How to Choose the Right Photo for a Custom Portrait

You've decided to turn a photo into a hand-drawn or hand-painted portrait — a charcoal sketch of your grandmother, an oil painting of your dog, a pencil piece for someone who just got engaged. The artist can do incredible things with a photo. But not every photo gives them enough to work with. The single biggest thing you can do to make sure your portrait turns out beautifully is to start with the right reference image.

Here's what our artists look for, and how to pick a photo you'll be glad you chose.

Start with sharp focus, not a beautiful moment

It's tempting to pick the photo with the best story behind it — the one from the wedding, the one where the light was perfect, the one your pet only posed for once. But a portrait can only be as clear as the photo it's drawn from. If the eyes, nose, and mouth aren't crisp in the original, our artist has to guess at the details, and guessing is where likeness gets lost.

Before you upload anything, zoom in on the face in your photo. If it looks soft, blurry, or pixelated at full size, it will look that way in the finished piece too, just larger. When in doubt, send us two or three options and we'll help you pick the strongest one — we do this every day and can usually tell at a glance which photo will translate best.

Send the original file, not a screenshot

A photo pulled from a text message, a chat app, or a social media post has usually been compressed to a fraction of its original size. It can look fine on your phone, but once it's enlarged for a portrait, the details our artists need (the exact curve of an eyebrow, the light in someone's eyes) simply aren't there anymore. Whenever you can, upload the original file straight from your camera roll or cloud backup rather than a screenshot or a downloaded repost.

Good lighting beats a good camera

You don't need a professional photo. You need even, natural lighting. Photos taken outdoors on an overcast day or near a bright window tend to work best, because the light falls evenly across the face without harsh shadows cutting across one side. Avoid photos where the sun is directly behind the subject (this flattens the face into a silhouette) or where a flash has washed out the details.

If you're photographing a pet specifically for this purpose, get down to their eye level and let natural light hit their face. A little extra effort here makes a real difference in the final portrait.

Face the camera, or close to it

Straight-on or slightly angled shots almost always work better than dramatic side profiles or photos taken from above or below. A portrait drawn from a steep angle can end up looking distorted in ways that are hard to correct by hand. If you have a choice between a candid photo taken face-on and a more "artistic" angled shot, go with the face-on one — especially for a first commission.

That said, don't stress over finding a stiff, posed photo. A relaxed, natural expression captured straight-on is often more meaningful than a formal one, and it's exactly what our artists are best at capturing.

Watch out for filters and heavy editing

Instagram filters, beauty smoothing, and color grading can look great on a phone screen, but they often blur or distort the very details — skin texture, shadow, true eye color — that an artist relies on to capture a likeness. Whenever possible, send the original, unedited photo rather than the filtered version you posted online. If the only copy you have has been edited, that's still usable — just let us know so the artist can account for it.

For memorial and tribute portraits

If you're commissioning a portrait of someone who has passed, or an older photo of a pet or loved one, resolution is often the limiting factor rather than lighting or angle. Older or scanned photos can still make beautiful portraits, even if they're a bit soft — our artists are experienced at working from these and filling in detail thoughtfully and respectfully. Just send us the best-quality version you have (a scan at the highest resolution available, rather than a photo of a printed photo) and mention that it's a memorial piece so the artist can take extra care.

For pet portraits specifically

Pets move, which makes a sharp, well-lit photo even more valuable. A few tips that consistently produce the best results: get eye-level with your pet, use natural daylight rather than indoor lighting, and take several shots so you have options — pets rarely give you their best look on the first try. Photos where your pet is looking toward the camera, even slightly off-angle, tend to produce the most lifelike portraits.

For families and groups: fewer faces, sharper detail

The more people in a photo, the smaller each face becomes, and the less detail there is to work from. A group shot of eight people taken from across the room is a tough starting point for a portrait where every face matters. For a family piece, look for a photo where everyone is reasonably close together, facing the camera, and evenly lit. Upload the clearest one with your order; our artist reviews every photo before starting and will reach out if it's going to be hard to capture a strong likeness.

When you're not sure, ask us

You don't have to get this perfect on your own. When you place your order, you'll upload your photo, and our artist reviews it before starting your piece. If something about the image is going to make it hard to achieve a strong likeness, we'll reach out to you directly — that's part of the process, not an extra step. And if you have two or three photos you're torn between, feel free to send them all and ask which one we'd recommend; we're always happy to help you choose.

A great portrait starts with a great reference. Take a few extra minutes to pick the right photo, and you'll set your artist up to create a piece you'll want on your wall for decades.

Ready to start your custom portrait? Browse our Custom Portraits collection to see charcoal, pencil, and oil options.