Photo Guide

Get a portrait that looks just like them

Your portrait is only as good as the photo you start with — but that doesn't mean it has to be perfect. Take 30 seconds to pick a good one and your pet will come out unmistakably themselves. You'll always preview it before you pay.

These are real photos we actually used

Every example on our site started with an ordinary phone photo — the couch, the backyard, the car. No studio, no fancy camera, and honestly a few aren't even in great light. You don't need to be a photographer. They worked because they got the three things that actually matter right:

The whole pet in frame
Head to paws, or at least head and shoulders — we work from what we can see.
A clear look at the face
Eyes, nose, and expression visible. This is what makes it unmistakably them.
Their unique markings
The freckle, the patch, the one funny ear — these little details are what nail the likeness.

Pinky — the real photo we started from — Pinky

Emmy — the real photo we started from — Emmy

Biscuit — the real photo we started from — Biscuit

Bear — the real photo we started from — Bear

Bentley — the real photo we started from — Bentley

Blue — the real photo we started from — Blue

Dreamsicle — the real photo we started from — Dreamsicle

Their pose usually carries through

As a rule, the pose in your photo is the pose in your portrait — sitting stays sitting, standing stays standing, lying down stays lying down. (A few styles, like Studio, may restage your pet a little.) So if you have a pose in mind — say, sitting politely, or up on their hind legs — it's best to start from a photo where they're already doing it.

✅ Do this

Good, even lighting
Natural daylight is best — near a window or outdoors in shade. Make sure the face is well-lit, not in shadow.
A clear view of the face
Front-on or a slight angle, roughly at your pet's eye level, with both eyes visible.
Fill the frame
Get close so your pet takes up most of the photo — head and shoulders or the whole body, with little background.
Sharp and in focus
A crisp, non-blurry photo. Higher resolution gives a more accurate, detailed portrait.
One pet per photo
Upload a photo with just the pet you want in the portrait.

🚫 Try to avoid

Face lost in shadow
A little dim is fine — just make sure the face isn't hidden in deep shadow or blown out by a bright backlight.
Very blurry
A reasonably sharp photo helps; if it's badly blurred, the portrait can't recover detail that isn't there.
Too far to see the face
A bit of background is totally fine — just get close enough that the face is clear, not a tiny dot across the room.
Face turned away or hidden
Profiles, looking away, or a face half-covered make the face harder to recreate accurately.
Filters or costumes over the face
Heavy filters, hats, or sunglasses on your pet change the features we need to see.

Not quite right? Try again — it's free

You get 5 free previews — or 10 if you add your email (just to save your portraits; we won't spam you). So if your first photo didn't quite capture them, grab a better or different one and go again until it looks just right. You only pay once you love it.

Got a good photo? Let's make some art.

Upload it, preview your portrait free, and order the one you love.

Create your portrait →