Cartoon Yourself in One Click - How to for Windows and Mac

Have you ever seen profile pictures on your friends’ social media pages that look like cartoons? If you’ve always wanted to cartoon yourself and wondered what you would look like as an anime or comic book character, we’ll teach you how. Cartoon images are a fun way to escape reality and immerse yourself in a fantasy world where the normal rules of society don’t apply.

You can find plenty of software and apps that claim to have cartooning capabilities, but not all of them are free or easy to use. Fortunately, we got our hands on the best photo editor for Windows and Mac, and it features AI-enabled editing tools that let you cartoon yourself in pictures with the greatest of ease.

PhotoDirector is a professional photo editor with insanely powerful tools and a vast range of photo effects (over 1,900!) that allow editors of all skill levels to transform and enhance their pictures.

Let’s get started with some background information and discuss exactly what “cartooning yourself” consists of. Then, we’ll give you a tutorial on how to use PhotoDirector to create a cool, comic-book-like effect on your own pictures.

• What Is Cartooning Yourself?
• Best Software to Cartoon Yourself
• How to Cartoon Yourself in Photos
• Cartoon Yourself in Videos
• Different Cartoon, Drawing, and Painting Styles
• Download the Best Software to Cartoon Yourself for Free
• Cartoon Yourself FAQ

What Is Cartooning Yourself?

The term “cartooning yourself” refers to a particular type of photo effect that transforms a real-life photograph into a fantasy, comic-like image or cartoon. For example, some cartoon filters may employ a “sketch” style effect, whereas others may look more like traditional anime or classic cartoon characters. However, we’ll dive deeper into the differences between cartoon styles after our tutorial, so stick around.

Although creating a cartoon photo of yourself has been a viral trend on social media, it’s also a fun new way to sharpen your photo editing skills. So why not experiment and create a “comic version” of yourself just for the fun of it?

Usually, it’s relatively straightforward to apply a cartoon effect to a picture, although it depends mainly on the software or app you use to edit your image. After you download PhotoDirector, just upload your photo and use the available editing tools – like cartoon effects or filters – to apply and tweak the changes until you’re satisfied with the final result.

The cartoon effect tool is fun to experiment with, but it also creates an eye-catching element that can help your content stand out from the crowd on social media. People “cartoonify” their images and photos for many reasons, including:

Content Creation: People are always searching for new and innovative ways to spice up their content, whether it’s for a magazine, a blog, or their social media pages. By cartooning your photos, you can give your content an extra pop of flair and compel the viewer to look at and share your work.

Marketing Strategies: Cartoon and comic effects aren’t just for children. In fact, many brands use cartoon-like images for advertising their products, including those you likely see every day: Wendy’s, Little Debbie, Monopoly, Pringles, Twitter, Starbucks, etc.

Furthermore, people create cartoon photos just for fun, to express their creativity, or even to hone their photo editing skills. Ultimately, there’s no right or wrong reason to explore your creative side. You can cartoon yourself or create comic-book style images for any reason you please.

Best Software to Cartoon Yourself: PhotoDirector

PhotoDirector

Finding the best photo editing software or app to cartoon yourself in photos can be a challenge, but don’t worry. We did all the hard work and research already and discovered that PhotoDirector is the best choice. This advanced software is fully compatible with Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. It also offers a feature-rich interface and guided editing for a seamless workflow.

In addition, PhotoDirector has dozens of tools, features, and effects that can cartoon your photos and transform them into caricatures that look like comic book art, anime art, or even a hand-drawn sketch. Even better, you can get started right now for free and download PhotoDirector by clicking the button below.

Cartoon Yourself in Videos

Not only can you transform your photos into captivating cartoons, but you now have the power to bring this artistic flair to your videos as well. With PowerDirector's groundbreaking AI Anime Video Effect, turning your videos into anime cartoons is not just possible; it's effortless and incredibly fun.

This innovative feature extends cartooning from still images to dynamic, moving scenes, opening up a whole new dimension of artistic expression. Whether you're looking to add a unique touch to personal videos, create engaging content for social media, or explore new avenues in storytelling, PowerDirector equips you with everything you need to turn your visions into reality.

Easily Transform Videos into Anime Cartoons

PowerDirector's AI Anime Video Effect is designed with both novices and professionals in mind, ensuring a smooth and user-friendly experience. With just a few clicks, you can apply contemporary animation styles to your videos, instantly transforming them into works of art reminiscent of your favorite anime. This feature not only cartoonizes your footage but does so with sophistication and detail that mirrors professional animation studios.

Select from Multiple Contemporary Animation Styles

Diversity in artistic expression is key to your creativity, and PowerDirector provides this. That's why it offers a variety of contemporary animation styles to choose from. Whether you prefer the classic charm of vintage anime or the sleek aesthetics of modern animation, PowerDirector has you covered. Each style is meticulously crafted to ensure your videos not only convert into cartoons but do so in an authentic and visually stunning way.

This capability to cartoon yourself in videos sets PowerDirector apart, making it an indispensable tool for creators seeking to explore the intersection of video production and animated art. It opens up possibilities, from creating animated vlogs to transforming everyday moments into enchanting animations.

