The Pawtrait Photo Guide

A great portrait
starts with a great photo.

Your Pawtrait is only ever as good as the photo you upload. The good news: the perfect shot is almost certainly already on your phone, and the rules for finding it take about a minute to learn.

✓

Do

  • Good, natural light. Daylight near a window or outside in shade is ideal.
  • Get down to their level. Camera at eye height, not looking down at them.
  • Fill the frame. Get close, or crop so their face and body are the clear subject.
  • Sharp focus on the eyes. Crisp, clear and in focus is everything.
  • Face and features visible. A clear view of the eyes, nose and ears.
  • Their real personality. A relaxed, characterful expression beats a stiff pose.
×

Avoid

  • Blurry or low-resolution shots. Screenshots and heavily zoomed photos lose detail.
  • Harsh direct sun or heavy shadow. It hides the features we need to see.
  • Shooting from above. The classic "looking down at the dog" angle distorts them.
  • Dark or backlit scenes. A bright window behind them turns them into a silhouette.
  • Faces half-hidden. Toys, hands, other pets or shadows across the face.
  • Heavy filters. Instagram filters and beauty modes fight the artwork.

Why it matters

We work from what you give us.

Every Pawtrait is generated from your photo, so the detail in your shot becomes the detail in the artwork. A clear, well-lit photo lets us capture the exact markings, expression and character that make your pet them. A dark or blurry one leaves us guessing. Spending thirty seconds picking the right photo is the single biggest thing you can do to love the result.

01

Light is everything

Soft, even, natural light is what you're after. Next to a window on a bright day, or outside in open shade, is perfect. Avoid harsh midday sun (it creates hard shadows across the face) and avoid dim indoor lighting (it makes photos grainy and hides detail). Never use a photo where a bright light or window sits behind your pet, as it throws their face into shadow.

02

Get down to their level

The most common mistake is standing up and shooting down. Kneel or lie down so the camera is at your pet's eye level. This one change instantly makes a photo look like a portrait rather than a snapshot, capturing their face the way we naturally see them, with proper proportions and a real sense of presence.

03

Get close and keep it sharp

Fill the frame with your pet. The closer and clearer the photo, the more detail we can capture in the fur, eyes and markings. Tap your pet's face on your phone screen before you shoot to lock the focus there. A crisp, in-focus photo taken from a few feet away beats a distant, zoomed-in one every time, since digital zoom just magnifies blur.

04

Capture their character

The best portraits come from photos with personality: the tilt of the head, the perked ears, the expression you'd recognise anywhere. A treat or a favourite toy held just above the camera works wonders for getting ears up and eyes bright. Relaxed and natural beats stiff and posed, so take a few and pick the one that looks most like them.

05

Keep the face clear

Make sure nothing crosses or hides the face, no hands, toys, harnesses, other pets, or deep shadows. We need a clean view of the eyes, nose and ears to capture your pet faithfully. If you're photographing two pets for a portrait together, the same rules apply to each: both faces lit, clear and in focus.

Not sure if your photo will work?

You don't have to guess. Upload your photo and preview your Pawtrait for free, before you buy. If it doesn't look quite right, try another shot, it takes seconds. And if you're ever unsure, our team is happy to take a look and help you choose.

Found the one?

Upload your favourite photo and see your pet transformed into a custom Pawtrait, free to preview, ready in seconds.

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