Caricatures are a fun alternative to traditional portraits. The idea is to comically exaggerate certain character traits to create a funny image of the person being described. Adobe Photoshop tools such as Transform, Warp, Liquify are ideal for creating caricatures from portrait photographs. This lesson is part of a series of lessons on Deformation, Transformation and Plasticity. All these lessons can be found on the Tuts+ website.

Final result:

An alternative method for creating caricatures.

In this tutorial we will create a caricature from a photograph. But if you look for an alternative method of creating a caricature, then the most best method- is to use an action Photoshop programs, for example, such a popular action as Caricature Photoshop Action, which can be downloaded on the Envato website. You can download a whole series Caricature creation effects with just a few clicks.

If you still decide to create a caricature effect yourself, then you can start this lesson.

1. Prepare the Photo

The most important thing in caricature technique is to find elements that are already, by their nature, emphasized, and then exaggerate them to a certain degree of comedy. In our original photo, the jaw line young man is pronounced, and therefore his smile is immediately noticeable. His horn-rimmed glasses catch his eye, as does his hairline, which appears to be receding. This is all characteristic features that we can make fun of.

Step 1

A clean white background in a photograph makes it easier to separate the image from background. Use any selection technique of your choice - I used the Quick Selection(Quick Selection Tool (W)) to create a selection - and then go Layer - New - Copy to new layer(Layer > New > Layer Via Copy) or press the keys (Ctrl+J) to copy the selected image of the man to a new layer.

Step 2

When each element of the image is selected individually, then it is easier to work with each individual element. So using the same selection technique, highlight the following elements images. The head, neck and jacket should be outlined exactly along the line of the T-shirt.

The head/neck should fit exactly within the line of the T-shirt.

When selecting the chin, it is not necessary to be precise, create a rough selection - later, we will combine the chin with the entire head.

Try to highlight the mouth along the outer area of ​​the lips, so that there is enough space for further alignment.

Select the nose in the same way. Create a rough selection around the nose, leaving enough room for blending.

Step 3

To make things easier, let's convert each image element layer into a Smart Object. Being on each layer, we go one by one Layer - Smart Object - Convert to Smart Object(Layer > Smart Objects > Convert to Smart Object).

2. Transformation and Deformation

So, individual facial features are located on separate layers, now we can begin to transform them, creating a caricature. The versatility of Smart Objects allows you to work with different combinations of sizes to create a fun effect.

Step 1

A traditional caricature technique is to make the head too large in comparison to the body. To do this, we need to significantly reduce the image of the torso, so we go Editing - Free Transformation(Edit > Free Transform).

Step 2

Next, go (Edit > Transform > Warp) to start warping the head image. The neck should fit the neck of the T-shirt, and also flare out the top of the head. The main goal of this step is simply to create a basic head shape that will serve as the basis for the rest of the image.

Step 3

Apply distortion to the chin to elongate it and also sharpen it a little. Try to align the top of the chin so that the seams at the transition of the element images are not too noticeable.

Step 4

Make a big grin even bigger by stretching out the mouth.

Step 5

Very often in cartoons noses are made very large and exaggerated. Big noses they just look very funny! Enlarge the image of the nose to comic proportions - even if the nose overlaps the mouth, it's okay.

Step 6

The glasses require more careful work than simply scaling, which we applied to other elements of the image. Tool Deformation(Warp tool) will help align the stretched frame on the face, for this we go Editing - Transformation - Warp(Edit > Transform > Warp).

Step 7

During the distortion, we practically hid the ear on the main layer with the image of the man. To fix this, we'll zoom in on the ear so the ear is big enough to hold the glasses mounts!

Step 8

The most the hard part work is processing the chin on the layer mask of the layer, because I have to treat the hairs in the goatee area on the chin. Just use a smaller brush and be patient. In the screenshot below, you can see the processing on the layer mask of the chin layer and the result of the combination.

Step 9

Create a new layer on top of all the selected elements of the head image and use the Spot Healing Brush(Spot Healing Brush (J)), in the settings, select the option Sample of all layers(Sample All Layers), paint over obvious seams or problem areas that you could not fix with a layer mask.

