Photoshop Creative

This way of doing a sketch was inspired by Scott Kelby's 30sec sketch. I loved the technique but found the results a little too washed out for my taste. I prefer more vibrant colours.

1 Open your photo.
2 Control + J twice.
3 Close the eye in the top and bottom layers, select the middle layer.
4 Control + Shift + U to remove colour.
5 Control + J, then Control + I to inverse. Your image will look like a negative.
6 Change the Blend Mode to Colour Dodge. Your layer will appear to be all White, we'll fix that with the next step.
7 Go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur, Scott recommends taking the slider all the way to the left and then slowly moving it to the right until you have clean dark lines. I like to increase it quite a lot to give a result more like a photo. This is a question of personal taste. When you are happy click OK.
8 Select the top layer and open the eye. Reduce the opacity to 30 to 40%, again a matter of taste,
9 Now we come to my variation to add more colour.
We are going to create a Stamp Visible layer. It's very easy, now I use Elements 5 or 6 and just have to make sure the top layer is selected. In earlier versions I believe that you have to create a new blank layer at the top of your layer stack. Then you hold Control + Shift + Alt + E. This creates a layer image of all your visible layers combined and still retains your layers.
Now in PE 5 or 6 go to Enhance - Adjust Colour - Colour Variations, in earlier versions you will have to Control + U and adjust the Hue and saturation.. the only two that I change are Midtones and saturation. How much, again it's up to you. When you are happy, click OK.
If you wish you can Go Filters - Texture and add a texture.

That's it, have included a screen shot to show what it all looks like when you are doing it.
Kev.

Thanks Kev, I will try it today and post . Hopefully our posting will be back up and running

Suzi,
thanks, hope you like it when you've tried it.
Kev.

Kev, I have tried everything and I can't get the inverted layer to turn white..any suggestions. I am following waht you have written exactly. But your screenshot shows an extra layer

Suzi,
which layer do you think is extra?
I will go and try following my tut to see what happens.
Kev.

Suzi,
I've just followed my tut very carefully, step by step and it works perfectly.
Remember that when you have made the two duplicates you will have 3 layers. You must close the eye on the top and bottom layer, especially the top layer, or this layer will cover what you are trying to do.
Hope this helps.
Kev.

I did that Kev, the only way I could get the layer all white was to duplicate the desaturated layer, invert that layer and use color dodge on that layer. Oh shoot, Kev just read yours again and saw the control-j

Suzi,
don't feel , we've all done something similar.
Hope it works for you now.
Kev

Kev - it's Saturday, and once again I don't want to clean my house, so I thought I'd try your sketch tut instead. Here's what I came up with (before and after):

Kev, I did three different versions
first one yours to the letter
second one I dulpicated the inverted layer and changed blend to either multiply or luminoscity
third one i finished off with Christell's paint tut