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Turn photo into cartoon

Turn a photo into a cartoon with AI, and keep it looking like you

Upload a photo, name the cartoon style (3D animated film, flat 2D with bold outlines, anime, comic book, storybook watercolour) and end the prompt with the features that make the person recognisable: hair colour and length, eye colour, freckles, glasses, clothes. We turned one portrait into six styles, plus a family of four and a dog. The 3D style turned her grey-blue eyes brown on two models until we named the eye colour. One edit costs 2 credits on Muse Image, 9 on Nano Banana 2.1 or 11 on GPT Image 2.5, and you see the cost before you generate.

Every edit needs a paid plan. Plans start at $19/month.

Cartoon a photo in the editor See the 13 cartoons

How do I turn a photo into a cartoon?

  1. 01

    Pick a clear photo

    Faces visible and in focus, decent light. Cartoon styles simplify a face, so the features that are left (hair, eyes, glasses, freckles) need to be clear in the photo.

  2. 02

    Name the style precisely

    “A 3D animated film character render with soft rounded features” or “a flat 2D cartoon with bold black outlines and bright solid colours” gives a more predictable result than just “cartoon”.

  3. 03

    List what makes the person recognisable

    Hair colour and length, eye colour, freckles, glasses, beard, clothes. Stylised faces drift toward a generic look; whatever you name is what survives.

  4. 04

    Compare, then try another style

    Check the eyes and hair colour against the photo. To try a different style, start again from the original photo rather than from the cartoon.

13 cartoons from a portrait, a family and a dog

Every result starts from a synthetic photo. Open “Prompt we ran” under an image for the exact prompt, or copy the prompt card and swap in your own style and features.

1.3D animated character, on three models

The most requested look. All three kept her hair, freckles, sweater and smile, and all three made her auburn hair a brighter red. Nano Banana 2.1 and Muse Image gave her big brown eyes although hers are grey-blue; GPT Image 2.5 was the least cartoonish and kept her eyes light.

Synthetic source photo: a fictional woman with straight shoulder-length auburn hair, freckles and grey-blue eyes in a grey sweater
Source photo (synthetic)AI-generated with GPT Image 2.5; fictional person.
A 3D animated version of the woman with red hair, freckles and big brown eyes
Eyes turned brownNano Banana 2.1 · 9 credits3D film look; eyes brown, hair brighter red.
A 3D animated version of the woman with freckles and big brown eyes
Same prompt, other modelMuse Image · 2 creditsFreckles kept; eyes brown.
A softer, more realistic 3D version of the woman with light eyes
Same prompt, other modelGPT Image 2.5 · 11 creditsLeast stylised, closest likeness; eyes kept light.

Prompt we ran

Turn this photo into a 3D animated film character render, with soft rounded features, big expressive eyes and warm cinematic lighting. Keep her likeness: face shape, freckles, auburn shoulder-length hair, grey sweater, smile, pose and framing.

Suggested model: Nano Banana 2.1

2.Name the eye colour and it stays

We ran the same prompt again with one change: “grey-blue eyes” in the keep list. Both models that had made her eyes brown now kept them grey-blue. Big cartoon eyes are the feature models restyle most, so name the colour.

Synthetic source photo: a fictional woman with straight shoulder-length auburn hair, freckles and grey-blue eyes in a grey sweater
Source photo (synthetic)AI-generated with GPT Image 2.5; fictional person.
The 3D version of the woman, now with grey-blue eyes
Eye colour namedNano Banana 2.1 · 9 creditsGrey-blue eyes once named.
The Muse Image 3D version, now with grey-blue eyes
Eye colour named, other modelMuse Image · 2 creditsAlso grey-blue, for 2 credits.

Prompt we ran

Turn this photo into a 3D animated film character render, with soft rounded features, big expressive eyes and warm cinematic lighting. Keep her likeness: face shape, freckles, grey-blue eyes, auburn shoulder-length hair, grey sweater, smile, pose and framing.

Suggested model: Nano Banana 2.1

3.2D cartoon, anime, comic and storybook

The same portrait and keep line in four 2D styles. Each style came back as named and each kept the freckles. The comic panel stayed the most recognisable because it keeps more of the real face shape; the anime style changed her the most.

Synthetic source photo: a fictional woman with straight shoulder-length auburn hair, freckles and grey-blue eyes in a grey sweater
Source photo (synthetic)AI-generated with GPT Image 2.5; fictional person.
A flat 2D cartoon of the woman with bold outlines and freckles
2D cartoonNano Banana 2.1 · 9 creditsBold outlines, flat colours; eyes hazel-green.
An anime illustration of the woman with cel shading and a pastel background
AnimeNano Banana 2.1 · 9 creditsCel-shaded anime, pastel background.
Exact prompt we ran
Turn this photo into an anime illustration with clean line art, cel shading and a soft pastel background. Keep her likeness: face shape, freckles, auburn shoulder-length hair, grey sweater, smile, pose and framing.
A comic book panel of the woman with ink lines and halftone shading
Comic bookNano Banana 2.1 · 9 creditsInk and halftone; most recognisable.
Exact prompt we ran
Turn this photo into a comic book panel with heavy ink lines, halftone dots and strong shadows. Keep her likeness: face shape, freckles, auburn shoulder-length hair, grey sweater, smile, pose and framing.
A watercolour storybook illustration of the woman
StorybookNano Banana 2.1 · 9 creditsSoft watercolour and pencil.
Exact prompt we ran
Turn this photo into a children's storybook illustration in soft watercolour and coloured pencil. Keep her likeness: face shape, freckles, auburn shoulder-length hair, grey sweater, smile, pose and framing.