3. Apply Lifting to the Face

Next comes powerful tool which is used in the process of creating a caricature is a tool Plastic(Liquify). We've already done a lot of work with deformation, however, with the help of Liquify, we will create a really fun caricature. Tool Plastic(Liquify) is a powerful tool and at the same time it can be unpredictable, but fortunately the tool is supported Smart filter(Smart Filtering), so no need to worry!

Step 1

Select all the layers with the selected elements of the man's head, including the top adjustment layer, to merge them into one layer. Convert this layer to Smart Object(Smart Object), for this we go Layer - Smart Object - Convert to Smart Object(Layer > Smart Object > Convert to Smart Object).

Step 2

Step 3

Using a tool Deformation(Forward Warp Tool), brush size approximately 200, increase the volume of the frontal part. Gently lift the skin up towards the hairline.

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Using a tool Deformation(Forward Warp Tool), deform the area near the temple again, and then use the tool Bloating(Bloat Tool), slightly enlarge the eyes - the only thing is, do not forget to reduce the diameter of the brush when using this tool on eyeballs. After finishing work, click the button No(None) in settings Mask Options(Mask Options) to remove all frozen areas.

Step 7

Lengthen your chin a little using the tool Deformation(Forward Warp Tool), and also make the chin more round and convex using the tool Bloating(Bloat Tool).

Step 8

In conclusion, make a man's smile wider with the help of a tool Deformation(Forward Warp Tool). Pull the corners of your mouth towards the folds of your cheeks. The only thing is, be careful and do not deform the shape of your teeth.

After applying the filter Plastic(Liquify), the result should be as in the screenshot below.

4. Artistic Background

So, we've finished deforming and working on the poor man's face, now let's give the photo more artistic view. We'll start by creating a more artistic background.

Step 1

Add a layer mask to the caricature layer and use a textured brush to paint the bottom of the image, shading it on the layer mask. I chose the Sponge Brush Projection brush. Reduce opacity(Opacity) of the brush, up to approximately 40%, so the texture transition will be smooth.

Step 2

Open the texture with the background by downloading it from the link at the beginning of this lesson. Place this texture below the cartoon layer.

Step 3

Add a layer mask to the background texture layer. Using the same brush, paint over the texture on the layer mask to create a painted effect around the edge of the image.

5. Painted Picture Effect

So, we are ready to transform our caricature, giving it the effect of a painted picture. We will maintain a slight photographic quality, while creating the feeling of a painted picture. This can be easily achieved using the tool technique. Finger(Smudge Tool).

Step 1

Small details have a destructive tendency to affect the created effect of the painted picture, so first we will soften them, this will be the best solution. Let's go Filter- Blur- Smartblur(Filter > Blur > Smart Blur). Set the following settings: Radius(Radius) 2.0, Threshold(Threshold) 10.0, Quality(Quality) High(High).

Step 2

The highlights in the photo have become a little brighter. We'll fix this with an adjustment layer. Curves(Curves). Add an adjustment layer to the cartoon layer Curves(Curves) as a clipping mask to soften the bright areas.

Step 3

Create a new layer on top of all other layers. Select a tool Finger(Smudge Tool), set the brush size to approximately 40 px. Set value Intensities(Strength) 80%, and also check the box Sample of all layers(Sample All Layers). Once you have set up the tool, start smearing it with your finger along the main features of the man’s face. Go over the skin's natural texture to give it a more fluid texture.

Step 4

Reduce the brush size to approximately 5 px. Next, use your finger along smaller details, such as eyebrows, individual locks of hair, eyes and teeth.

Step 5

Create a merged layer from the Finger smear layer, the caricature layer, and the adjustment layer. Curves(Curves). To do this, first, select all layers, and then, while holding down the Alt key, go to Layer - Merge Layers(Layer > Merge Layers (Ctrl+E)). While on the merged layer, go to Filter - Color Contrast(Filter > Other > High Pass). Install Radius(Radius) 5.0 px. Name this layer 'Details'.

