Turning a picture into a coloring page is a fun and creative way to make custom artwork. With the rise of digital editing and printing, it’s easier than ever to turn photos into black and white or color outlines perfect for coloring. There are a few easy methods to convert pictures for coloring, whether starting with a physical photo or digital image. Understanding the basic steps will allow you to turn any special picture into unique coloring pages.
Scan or Photograph Physical Photo
If you want to turn a physical photograph into a coloring page, first you need to get the image into your computer. This requires either scanning the photo or taking a well-lit digital picture of it.
Scanning the photo using a scanner connected to your computer is the higher quality option. Make sure to scan it at a high resolution like 300 or 600 dpi. This will give you a larger image file that retains the most detail from the original photo. Set the scan to save as an image file format like JPEG or PNG.
If you don’t have access to a scanner, you can take a picture of the physical photo instead. Try to get even lighting from all angles to avoid shadows or glares. Having the photo laying flat on a neutral surface works best. Get as close as you can while still fitting the entire photo in the shot. Take the picture with your digital camera or smartphone camera app. Make sure it’s set to capture images at a high resolution.
Once you have a scanned or photographed digital version of your physical picture, you can move on to tracing and editing it on your computer.
Find a Digital Image
If you already have a digital image file you want to turn into a coloring page, you can skip the scanning/photographing step above. Any digital photo or picture can work as long as you have a copy saved on your computer, phone, or other device.
Some common sources of digital images include:
- Photos taken with a digital camera or smartphone camera
- Digital art you created or have permission to use
- Public domain images from websites like Pixabay or Pexels
- Your own scans or photos of physical pictures
Having the original high-resolution version of the digital picture will again provide the most detail to work with. Make sure you have the image file handy before moving to the next steps.
Convert Image to Black and White
Whether starting with a physical or digital picture, the next key step is converting the image to black and white. This removes the color while leaving behind black and white lines perfect for coloring.
To make the picture black and white, you’ll need photo editing software. Many options exist including:
- Adobe Photoshop
- GIMP
- Microsoft Paint
- Online photo editors
Open the image in your chosen editing program. Look for options like “Desaturate”, “Black & White”, or “Grayscale” to remove the color. This will convert the picture to varying shades of gray scaled from black to white.
For a true black and white look, you can further adjust the contrast. Increase the contrast so the grays become either solid black or solid white. This makes the outlines and shapes stand out more for tracing and coloring.
Some photo editors also have filters like “Photocopy” or “Sketch” that can simplify images into black and white line drawings with one click.
Play around with the settings until you get a good black and white version of your picture to use for the coloring page.
Trace the Image Outlines
Once your picture is black and white, the next step is tracing over the main outlines and shapes. This is what creates the actual line art for coloring.
There are a few different ways to approach the tracing:
- Manual tracing – Carefully draw over the outlines and shapes using drawing tools like the Brush or Pencil tool in your editing program.
- Auto tracing – Some programs have built-in auto trace features that automatically detect and convert outlines into vectors.
- Convert to vector – Converting the image to a vector format like SVG automatically traces the outlines and shapes as separate paths.
Manual tracing takes more time and effort but allows you to simplify elements and customize the line art style. Automatic tracing is quicker but you have less control over the final look of the line art.
Try both methods to see which creates better results for your particular coloring page. The tracing converts the black and white shading into defined lines and shapes.
Clean Up the Line Art
Once your line art tracing is complete, the next step is cleaning it up. This makes sure the final lines and shapes are clear and defined for coloring.
First, remove any shading or grayscale remnants left behind so everything is pure black and white. Use the Eraser tool to delete any stray marks or smudges.
Next, refine the outlines so they are smooth and detailed. Thicken up thin lines and erase any overlapping sections. You can further simplify complex sections to make the shapes easier to color in.
The Clean Up process produces clean black line art ready for the final coloring. It removes any unclear areas and improves the outline quality.
Add Back Some Detail
With the line art complete, you can optionally add back some additional detail. This retains some elements from the original picture within your coloring page line art.
Some detail options include:
- Interior lines for complex shapes like faces or clothing folds
- Spots, textures, or patterns like animal fur or floral designs
- Thinner detail lines for smaller elements like eyes, hands, leaves, etc
Keep the details minimal and make sure they remain black and white. Too much detail can make the coloring page overly complicated. But the right amount can help capture the essence of the original picture.
Remove Color from Original Photo
Up to this point, you should have a completed black and white line art version of your picture. An optional extra step is to remove the color from the original photo or digital image.
Opening the original picture again, desaturate it or convert it to grayscale to remove all the color. This gives you two versions – the line art for coloring and the black and white original photo.
Having both can be handy for getting color ideas or comparing to the finished colored version. But the grayscale original photo is not required for the coloring page itself.
Add Formatting and Text
Your black and white line art coloring page is nearly complete. A final touch can be adding any extra text or formatting.
You may wish to add a title, caption, page number, border, your name, the date, or other text details. This helps set the context and style of the coloring page.
Use your photo editing software’s Text tool to add the text. Make sure to use a plain, legible font. You can place the text on the coloring page itself or in borders, headers, footers, etc.
Finally, double check the spelling and layout to make sure everything looks right. The coloring page is now ready for the final step!
Export and Print the Coloring Page
The last step is exporting your completed black and white line art from your photo editing software and printing out copies to color.
Export the image as PNG or PDF to retain the sharp lines and text quality. Make sure to export at high resolution if printing larger sizes.
You can also export as SVG if submitting the digital coloring page file online.
Print out a few copies on plain white printer paper. For the best experience, print on thicker paper types specifically made for coloring. This allows for erasing and color blending with markers.
Consider printing different sizes like standard 8.5×11 inches or larger poster sizes. Add your custom coloring page to a coloring book compilation for even more fun!
Once printed, pull out your coloring supplies like pencils, markers, crayons, or paints. Slowly bring your line art to life by coloring in each section. Let your creativity run wild while crafting a custom picture perfect for framing or gift giving when complete.
Conclusion
Turning photos into coloring pages is easy and enjoyable using digital editing tools. Following the steps of scanning, converting to black and white, tracing lines, cleaning up art, adding detail, removing color, adding text, and printing provides you with everything you need to make custom coloring pages from your own special pictures.
Give it a try with your favorite photos to create unique handmade gifts and artwork your family and friends will treasure. Unleash your creativity and walk away with a beautifully colored picture made just for you.
| Step | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Scan or photograph physical photo |
| 2 | Find a digital image file |
| 3 | Convert image to black and white |
| 4 | Trace the image outlines |
| 5 | Clean up the line art |
| 6 | Add back some detail (optional) |
| 7 | Remove color from original photo (optional) |
| 8 | Add formatting and text |
| 9 | Export and print coloring page |
