Cartoon maker

This web app allows you to create crazy caption cartoons from images on the web.

It requires a fairly modern HTML5 web browser, and probably works best on a laptop or desktop computer, rather than a tablet or phone.

The main image area

The main image area displays the cartoon as it is been worked on.

The balloon current being edited is highlighted with three yellow circular handles — these can be dragged to move the bubble around, resize it, and change the position of the stem that extends from the bubble.

Simply click on a bubble's body to make it the currently edited bubble. (You can also toggle through all bubbles via the arrows on the Bubble tab.)

Image tab

This tab allows you to set the image for your cartoon, set its size, give it a name (which will also be used as a filename), and give yourself a credit.

The image field must be the web address of an JPEG or PNG file publicly available on the web — not of a web page that an image appears on. (Most modern browsers have an option to get the direct web location of any image via the menu that appears when you right click the image.)

Note: if the link you used to visit the cartoon maker had an image pre-set for you to use, you will not be able to change it to another image, or change its size.

This tab is where you'll spend most of your time when creating a cartoon; it allows you do add and manipulate cartoon bubbles onto your image.

Bubbles: These four buttons allow you to add a new bubble, delete the current bubble, and raise or lower the current bubble through the layer ordering to determine whether it appears below or above other bubbles when overlapped.

Text: This section allows you to change the text of the current bubble, as well as its font, its font size, and how the text is aligned.

Style: This section enables you to change the style of the bubble. You can choose between a regular oval speech bubble, a box bubble (useful for corner captions), a spiky shock bubble, and a thought cloud.

You can also change the style of the stem that extends from the bubble. The Anchor setting moves the position on the balloon the stem extends from; useful if you want to avoid the stem from obscuring a key part of the image. The Segs setting changes the number of segments on shock and cloud bubbles — the ↻ Segs button re-randomises the segments (for aesthetic purposes.)

This tab allows you do save your project and export your image.

Load/Save Project: This will save or load your project as a cookie into the Local Storage area of your web browser. The projects title will be used as the basis of the filename. This information is stored only within your web browser — it is not uploaded to any web site.

To delete a project, click the tiny X to the right of its filename. You will be asked to confirm the deletion.

Import/Export Project: Because the load/save option stores the project data only within your web browser, this option allows you to save the project data off as a regular file. This file can then be imported into a different web browser, or given to a friend.

Clicking the Generate button will create a link that, when clicked, will save the project file to your computer just like any other download. To import the file, simply drag and drop it from the desktop into the dotted rectangle. (You can also drop it on the main area, where your cartoon is displayed.)

Export Image: This is where you save your finished image off as an actual picture file.

Clicking the Generate button displays a thumbnail of your image. To save the full sized version, click the thumbnail and the full image will save as a download. (Note: on Internet Explorer this download feature isn't supported, so you must right click the thumbnail and select Save picture as... from the popup menu.