Step 6

Change the blending mode for the ‘Details’ layer to Overlap(Overlay), and also reduce opacity(Opacity) of the layer up to 78%. Next, let's go Layer - Layer Mask - Hide All(Layer > Layer Mask > Hide All). Using a soft white brush, work in details such as the eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth and beard to make them appear again.

Step 7

Create a new layer on top of all other layers. Fill this layer with 50% grey. You can fill it through Editing - Fill(Edit > Fill). Change the blending mode for this layer to Overlap(Overlay), and then using a soft black brush with opacity 30%, recreate the darkening effect. Switch the brush color to white to recreate the brightening effect.

Step 8

Next, we'll add the finishing touch. First, create a merged layer from all layers, to do this, hold down the (Alt) key + go Layer - Merge Visible(Layer > Merge Visible). Next, go Filter -CameraRaw(Filter > Camera Raw) and in the window that appears, set the following settings Contrast(Contrast) +10, Brightness(Clarity) +22, and Vibration(Vibrance) +48.

And we completed the lesson! I hope you enjoyed this awesome cartooning tutorial! Now use this technique to apply it to photos of your friends or family to create fun, unique, and one-of-a-kind portraits!

In this tutorial, we'll learn how to make a caricature from a photo in Photoshop, a fun alternative to a regular portrait.

The idea is to change the shape of the face to emphasize or make the features more comical. IN Adobe Photoshop There are a number of tools that we just need for this. Among them: Transformation, Deformation, Plastic.

For this collage, we need the photo itself from which we will make a caricature and a background. You can find these files in the lesson materials.

Step 1.

The basis for creating a caricature is the search for parts of the body that by nature already ask to be enlarged or reduced. If you look at our photo, you can immediately identify several points that you can work with: This is a rather large jaw and a very expressive smile. Horn-rimmed glasses and a high forehead are also striking. All these details can be played.

Step 2.

Since our photograph was taken on a white background, it will not be difficult for us to separate it from the background. We use tool Wand(W), make a selection white background, then invert our selection. After that, without removing the selection, copy the layer by clicking Layers > New > Copy to New Layer (Ctrl + J) and get a copy of the cut out man on a separate layer.

Step 3.

It is much more convenient to work with in separate parts images that are separated from each other. Therefore, we will separate the image into the parts we need. First, separate the clothes into a separate layer.

Step 4.

Now let's start preparing the elements for the caricature. To do this, let’s turn the clothes into transparency so that they don’t interfere with us for now.

Cut out the chin and place it on a new layer.

Step 5.

Then copy the mouth in the same way to a new layer.

Step 6.

Then we will do the same with the nose.

And after that, similarly select and copy the glasses.

Step 7

Next step Let's copy the ear.

Step 8

We have completed the main preparatory stage. Now, for convenience and to be on the safe side, we convert each individual layer into Smart object. Layers > Smart Objects > Convert to Smart Object.

Step 9

Now let's move on to transformations and deformations.

A general rule in caricatures is to make the head disproportionately large to the body.

To do this, select the clothing layer and use the tool Free Transformation and stretch the layer of clothing down.

Step 10

Now let's move on to the head. Using the tool Deformation and start twisting your head. Let's try to deform the neck so that it fits into the stretched collar, and in general give the head shape the desired shape, which will become the basis of our caricature. The main task of this step is to make the desired shape of the head, and the location of the remaining layers will depend on how we make the base.

Step 11

We deform the chin so that the seams where the layers touch are of similar shades.

Step 12

We deform the mouth in the same way.

Step 13

Enlarging the nose.

Step 14

Now let's experiment with glasses. Using the tool Deformation.

Step 15

Now let's adjust the ear to the temple of the glasses and also deform it a little.

Step 16

The most difficult moment in drawing the mask was on my chin below, exactly where the beard is. There I used a small brush and carefully, trying to preserve every hair of the beard, manually erased the unnecessary fragment.

Step 17

We should have the following design.

Step 18

The next step is to use the tool. Let's try to strengthen the caricature.

I glue the intermediate stage, consisting of layers, into one and again convert it into Smart object.

Step 19

I'm moving to Filter > Plastic. Then in the dialog box I select Advanced Mode, in order to get more flexible settings.

Step 20.

