From Paper to Computer: Digitize Your Drawings (+ Video)

The other time we were asked how we managed to transfer the drawings we have in our notebooks to the computer and color them.

It's really very simple to do!
To show how we did it, we will use a drawing that we made in our Transport notebook .

Follow all the steps in the video we prepared for you:

Step 1: Scan

Although you can also take a photo, we recommend scanning your drawing because it allows you to copy your drawing with more uniform light and avoids curling the paper.

Our recommendation is that you scan in grayscale, TIFF format (so that there is no loss of information) and at a very good resolution (for example, 600 dpi) so that you can modify and enlarge the image without it becoming pixelated easily.

If you take a photo, remember to use black and white. Just be careful with your lighting so there aren't any annoying shadows that interfere with your drawing.

Step 2: Clean

We already have the drawing on the computer, now the next step is to remove the white background from the paper so we can color it without any problems.

Within Photoshop, you have to open the file, making sure that it is in Grayscale color mode.

Following this, we need to adjust the levels to reduce the imperfections and dirt left on the paper. We must be careful not to overexpose the illustration too much, otherwise we'll lose detail in the lines.

Next, to remove the background, go to Selection/Color Range , where you'll set the tolerance to 200 (the maximum tolerance). This way, you can make a selection of all the whites in the drawing to remove them.

Once this is done, we can separate the line from the background.
If after this procedure the line of your illustration is too smooth, don't worry! Select the pixels on your stroke layer and fill them with black.

Finally, if you have any mistakes, correct them with an eraser . And that's it! You're ready to color your creation—just don't forget to switch to RGB color mode.

If you want to see the process in more detail, don't forget to watch our video , where we also show you the coloring process.