Photo to Cartoon
Turn any photo into a cartoon, comic, anime, pop art, painting or pencil sketch in about a second, right in your browser. Your picture is never uploaded, so it is private and works offline. Compare with the before/after slider and download a PNG.
Your cartoon
Your photo stays on this device.
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The six styles
| Style | Look | Colours | Outlines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic cartoon | Flat colours, clean black outlines | 8 | Yes |
| Comic book | Bold colours, thick ink lines | 6 | Yes |
| Soft anime | Smooth skin tones, thin lines, more shades | 12 | Yes |
| Pop art | Four bright colour levels, poster look | Posterize | Yes |
| Painting | Brush-like smoothing, no outlines | 16 | None |
| Pencil sketch | Grey pencil drawing | – | None |
How the cartoon is made
- Smooth the photo with a Kuwahara filter, which flattens skin and walls but keeps edges sharp.
- Pick the colours with k-means clustering: similar colours are grouped and each group becomes one flat paint colour.
- Draw outlines where brightness changes sharply (Sobel edge detection), thickened to the width you choose.
- Combine the flat colours and dark lines. The pencil sketch instead divides the photo by a blurred negative of itself (colour dodge).
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Tips for the best cartoon
- Faces: use a well-lit photo, then Soft anime or Classic cartoon with smoothness 4 to 6.
- Busy backgrounds create many lines; lower line strength or choose Painting.
- Stickers: cartoonize, then cut out and pack them with the WhatsApp sticker maker.
- Want an AI-made picture instead? Create one with the AI Image Generator, or describe a photo with Image to Prompt.
Sources
- Kuwahara filter, k-means clustering and Sobel operator
- W3C: Color dodge blending and MDN: Canvas pixel data
Note: Only cartoonize photos you have the right to use, and ask permission before sharing a cartoon of another person.
Frequently asked questions
How do I turn a photo into a cartoon for free?
Choose or drop a photo above, pick a style such as classic cartoon, comic or anime, and the cartoon appears in about a second. Drag the before/after slider to compare, adjust colours and outlines if you like, then press Download PNG.
Is my photo uploaded anywhere?
No. The whole conversion runs in your browser on your own device. The picture is never sent to a server, so it also works offline once the page has loaded.
Is this an AI cartoonizer?
It uses k-means clustering, a classic machine-learning method, to choose the colours, plus image filters for smoothing and outlines. It does not use generative AI, so it never changes or invents faces, which keeps the result true to your photo.
Which style should I use for a profile picture?
Soft anime or classic cartoon suits faces best. Use the smoothness slider to soften skin and keep line strength around 40 to 60% so eyes and hair stay defined.
How do I make the lines thicker or the colours flatter?
Raise line thickness to 2 or 3 for a comic look, and lower the number of colours to 4 to 6 for flatter, poster-like areas. Press Reset style to go back to the preset.
What size is the downloaded picture?
Up to 1,200 pixels on the longest side, saved as PNG. Larger photos are scaled down first so the conversion stays fast on phones.
Can I use the cartoon on WhatsApp or Instagram?
Yes, the PNG works anywhere. Only cartoonize photos you have the right to use, and ask before sharing a cartoon of someone else.
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