Sketch with transparent background

SK
Posted By
Sean Kerslake
Mar 14, 2006
Views
1206
Replies
2
Status
Closed
I have a hand sketch which I want to use as the basis for my graphic.

BUT I want it as the top layer with a transparent background so I can ‘colour in’ behind it.

Its a complex sketch so I don’t want to have to create a selection of all the white background – it would take hours.

Can anyone suggest the quickest route to get just the line work on a layer without any background.

Is there something I can do at the scanning stage or an easy method of selecting just the lines?

Cheers, Sean
Related Tags
background sketch transparency

Must-have mockup pack for every graphic designer 🔥🔥🔥

Easy-to-use drag-n-drop Photoshop scene creator with more than 2800 items.

E
edjh
Mar 14, 2006
Sean Kerslake wrote:
I have a hand sketch which I want to use as the basis for my graphic.
BUT I want it as the top layer with a transparent background so I can ‘colour in’ behind it.

Its a complex sketch so I don’t want to have to create a selection of all the white background – it would take hours.

Can anyone suggest the quickest route to get just the line work on a layer without any background.

Is there something I can do at the scanning stage or an easy method of selecting just the lines?

Cheers, Sean
You have several options. You can just set the line layer to Multiply and paint below it.

Or you can Make the Background a layer, go to the Layer Styles/Blending Options dialog and pull the top Blend If slider to the left to get rid of the white, then merge the layer with a new transparent layer.

Or you can make a selection of the line in one of the channels (Ctrl-click) and inverse, then fill that selection on a transparent layer and trash the original.

There are also various "eliminate white" plugins, and other methods but the channel method is probably the best.

—
Comic book sketches and artwork:
http://www.sover.net/~hannigan/edjh.html
Comics art for sale:
http://www.sover.net/~hannigan/batsale.html
T
Tacit
Mar 14, 2006
In article <dv6bnb$pu$>,
"Sean Kerslake" wrote:

Its a complex sketch so I don’t want to have to create a selection of all the white background – it would take hours.

No, it wouldn’t–that’s what the Select->Color Range command is for!

—
Art, photography, shareware, polyamory, literature, kink: all at http://www.xeromag.com/franklin.html
Nanohazard, Geek shirts, and more: http://www.villaintees.com

How to Master Sharpening in Photoshop

Give your photos a professional finish with sharpening in Photoshop. Learn to enhance details, create contrast, and prepare your images for print, web, and social media.

Related Discussion Topics

Nice and short text about related topics in discussion sections