However, this method can be applied to any of your photographs as well. This is how I created this black and white linocut of a photo of this Barn Owl using Photoshop Elements:
1. Open your digital photo in Photoshop and make a duplicate layer.
2. Go to Enhance > Unsharp Mask. Set the Amount to 500% and the Threshold to 0. Try a Radius setting of 8 to start, but also adjust it to see if you like any of the other settings better.
3. Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and set the Radius at about one quarter of the value of the Radius setting in Step 2. above.
4. Repeat the Enhance > Unsharp Mask step in 2. above.5. Finally, go to Filter > Adjustments > Threshold and adjust the Threshold level until you create an image that you like.
You now have your black and white linocut! I printed my linocut barn owl out on white paper with my laser printer, then used the packing tape transfer method on page 95 of The Creative Photographer to make a transparent image which I pasted on a green background after cutting around the owl.
This is a great way to use your photographs in art projects.
