Looking for a new way to make your photos more fun and exciting? If so, cartoonizing photos is a fun technique that can be used to create interesting effects and add a cartoonish quality to your images.

The process involves using software to distort features, such as eyes or limbs, in order to make them look more like they belong in a comic strip. In this article, we’ll discuss the way that you can take your photos and transform them into something truly amazing using Colorcinch!

Cartoonize Your Photos Using Colorcinch

Aside from pixelating your photos to give them a creative look, here is another fun way to make your photos stand out. Cartoonize your photos using the built-in tool in Colorcinch.

It’s quick and super easy. Here’s how:

Step 1: Open Colorcinch. Upload your image.

Step 2: Navigate to Effects — Cartoonize.

Step 3: Pick a Cartoonizer filter. For this example we will be using CA008. Adjust the Slider to change the filter’s intensity.

Step 4: There is an advanced option that you can adjust if you wish to have more control over the chosen filter. Just click on Settings and experiment with the Sliders.

Here’s the before and after:

Isolated Cartoonize Effect

You can also apply the effect to only those areas of the photos you wish the filter to affect. Here’s how

Step 1: Pick a Cartoonizer effect. We’ll use CA031 for this example. Once the filter has taken effect, click on Settings.

Step 2: Go to the Erase tab. Change the size of the eraser’s brush and paint over the parts you don’t want to be cartoonized.

Step 3: If you made a mistake and need to bring back the effect to a certain area, click on the Brush icon, adjust the brush size and paint over to the area where you want the filter to take effect.

Here is a comparison between an image that has been fully “cartoonized” and one that has only been “cartoonized” in a specific area.

And here are some other cool cartoonizing effects in Colorcinch that you can use.

Conclusion

We hope that this article has given you a few helpful tips on how to cartoonize photos using Colorcinch. Cartooning is a very unique art form, and we encourage everyone who wants to learn more about it to keep practicing!

If you think that this post could be helpful to you and others, please like, comment on, and share this post. We are extremely interested in hearing from each and every one of you!

The post How to Quickly Cartoonize a Photo in Colorcinch appeared first on Photo to Cartoon – Cartoonize Yourself & Create Avatar Characters for Free.

Instagram has fantastic in-app filters, no doubt!

But if you want your Instagram page to stand out, you might need some extra, non-generic filters—that aren’t on Instagram. You can either opt in to create your own custom Instagram filter, or sift through thousands of available pre-made options all over the web.

It’s crazy digging out the best free Instagram filters. There are tons of them online.

Phew!

Thankfully, I’ve mined the gold on your behalf, and all you need to do is flaunt your newly found treasures on Instagram.

Ready to rock n’ roll?

Below are the best Instagram filters to create stunning share-worthy photos on Instagram.

Categories of Filters

• Artistic
• Fitness
• Pet
• Landscape
• Sports
• Food
• Wildlife
• Fashion
• Portrait
• Wedding/Events

Best Free Instagram Filters to Create Artistic Photographs

You don’t need sophisticated tools to apply stunning artistic effects to your photos. Some of the best online photo editors are actually free!

Want to cartoonize yourself or make a cute photo sketch? 

Use the filters below to create stunning artistic effects:

1. Cartoonize

Available from Colorcinch (navigate to Effects – Cartoonizer – IC228)

2. Digital Art

Available from Colorcinch (navigate to Effects – Digital Art – FX012)

3. Stenciler

Available from BeFunky (navigate to Effects – Stenciler – Stenciler 1)

4. Tintbrush

Available from PhotoMania (navigate to Artistic – Painting – Tintbrush)

5. Sketcher

Available from Colorcinch (navigate to Effects – Digital Art – FX017)

6. Metallic Grain

Available from PhotoMania (navigate to Artistic – Painting – Metallic Grain)

7. Holga Art

Available from BeFunky (navigate to Effects – Holga Art – Holga Art 1)

8. Glossy Cartoon

Available from PhotoMania (navigate to Artistic – Cartoon – Glossy Cartoon)

9. Pop Art

Available from BeFunky (navigate to Effects – Pop Art – Pop Art 2)

10. Sharp Paint 

Available from PhotoMania (navigate to Artistic – Painting – Sharp Paint)

Best Free Instagram Filters for Fitness Photographs

Want to share shots from your gym sessions on Instagram?

