Photo to Sketch

The classic pencil-sketch look comes from blending a grayscale image with an inverted, blurred copy of itself — the same "color dodge" trick artists' software uses. Fine detail traces sharp edges like pencil lines; more blur gives softer, shaded pencil strokes. Portraits and high-contrast photos convert best.

For old family photos, restore them first so the sketch traces clean detail rather than scratches and noise — then turn a beautifully restored portrait into a keepsake sketch.