The single biggest factor in how a custom portrait turns out is not the artist or the process. It is the reference photo you send. A plain, clear, well-lit picture will almost always produce a better result than a dramatic one, and the difference is visible in the finished piece.
Written by the COAZEN team
What the photo needs
| Element | Why it matters | How to check your photo |
|---|---|---|
| Both eyes, open and in focus | The eyes carry the whole piece | Zoom to the eyes — if they are soft at 100%, the file is soft |
| Full face and both ears | The ears are what people recognise first | Nothing cropped at the top of the frame |
| Natural outline | Muzzle shape, ear set, how the fur sits | Look for a clean edge against the background |
| Distinctive markings | Anything asymmetrical must read correctly | A patch over one eye is only usable if it is clearly visible |
| Even light | Flash flattens features and casts a hard shadow | No white blowout on pale fur, no black shadow behind the head |
Step by step
- Use the original file. Send the photo as it came off the camera or phone — not a screenshot, not a version that has been through a messaging app. Chat apps compress aggressively, and that softness is the first thing to show up in the finished piece.
- Pick daylight near a window. Overcast daylight is genuinely good for this. Turn the flash off and avoid strong direct sun, which blows out white fur.
- Get down to their level. A photo taken standing over a pet makes the head look large and the body foreshortened. Crouch or sit so the camera is roughly at eye height.
- Take several, not one. Two or three photos are more useful than one perfect photo — a clear face shot plus a shot showing body and posture gives a much fuller picture.
- Check the eyes before you send. If they are soft at 100% zoom, send the next frame instead. This one check prevents most disappointing portraits.
- Send them with the order. Use the image field on the product page, and include your order number in the subject line if you email extras.
Five things that ruin a reference photo
| What happened | What it does to the portrait | What to do instead |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy filter or beauty mode | Removes the fine detail the artist needs | Send the unfiltered original |
| Portrait-mode blur | Softens the outline and the fur edge | Turn portrait mode off |
| Flash indoors | Flattens the face, hard shadow behind the head | Move to a window |
| Costume or heavy accessory | Hides the markings and the silhouette | A plain collar, or none |
| Head turned too far | One eye disappears; expression is lost | Face-on or three-quarter view |
Working from older photos
If a pet has passed and you are working from older images, send what you have. Older phone photos are often usable; the limits are usually resolution and softness rather than age. Ask before ordering and we will tell you honestly what is possible, rather than letting you find out after the piece is made.
If the only photo you have is small, do not enlarge or sharpen it heavily yourself — that invents detail that was never there. Send the original file and let us judge it.
A thirty-second check before you send
Do this on a laptop or tablet rather than the phone you shot the photo on — a small screen hides exactly the softness that matters.
- Zoom to the eyes at 100%. If they are soft there, the file is soft and a different frame will serve you better.
- Check the ears are inside the frame. A cropped ear is the most common avoidable problem.
- Look at the brightest part of the fur. If it is pure white with no detail, the highlights are blown and the coat colour will be guesswork.
- Confirm it is the original, not a screenshot. Screenshots of photos lose resolution quietly.
- Send two or three, not ten. A shortlist helps more than a large dump.
If a photo passes all five, it is almost certainly usable. If it fails one, send it anyway alongside a better one — it may still be useful for posture or markings.
Questions people ask
Can I use a photo from social media?
Only if it is the original upload and you have the right to use it. Most social platforms re-compress images, so a downloaded copy is usually noticeably softer than the file that was originally posted.
How many photos should I send?
Two or three. One good face shot plus one showing body and posture is the most useful combination; more than four rarely adds anything.
My pet has one eye or a torn ear — should I hide it?
No. Tell us it is part of them and it will be included. Portraits that quietly tidy a pet into a generic animal are the ones people are disappointed by.
What if the photo is black and white?
It can still work, but tell us the colours if you know them — coat colour and eye colour cannot be recovered from a monochrome file.
Next step
There is a fuller checklist on our photo and file guide, and you can see the styles in art and portraits. A sculpted portrait uses the same reference photos as a framed one, so the guidance here applies to both. If you are unsure whether a particular photo will work, send it to us before you order.