Prompt we ran

Turn this photo into a flat 2D cartoon with bold black outlines and bright solid colours, like a TV cartoon. Keep her likeness: face shape, freckles, auburn shoulder-length hair, grey sweater, smile, pose and framing.

Suggested model: Nano Banana 2.1

4.A family photo as a 3D animated still

Four people at once. Both models kept all four, in the same order, with their hair colours and clothes. Nano Banana 2.1 kept their ages; GPT Image 2.5 made the faces more stylised and the mother much younger.

Synthetic source photo: a fictional family of four, two parents and two adult children, on a sofa in a living room
Source photo (synthetic)AI-generated with GPT Image 2.5; fictional people.
The family of four as 3D animated characters on the same sofa
ResultNano Banana 2.1 · 9 creditsAll four kept in order; ages kept.
The family as more stylised 3D characters, the mother looking younger
Same prompt, other modelGPT Image 2.5 · 11 creditsAll four kept; the mother looks much younger.

Prompt we ran

Turn this photo into a 3D animated film still, with soft rounded features and warm cinematic lighting. Keep all four people, their order on the sofa, their hair colours, clothes and smiles, so each one is still recognisable.

Suggested model: Nano Banana 2.1

With several people, say how many there are and that each must stay recognisable, then check every face, including ages.

5.Your dog as a cartoon

The 2D version is clearly a cartoon. The 3D version barely changed: it came back as a saturated photo with bigger eyes. For a strong cartoon look on a pet, a 2D style worked better in our test. The prompt mentioned a collar the dog does not have, and neither result added one.

Synthetic source photo: a golden retriever lying on a rug in a living room
Source photo (synthetic)AI-generated with GPT Image 2.5.
A flat 2D cartoon of the golden retriever lying on the rug
2D cartoonNano Banana 2.1 · 9 creditsBold outlines; coat and pose kept.
The golden retriever, slightly more saturated with bigger eyes, still photo-like
3D: barely a cartoonNano Banana 2.1 · 9 creditsMostly a saturated photo with bigger eyes.
Exact prompt we ran
Turn this photo into a 3D animated film character render of this dog, with soft fur and big expressive eyes. Keep the dog's breed, coat colour and markings, collar and pose.

Prompt we ran

Turn this photo into a flat 2D cartoon of this dog with bold black outlines and bright solid colours. Keep the dog's breed, coat colour and markings, collar and pose.

Suggested model: Nano Banana 2.1

Keep it recognisable

  • Name eye colour, hair colour and anything distinctive (freckles, glasses, a beard). Our 3D cartoons turned grey-blue eyes brown until we named them.
  • Expect hair colour to get brighter: every style made her auburn hair redder. Name the exact shade if it matters.
  • With several people, check every face and age. One model made the mother look much younger.
  • Try another style from the original photo, not from a cartoon, so differences do not add up.
  • Only cartoon photos of yourself or of people who agreed. A cartoon of a real person is still that person.

Which model to use

Every model runs in the same editor and draws from the same credits. Prices are for one edit in the web app.

ModelCredits per editOn StarterUse it for
Muse Imageone size, about 2.5 MP2$0.038The cheapest way to try the 3D look; it kept freckles and, once named, the eye colour.
Nano Banana 2.11K9$0.171Our default: all six styles and the family. A weak 3D result on the dog. 14 credits at 2K.
GPT Image 2.5high quality11$0.209The most lifelike 3D portrait, but it made a family member look younger.

The editor shows the credit cost before you generate. Prices checked .

What it costs

One edit costs 2 credits on Muse Image, 9 on Nano Banana 2.1 at 1K and 11 on GPT Image 2.5. On the Starter plan ($19 for 1,000 credits a month) that is $0.038 to $0.209 per cartoon; trying all five portrait styles on Nano Banana 2.1 costs 45 credits.

Every edit needs a paid plan. Plans start at $19/month. Unused subscription credits roll over, downloads carry no watermark, and paid plans include a commercial license.

All model prices

Frequently asked questions

How do I turn a photo into a cartoon?

Upload the photo to the editor, name the style (“a 3D animated film character render”, “a flat 2D cartoon with bold black outlines”), list the features that must stay (hair, eye colour, freckles, clothes) and generate. Compare the eyes and hair with your photo, then download it.

Which cartoon styles can I make?

Any style you can describe. On this page: 3D animated film, flat 2D TV cartoon, anime, comic book and storybook watercolour, all from the same photo.

Will the cartoon still look like me?

Mostly, if you name your distinctive features. In our runs hair, freckles and clothes stayed, but 3D cartoons changed grey-blue eyes to brown until we named the eye colour, and every style made auburn hair brighter.

Can I cartoon a family photo or a group?

Yes. Say how many people there are and that each must stay recognisable. Our family of four kept all four people in order; check each face, because one model made the mother look much younger.

Can I turn my pet into a cartoon?

Yes. Our golden retriever worked well as a 2D cartoon. The 3D prompt barely stylised it, so if you want a strong cartoon look, start with a 2D style.

Can I make it look like a specific studio’s films?

Describe the look instead of naming a studio or a character: “3D animated film, soft rounded features, warm cinematic lighting”. Do not present the result as official art from a studio.

How much does it cost? Is there a free option?

One edit costs 2 credits on Muse Image, 9 on Nano Banana 2.1 at 1K or 11 on GPT Image 2.5. AI Media Studio has no free tier. Every edit needs a paid plan. Plans start at $19/month.

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