NEED CARTOONS but can't draw? In just a few easy steps you can create intriguing characters to illustrate animations, stories, and presentations, using common Photoshop techniques that can be the basis for many successful image manipulation projects.

We used Adobe Photoshop 7 in this tutorial. Keep in mind that these techniques and tools are not limited to Photoshop. Other photo manipulation products have similar capabilities.

After completing one image manipulation, you will be able to:

1. Add and manipulate layers
2. Use various mask tools to create a selection
3. Modify a selection with expand, contract, and feather
4. Use the Liquify tool
5. Apply the Smart Blur filter
6. Adjust image Hue settings
7. Size the image
8. Save the image in an appropriate file type

Note: You can click on some of the following images for full size versions.

Here is the original image file. It has been sized to 175 x 131 pixels for this page, but the modifications were done to the image at its original size of 640 x 480. 

You will get better results with larger size images. Further quality can be gained by increasing the image resolution (or DPI) temporarily while using the selection (mask) tools.

This is a typical snapshot image. Notice the deep depth of field that brings distracting background items into focus. In this example, only the head is wanted; the rest of the image detail will be removed (erased).

The first step in any image manipulation exercise is to use the "Save As..." option to save the image under another name. Never save over the original image, you may need it again!

• Some Tips on Saving：When you open an image file for manipulation, immediately perform a "Save As..." action. Never start manipulating the original file. Trust me, you will be sorry at some point when you inadvertently save over an irreplaceable image by accident.
  The best practice for choosing a file name is to leave the original name intact and just append to it.
  
  EXAMPLE: If the original file name is "IM000125", the new file name should be "IM000125mod" or "IM000125-ver3" etc.
  
  This will make it much easier to find modified images among all your image files, as they will be adjacent to the originals.
  
  

Common image files, such as JPEG and GIF contain a single layer made up of thousands of pixels (the smallest element of the image). A layer will be added to this image for the purposes of modification. After being added, this new layer is moved below the original (Background) layer. If you have never done this, see the Layer Tips link below. 

The rationale behind adding the layer is to create a transparent background when erasing. If you used a single layer, it would erase to white, not transparent. This step isn’t always mandatory, but it can be a very useful technique. 

The above image shows the before and after of the masking, erasing, and cropping of the image. Here are some tips for the masking process used to create the image. 

Using the Magic Wand mask tool set to "Add to selection", click around the head which creates and adds to my selected area. 

Then change to the Lasso mask tool, zoom in close, and continue the selection process (remember to set it to "Add to selection"). 

If you are plagued by numerous holes in your selection, try using Select>Modify>Expand. Expand your selection by 5 to 10 pixels to swallow up the holes, and then contract it back by the same amount of pixels to move the edges of the selection back to where you started (but without the holes).

• Some Tips for Better Mask Results：When you use the mask tools and find that the resulting mask edge is too jagged for good results, you can resample the image to a larger resolution (DPI setting) for better mask results.
  Change the image DPI to a higher count (200 to 300). Or, you can also get the same results by increasing the image size. Keep in mind that this can significantly increase the file size of the image. A 400Kb image can easily grow to 50Mb by resizing and resampling. 
  
  
  
  IMPORTANT: Remember to change the settings back once you are done, especially the DPI. Unless you have some specific printing needs, always return digital images back to 72 DPI.
  

Use "Save As..." to save this image. NEVER save over the original image, you may need it again! When saving, it will save as a .psd file (this is because a layer was added). Don't save it as a .jpg or .gif until you are done. To save it as a .jpg or .gif file, all the layers would have to be flattened.

In Photoshop 7, the Liquify tool is on the Filter menu, in earlier versions it is on the Edit menu.

Some Tips for Non-Photoshop

The tools used in this example were the Bloat, Pucker, and Warp tools.

When bloating, give it room. Notice the tool setting diameter is about 100% larger than the eye.

In the example image, the eyes were bloated, the nose was puckered, and the nose position and other facial details were warped into new positions.

Now that the shaping is complete, modifying the Hue will add some appropriate elvish color.
The Lasso mask was used again to select the hair only. Using the Image>Adjustments>Hue and Saturation tool, change the hair color to hearty green (or your favorite color) and apply. Then, remove the selection mask (Ctrl+D) and adjust the Hue on the overall image to slide the skin tone to a greenish glow.

• Some Tips for Better Hair：Hair can be tough to mask. Unless you have your image sampled at an obscenely large resolution, there is no way to mask each hair. However, using the Feather option on your selection can give you adequate results.
  After selecting the hair with the Lasso Mask tool, go to Select>Feather and feather your selection to about 3 to 5 pixels. Otherwise, you will have an unnaturally hard edge on your Hue application. (Yeah, like bright green hair is "natural".)
  

The last modification is the application of the Smart Blur filter. This will remove skin imperfections that add to the image's realism. Once blurred, the image will take on a "fake" or fantasy look.

The key setting for this tool is the Threshold. The lower the number, the more realistic the image will remain. The example image used a Threshold setting of about 10. This kept just a hint of the original image's realism.

The image is now complete. Below you can see the original head and the modified version.

Save your .psd file NOW with its layers intact. Often you may want to go back to this file for other uses.

Once saved, resize to the final output size, and then "Save as..." (In Photoshop you can choose the "Save for Web" option). Here you will change the file type to GIF or JPEG. You will be warned that doing so will flatten the image and you will lose your layers. Don't worry, that's why we saved the original .psd prior to this point.

Caution: If you resized the image prior to saving it as a .jpg, do not say "yes" to save changes when closing this file. If you do, this will save over the original .psd file with a resized version. Unless this is your intent, don't save on exit.

If you are using your image on the web, a .gif file will allow you to set the background to transparent.

Anthony Amorteguy, BA, MCSD
Graduate Student
SDSU Educational Technology

 
         Rearrange the layers by simply dragging and dropping Layer 1 below Layer 0. 

Now save the image (You have renamed this already haven't you? This is important.)

You will notice that when saving this multi-layer file, it will save as a .psd file (Assuming you are using Photoshop. This is because a layer was added.) Don't save it as a .jpg or .gif until you are done. To save it as a .jpg or .gif file, all the layers would have to be flattened.