I'm using a tool Deformation with a brush size of approximately 200px. I carefully widen my forehead, moving the skin closer to the hair.

Step 21

Now I'm using the tool Bloating and make a few clicks on the nose to make it look more massive.

Step 22

Now I use Freezing mask to highlight the frame of the glasses so that it does not become deformed.

Step 23

Using the tool Deformation Let's make the eyes a little smaller.

Step 24

Step 25

Let's intensify the smile, pull the corners of the lips a little closer to the cheeks.

Step 26

After the filter, we should get something like the following picture.

Step 27

Finishing touch This will add a hand-drawn effect.

Let's add mask to the layer with the cartoon and the tool Brush Carefully blend the bottom of the layer with low transparency.

Step 28

Now let's insert the background.

After this we will also add to the background mask and let's feather the edges. Let's select a brush that looks like a sponge.

Step 29

Let's add effects to give the caricature a more hand-drawn look.

We use Smart Blur With radius 2.0, Tolerance 10.0 And quality exhibited on High.

Step 30.

Now we use Adjustment Layer With Curves with the following settings.

Step 31

Now let's create a new layer and place it on top of the others. We use Finger tool, brush size approx. 40px, Set the pressing force to 80% and be sure to check the box Sample from all layers. We begin to carefully smear with our finger, maintaining the main boundaries and following the tonality of the picture.

Step 32

Then select all the resulting layers and glue them into one (Ctrl + E). Next we use the filter High Pass ( color contrast) , set the radius to approximately 5.0px.

Then we transfer this layer to Blend Mode - Overlap and reduce the transparency to 80%. After that, select in the panel Layer > Layer Mask > Hide All.

After that, using the tool Brush by selecting white, I restore facial features, eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth, chin.

Step 33

We're all done. This technique will help you make a fun funny collage of your friends or family.

More and more often, simple online photo editors are not able to process photos in such a way as to make the photos truly interesting. Not everyone can learn complex programs such as Photoshop. However, those who want to add variety to their photographs will always find a way out. Upload a portrait photo to the service and you will be able to make amazing facial changes: facial morphing, changing facial expressions, and, finally, facial animation! That is, lips, cheeks, eyebrows and eyelids will actually move! Creating this effect will take no more than a minute!

The service also provides many other features. Here you can create not only realistic facial expressions , such as a wink, a sweet smile, a sly squint, genuine surprise, or a sad lowering of the corners of the lips, but also a lot of parody effects . In addition, you can apply a cartoon effect to each caricature . Parody effects are reminiscent of creating a cartoon from a photo, or a photo caricature: just as fun, but incomparably simpler and faster. Upload a portrait photo of yourself (or a friend's photo ;)) and turn into an alien, a fat guy, a lightbulb man or a troll!

Facial animation is a unique animated avatar!

Have you ever thought about your avatar? Is it individual? Does it reflect your personality? The right way make the avatar “yours” - put your own face on it. But anyone can just cut a face out of a photo, it’s boring. Mega-original change face you can go to the website. Your avatar can become either animated or static (for those sites and social networks, which prohibit animation). Smile at your friends, wink at them or make funny faces. They will appreciate your new avatar!

Effects for photos and online photo jokes: manufacturing technology

Creating photo effects with a face is a whole science. First, you need to correctly find the main facial features, such as the corners of the eyes and mouth, and nose. Secondly, correctly set the function of their transformation, for example, a sequence of frames for the smooth appearance of a smile. Then, with the right selection of parameters, you can get an excellent result. But don't worry, the site will do all this for you, and completely automatically!

Application cartoon effect (or comic book effect, hand-drawn effect) requires finding the sharpest boundaries in the photo. These boundaries are then carefully drawn, the number of colors in the photo is reduced and the transitions between adjacent colors are smoothed out. Thus, by applying the photo filter " cartoon effect"You can turn a portrait photo into a cool cartoon picture.

In order to surprise a friend and give him a funny present, you can make a comic image of his photograph - a cartoon. What could be more fun than a comical face spreading into a stupid but very funny smile or facial features exaggerated several times - nose, lips, eyes. In order to make a similar cartoon image online from a photo on the Internet, there are special services that will allow you to make caricatures online yourself completely free of charge.

