthen the lines. Export with File then Export then PNG… and keep the layers with File then Save As then Lil Cactus Project…

A color photograph of a cottage, hills, sheep and a stone wall, compared with a grayscale pencil-style sketch of the same scene
The cottage, hills and foreground texture become lines on white paper. Drag the handle to compare.
Time
7 minutes
Level
Beginner
You need
An opaque photo
Works with
JPG, PNG and WebP photos
Open the sample in Lil CactusUse your own photo

Free, no sign-up. Your photo stays on your computer.

This method combines a grayscale photo with a softened negative, a copy with light and dark reversed. Color Dodge, a lightening blend mode, turns that pair into pale paper and dark edges. A Levels adjustment makes the lines stronger.

Make a pencil sketch in seven steps

  1. Open the photo

    Open the sample from this page, or choose File then Open… for your own photo.

  2. Make a grayscale working copy

    Choose Layer then Duplicate Layer, then Image then Adjustments then Desaturate. The gray copy sits above the untouched color original.

    Layers panel showing the selected grayscale Background copy above the color Background, with the entire copy row ringed
    Work on the copy; keep the original at the bottom.

  3. Duplicate the gray copy and invert it

    With the gray copy selected, choose Layer then Duplicate Layer again, then Image then Adjustments then Invert. Desaturate and Invert both apply at once, without a dialog.

    Three-layer stack with the selected inverted Background copy copy row ringed above a grayscale copy and original
    The top copy is the negative; the middle copy stays gray.

  4. Set the top copy to Color Dodge

    Keep the inverted top copy selected. In Layers, set Blend mode to Color Dodge and leave Opacity at 100%.

    Layers panel with the entire selected inverted-copy row, complete Color Dodge blend mode control and Opacity 100 percent control ringed
    Apply Color Dodge to the inverted copy.

  5. Blur the negative to reveal lines

    Choose Filter then Blur then Gaussian Blur… Set Radius to 9 px for the sample, click Apply and wait for the dialog to close.

    Gaussian Blur dialog with the complete Radius 9 px control and Apply button ringed
    Blurring the negative reveals the sketch.

  6. Strengthen the pale lines with Levels

    Choose Layer then New Adjustment Layer then Levels… Leave Channel on RGB. In the left number box under the histogram, the input black value, enter 160, then click Apply and wait for the dialog to close.

    Levels dialog with complete RGB channel selector, left input black value 160 and Apply button ringed
    The black input makes the pale linework darker while white stays white.

  7. Export the sketch and keep the layers

    Choose File then Export then PNG…, enter pencil-sketch.png in File name and click Export.

    Before you save a project, File then Save writes back into the JPEG you opened, flattened, and the first JPEG save opens Save Image. Use File then Save As then Lil Cactus Project… to keep the original, both working copies and the Levels adjustment; after that, File then Save updates the project. Export always makes a separate image file.

    Whole File name field and label ringed, showing pencil-sketch.png
    Name the image copy.
    Complete Export button ringed beside Cancel in the export footer
    Export the finished sketch.

Change the blur amount after applying it

Gaussian Blur is applied to the top photo copy’s pixels here. Saving the layers does not retain an editable Radius setting.

To try another amount later, select the blurred negative, Background copy copy in the sample, and choose Layer then Delete Layer. Select the gray Background copy beneath it and repeat steps 3–5 with a different Radius. Leave the Levels adjustment above the copies.

Four-layer stack with the whole blurred-negative row and whole grayscale-copy row ringed under Levels
Replace the blurred negative from the unchanged gray copy.

Compare with the original

Turn off the eyes beside Levels and both working copies. The bottom color photo shows again. Turn the three eyes back on to restore the sketch.

Four-layer stack with visibility buttons for Levels and both working copies ringed, plus the Levels adjustment thumbnail
The three eyes compare with the original. The Levels thumbnail reopens the contrast setting.

What to do next

Photo-to-sketch effects: questions and answers

Why does my photo turn white before Gaussian Blur?

That is expected in Lil Cactus at this stage. The grayscale photo and its unblurred negative cancel most shading under Color Dodge. Apply Gaussian Blur to the negative to reveal the lines.

Can I make a pencil sketch from my own photo?

Yes. In Lil Cactus, open your photo in step 1 and use the Gaussian Blur preview to choose a line weight that suits it.

Why does my pencil-sketch layer still look like a negative?

In Lil Cactus, select the inverted copy and set its Blend mode to Color Dodge, as in step 4. Keep the gray copy visible directly below it.

Does PNG make the sketch’s white background transparent?

No. This Lil Cactus workflow produces an opaque grayscale picture, including its white paper. PNG keeps those white pixels.

Can I change the pencil-sketch contrast after saving the project?

Yes. In Lil Cactus, double-click the Levels adjustment thumbnail, the half-filled circle, to reopen its settings. Change the left input value and click Apply.

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