tool · beta · on-device
Drop a photo, get a pencil drawing. Six looks — graphite, sepia, charcoal, ink line, color tint, soft shading. Two sliders to tune detail and contrast. Live preview. Nothing uploads. For brushwork, grab a proper app.
Sharpening the pencil…
Sharpening the pencil…
where a sketch earns its keep
for portraits
Run a portrait of someone through Pencil mode at default settings — you've got an A4-sized piece that looks hand-drawn. Print on cardstock, write a note next to it, mail. Better than a generic Hallmark card; takes 30 seconds longer.
for kids
Ink Line mode produces high-contrast outlines — good source for a homemade coloring page. Drop a photo of the family pet, switch to Ink Line, print the result, hand it to the kid with crayons. Hours of contained chaos.
for journals
Journal spreads benefit from contrast: a glossy photo on one page, a soft sepia sketch of the same scene on the facing page. Same content, different texture — the spread reads as 'considered' instead of 'documented'.
for designers
Mood boards mix textures: photos, type, illustrations. A pencil-sketched version of a hero photo sits between 'real' and 'concept' — useful when you don't have a final image yet. Drop, sketch, paste into the board.
for wedding
Engaged-couple photos make weak save-the-dates because they look like every other engagement shoot. Run through Charcoal mode and the photo becomes an illustration — same couple, different feel. Instantly more interesting in a stack of mail.
for prints
Photo prints feel impermanent on a wall. Sketch prints feel like art. Pick a photo from a hike or a pet or a kid, run Color or Soft Graphite mode, print A4 on matte paper, frame in a thin black frame. Reads as 'we commissioned this' even though you didn't.
in case you're wondering
No. The sketch is rendered to a canvas in your browser. Your photo never touches our servers — we don't run an image pipeline at all.
Classic image processing recipe: greyscale the photo, blur an inverted copy, then color-dodge the greyscale with the blurred-inverted version. The math turns smooth tonal regions into white and edge transitions into pencil-line marks. Bigger blur produces softer, more gestural lines; smaller blur produces tight detail.
Drag the contrast slider. Lower contrast (60-90%) gives a soft, faded pencil feel; higher contrast (150%+) gives a crisp graphite or charcoal look. The detail slider also affects density — high detail with high contrast can over-blacken.
Pencil is straight B&W graphite. Sepia adds a warm paper tint. Charcoal pushes shadows for a heavier, more dramatic feel. Ink Line is binary — pure black/white, threshold-based — useful for coloring pages and screen-print transfers. Color preserves the photo's hues, multiplied with the sketch luminance.
Both. Portraits emphasize edges (eyes, lips, hair) and look closer to a 'pencil portrait'. Landscapes emphasize textures (foliage, stone, water) and read more like illustration. Photos with strong tonal contrast sketch well; flat photos can come out muddy — try Charcoal or Ink Line modes for those.
Same dimensions as your source photo. The algorithm runs full-resolution on export, so a 4000×3000 photo exports at 4000×3000. JPG at 92% quality.
now what?
next →
Print the sketch inside a paper mat for the wall.
Opennext →
Float the sketch over paper for a portfolio mockup.
Opennext →
Sign it with a handwritten signature.
Opennext →
Wrap the sketch in a paper Polaroid frame.
Opennext →
Crop the sketch to a circle for a profile pic.
Opennext →
Use the sketch as a Pinterest pin hero.
OpenCut the background out of any photo in one click.
OpenDrop your subject onto paper, gradient, or your own backdrop photo.
OpenDrop a word behind your subject, magazine-cover style.
OpenNine presets, one photo — vintage to cinematic.
OpenTri-X, Kodak Gold, Lomo — pick a roll, see the grain.
OpenComic dots, risograph red, punk-zine textures.
OpenMap photo to two colors — Spotify, sunset, riso.
OpenMake real cities look like tabletop dioramas.
OpenSunset, lomo red, golden hour — bleed light into corners.
OpenVHS bands, anaglyph 3D, CRT scanlines, chromatic aberration.
OpenConvert any photo to typed characters.
OpenPure invert, cyanotype, blueprint, X-ray, darkroom, sepia negative.
OpenPhoto as tiles with grout-color gaps.
OpenBrightness, contrast, saturation, hue, blur — seven sliders.
OpenAny photo, wrapped in paper with a handwritten caption.
OpenFour photos, B&W mode, handwritten caption.
OpenTwo photos, side-by-side or stacked.
OpenPaper mat for prints, journals, framed walls.
OpenCircle, heart, star, arch — pick a cookie cutter.
OpenGreetings caption, faux stamp, postmark, paper texture.
OpenFloat a photo over paper for portfolios and mockups.
OpenDrop a photo, type a title, pick a layout. 1000×1500 native.
OpenX, LinkedIn, or YouTube cover with title overlay.
OpenHandwritten captions, magazine headers, or a quick scribble.
OpenStick paper-mood tape onto any photo.
OpenLED red, Kodak yellow, camcorder amber.
OpenCorner sign-off or full diagonal tile.
OpenHearts, stars, flowers, smileys, paper tags, HELLO labels.
OpenSquare for IG, 9:16 for stories, 2:3 for Pinterest.
OpenMirror a selfie, un-tilt a scan, turn a sideways shot upright.
OpeniPhone photos that open on everything.
OpenHide faces, plates, addresses — drag a patch over the spot.
OpenRemove GPS, camera info, timestamps before posting.
OpenSmaller JPG, WebP, or PNG — same look, less file.
OpenPull 5 hex codes out of any photo.
OpenPrint-ready QR for menus, invites, journals, vCards.
OpenEyedropper a color in your photo, swap it for another.
OpenFor real brushwork →
One sketch from one photo is a piece. When you want layered illustration — pencil over watercolor, hand-tuned brush detail, color separations for print — a real drawing app handles it cleanly.