Charcoal Sketch With Some Colored Pencil Effect

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This tutorial is to help you learn how to convert a normal photo into a realistic charcoal drawing, and then how to add some colored pencil in just the places you choose to.  This can create a really artistic effect and viewers will wonder how it was done.  Ok, once you have your picture open in photoshop:

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1. Copy the Background Layer so you have two of the exact same photos on different layers.  (Layer>Duplicate Layer).

2. On the upper layer (the copy you just created) Apply a Chalk and Charcoal Sketch Filter (Filter>Sketch>Chalk and Charcoal).  And be sure to use some settings similar to these:
Charcoal Area:  13
Chalk Area:  4
Stroke Pressure:  1

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3. Then add a Reveal All Mask to the upper layer that you just applied the filer to (Layer>Add Layer Mask>Reveal All).

4. Then pick a big soft paintbrush and lower the opacity to around 20%.

5. Then (with the layer mask selected) simply paint brush the color black anywhere on the photo where you would like to add some colored pencil.

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For different photos, the process and amount of adjustment won’t be exactly the same.  But experiment with this technique and you can make amazing realistic looking hand drawn art pieces.

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For Further Training on Photo Effects:

Check out this best-selling eBook on how to do amazing photography tricks and photoshop effects. It can be found here: Trick Photography and Special Effects

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