The quality of your final portrait depends a lot on the photo you upload. Not in a stressful way, we work with what we have, but a good source photo makes the whole thing easier and the result sharper. Here is what to look for.
Get close
The most common mistake is submitting a photo where your pet takes up a small part of the frame. We need to see their face clearly. Ideally, the head and neck fill most of the image. A tight crop of just the face is usually better than a full-body shot from across the room.
If you only have a photo where your pet is small in the frame, zoom and crop it on your phone before uploading. Even a slightly cropped version gives us much more to work with.
Natural light makes a difference
Indoor lighting with overhead bulbs tends to flatten your pet's features and sometimes adds a color cast (orange from warm bulbs, blue from cold ones). Natural daylight, either outdoors or near a window, gives you much cleaner colors and better detail.
You do not need direct sunlight. Overcast daylight is actually ideal. It is soft, even, and does not create harsh shadows across your pet's face.
Sharp beats beautiful
A simple photo taken on a smartphone in good light will almost always outperform an artistic photo that is slightly out of focus. We need to see detail in the eyes, the fur, the texture of the coat. Motion blur and soft focus make that harder.
If your pet never stays still, burst mode is your friend. Take twenty photos quickly and pick the sharpest one. You will find it.
Front-facing is best
A photo where your pet is looking roughly toward the camera gives us the most to work with. A slight angle is fine and can look more natural. A pure side profile is harder to work with because we lose the depth and character of the face.
That said, some pets just never cooperate. If a three-quarter angle is the best you have got, send it. We will let you know if we need something different.
Avoid heavy filters
Instagram filters, especially ones that change the color temperature or add strong vignettes, can make it harder to accurately design your portrait. A lightly edited photo with natural tones is much better than a heavily filtered one.
Basic brightness and contrast adjustments are completely fine. Just avoid anything that fundamentally changes the colors or adds effects that blend into the fur or eyes.
What if you have multiple pets?
If you are ordering a two-pet portrait, try to find a photo where both animals are clearly visible and close to the same distance from the camera. If you have a small dog and a large cat, a photo where they are different distances away can make the composition tricky.
Alternatively, upload separate photos of each pet and we will combine them into a single composition. Just let us know in the order notes.
When in doubt, just upload
We review every photo before we start designing. If we think we need something better, we will reach out by email and ask. You will not waste time or money on a portrait that will not turn out well. Just send us what you have and we will tell you if it works.
Ready to get started? Browse all portrait styles and place your order. You get a preview within 1 to 2 business days, and we only print once you love it.
