Create hilarious caricatures from your friends’ photos

Create hilarious caricatures from your friends’ photos

Transform ordinary portraits into playful cartoon characters with exaggerated features and toy-like qualities. This technique combines precise selection methods with creative distortion tools to create caricature-style effects that maintain realistic detail and strong subject resemblance.

The process works best with high-resolution photos featuring good lighting and subjects with shorter hairstyles for easier background removal.

Watch the Video

Video by Spoon Graphics. Any links or downloads mentioned by the creator are available only on YouTube

Essential Tips for Cartoon Portrait Effects

These key techniques will help you achieve convincing cartoon transformations while maintaining image quality:

  • Use the Pen tool for precise subject clipping, then apply the Channels method to capture fine hair details against clean backgrounds
  • Scale the body down rather than scaling the head up to preserve image resolution and avoid quality loss
  • Enlarge eyes by copying them to separate layers, scaling them up, and blending edges with soft layer masks
  • Apply the Liquify filter strategically: use the Pucker tool on noses, Bloat tool on mouths, and Warp tool to enhance facial expressions
  • Create a toy-like finish with dodge and burn techniques on a 50% gray Overlay layer, plus High Pass filtering for skin smoothing

More Tutorials about Cartoon Effects

Explore additional methods for transforming photos into stylized cartoon artwork.

Photoshop photo to cartoon effect
In the world of digital photography, adding a unique touch to your images can truly make them stand out. One such way to achieve this is by applying a cartoon effect to your photos using Photoshop. This technique is surprisingly simple and can breathe new life into even the most ordinary of images. By following a few straightforward steps, you can transform your photos into vibrant, works of art. The process involves a combination of adjusting the levels, applying filters, and fine-tuning the d
Cartoon effect using Photoshop filters
Playing with Photoshop filters can be incredibly fun and lead to the creation of impressive photo effects. In this quick video tutorial, PSD Box demonstrates how to create a cool cartoon or painting effect using various Photoshop filters. You'll learn how to transform your images into vibrant, cartoon-like artworks by applying different filters and adjustments. The tutorial covers essential techniques, such as using the Poster Edges filter to outline the details and the Oil Paint filter to give
How to turn a photo into a cartoon in Photoshop
Welcome to this new Photo to Cartoon Effect "cartoonize yourself" Photoshop Tutorial. Through this tutorial, and with the power of smart objects you will learn how to cartoonize photos in photoshop and convert almost any photo into a caricature cartoon effect using some filters and smart objects in photoshop. After finishing this tutorial, you will be able to drag your picture into the PSD file and turn any photo to cartoon effect with a couple clicks. watch the tutorial and cartoonize yourself
How to Make a Comic Book Cartoon Effect From a Photo in Photoshop
The author provides a step-by-step guide on how to transform a regular photo into a comic book-style cartoon effect using Adobe Photoshop. They explain the process of applying various filters and techniques to achieve the desired look. The tutorial starts by discussing the importance of selecting the right photo for the comic book effect. The author suggests choosing an image with a clear subject and good contrast. They then guide the reader through the process of applying filters and adjustmen
How to Create Colorful Cartoon Doodles on Model Photos in Photoshop
Cartoon-style illustrations layered over photography create a unique visual fusion that bridges reality and artistic expression. This playful approach transforms ordinary portraits into vibrant, graphic compositions that feel both contemporary and whimsical. The technique combines traditional drawing skills with digital painting tools to create outlined shapes, bold colors, and stylized details that complement the photographic base. The result is an eye-catching style that works perfectly for c

Get tutorials & freebies delivered to you.

Subscribe to the Photoshop Roadmap newsletter, a weekly roundup of new tutorials, insights and quality downloads, trusted by 6500+ readers.

You might also like

How to Create Textured Portrait Collages in Photoshop

Portrait collages open up creative possibilities that go far beyond traditional photo editing. By combining artistic filters, color manipulation, and texture mapping, you can transform ordinary portraits into striking visual compositions that blend photography with graphic design elements. This technique breaks down complex imagery into simplified color zones, then maps...

Time-Blending Photography: Combine Photos from Different Times of Day

Empty streets and dark buildings can ruin an otherwise perfect sunset shot. Time-blending photography solves this problem by combining the best elements from different times of day — the vibrant sky from golden hour with the dynamic light trails from nighttime traffic. This technique transforms static daytime or sunset scenes into...

Understanding White Balance in Photoshop: Temperature vs Tint Explained

White balance confusion ends here. Temperature and tint work differently to fix color casts, and knowing when to use each tool transforms how you correct photos. Photoshop's new Color and Vibrance adjustment layer finally brings these essential controls natively into the workspace, eliminating the need to jump into...

How to Remove Reflections and Glare from Glasses in Photoshop Using AI

Eyeglass glare can ruin an otherwise perfect portrait, obscuring the subject's eyes with bright reflections. Photoshop's AI tools now offer powerful solutions for removing even the most stubborn reflections while preserving natural eye details. This tutorial demonstrates proven techniques using multiple AI models and strategic masking...

How to Use Photoshop Curves Auto Options for Color Grading

Professional color grading transforms ordinary images into visually striking compositions with rich depth and atmosphere. Hidden curves auto options in Photoshop let you assign custom colors to shadows, midtones, and highlights for dramatic enhancement. This technique goes beyond basic adjustments to create cinematic looks that bring images to life with...

How to Remove Dark Eye Circles Using Frequency Separation in Photoshop

Dark under-eye circles can make portrait subjects look tired or unhealthy, even when they're not. Traditional brightening methods often create unnatural results or destroy important skin texture. This tutorial demonstrates frequency separation, a professional retouching technique that removes dark circles while preserving natural skin texture and realistic lighting...

You’ve successfully subscribed to Photoshop Roadmap
Welcome back! You’ve successfully signed in.
Great! You’ve successfully signed up.
Success! Your email is updated.
Your link has expired
Success! Check your email for magic link to sign-in.