Use the right filters to sharpen your images and appear more energetic.

Here are some of the best ones to try out right away:

11. HDR

Available from Colorcinch (navigate to Filters – HDR – 003)

12. Sapphire

Available from Photomania (navigate to Artistic – Filters – Sapphire)

13. Pop

Available from Fotor (navigate to Effects – Vignette Party – Pop)

14. Clairify

Available from Pixlr (navigate to Effect – Tuning – Clairify)

15. HK Film

Available from Fotor (navigate to Effects – Vintage – HK Film)

16. Aria

Available from Photomania (navigate to Artistic – Filters – Aria)

17. Vivere

Available from Polarr (navigate to Filter – Art – Vivere)

18. Japanese

Available from Photomania (navigate to Artistic – Filters – Japanese)

19. Strawberry

Available from Pixlr (navigate to Effect – Shades – Strawberry)

20. Dawn Light

Available from Fotor (navigate to Effects – Analog – Dawn Light)

Best Free Instagram Filters for Pet Photographs

Want to show off your adorable pets on Instagram?

No worries.

Below are 10 filters to 10x your pets’ cuteness:

21. Sparks

Available from PhotoFilters (navigate to Filters – Filters 2 – Sparks)

22. Tribeca

Available from Fotor (navigate to Effects – Vignette Party – Tribeca)

23. Sara

Available from Pixlr (navigate to Effect – Colors – Sara)

24. Icy

Available from Polarr (navigate to Filters – Modern – Icy)

25. Lomo

Available from Photomania (navigate to Artistic – Filters – Lomo)

26. Contrasted

Available from Fotor (navigate to Effects – Greyscale – Contrasted)

27. Glowing Sun

Available from PhotoFilters (navigate to Filters – Filters – Glowing Sun)

28. Contrast

Available from Pixlr (navigate to Effect – Tuning – Contrast)

29. Sutro

Available from PhotoFilters (navigate to Filters – Instagram – Sutro)

30. Dreamy

Available from Polarr (navigate to Filters – Atmosphere – Dreamy)

Best Free Instagram Filters for Landscape Photographs

Need unique filters to make your landscape photos wow your Instagram followers?

Below are 10 Instagram filters to do the trick:

31. Vintage

Available from Colorcinch (navigate to Filters – Vintage – 008)

32. Spring Lit

Available from Fotor (navigate to Effects – Spring – Spring Lit)

33. Lemonade 

Available from Photomania (navigate to Artistic – Filters – Lemonade)

34. Autumn

Available from Fotor (navigate to Effects – Vintage – Autumn)

35. Porter

Available from Pixlr (navigate to Effect – Too-old – Porter)

36. Theatre

Available from Fotor (navigate to Effects – Scenes – Theatre)

37. Tonola

Available from Pixlr (navigate to Effect – Colors – Tonola)

38. Golden Hour

Available from Photomania (navigate to Artistic – Filters – Golden Hour)

39. Justblues

Available from Pixlr (navigate to Effect – Colors – Justblues)

40. Movie

Available from Photomania (navigate to Artistic – Filters – Movie)

Best Free Instagram Filters for Sports Photographs

Got a lot of sport-loving followers on Instagram?

Entertain them with captivating pictures from their favorite games.

The below filters can help transform your sports photos into conversation initiators:

41. Matte

Available from Colorcinch (navigate to Filters – Matte – 001)

42. Angie

Available from Photomania (navigate to Artistic – Filters – Angie)

43. Beyllo

Available from Pixlr (navigate to Effect – Colors – Beyllo)

44. Mini-oven

Available from Fotor (navigate to Effects – Classic – Mini-Oven)

45. Ruby

Available from Photomania (navigate to Artistic – Filters – Ruby)

46. Pistol

Available from PhotoFilters (navigate to Filters – Filters 2 – Pistol)

47. Grapes

Available from Pixlr (navigate to Effect – Shades – Grapes)

48. Milk

Available from Photomania (navigate to Artistic – Filters – Milk)

49. Concentrate

Available from PhotoFilters (navigate to Filters – Filters – Concentrate)

50. Orton

Available from Photomania (navigate to Artistic – Filters – Orton)

Best Free Instagram Filters for Food Photographs

There are a bunch of food lovers on Instagram.