Cartoon.pho.to/ru – online service for creating cartoons and caricatures

To create comic images in professional photo editors, you need to have some knowledge and skills in order to ultimately get a truly interesting photo. Not everyone has such knowledge. Creating such caricatures is a whole science, without exaggeration, because it is necessary to correctly select the facial features that stand out most clearly on the face. Next, choose the appropriate effect to apply to get the most fun image possible. But today there are no problems for those who want to create a cartoon online themselves; for this you can use a special service - Cartoon.pho.to/ru.

Service for creating cartoons Cartoon.pho.to

The site allows you not only to distort facial expressions from a photo, but also to create an animated caricature that looks more interesting. Here you can make squinting, winking, surprise and other similar facial animation options from a photo. The Cartoon.pho.to service has a lot of different effects, such as a cartoon filter, a pencil drawing effect, etc. After uploading a photo to the site, the character present on it can turn into a troll, an alien, a light bulb man, a fat guy and other comic characters.

How to use the service Cartoon.pho.to/ru

Photofunia.com/ru – take a fun photo online

Photofaniya is a site where you can make a cartoon or just an image of unusual text that you enter from the keyboard. Dozens of filters and hundreds of graphic effects will allow you to turn your photo into a masterpiece of the comic genre. All you need is to upload the image to the site and apply the desired effect and in a few minutes you will receive a finished caricature from the photo.

To create a photo like this:

Avatar.pho.to – a set of services for creating cartoons and avatars

This service provides users with several types of image adjustments and adding various effects. Here you can create (best services for creating slideshows), collages, adding animated frames and particles. In order to do funny picture You can use one photo or several to create slide shows and animations.

This way you can make funny cartoons online for free using your photos, (link to specialized services), slide shows in one service.

Today it is difficult to name the field of design and graphics where graphic applications are not used. And this is quite understandable, because they allow you to almost instantly create an unusual photo montage or an intricate collage, turn a photograph into a real work of art, by successfully adding a few interesting effects or creating an image based on a regular photograph that resembles traditional graphics or painting. In graphic applications, you can simulate smoke and fire, sky and water, the texture of metal, fabric and other natural surfaces. With their help it is easy to depict various natural phenomena: snow, rain, wind, waves; amazing results can be achieved by adjusting the lighting, etc.

You can also use graphics applications to create caricatures and caricatures. Both of them, as before, quite often accompany a variety of news information, having a socially critical orientation and ridiculing any social, socio-political, everyday phenomena, real persons or characteristic types people, or are purely amateur in nature and are in an original way images of friends, relatives and acquaintances. By the way, the service for creating caricatures and caricatures is offered today by many art studios, and it is in constant demand.

Note that it is not necessary to create caricatures and caricatures from scratch, drawing out all the elements of the image, because this will take more than one hour. Considering that the prototypes for caricatures and cartoons are most often real people and animals, it is much faster and easier to create them based on ordinary photographs. In this case, three paths are open to users, each of which we will consider further.

Creating caricatures and cartoons using universal graphics applications

To create caricatures and caricatures, you can use popular universal graphics applications; in one form or another, the corresponding capabilities are available in a variety of packages. For example, Adobe program Photoshop has a built-in Liquify module called Filter=>Liquify and designed to distort images. Jasc Paint Shop Pro has a distortion brush called Warp Brush, which allows you to stretch parts of an image or create the effect of enlarging certain parts of it. In the package Adobe Illustrator A whole group of tools is designed for this purpose Liquify Tools, with which you can instantly distort an image and quickly achieve bizarre deformations that are not achievable by other means. The possibilities of universal graphics applications in terms of image deformation to obtain one or another caricature effect are very wide. In addition, in many packages, after achieving the desired distortion effect, thanks to the presence of appropriate filters, it is easy to turn a photo into pencil drawing or into a drawing with a brush and, if necessary, correct it by hand and add background elements and the cartoon or caricature is ready. However, there is one drawback - all universal graphic applications are quite voluminous and require a lot of time to master. However, they are the ones chosen by professionals.

