How to Turn a Photo into a Pencil Sketch using Affinity Photo

Written by Ally Anderson

Step 1: Make a Duplicate Layer

Press Ctrl + J (PC) or Command + J (Mac) to duplicate the photo’s layer.

Step 2: Adjust the Duplicate Layer

Press Ctrl + I (PC) or Command + I (Mac) to invert the duplicate layer.

Inverting the layer will reverse the colors.

To blend this layer with the original photo layer, change the Blend Mode to Color Dodge.

At this point, the two layers should cancel each other out, making your whole document white.

Step 3: Apply a Gaussian Blur

With the top layer still selected, apply a Gaussian Blur filter.

As you increase the Radius slider, more of the photo will be revealed.

For this example, a radius around 3 pixels looks good.

Step 4: Remove the Color

To make this look more like a pencil sketch, the color needs to be removed. Apply an HSL adjustment.

Lower the Saturation slider to 0%.

Step 5: Make the Pencil Lines Darker

Apply a Levels adjustment.

Raise the Black Level slider to make the pencil lines darker.

Step 6: Remove Unwanted Pencil Lines

Add a new pixel layer, and select the Paint Brush.

With the color set to white, paint over any areas with unwanted pencil lines.

And now you’re done! I hope you enjoy your new pencil sketch photo. 😊