And to get their attention, you’ve got to make your dishes appear spicier and tastier.

Thankfully, a handful of filters can handle this task. Below are the top 10:

51. Solaris

Available from Polarr (navigate to Filter – Film – Solaris)

52. Rosie

Available from Canva (navigate to Filter – Rosie)

53. Moonbeam

Available from Fotor (navigate to Effects – Classic – Moonbeam)

54. Electric

Available from Polarr (navigate to Filters – Unsplash – Electric)

55. Excited

Available from PhotoFilters (navigate to Filters – Filters 2 – Excited)

56. Slowlived

Available from Polarr (navigate to Filter – Unsplash – Slowlived)

57. Ensalat

Available from Pixlr (navigate to Effect – Ensalat)

58. Sunset

Available from Fotor (navigate to Effects – Scenes – Sunset)

59. Cold Heart

Available from PhotoFilters (navigate to Filters – Filters 2 – Cold Heart)

60. Berry

Available from Pixlr (navigate to Effect – Food – Berry)

Best Free Instagram Filters for Wildlife Photographs

It’s difficult capturing the world’s deadliest and scariest creatures in their natural habitat—going around with their everyday activities.

So, your pictures certainly deserve everyone’s attention.

These filters should help beautify your wildlife photos:

61. Infrared Light

Available from Colorcinch (navigate to Filters – Infrared Light – 005)

62. Grungy

Available from PhotoFilters (navigate to Filters – Filters – Grungy)

63. Light Leak

Available from Photomania (navigate to Artistic – Filters – Light Leak)

64. Sheberios

Available from Pixlr (navigate to Effect – Instage – Sheberios)

65. Monochrome

Available from Photomania (navigate to Artistic – Filters – Monochrome)

66. Vista

Available from Polarr (navigate to Filters – Film – Vista)

67. Hefe

Available from PhotoFilters (navigate to Filters – Instagram – Hefe)

68. Sand

Available from Fotor (navigate to Effects – Scenes – Sand)

69. Pinhole

Available from PhotoFilters (navigate to Filters – Filters – Pinhole)

70. Contrast B&W

Available from Photomania (navigate to Artistic – Filters – Contrast B&W)

Best Free Instagram Filters for Fashion Photographs

Your fashion shots have got to be on point.

So how about you style things up a bit with a couple of stunning filters? 

Below are 10 filters to try out:

71. Roadtrip

Available from Colorcinch (navigate to Filters – Roadtrip – 005)

72. Heat

Available from Fotor (navigate to Effects – Spring – Heat)

73. Vib

Available from Pixlr (navigate to Effect – Retro – Vib)

74. Illuminated

Available from Fotor (navigate to Effects – Warm Winter – Illuminated)

75. Dust

Available from Polarr (navigate to Filters – Atmosphere – Dust)

76. Anne

Available from Pixlr (navigate to Effect – Friends – Anne)

77. Greenhouse

Available from Fotor (navigate to Effects – Warm Winter – Greenhouse)

78. Brownie

Available from PhotoFilters (navigate to Filters – Filters – Brownie)

79. Superone

Available from Pixlr (navigate to Effect – Colors – Superone)

80. Fog

Available from Polarr (navigate to Filters – Atmosphere – Fog)

Best Free Instagram Filters for Portrait Photographs

You’ve got a perfect shot.

Now, it’s time to give it some nice touch-ups.

