How to Use Photo to Anime in PhotoDirector
Redraw a photo as an anime drawing in a themed scene, from a festival night to a soccer field.
Updated Sep. 13, 2026 · 3 min read
In a hurry? Use the Photo to Anime quick guide instead.
PhotoDirector's Photo to Anime redraws a portrait as an anime drawing, and the style you pick sets the scene as well as the look. We chose Festival, and a photo of a young man in a hallway came back as an anime character in a yukata under paper lanterns. One photo and one click on a style is the whole job.
- In PhotoDirector, open Guided & GenAI, click Portrait, choose Photo to Anime, and click Start Now.
- Open your photo and click an anime style in the gallery.
- Click Generate, and use Re-generate for another take.
Steps to Use Photo to Anime
Step 1: Open Photo to Anime
From the PhotoDirector launcher, choose Guided & GenAI.
Click Portrait in the rail on the left, then Photo to Anime under GenAI on Faces, between Photo to Sketch and Cartoonize Portrait. The intro screen notes you can pick a style or enter a description; this guide uses a style. Click Start Now.
Step 2: Open a Photo and Pick a Style
Open the photo you want redrawn. It fills the canvas, and the style gallery runs down the left. Each tile shows the style on an anime model, so you can see the scene it brings: Soccer puts your subject on a pitch, School in a classroom, Cyberpunk in neon. Scroll for more.
We clicked Festival, which picked up an orange outline. The badge on Generate shows the credits it will use.
Step 3: Generate
Click Generate. The canvas dims while a percentage counts up over the photo.
The Result
The drawing replaces the photo, and the button becomes Re-generate. Festival kept the strong jaw and the general shape of the hair, drawn darker, and moved everything else to a lantern-lit street at night.
It did not keep the expression: the easy smile came back as a toothy grimace. That is what Re-generate is for. The same style again gives a different take, and Export at the top saves the one you keep.
Haven't got PhotoDirector yet? Turn a selfie into an anime character at a festival, on a soccer field or in a neon city, and see each scene on a model before you pick.
Download PhotoDirector Free →FAQ About Photo to Anime
Yes. Generate carries a credit badge showing what a run uses, and Re-generate carries the same badge.
The intro screen says you can: select an anime style or enter a description. This guide uses a style, which lets you see the result's scene on a model before you generate.
Photo to Anime redraws your photo as anime. AI Art turns the person into a themed character, such as a baby version or a graduate, often as a photo. See how to use AI Art for that one.
Click Re-generate for another take of the same style, and start from a clear, well-lit photo facing the camera. In our run the face shape carried over better than the expression or the hair color.
