Two Labs, Two Coloring Books: Realistic vs. Cartoon
Photos of my own two Labradors, Dollar and puppy Tangtang, run through LineArt in Realistic and Cartoon style. All ten pages unedited, plus what carried over.
The first two case studies on this blog used free stock photos: a golden retriever puppy and a family of four. Good for showing the pipeline, but not the way anyone actually uses it. People make coloring books of their dog. So this time I used mine.
I have two yellow Labradors. Dollar is the grown one. Tangtang is the puppy. I picked one phone photo of each, ran Dollar in Realistic style and Tangtang in Cartoon, and kept every page exactly as it came out. This post is the result, including the two things I would want to know before spending money on this myself.
The two photos
Both are ordinary phone snapshots, the kind you already have hundreds of. Nothing was cropped, retouched or relit.
Dollar's photo is a three-quarter view in snow, full body, with the teal harness on. I left the harness in on purpose. I wanted to see what the model does with an accessory that is clearly part of the dog in the photo.
Tangtang's photo is a head-on close-up. Big eyes, soft ears, not much body visible. That is the harder input for a multi-page book, because the model has to invent everything below the chest.
Dollar in Realistic style: five pages
Scenes: park, beach, snow, couch, picnic.
The head is the same dog on all five pages: the broad Lab skull, the ear set, the slight smile. The snow page is the one to compare against the photo, since it is the same setting. Line weight is consistent with the published-coloring-book look, with thinner lines on the background so the dog stays the focus.
What carried over that you should know about: the harness. Because it was on Dollar in the photo, the model treated it as part of the dog, and it shows up on every page, including the couch nap. If you want a "bare" dog, use a photo without a collar or harness. If you like the harness, this is actually good news, because it stays consistent instead of appearing on some pages and not others.
Tangtang in Cartoon style: five pages
Scenes: park, beach, playground, picnic, snow.
The cartoon style is built for young kids: big rounded shapes, thick outlines, plenty of stars and hearts to fill in, and simple backgrounds. Tangtang's expression is the same on every page and the pages are easy to color inside the lines, which is the point of this style.
The honest trade-off: Cartoon style is far less breed-specific than Realistic. A chibi Lab puppy and a chibi golden puppy look similar. What survives from the photo is the overall shape, the light coat and the face proportions, not the fine markings. For a toddler's book that is fine. If the goal is "this is unmistakably my dog," pick Realistic.
What it cost and how long it took
Each book is 5 pages at 10 credits a page, so 50 credits per book. Both books ran in about six minutes each. The engine cost on our side was under fifty cents for all ten pages. Full books start at $9, and a new account includes enough free credits for a two-page preview of your own photo, so you can see the result before paying anything.
If you want to try this with your own dog
Three things I would do differently after this run, or the same, depending on what you want:
- Use a full-body, three-quarter view photo for Realistic style, like Dollar's. A face-only close-up works, but the model has to invent the body.
- Take the harness or collar off first unless you want it in the book.
- Match the style to the reader. Realistic for adults and older kids who want it to look like their dog. Cartoon for toddlers who want big shapes and a happy face.
Start with a free two-page preview and you will know in a few minutes whether it captures your dog.