These 10 Instagram filters will make your portrait photos glow:

81. Color Mix

Available from Colorcinch (navigate to Filters – Color Mix – 009)

82. Hadean

Available from Polarr (navigate to Filters – Unsplash – Hadean)

83. Old School

Available from Fotor (navigate to Effects – Greyscale – Old School)

84. Conny

Available from Pixlr (navigate to Effect – Too-old – Conny)

85. Jarques

Available from PhotoFilters (navigate to Filters – Filters – Jarques)

86. Sepia

Available from Fotor (navigate to Effects – Retro – Sepia

87. Forest

Available from Pixlr (navigate to Effect – Nature – Forest)

88. Festive

Available from Canva (navigate to Filter – Festive)

89. Pleasant

Available from PhotoFilters (navigate to Filters – Filters – Pleasant)

90. Urbex

Available from Polarr (navigate to Filters – Unsplash – Urbex)

Best Free Instagram Filters for Events Photographs

Photos taken at wedding ceremonies, pool-side parties, and other events might need some fine-tuning to become Insta-worthy. Whether you’re an agency or a solopreneur, with a streamlined social media workflow or not, we’ve selected the top 10 filters to make your job just a little easier:

91. Black & White

Available from Colorcinch (navigate to Filters – Black & White – 001)

92. Half-Phase

Available from Fotor (navigate to Effects – Warm Winter – Half-Phase)

93. Afterglow

Available from PhotoFilters (navigate to Filters – Filters 2 – Afterglow)

94. Molly

Available from Photomania (navigate to Artistic – Filters – Molly)

95. Summer

Available from Canva (navigate to Filter -Summer)

96. Nightfall

Available from Polarr (navigate to Filters – Adventure – Nightfall)

97. Perfect B&W

Available from Photomania (navigate to Artistic – Filters – Perfect B&W)

98. Supra

Available from Polarr (navigate to Filters – Film – Supra)

99. Retrolga

Available from Photomania (navigate to Artistic – Filters – Retrolga)

100. Triple Scan

Available from Polarr (navigate to Filters – Modern – Triple Scan)

What’s next?

If you’ve reached this point, then it means you now have all you need to create/upload Instagram images that stand out.

So here’s what to do next:

Decide on the next set of pictures to upload on Instagram, choose/apply your desired filters, and then flaunt the final, beautiful shots on IG!

And if you need additional filters and artistic effects, Colorcinch has got dozens of amazing ones.

So go check ’em out now.

The post 100 Stunning Instagram Filters That You Won’t Find on Instagram appeared first on Photo to Cartoon – Cartoonize Yourself & Create Avatar Characters for Free.

Ever wondered how to turn a photo into a cartoon?

Maybe you’re a fan of graphic novels and comic strips. Or perhaps you’d like to cartoonize yourself, someone, or something!

If so, we have the lowdown on exactly how to do it. There are two main ways to cartoon yourself:

• The long way (using Photoshop)
• The quick and easy way (using our free cartoon maker)

We’re going to look at how to use both methods so you can decide which is best or easiest for you.

Although we’ll be looking at using Photoshop CC first to cartoonify an image, don’t worry – we’ll give you simple step-by-step instructions and images so you can follow along.

Let’s get started!

1. Using Photoshop CC to Cartoonize Yourself

“Why would I use Photoshop to cartoonize me when I can use a free cartoon maker?” I can hear you ask.

Good question!

Well, we would like to help you to learn new skills and different ways of doing things so that you can decide which method suits you (and your project) best.

If you don’t have the latest CC version of Photoshop, then this tutorial should still work for whatever version you’re running.

As is common with Photoshop, there are several ways of doing the same thing (which can be confusing – sometimes too much choice is not necessarily a good thing), depending on what kind of cartoon effect you’re going for.

What kind of photo should you choose for the best results?

One of yourself (or someone else) with a clean background is ideal.

If you don’t have a plain background on your image, don’t worry too much. You can cartoonize landscapes as well as people.

If you want to practice on a different photo, then you can download free stock images of people from places like Pexels, Unsplash or dozens of other sites to experiment with (that’s what I’m using for this tutorial).

