How to Analyze an Editorial Cartoon

We all remember opening our daily newspaper and seeing a graphical representation of some new scoop or story that gives you a gist of what is happening, usually involving humor or sarcasm. That is what one would call and editorial cartoon and they are quite popular amongst newspapers, internet blogs and most recently, Social Media.

Some would even say that ‘Memes’ are an evolved form of editorial cartoons. They are funny, entertaining and can even portray some type of story. Editorial cartoons, in layman terms are a graphical approach to reflect the creator’s ideas. These are usually drawn on a tight deadline; hence feature simple caricatures and whimsical characters.

Cartoonists and hobbyists around the world can save on time using online tools to bring their ideas to life. Today, with some help from the right technology, anybody can try their hands in drawing amazing characters, combining both visual and verbal languages.

If you are someone who feels they have an amazing idea for a cartoon but lacks the skills to draw one can choose from a plethora of tools like Powtown, Photoshop or AI Artist to create amazing sketches and drawing, in half the time.

Part 1 Always Be Timely — Editorial Cartoons in a Snap

When a new idea pops into your head, we are usually overwhelmed or excited by its prospects of it that we forget to analyze its features before proceeding to turn it into a cartoon. Here are some tips to help you look into the details of your cartoon.

● Make a note of all the characters in your cartoon strip, what actions are they involved in and the dialogues that are being uttered.

● From which angle or whose angle the story is being told.

● Divide the cartoon design into four quadrants; Top Right & Left, Bottom Right & Left.

● Pay attention to key elements such as use of furniture, tools, technology or signs.

● Define traits like time of day, time of the year or time in history where the context is set.

● Keep in mind the audience you are reaching out to. You can ensure reliability the subtle use of intellect and humour.

Now that you have a clearer picture of what you are trying to depict it is best not to delay the idea and start cracking your creative eggs.

Beginners can use an easy tool like Powtoon, and its simple drag and drop interface to start making cartoons in just three simple steps. You can save up on a lot of time and get your cartoon ready for uploading to your new blog post.

Step 1: Set a Background for your Cartoon

Open the Powtoon Studio on your system and click on ‘Backgrounds’ located on the panel to your right. It will open up a vast library filled with ready to use backgrounds.

Select any you like to get started. It will intently appear on the board.

Step 2: Select the Characters for your Cartoon

Well, you have a setting and now it is time to place your characters in it. Click on the ‘Animated Character’ from the panel. Choose any template for your characters.

Step 3: Add the Text

There are various ways you can add dialogues, messages or texts to your cartoon. You can click on ‘Text’ and add a Quote Box or Dialogue Box. You can edit your text by simply clicking on the box.

Part 2 The 8 Best Apps to Turn Photos Into Cartoons and Sketches

01Photo Lab Picture Editor

Photolab is a great choice for turning your photos into a painting, sketch or a watercolor image. Along with filters you will get montages, borders and frames to make your art work more realistic. You will find all presets in the effects category. It also features filters like digital rain and jigsaw puzzle. Photolab can also be used as a photo editor as it is capable to perform color adjustment, rotate and crop.

Key Features:

● 800+ effects.

● E-card templates for special occasions.

● You can choose a photo from gallery or click one using the camera app.

02Prisma Photo Editor

Prisma has the magical ability to turn your photo or sketch into a Van Gogh or Picasso style painting. Wondering how? It has filters that are inspired by the eminent artist around the world. Choose a photo from your gallery and choose from exciting filters. Prisma also have cool editing tools that help you adjust the intensity of the filters applied if you want to.

Key Features

● Online App community.

● Similar to Instagram

● artistic filters.

03Paint Lab – Photo Cartoon

Paintlab features an easy to use interface and wide range of filters. With it you can turn any photos into a cartoon or a drawing just in few seconds. Once you are done editing you can share your final work on any social media platform directly from paintlab. It is compatible only with androids.

Key Fetaures

● Fast editing

● Perfect or beginners.

● Includes beautification and imperfection correction tools and effects.

04Cartoon Photo PRO

Using Cartoon Photo Pro alongside your photos you can also turn your videos into cartoon. Effects are artistic and customizable. Only downside it doesn’t come for free. It also has great ratings in Playstore.

Key Features

● User friendly interface

● Animates videos.

05Brushstroke

Brushstroke is ideal for editing and printing high resolution photos. The app comes with a paint directly option. It is not android compatible. The best feature is apart from filters and painting styles you can also pick the color palette and canvas surface.

Key Features

● You can sign your photos before printing

● Wide range of styles and sub-styles.

06Clip2Comic

If you like having fun and playing around we bet you would love an photo editing app that turn your close ones’ photo into caricatures. One tap can give you comic-book style drawing and sketches. This is one of best sketch and animation apps suggested for iPhone users. User friendly interface is an added bonus.

Key Features

● Live preview animation camera option.

● Carton-style photo effects.

07PhotoMania

PhotoMania is fun to use, if you want to try out different effects then you are at the right app. It has 400 presets in total including vintage looks and effects for sketches. PhotoMania has a collection of cool and exciting frames that you can add to your photos to make them more interesting. If you are someone who likes to send e-cards here you will get dozens of options. You can also utilize PhotoMania as a photo editor as it features the best exposure settings. And we know how important masking tool is, it helps you create neat photos, the app also has this amazing feature.

Key Features:

● Advanced photo editing tools and presets, for instance HDR and LOMO.

● It can also make your photo a painting.

● Adds textures and offers holiday templates.

08Toonme

Toonme has similar photo editing features like Clip2Comic. Only it is better. It has AI assistance that helps you create realistic effects. You can choose from the variety of styles and even tweak them to get a personalized style. Toonme is free to download but if you want use pro features you can subscribe to their monthly affordable package. Also, it is compatible with both iOS and Android devices.

Key Features:

● Offers hand-drawn effects.

● Offers numerous layouts that goes well with profile pictures even instagram stories.

● You can share your work with other Toonme Users.

Part 3 How to Make 3D Cartoon From a Photo

Do you know that animators used to hand sketch every frame and every detail that too with continuation? Thanks to our modern day technology we can take a snap of any object or person and turn that into a cartoon within few seconds. With the right amount of help and creativity you can create characters that are entertaining and engaging at the same time. Wondershare Filmora Video Editor can be used to create animated videos. Amazing features and filters save editing time while making the entire process flexible. Though we have already mentioned eight apps for sketching, animating and caricaturing your photos, Filmora is a complete package. Motion tracking, easy zoom in and out, masking, panning and color correction are some of the best features offered by this editing software. It can run on both PC and Mac. User friendly interface suits both professionals as well as beginner.

● Ending Thoughts →