I have used this effect on several of the projects on this page. Line art or linocut
will give you the ability to create a look similar to a rubber stamp or engraving,
depending on the settings you use in the steps below.
Step 1: Open a color photograph. The photo to the left is the original that
will be worked on.
Step 2: Next, convert the color image to black and white by changing the mode
to grayscale. This will allow you to create the black and white line art effect
Step 3: Once you are in grayscale, go into the filter menu and select
Sharpen, then Unsharp Mask. From here, set the Amount to 500 percent, Threshold to zero.
The percentage you will be setting to the Radius will be critical in creating either a rubber
stamp effect or a more subtle engraving. The higher the number. the more it will look like
a rubber stamp. For this example I selected 25 percent.
Step 4: Next, choose Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to about
one quarter of what you set the radius in Unsharp Mask. This will slightly soften the
images rough edges. Don't blur it too much.
Step 5: Once you have blurred the image to your satisfaction, go back to Filter
"Sharpen" and use the Unsharp Mask again. You can use the same settings you used before
for a more dramatic look or reduce the Radius to a setting that pleases you. For this
example I decided to reduce the Radius down to ten percent.
At this point, this
can be your finished product. If you want to add back a little color, go to Step 6.
Step 6: I decided for this example I wanted to put some color back into the picture.
For this you will need to use the Selection tool and select the entire black and white picture.
Copy it. Close the image, do not save it or you will lose the orginal color photo. Next,
open a new image with the exact same dimensions as the original color photo. Paste "as
a new layer" the black and white photo. Then go back and reopen your original color photo,
select it, and paste that "as a new layer" underneath the black and white photo.
Select the black and white layer and set the mode to "overlay." Next select the color
photo layer and adjust the opacity down to about 70 percent. I also went in and decreased
the saturation of the color picture at this time to tone down the strength of the color
to suit my taste.