Step 1: Open Photoshop

Once you have your chosen victim (sorry, subject!), open it in Photoshop CC or whatever version of Photoshop you’re using.

I chose this portrait by Olena Sergienko on Unsplash:

Step 2: Duplicate the Layers

Duplicate the layer by going to the Layers panel on the right-hand side of the screen and clicking the drop-down menu icon at the right-hand side of the Layers Panel (it looks like a square made of horizontal lines).

Click on Duplicate Layer from the menu that will appear:

Click OK in the window that will appear next:

Or, you can take the shortcut by pressing Cmd/Ctrl + J depending on whether you’re using Mac or Windows.

You’ll see the duplicate layer as Background Copy in the Layers Panel:

Make sure that the Background Copy is active – it should be a lighter shade of gray than the Background layer. If it’s not, click once on it to activate it.

Step 3: Add a High Pass Filter

Go to the Filter menu in the top menu bar and click Other in the drop-down.

Choose High Pass:

The image will look gray and weird at this point- but it’s meant to, so don’t freak out!

Adjust the slider in High Pass until you see an outline of your person.

Anything from a 3.0-8 radius is a good starting point, but you may need to play with the slider to get a clear outline.

Click OK when you are done:

Step 4: Duplicate the Background Copy Layer

Duplicate the layer by going to Duplicate Layer in the Layers drop-down again, or take the shortcut Ctrl/Cmd+J instead:

Step 5: Invert the Top Layer

Invert the top layer by pressing Ctrl/Cmd+I.

You won’t see much difference in the image at this point, but it’s an important part of the process:

Step 6: Change the Blending Mode

Next, you need to change the Blending Mode to Divide.

Go to the Layers Panel on the right-hand side of the screen where your background layers are.

There is a drop-down menu next to Opacity, which will currently show Normal as the default option.

Click this drop-down, and choose Divide from the list that appears:

Step 7: Merge the Layers

Now, we’re going to merge the top two layers. Don’t worry, it’s easier than it sounds!

Go to your Layers Panel.

The top Background Copy 2 layer will be light gray, to show it’s currently selected.

Hold Shift and then click on the Background Copy layer so that both top 2 layers are selected and light gray:

Next, press Ctrl/Cmd+E, which will merge the top 2 layers so that you now only have Background and Background Copy 2 left in the Layers Panel:

Step 8: Adjust the Levels

Open Levels by clicking Ctrl/Cmd+L – or go to Layers and create a Levels Adjustment Layer by clicking on the black and white circle at the bottom of the Layers Panel and choose Levels.

Slide the left-hand black slider towards the right until it reaches just inside the white area of the Histogram, then move the gray slider to the right until your image looks similar to the one I have:

Click OK when you’re done.

Step 9: Duplicate Layers and Change Layer Order

Click on the bottom Background layer in the Layers Panel so that it turns light gray.

Duplicate it by clicking Ctrl/Cmd+J so that you have Background Copy and Background Copy 2:

Click and drag the Background Copy layer to the top of the Layers Panel, so it is now on top of the Background Copy 2:

NOTE: You may have to click and drag a couple of times to get it up on top, as it never seems to work the first time for me (although it might for you).

Your photo will now look like it did before you started, but don’t worry – you’ve merely covered up the adjustments we made earlier with the background copy layer.

In the next few steps, we’ll bring it all together and the magic will happen.

Step 10: Add Surface Blur

This is the fun part, where you start to turn your photo into a cartoon!

Go to the top menu bar and click Filter – Blur – Surface Blur. 

Move the sliders around until you have a smooth look to the surface color and texture.

I used Radius 15 and Threshold 39, but you may have different settings.

Click OK when done:

Step 11: Change the Blending Mode

Final steps, yay!

Go to the Blending Mode drop-down in the Layers Panel again.

Change it from Normal to either Hard Light or Linear Light mode (depending on which look you prefer) and you’ll see your cartoonized image:

You can choose to adjust Opacity for a different look, and I dropped mine to 95%. Here’s a close-up look of the finished cartoon:

Drumroll please…

Don’t forget, if you mess up or get stuck then go back in the History Panel to a point where you were happy with the image. Find the History Panel by going to Window – History, and a panel will open up.

