Turn yourself into a cartoon character who sticks around
Add one clear photo of yourself and get a Character with your face, in anime, 3D, cartoon or live action, and still you in Episode 12.
Your Character is free (1 a day), and your first one comes alive with a 5-second idle, free. Clips of it acting start at 25 Credits for 5 seconds with a plan.
Free: make your Character and a narrated Slideshow Story every day. Real video comes with a plan.
How to turn yourself into a cartoon character
Add one clear, well-lit photo of your own face on the web or in the iPhone app. Character App builds a Character from it: your face shape, hair and the details people know you by. Pick an art style, such as anime, stylized 3D, cartoon or live action, and that same Character appears in every Scene, Episode and Clip you direct next. It is a Character you keep, not a one-off filter. Anyone else's photo needs their permission.
Updated November 2026 · Free to start · Web and iPhone
Looking for the general tool? Start with the AI character creator.
Same Character, any Look
Milo in 6 Looks: live action, anime, 3D animated, 2D cartoon, claymation, pixel art. Put Milo into another World with a different Look and the face, the hair and the wardrobe carry over; only the pen changes.
01 Live actionMilo, realistic
02 AnimeMilo, anime
03 3D animatedMilo, 3D animated
04 2D cartoonMilo, 2D cartoon
05 ClaymationMilo, claymation
06 Pixel artMilo, pixel art
07 All six Looks
Original character made for Character App’s character pages with gpt-image-2.5 and H3 Turbo. Clips filmed with H3 Turbo, the default Clip model in Character App; Looks drawn with gpt-image-2.5 from one portrait.
The character sheet
Front, three-quarter and back views plus the expressions the story needs: how Character App keeps Milo the same in every Clip and every Look.
Milo Fenn Live action Look. Original character made for Character App’s character pages with gpt-image-2.5; a design reference, not an app export.A filter gives you one picture. A Character keeps showing up.
Most photo-to-cartoon tools hand you one stylized picture and wish you luck. Lovely for a profile photo, useless for a story, because the next picture looks like your cousin. Character App turns your photo into a Character: a Cast member who carries your face into every Scene, Episode and art style you direct. The anime you on a rooftop at dawn and the 3D you under a neon overpass are the same person, filmed as moving Clips.
Turn a photo into a cartoon, free
One Character a day is free. Add one clear photo of your own face, pick Cartoon (or Pop 3D, Claymation, Painted, close to real), check the result and press Keep. On a free account your very first Character also comes alive with a 5-second idle, free. You can draw more pictures of it with the 4 Lite pictures a day.
Turn yourself into anime
Same photo, Anime as the art style. You keep your face shape, hair and colouring; the drawing changes around you. For the anime-only walkthrough, read [how to create an anime character from a photo](/guides/how-to-create-an-anime-character-from-a-photo); for your whole friend group as an anime, each friend adds their own photo with their OK.
Costume Looks
Once you are a Character, a Look puts you in a new outfit or style without changing your face: a Viking, a detective, a holiday sweater. Outfit Looks need a plan: on a plan a new Look picture is 6 Credits on Nano Banana 2.1.
Why a Character beats a filter: it moves and stars in Stories
A filter gives you one picture. A Character keeps going: the AI Director writes you into a Story, free as a picture-only Slideshow, and with a plan you can film Clips of yourself, 5 seconds for 25 Credits. Same face in every one.
What makes a good photo
Thirty seconds of care here saves a lot of squinting later.
One face, clearly lit
A front-facing photo in daylight beats a moody concert shot. No sunglasses, no hand over your chin, no second face in the frame.
Your usual self
Always wear glasses or the same earring? Wear them. The details people know you by carry across every art style.
Skip the heavy filters
Beauty filters blur the likeness. The Character should look like you on a normal Tuesday, not like your filter.
Pick an art style, then keep going
An art style is the visual style of a World. Your Character keeps what makes you recognisable (face shape, hair, colouring, the gap in your teeth) while the rendering changes around you. If you would rather design someone from scratch, the AI character creator starts from a description instead.
Anime or stylized 3D
Bigger eyes and clean lines, or soft volumes and family-film light. Still unmistakably you.
Cartoon, clay, pixel or chibi
Flat 2D, handmade clay, retro 16-bit or big-head chibi. Same face, a different hand drawing it.
Live action
A realistic you, for drama, romance or a very serious trailer about your commute.
Your face, your permission
This page is about you. Use your own photo, or one of someone who said yes: the content policy requires the person in the photo, or their written consent. No public figures. For kids' stories, invent original Characters instead of uploading their photos. Character App is for members 17 and over. Pets are welcome and rarely object.
8 Character of yourself ideas to start from
Ideas to try once your Character is made. Type one in, or your own.
- 01Main Character MondayYou, in cel anime, sprinting for a train that is leaving without you.
- 02The Chosen InternYou wake up in a fantasy World where the prophecy is about your spreadsheets.
- 03Clay MeClaymation you versus flat-pack furniture. The furniture wins.
- 04Noir CommuteNoir detective you investigates who took the last oat milk.
- 05Pixel QuestSixteen-bit you jumps a row of puddles on the way to work.
- 06Villain EraStylized 3D you sweeps a long coat around on a stormy balcony, for no reason.
- 07The Pet SequelYour dog, also from a photo, becomes your sidekick in every Episode.
- 08Birthday TrailerRealistic you walks away in slow motion from a cake that exploded into confetti.
From one line to a Character on film
- 1
Add your photo
One clear photo of your own face, on the web or in the iPhone app. Character App builds a Character that keeps the likeness.
- 2
Pick an art style and a World
Anime, 3D, cartoon or live action. Your Character joins a Cast in the World where the story happens.
- 3
Direct the Scenes
Describe what you do, draw the Images, and film the Clips you like with a plan. Next Episode, you arrive as yourself.
Questions, answered
Still curious? Using your own photo and the guides go deeper.
How do I make an AI character of myself?
Upload one clear photo of your own face on the web or in the iPhone app. Character App builds a Character with your face shape, hair and colouring; pick an art style such as cartoon, anime, 3D or live action, and that same Character appears in every Scene you make next.
Will it actually look like me?
It keeps the anchors people recognise: face shape, hair, colouring, glasses, that scar. A clear, unfiltered photo gives the best likeness; the more stylized the art style, the more it reads as you drawn by an artist.
Can I pick the style — anime, realistic, cartoon?
Yes: anime, stylized 3D, 2D cartoon, claymation, pixel art, chibi or live action. The art style changes; the Character doesn't.
Is this a one-time image or a Character I keep?
A Character you keep. It lives in your Cast and walks into every Scene and Episode.
Do I need a good photo, or does any photo work?
Any clear photo of one face works; front-facing daylight works best. Group shots, sunglasses and heavy filters make the likeness harder.
Can I make a Character of my friend or partner?
With their permission, yes: the content policy requires the person in the photo or their written consent. Public figures are not allowed.
What happens to my photo after I upload it?
It is the reference your Character is built from. Our privacy policy explains how photos are stored and used.
What does it cost?
Free: one Character a day and 4 Lite pictures a day, plus one written Story a day as a picture-only Slideshow. Clips need a plan, from $19.99 a month for 800 Credits; a 5-second Clip on H3 Turbo is 25 Credits.
More character types
Every character type
Make your Character of yourself now.
Your Character is free (1 a day), and your first one comes alive with a 5-second idle, free. Clips of it acting start at 25 Credits for 5 seconds with a plan.
Free: make your Character and a narrated Slideshow Story every day. Real video comes with a plan.