Start transforming your videos into anime cartoons today with PowerDirector.

Different Cartoon, Drawing, and Painting Styles

To a layperson, all cartoons and comics might look like they employ the same general artistic style. However, that’s a misconception. In fact, the vast genre of comics, cartoons, and anime features virtually infinite artistic styles, each with its own distinct flair, hallmarks, and unique characteristics. It would be impossible to explore all the different cartoon and drawing styles with the space we have left, but we’ll discuss a few of the most well-known techniques you can apply to your pictures using PhotoDirector and its editing tools.

Classic Cartoon Style

Classic cartoon-style drawings often have characters with exaggerated features and limbs. Examples of this cartoon style would be Mickey Mouse or Betty Boop. Many cartoonists who draw in the classic style begin by creating the character and its personality, then using those features to guide their hand in drawing the body and shape.

PhotoDirector offers several filters and photo effects you can use to transform your pictures into traditional and classic cartoon art styles.

Realistic Cartoon Style

While the classic cartoon drawing style often contains characters with exaggerated features and anatomically incorrect body features, realistic cartoons are the opposite. This cartoon style, often found in graphic novels, usually has more detail than classic cartoons and features characters that look a bit closer to actual human beings or animals.

While realistic cartoons still have a quirky flair, they’re less fantastic than traditional cartoon characters. Examples of this style would be graphic styles like The Invisibles or Archer. 

Suppose you want to cartoon yourself in photos without going too far overboard into the fantasy realm. In that case, PhotoDirector has several effects and filters that produce a more realistic visual element while infusing a modern comic book feel.

Japanese Anime Style

Japanese anime art is a traditional style of cartoons that features confident, headstrong, and kind characters with exaggerated attributes like enormous eyes, tiny waists, and large breasts. Anime is very popular in Western culture, and these drawings often show characters in motion or mid-action. Many anime artists also use shading and highlighting technique that adds depth and complexity to their art.

Traditional Japanese anime often utilizes the classic “good versus evil” or “the underdog comes out on top” themes, although the boundaries of what’s considered "traditional" anime are constantly changing.

PhotoDirector also offers an anime-style photo effect and filter you can use to transform your selfies and pictures and turn yourself into a classic anime character.

Manga Style

Sailor Moon is arguably the best example of classic manga animation. Most manga characters look similar to traditional anime characters but feature slightly different proportions. The manga drawing style usually focuses on the female form, with so-called "perfect" features like an hourglass figure and large breasts. However, there’s no denying the warmth and charm of manga characters.  

Modern Western Cartoons

When you think of modern Western cartoons, you likely think of SpongeBob, PowerPuff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory, etc. Most modern, Western-style cartoons feature characters with bright primary colors, thick outlines, unrealistic figures, and geometric shapes. While this style may not use much complex detail, modern Western cartoons still offer a distinct visual appeal that children universally love (and a lot of adults, too!).

If you want to edit pictures of yourself to look like a modern-day cartoon character pulled right from Nickelodeon or the Cartoon Network, PhotoDirector has you covered. It contains modern-style cartoon effects, overlays, and design packs you can use to enhance your selfies and create a cool, trendy look.

Comic Book Superhero Style

Another well-known and popular cartoon drawing style features the classic, All-American superhero you can find in comic books nationwide. From Superman and Wonder Woman to more modern Marvel-style comics, these characters usually have a high level of detail, trim and muscular figures, and thinner outlines that create a more realistic look.

Wouldn’t you like to know what you would look like as a superhero? You can transform your photos with a comic book-style effect and filter using PhotoDirector and its powerful editing tools. Then, check out some design packs for those spiky speech bubbles that say, “Boom!” or “Pow!” to give your pictures an extra touch of authenticity.

Line and Sketch Drawing

Line and sketch drawing may not be as flashy as classic animation or superhero comic books, but it has a widespread modern appeal. While some artists take their creations a step further and add watercolor, colored pencils, or extreme shadows for contrast, traditional pencil sketches feature thin lines, some light cross-hatching, and lots of negative space.

PhotoDirector offers a neat sketch effect that will take any picture and transform it into a graphic line drawing, creating an effect that’s almost the opposite of a classic cartoon style. Using the AI Style Transfer effect will give your pictures a minimalist touch and understated aesthetic that draws the eye without overpowering it visually.

Download the Best Software to Cartoon Yourself for Free

Whether you’re a novice artist, selfie-lover, or an experienced editor, you’ll love the ease and convenience that PhotoDirector offers for editing photos and creating content, including cartoon photos. So get ready to spend hours experimenting with all your favorite selfies, transforming them into cartoons, anime characters, and comic book-style images.

The software is fully compatible with Windows and Mac. There’s even an Android and iOS app. It only takes a few minutes to download and get started editing.

In addition to PhotoDirector’s cartoon effects, filters, and design packs, this powerful software offers advanced capabilities and AI-enabled editing tools. Play around with guided layer editing and masking, intelligent one-touch corrections, free templates and stickers, and far too many additional tools and effects to list. Ready to cartoon yourself and transform into a character straight from the comic books? 

Download PhotoDirector for free and let your creative side take over.