This panel shows every adjustment you made to the image, and you can go back to a specific one just by clicking on it, all the way back to when you first opened the image.

It’s like a time machine for Photoshop, and has often saved me from having to start over again from scratch when editing just by going back a few steps.
I hope you’re happy with the result, and now you know how to create a cartoon in Photoshop.

It was a lot of work though, wasn’t it? A lot of steps to follow and adjustments to make.

I know what you’re thinking:

“There must be an easier way!”

Luckily, there is!

Next, I’m going to show you how to use a free cartoon maker to get similar results but in much less time and with a lot less effort.

2. Using Colorcinch to Cartoonize Yourself

While image editing programs like Photoshop are great, they have a steep learning curve.

They also cost a lot – you can only get Photoshop and Lightroom on subscription now, and if you aren’t a power user then you’ll find it hard to get your money’s worth.

A handy alternative for turning photos into cartoons is an online cartoon maker like Colorcinch. It’s also free unless you decide to upgrade to a Plus platform, which unlocks a lot of extra features.

Here’s how we’re going to turn the same image into a cartoon using Colorcinch as a faster and easier alternative to Photoshop.

Step 1: Open Colorcinch

Open Colorcinch.

Step 2: Upload Your Image

Upload your chosen image, or use one of the sample photos.

For the sake of comparison between the two image-editing programs, I’m using exactly the same image as I did for Photoshop CC:

Step 3: The Control Panel

Down the left-hand side of the screen are all your essential editing controls:

• Image manager
• Edits
• Effects
• Filters
• Overlays
• Masks
• Text
• Draw
• Graphics
• Frames

Step 4: Find the Effects Menu

While we could get sidetracked by all the other cool effects and features, we’re here to make a cartoon out of a photo, so go to Effects.

You’ll see a list of categories in this module – Cartoonizer, Digital Art, Sketch, and Painting.

You know the one we want today, so go ahead and click on Cartoonizer.

Step 5: Choose Your Cartoon Style

All your cartoonizing choices are displayed down the left-hand side, and you get to see the effects of each one before you apply them.

Scroll down the list to find an effect you like.

Let’s have some fun with it!

Step 6: Apply the Cartoon Effect

I chose the first cartoon effect at the top of the list, and I have to admit it does look pretty darn good:

Step 7: Make Adjustments

If you just want a very quick cartoonized photo, then you can save and enjoy your new creation – and it only took a minute or two, if that!

However, if you want to further tweak your cartoonified image, then you can adjust the sliders in the effect’s Advanced Settings:

Click on the slider icon in the top-right corner of the effect thumbnail (next to the heart icon), and unleash your creativity here:

As you can see, I changed the Hue, Color Range, and Detail to achieve a totally different cartoon effect.

Step 8: Experiment and Enjoy!

That’s it – you’ve basically created a cartoon from a photo in a few simple steps, and without messing around with layers or blending modes like you did in Photoshop.

Here’s another cartoon variation or two created with Colorcinch for free:

(Warning – creating cool cartoons on here is addictive! I have just spent ages cartoonifying different images and tweaking them, and I’m supposed to be getting on and writing this article!):

Once you’ve finished cartoonizing your photos, save your work by clicking Apply.

Go to the top of the screen, and click Save. Choose to Save as Project (if you’re a Plus user) or to My Computer.

Upgrading to the Plus version of Colorcinch will give you access to many more professional image editing tools, effects and graphics, as well as more control over exporting and file size options.

This opens up a whole new world of image editing for you. Colorcinch is not just a clever way to create cartoons from photos – it’s a proper image editor. Like Photoshop, but simpler!

Conclusion

I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial on how to cartoonize yourself as much as I have!

If you followed along with both tutorials, which way of cartoonizing a photo did you prefer?

We’d love to know!

The post How to Cartoonize Yourself appeared first on Photo to Cartoon – Cartoonize Yourself & Create Avatar Characters for Free.