Photo to Cartoon

In this class you will learn the basics on how to turn a digital photograph into a cartoon image. Though this class is designed for both novice and advanced users, you should have a basic working knowlege of photoshop tools. This lesson is designed for Photoshop CS and above. I have been told that it also works for GIMP which is a FREE photo-manipulation software very similar to Photoshop.

From this…

…to this

Keyboard shortcuts that we may use during this class:

• CMD (apple) S = Save
• ALT CMD G = Create/Release Clipping Mask
• CMD D = Deselect
• SHIFT CMD N = New layer
• ] = increase brush size
• [ = decrease brush size
• D = black/white (foreground/background colors)
• W = Magic Wand
• P = Pen Tool
• B = Brush tool
• G = Paint bucket tool
• CMD 0 = Full Screen

Let’s get started shall we? You have all been provided with a simple digital photograph, let’s go ahead and open that file. (jdimage.jpg)

now let’s duplicate our image by clicking on the layers pallet flyout, or right click on the layer itself and select, "duplicate".

Rename the duplicated layer "original", lock the layer and turn off the visibility.

Now, double click the background layer to unlock and rename this layer to "photo".

Create a new layer (shift cmd n) and call this layer "background", fill this layer with a green color (I used #3a7314), now drag this layer to the bottom of the layers pallet.

Make the "photo" layer active by clicking on it.

We will now use the pen tool to trace around our image – take your time and ask for help if needed.

Now that we have traced our image – click on the paths pallet, then right click on the "work path" and "make selection", in the pop up set the feather radius to 1 pixel, new selection

click OK

now, go to Select (toolbar) click inverse (shift cmd I) select, modify, expand – 2 pixels, then hit the delete key

press cmd d to deselect the image, go back to your layers palle

t

cmd s to save

push the "d" key this will set your foreground and background colors to black and white.

Now, duplicate the "photo" layer and call it "outline" make sure, "outline" is now your active layer

On the toolbar, click image, adjustment, shadow/highlight, click OK

Then, also on the toolbar, click filter, sketch, photocopy (detail 2; darkness 4) – these settings are just a guideline, feel free to change them to your own liking.

Your image should now look like this

 cmd s to save

now, click image, adjustment, threshold (setting is 236) again, this setting is just a guideline, play with this to your own liking – this will change depending upon the photo being used.

now duplicate the "outline" layer and call this new layer "white"

click, image, adjustment, brightness/contrast (brightness = 100, contrast = -100)

now drag this layer below the outline layer and click on the "outline" layer to make it active

change the layer mode on the "outline" layer to multiply

save (cmd s)

now make the "white" layer active

click the "create new fill or adjustment layer" icon at the bottom of the layers pallet, choose solid color.

Pick a creamy brown color (fff8e1) call this layer skin.

Click in the mask box on the skin layer and fill with black using the paint bucket

now click, layer, create clipping mask (alt cmd g)

cmd click on the image on the "white" layer this will put a selection around the image. Make sure the image mask is still active on the "skin" laye and use the paint bucket (g) to fill the selection.

press cmd d to deselect the image

cmd s to save

Lets take a 10 minute break now.

Welcome back!

We are now going to create the tints/shades layers to give some dimension to our cartoon image. 

Duplicate the "photo’ layer, call this layer "shade" and drag above the outline layer.

click, image, adjustment, shadows/highlights (50/0 = settings) click ok

now click, filter, artistic, cutout (3,2,2)

click ok

go to image, adjustments, threshold (139) click ok

now duplicate this layer, call it tint, now turn off the visibility on the tint layer.

Make "shade" the active layer now use the magic wand (w) to select the white are and press delete.

cmd d to deselect

change the layer mode to soft light and the opacity to 42%

now turn the "tint" layer back on and make it your active layer, use the magic wand (w) tool to select the black, the press delete.

Change the layer mode on "tint" to soft light and change the opacity to 60%

cmd s to save 

now click on the skin layer to make it the active layer.

1. now click on the new fill or adjustment layer icon choose solid color
2. choose a purple/blue color for the eyes. I used e5acfd
3. call this layer "eyes", fill the mask with the black
4. click on the "oriinal" layer, unlock the layer, change the opacity to 55%, relock the layer and then click on the "eyes" layer to make it the active layer
5. then click layer, create clipping mask (alt cmd g). Choose the paint brush tool, select a brush with a soft edge, 100% opacity, 70% flow, 8 pixels. be sure white is showing as the foreground color.

Repeat steps 1-5 to create similar layers for the:

• lips = (color = eec7c7)
• hair/eye brows = (color=503803)
• hat = (color=black)
• shirt = )color=720808)

cmd s to save after each color layer

That’s it! you have finished your cartoon image.

Lets save the .psd file once more to make sure its saved and now we will create a .jpg and a .gif

go to file, save as = jdcartoon.jpg (change the file type to jpg) baseline standard, maximum (12) and click ok

now, go to , file, save for web and devices, in the size section, make sure the width is no wider than 600 pixels. Click Save.

Here is your final image! Congratulations. If you would like me to print you a hard copy to take home with you, please put your file on the flash drive up front (see me). If you are going to do this please put a text layer in your file (small in the bottom left corner) with your name.