The Ultimate Guide to Cartoon Creation: DIY Tips and Top Cartoon Maker Tools

Making your own cartoon can be a delightful and entertaining experience. With various user-friendly online cartoon maker tools available, you can readily...

Making your own cartoon can be a delightful and entertaining experience. With various user-friendly online cartoon maker tools available, you can readily make yourself into a cartoon character, or create an entire animation sequence from scratch. But, how do you go about it? Which software or apps are best for beginners and also offer a free version? How do you use your own photo to create a cartoon character?

Creating Your Own Cartoon

Creating your own cartoon involves few simple steps. Begin by brainstorming ideas for your characters and storyline. You can use free online templates or make your own cartoon characters from scratch. Thereafter, you can use cartoon maker software to bring your ideas to life.

Many of these tools come equipped with royalty-free animated characters, gifs, stickers, stock videos, and a myriad of other editing tools, helping you create animated videos with ease. They even allow you to add a voice-over, subtitles, or text to your cartoon, making them perfect for crafting explainer videos.

Turning Your Photo Into a Cartoon

To convert your normal picture into a cartoon, you'll need a cartoon photo editor. These editors often have cartoon effects and photo effects which can be applied with a single click, turning your photos into cartoon-like images.

The No.1 Cartoon Maker App

The top spot in cartoon making apps is generally accorded to Toon Boom Harmony. This software is a favorite of animation professionals and studios worldwide due to its comprehensive suite of tools and features. However, for beginners and casual users, its complexity may be a barrier. Apps like Vyond or Animaker might be more user-friendly alternatives.

Changing a Photo into a Cartoon

To change your photo into a cartoon, you can use a photo editing app with cartoon effects like PicsArt or a web service such as Cartoon.Pho.to. Here's a simplified step-by-step process using PicsArt:

1. Download and open the PicsArt app.
2. Select the photo you want to cartoonize.
3. Click on the "Effects" option and select "Artistic."
4. Choose one of the cartoon effects available.
5. Adjust the effect intensity to your liking.
6. Once satisfied, save your new cartoon picture.

What You Need to Make a Cartoon

Making a cartoon generally requires:

1. An idea or concept.
2. A script or storyboard.
3. Characters and settings (which can be hand-drawn or digitally created).
4. Animation software to bring your characters to life.
5. Voice-over artists or text-to-speech software if your cartoon includes dialogue.
6. Video editing software to put together your scenes, add music, sound effects, etc.

Best Cartoon Making Apps

Some of the best cartoon making apps are:

1. Toon Boom Harmony
2. Adobe Character Animator
3. Vyond
4. Animaker
5. Canva
6. Clip Studio Paint
7. Powtoon
8. Procreate (for iPad)

Making a Cartoon with Text

To make a cartoon with text, you can use software that includes a text-to-speech function, like Vyond, or a simple video editor where you can add text overlays, like Adobe Premiere Pro or Canva. You can also add captions or speech bubbles in your scenes to convey dialogue.

Finding a Free Cartoon Maker

Many cartoon maker tools offer free versions with limited features. Canva, Animaker, and Powtoon, for example, have free versions that might suffice for basic needs. Another popular free tool is Blender, although it has a steep learning curve.

Making a Cartoon of Yourself

To make a cartoon of yourself:

1. Start by choosing a photo of yourself that you want to transform.
2. Use a cartoon photo editor like PicsArt or Cartoon.Pho.to to apply a cartoon effect.
3. Customize the image further by adding cartoon-like filters, stickers, or even text.
4. Save your cartoon avatar and use it wherever you like.

Remember, making a cartoon involves creative experimentation. So, don't be afraid to try different tools and techniques until you get a result that you love.

The Top 8 Cartoon Maker Software and Apps

1. Toon Boom Harmony: This is the leading industry-standard animation software. While it may be complex for beginners, it offers extensive tutorials and is widely used for creating high-quality cartoon animations.
2. Adobe Character Animator: Adobe offers a strong cartoon video maker that leverages your expressions and movements to animate characters in real-time. It is an excellent tool for creating animated videos.
3. Vyond: With Vyond, you can create professional-grade animated videos. It is particularly helpful for explainer videos, offering a myriad of templates, animated characters, and more.
4. Animaker: A user-friendly online animation maker, Animaker offers a variety of tools to make your cartoon creation process easy. It includes voice-over options and various animated characters.
5. PicsArt: As a photo editing app, PicsArt also provides a cartoon photo editor. You can easily transform any picture into a cartoon and also add various cartoon effects.
6. Canva: Known for its ease of use, Canva also offers tools for creating cartoons. You can make use of its vast library of fonts, templates, and other elements for your cartoon video creation.
7. Clip Studio Paint: This is a great tool for creating digital art, including cartoons. It offers a range of drawing and editing tools, making it easy to design your cartoon characters.
8. Powtoon: Powtoon is another popular online cartoon maker, with a strong focus on business presentations. It offers a free version, though pricing for more advanced features varies.

Free Cartoon Maker

Several tools offer free versions, albeit with certain limitations like a watermark, limited templates, or cartoon characters. Some free online tools include Canva, Animaker, and Powtoon.

Final Thoughts

Whether for social media, personal entertainment, or professional endeavors, creating your own cartoon can be a fun and creative outlet. With numerous cartoon maker tools at your disposal, you'll be creating stunning animated videos in no time.