How To Create a Cartoon Avatar from a Photo

Many social media websites allow their users to create avatars — cartoon-like images of the person or user. Avatars are widely used on all sorts of websites, including Facebook and Bitmoji. With the help of one of many online platforms, you can create your own cartoon self with or without a photograph.

Creating a cartoon avatar is very easy, and you can do it with free software and websites found online. In this article, we’ll show you the basics of creating a cartoon avatar for yourself, both from a photograph and from scratch.

How to Create a Cartoon from a Photo on Android

Making a cartoon version of your favorite photo is really simple on an Android device. You will need to use a third-party application because the native photo editor, while it has many great options, doesn’t offer the option to make cartoons.

We scoured the Google Play Store for a free high-quality application and found the Cartoon Photo Editor.

First, you’ll need to install the app and let it access the photos stored on your Android device. Then, you can follow these steps to make your photo a cartoon:

1. Open the application and tap ‘Photos.’
   
2. Select a photo from your phone’s gallery. Then, scroll through the selections at the bottom until you see the ‘Cartoon+’ option. Of course, you can select any of the options you’d like.
   
3. Tap on the download icon to save the photo to your phone’s gallery.
   

That’s all there is to it! Your photo will now look like a cartoon, and it is saved in your gallery, ready for you to share with anyone. There are a lot of applications available on the Google Play Store, so if you’d like more features, definitely search for other apps. Just keep in mind most of the apps you come across will have a monthly subscription fee.

How to Create a Cartoon from a Photo on iOS

The native photo editor on an iPhone won’t turn your pictures into a cartoon. Fortunately, there are third-party applications for iOS users too.

One of the apps available for iOS users is ToonMe. This simple app is free and easy to use.

Here’s how you turn a photo into a cartoon if you’re using an iPhone or iPad:

1. Open the ToonMe app and tap on the ToonMe icon in the lower left-hand corner.
   
2. Tap to upload the photo of your choice. If this is your first time using the app, you’ll need to tap ‘Allow’ before you can upload any photos.
   
3. The app automatically does all the work to make your photo a cartoon. Then, you can tap the download icon to add the image to your gallery.
   
   The free version of ToonMe will turn your photos into cartoons. But if you want more functionality, you can sign up for the Pro version for only $4.99/mo.

As we discussed above, there are a lot of apps available in the App Store that will give your photos a cartoon look. If you want to do more than ToonMe offers, a simple search of the App Store will surely turn up some more great options.

How to Create a Cartoon from a Photo on PC

PC users have so many possibilities for photo editing it can be challenging to narrow down your options. You can use apps, websites, and software. For the purposes of our article, we were looking for simple and free. A quick internet search will turn up many websites and apps ready for the task.

We like PhotoCartoon.net. It’s easy to use, free, and doesn’t require any login credentials or personal information.

Here’s how to turn any photo into a cartoon on a PC:

1. Head over to the Cartoon.net website and click ‘Browse’ to select the photo you want to turn into a cartoon.
   
2. Click ‘Cartoonize Online.’
3. The website will do all of the work for you. Click ‘Download.’
   

The cartoon version of your image will appear in the file that you select. Like the Android app we highlighted above, you can use any picture you like; this website doesn’t limit you to selfies.

Other Options

With so many apps available, finding the right one may prove hard. Type “cartoon avatar photo maker” into the search bar of the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store to see a list of all available apps.

Your choice will depend on the cartoon character style you’re looking for, as well as the level of control and the number of editing options you want in your software. A couple of examples you can try are Cartoon Photo Editor by Game Brain and cartoon photo by Pixelab. Both are photo editors and are free to download from an app store.

Note: If you have an iOS device, you may want to check out:

1. Cartoon Face animation creator by VicMan LLC
2. Clip2Comic & Caricature Maker by DigitalMasterpieces GmbH
3. Sketch Me! by Bluebear Technologies Ltd.

Most photo editor apps like those mentioned are free to download, but keep in mind that in-app purchases often apply.

When you download the app you like, simply follow the setup process and ensure that the app has access to your phone’s photos. Each app will have an upload option. Tap that and upload the image you want to use.

If you’d rather not install any software or use an app, many web-based services will generate an avatar for you based on your photograph. Let’s look at a few options to see how you can look.

BeFunky One-Click Converter

BeFunky is an online graphics service with a lot of different features and options, and one of the options they have is a one-click photo cartoon maker. This is an upgrade from their free product, but you can try it at no cost. The image above is a sample of the final output.  As you can see, it has a totally different feel than the previous cartoon, so you may want to play around with various options to choose the style for you.

LunaPic

LunaPic is another online photo editor that can turn photos into cartoons. The site has a wide variety of other editing tools as well. The above image is the default cartoon filter.

Create an Avatar Without a Photo

Another option you may want to check out is a cartoon avatar creator. These apps don’t require a photo or any artistic ability and let you pick and choose the features that best represent you.

There are character creators for different artistic styles. If you prefer anime characters, you may want to check out Avatar Maker: Anime by Avatars Makers Factory. Of course, apps like Bitmoji have an internal cartoon creator.

Cartoon avatar creators are convenient if you want a simple representation of yourself that isn’t really your photo. Avatars like these may come in handy when you need one for public forums or other online places where you want to keep your identity a secret but still want to express your real and true self.

There are also some websites you can use to turn your photo into a cartoon. We wrote a tutorial article on websites where you can cartoon yourself for free!

Frequently Asked Questions

Photo editing is really fun! If you have more questions about how to make a photo into a cartoon, keep reading!

What is the difference between a Bitmoji and a cartoon avatar?

Bitmojis have become extremely popular on Social Media platforms in the past few years. They are cartoon versions of yourself but with one big difference; they don’t convert your existing photo into a cartoon. Instead, you go to the Bitmoji site or app, create an account, and build your lookalike from scratch. Bitmojis let you choose your hair color, skin tones, eye colors, and even clothes.

If you’re using Snapchat and now Facebook, you can change your Bitmoji anytime you’d like to reflect your current mood.

Can I turn my photo into a cartoon without using third-party apps or websites?

Although cellphone editing tools have become way better than they used to be, they don’t yet allow us to convert a photo into a cartoon avatar. Perhaps we will see this native functionality soon.

Final Thoughts

Many camera apps have “artistic” filters that you can use on existing photos. Rather than downloading another app, you may want to check if you already have these capabilities. You’re more likely to have these types of filters if you have a different camera app than the one that came with your phone.

Finally, if you are using your stock camera, you still have options. Simply check out the recommended apps or try out some new ones. Most are free from your app store, so try out a few until you find the one that’s right for you.