Let's try to use Adobe Photoshop and Jasc Paint Shop Pro to create a friendly cartoon. Let's take as a source the photograph shown in Fig. 1, this photograph, due to its comical and enthusiastic facial expression, is ideal for the intended cartoon. We will carry out the necessary operations to color correct the image and remove all unnecessary elements that will significantly complicate the creation of the cartoon (Fig. 2).

and removing unnecessary elements

After this, we will proceed directly to creating a caricature from the photograph. Load the built-in module Liquify(Fluidity) caused by command Filter=>Liquify let's take a tool Bloat(Bloating), adjust the brush parameters and start experimenting: enlarge the nose, make the cheeks plumper, etc., trying to emphasize the characteristic features of the person depicted in the picture. Then we will continue working with other tools in in this example tools were involved Pucker(Compression) and Warp(Distortion), adjusting every time in the right way brush options. Final result shown in Fig. 4.

Now you need to turn the photograph into a drawing; let’s focus on the version of a black and white pencil drawing. It is more convenient and much easier to do this in Paint Shop Pro. To do this, first create a duplicate of the background layer with the command Layers=>Duplicate e (Layers=>Duplicate) and change the blending mode of the duplicate layer, for which all further actions will be performed, to Color. Make a negative of the image using the command Adjust=>Negative Image(Adjust=>Image Negative) and then turn the color photo into black and white with the command Image=>Greyscale(Image=>Grayscale). Call up the layer properties window again and change the blending mode to Dodge as a result, only the darkest details of the photo will be visible, and the resulting version will bear little resemblance to the finished pencil drawing, but rather only its individual sketches. Therefore, reduce the layer opacity parameter to an acceptable value - it will be different for each image; in this example, the opacity was set to 94%. As a result, the photo will look better (Fig. 5). Merge both layers with the command Layer=>Merge=>Merge All(Layer=>Merge=>Merge All). Now you can copy the person’s face into a new image and add other elements of the cartoon (Fig. 6) in this example, we simply used the cartoon background of one of the cartoons presented on the Internet art studio ART.

in pencil drawing

Creation of caricatures and cartoons in specialized packages

You can use software products specifically designed for creating caricatures and caricatures. They are easy to learn just like in universal graphic applications, deformation in them is carried out using visual deformation tools and therefore are designed for amateurs who have no experience with graphic applications, but at the same time want to try themselves as an artist -cartoonist. Note that programs in this group, despite their apparent simplicity, can have very good capabilities and often allow you to achieve no less professional results, and with minimal effort and time.

But there are very few packages with such capabilities, so there is not much to choose from, and a significant part of them have not been updated for a long time. Perhaps the most famous and popular application in the world from this group is the SuperGOO program from the once famous company Metaacreations. Unfortunately, the company no longer exists, no new versions of SuperGOO appear, but if you really want, the application can be found, and it works great under Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000. And among the specialized applications currently sold by developers, the clear leader is the Deformer 2.0 program from the Russian company STOIK Imaging.

Deformer 2.0

Developer: STOIK Imaging

Distribution size: 5.58 MB

Distribution method: shareware

Price:$29

Work under control: Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP

Deformer is currently the best program for quickly creating funny cartoons and animations, aimed at a wide range of users. A friendly, although not entirely familiar, interface, combined with extremely simple operating methods, makes it the optimal solution for home users, who in a matter of minutes can use it to create funny caricatures of their friends and acquaintances, having only a good photo in their arsenal .

The program supports a very large set of visual deformation tools, for convenience, grouped into groups Catastrophe, Toolkit, Global, Shrink, Plain and Grow and allowing you to perform various manipulations with image fragments captured by the mouse: compression, stretching, twisting, etc. (Fig. 7 ). The deformation process is carried out by simply moving the mouse across the image. After performing a few manipulations, you can quickly transform a photograph into a cartoon, caricaturing the characteristic features of a person. All transformations are carried out in real time and displayed on the screen, and at any time you can abandon the resulting caricature and return to the original image.

Any images can be used as source images, both available on disk and downloaded from TWAIN devices. The results of the work are saved in TIFF, BMP, PCX, TARGA, JPEG, GIF AND PNG formats, image optimization is possible. The created deformations can be included in the video track to create an animated video in AVI or animated GIF formats.

