makemysketchCartoon Effect
Cartoon Effect

Turn any photo into a bold cartoon or comic-book illustration. Adjust colour levels, edge strength and saturation. Free, instant, no upload.

Sobel + posterize
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0€ · no account
01 — UploadJPG · PNG · WEBP
Drop photo or click to browse
Choose your photo
Up to 20MB · stays in your browser
🔒 Never uploaded to any server
02 — ResultWaiting for photo
Result appears here
Drawing cartoon…

How the Cartoon Effect Works

MakeMySketch's cartoon effect combines Sobel edge detection with posterisation. Posterisation reduces each colour channel to a limited number of flat tones — giving the bold, block-colour look of a comic or animated film. The Sobel operator detects edges by measuring brightness gradients between adjacent pixels; anywhere the image changes sharply, a dark outline is drawn.

Saturation is boosted so colours pop the way they do in animation. Fewer colour levels produces a more graphic, abstract result. More levels feel closer to a stylised photograph.

Tips for Best Results

Portraits with clear subjects and simple backgrounds work best — exactly as in comic art. Try 6 colour levels and edge strength 60 as a starting point. For a watercolour-cartoon hybrid, lower edge strength to 30–40. For bold graphic novel lines, raise it to 90–100.

Output is a full-resolution PNG, watermark-free, ready to share or print.

Other Effects
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Questions
FAQ
Does it work for portraits?+
Yes — portraits are ideal. Facial features and hair edges become clean cartoon outlines. Try 6 colour levels and edge strength 60 for a balanced look.
How do I get the boldest, most graphic cartoon?+
Raise edge strength to 90–120 and reduce colour levels to 3–4. This gives a strong black-outline, flat-colour comic book style.
Is there a size limit?+
Up to 20MB. Very large images are scaled to 1400px max on the longest side before processing.