How to Make a Cartoon Image From a Photograph

There may be times when you will want to distort an image to create a cartoon-like photo. Funny images are great to use for invitations, small signs, note cards and a variety of web applications. There is a free application from Vicman Software called Cartoonist that makes it easy to almost immediately create funny distorted images. You can also use the distort features of the various image editing programs with the same results, but with more work to learn how to use the software. Cartoonist is simple, easy to use and free to all users. So just download the software from the link in Resources below and follow these easy steps to create a cartoon image.

Things You'll Need

• Vicman Cartoonist software installed on your computer
• A copy of an image for experimentation

Instructions

1. 

   Open your image in Cartoonist. I chose a self-portrait of myself in a Montreal hotel to avoid embarrassing other humans or pets with my creation. Choose an image of a person, pet or object where at least 60 percent of the frame is filled with the subject. This will make it easier to practice with the software and see your changes.

2. 

   Choose the tool panel to set the background color and to select the warp radius of the tool you will use for adjusting the image. The larger the warp radius, the larger the area you will warp as you select it. Also, try zooming in on the image to adjust a smaller area of change in the image.

3. 

   Make your distortion is a series of moves. When you move your mouse over the picture you will see a circle with cross hairs. Move the circle to where you want to make your first warp and then hold down on the mouse button to drag and distort the image from that point. In this first move I will make my head come to a point.

4. 

   Make your other moves by releasing the mouse button and moving it to another area to drag and distort. In this second move I have distorted my eyes and my glasses.

5. 

   Once you have distorted the image to your liking, click on the save button and save your file in a variety of formats including TIFF for printing and JPEG for the Web.

6. 

   This is the final image. I tried to make myself look like a Who from "The Grinch that Stole Christmas." It's fun and easy to do and great fun for the kids on a drowsy summer day.

Tips & Warnings

• Always use a copy of an image to preserve your image archive.

Resources

• Cartoonist Software