Turn Your Video into a Cartoon in After Effects

Introduction – Stylize Your Footage with a Hand-Drawn Look

Turning your live-action footage into a cartoon can give it a fun, artistic feel. After Effects makes this easy with built-in effects like Cartoon and blending options. This guide will walk you through a simple process to convert any video into a colorful or black-and-white cartoon animation.

Step 1: Import Your Video

Go to File > Import > File and bring your video into the project. Then, drag the footage onto the timeline to create a new composition. This sets the comp to match the resolution and frame rate of your video.

Step 2: Apply the Cartoon Effect

Select your video layer and open the Effects & Presets panel. Search for Cartoon and apply it to the layer. This effect will automatically stylize the video into a hand-drawn look by simplifying the colors and adding edge lines.

Step 3: Customize the Cartoon Settings

In the Effect Controls panel, change the Render option to Fill & Edges (for a colored cartoon) or Edges (for a black-and-white sketch look). Adjust the settings for a cleaner result:

Detail Radius: 30
Detail Threshold: 11
Shading Steps: 10
Shading Smoothness: 30

These settings control the level of detail, contrast, and how smooth or sharp the cartoon shading appears.

Step 4: (Optional) Add a Paper Texture

To enhance the hand-drawn feel, import a paper texture image (like watercolor or sketch paper). Place it above your video layer and set the Blending Mode to Multiply. This gives the entire animation a textured, illustrated look.

Step 5: Preview the Animation

Press the Spacebar to preview your video and see how the cartoon effect looks in motion. If needed, tweak the settings or texture layer to refine the appearance.

Step 6: Render the Final Video

Once you’re satisfied, render the project by going to Composition and choosing Add to Render Queue or Media Encoder. Select your desired format and export your cartoon-style video. Conclusion

With just a few steps, you can turn any footage into a stylized cartoon using After Effects. The Cartoon effect simplifies the process, and with optional textures, you can push the look even further. Whether you’re making a fun video edit, a music video, or stylized content for social media, this technique adds a unique and creative twist.