A Russian-language version of the Deformer 2.0 Reformer+ program is available for sale (publisher: New Disk (http://www.nd.ru/), price: $4.5, Fig. 8). It additionally contains a built-in database of photographs of politicians that can be transformed at will, and is intended for everyone who loves funny jokes and practical jokes and feels the hidden talent of a cartoonist. As already noted, the program interface is extremely simple, and hints that pop up during operation make it easier to master the application. Thanks to this, even children can master Reformer+, and it can be useful for them for two reasons: Reformer+ is suitable for teaching the nuances of graphic transformation and at the same time allows you to get acquainted with the art of creating cartoons and caricatures in an easy and fun way.

Cartoonist 1.0

Developer: VicMan Software

Distribution size: 3.15 MB

Distribution method: shareware

Price:$19.95

Work under control: Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP/2003

This compact and easy-to-use program allows you to quickly create caricatures based on photographs by deforming their individual fragments. Cartoonist has a simple and intuitive interface, allows you to see the results of transformations in real time and supports step-by-step rollback or a complete return to the original image in case of an unsuccessful operation. The created cartoon images can be saved in BMP, JPG and PNG formats. If desired, in JPG format it is easy to determine the quality of the saved images and save EXIF ​​data.

While Cartoonist only has one distortion brush, it supports adjusting brush size and background color. However, the program is currently at the stage active development(its latest version appeared in late 2004), so there is every reason to believe that Cartoonist will support a wider range of warping tools in the near future.

Using morph editors

Theoretically, there is a third way to create caricatures based on photographs: deforming photographs using morphing editors. The term "morphing" comes from the word metamorphosing, which means "transformation", and refers to an animation technique in which one image is gradually transformed into another. Thus, the main task of morph editors is to create animations, but they can also be useful when creating caricatures. An ordinary photograph can also serve as a source, and end result will be presented as a series of generated intermediate frames, ensuring a smooth transition from the initial image to the final one. As a rule, frames can be saved not only as a whole as animation, but also individually in popular graphic formats JPG, GIF, etc., which you can use.

The deformation technology in morph editors is fundamentally different from the deformation methods discussed above and consists in the fact that it is necessary to manually compare the correspondence points in the source and final images. The more dots you place on the images, the better the morphing result will be. For best results, dots should be placed in all key areas of the images. Moreover, in the case of creating a caricature, the role of the initial and final images will be played by the same photograph. Note that to achieve good result, choosing this method is much more difficult than in the case of deforming photographs using visual deformation tools; you will also need some knowledge about morphing technology and the ability to work in morphing editors. And creating a caricature this way will take much more time, and placing correspondence points is a very tedious process.

As for editors for creating morphing, there are a lot of them. As an example, let's look at one of the most popular and at the same time quite simple ACD Morpheus Photo Animator. This program comes in two editions: standard Morpheus Photo Animator and professional Morpheus Photo Animator Pro. To create caricatures and caricatures, the standard version is sufficient.

ACD Morpheus Photo Animator 1.85

Developer: ACDsystems

Distribution size: 3 MB

Distribution method: shareware

Price:$29.95

Work under control: Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP

ACD Morpheus Photo Animator is an internationally recognized program for morphing photos, allowing you to add dynamics and emotions to them, and is a plug-in module for the ACDSee package. The program is a convenient, fast and even fun tool for both beginners and experts.

It supports operating modes for beginners ( Beginner Mode) and for qualified users ( Normal Mode) and has a convenient and intuitive interface. In Beginner Mode, almost all customization tools are hidden from the user, except for the minimum set of tools necessary to perform simple morphing. To implement more complex morphing using a wider range of program capabilities, you will need to switch to Normal Mode. Morphing results can be saved in Shockwave, Flash, Animated GIF, AVI, JPEG, etc. formats.

The process of creating a caricature here, as well as in any other morphing editor, consists of three stages: loading the same photo as the source and final images, adding correspondence points and creating a morph with saving intermediate morph frames in graphic files. As a result, you will receive a series of graphic files, the last of which, if the morphing is successful, will be a caricature.