Click File in the menu bar. Click Open. Select the image you want to trace. The image will open in a Photoshop file with one layer called “Background. ”

You can give your new layer a different name. Otherwise, it will be called “[Name of your first layer] copy. " If this option is grayed out, click the layer in the layers panel and click Layer again.

A “Tracing” layer at the top. A locked layer with your image in the middle. A locked, white background layer at the bottom. If the layers are not in this order, drag them to arrange them as such.

Click 200% to enlarge the image to 200%. Click Zoom In or Zoom Out to adjust the zoom incrementally. Click Fit on Screen to fit the entire image canvas to your workspace window.

Click one of the overlapping squares in the bottom-left corner of the window (below the tool options). Select a color in the spectrum. Change the tone of the color using the left-side square. Click OK to confirm the color.

Pencil Tool: This tool makes hard-edged lines. The trace will have a “sketch” look to it. The Pencil Tool is a pencil-shaped icon. If you see a paintbrush icon but not a pencil icon, long-click on the paintbrush icon, then click Pencil Tool. Brush Tool: This tool makes softer strokes. The edges of the lines will look smoother than the pencil tool. The Brush Tool is a paint brush-shaped icon. If you see a pencil icon but not a paintbrush icon, long-click on the pencil icon, then click Brush Tool. Pen Tool: This tool makes editable paths with anchor points that can be moved or adjusted. The Pen Tool works well for tracing objects that you’d like to change when you’re done tracing. Click the fountain pen icon to select the Pen Tool.

Click the drop-down next to the tool’s icon in the tool settings bar to adjust the size and hardness of the stroke. Click the folder icon to the right of the size drop-down to adjust the shape and qualities of the brush or pencil.

If you want to use the Pen Tool to create paths as you trace, click on the drop-down to the right of the icon and click on Path.

To use the Pencil and Brush Tools, click and hold as you drag the tool over the lines. Release the click to move the tool and start a new stroke. To use the Pen Tool, click and release along the lines of the image you’re tracing and a line will appear between each set of points. To make curved lines, click and drag the next point in the path.

Click the Paths tab. With the path selected, click the filled circle at the bottom of the Paths tab to fill the path with the foreground color. Or, select the Brush or Pencil tool. Adjust the stroke settings. Then press the unfilled circle to create an even stroke along the path.

When you’re finished, click View in the menu bar, then click 100% to view your image at its actual size. You can flip the image to check for mistakes. Resize the image as needed when you’re done with the trace.

Click File in the menu bar. Click Save or Save As…. Name your file and click Save.