How to Choose and/or take the Perfect Photo/s for Your Custom Pet Portrait

🐾 How to Choose the Perfect Photo(s) for Your Custom Pet Portrait

At Fun Animal Graphics, every portrait begins with your photo — and the right image can make all the difference. Whether it’s a playful candid or a serene pose, choosing the perfect photo ensures your finished portrait truly captures your pet’s unique personality.  (If you'd like to learn more about the creative process click here:  From Snapshot to Story: The Art of Composite Photography at Fun Animal Graphics.)

📸 Choosing the Best Photo(s)

(Prefer a shorter version? Jump to our Quick Tips section below.)

☀️ Lighting

  • Natural light is best. Shoot outdoors 30–90 minutes after sunrise or before sunset for soft, flattering light.
  • Avoid harsh midday sun. Overhead light creates deep shadows and squinting eyes.
  • Indoors: Use your camera or phone’s lighting settings (like “tungsten” or “fluorescent”) and multiple light sources to minimize shadows.
  • Don’t worry about imperfections. If you love the photo, share it! An experienced artist can often adjust lighting during the compositing process.

🐕 Angles

  • Get at eye level. Shooting from your pet’s eye line creates the most engaging portraits.
  • Frame the whole pet. Include ears, tail, and paws — even if it’s later cropped. It gives the artist more flexibility.

🎭 Expressions & Posing

  • Candid shots shine. Natural, in-the-moment photos often capture your pet’s true spirit. (See our whimsical Dancing Goats for inspiration!)
  • Formal options: A collar or leash helps keep pets still — collars are easier to edit than harnesses.
  • Look for little details. Tongues out, tilted heads, and bright “catchlights” in the eyes add warmth and life.

🌳 Location

Keep the focus on your pet, not the background. Since all portraits at Fun Animal Graphics are composites, the background can be completely customized later.

🐾 Multi-Pet Portraits

One of the joys of composite art is that pets don’t need to pose together.

Example: One client’s portrait included two cats, two dogs, four llamas, and four horses — all surrounding a vintage pickup truck in front of their barn. Every element came from separate photos!

Simply send individual photos of each pet, and we’ll bring them together seamlessly into one story-filled composition.

💾 File Formats for Pet Portraits

While file size can be an issue elsewhere, Fun Animal Graphics supports large uploads — tested up to 25 MB per file.

JPEG / JPG

✅ Pros:

  • Universally compatible and easy to upload.
  • Small file size = faster transfer.

⚠️ Cons:

  • Slight quality loss with repeated edits or re-saves.
  • Limited range in shadows and highlights.
Always send the ORIGINAL photo file when possible.

PNG

✅ Pros:

  • Lossless quality (no compression).
  • Excellent color and detail.

⚠️ Cons:

  • Larger file sizes, slower uploads.

RAW & TIF / TIFF   (layered files will not upload)

✅ Pros:

  • Highest quality and full edit flexibility.
  • Ideal for fine-art compositing.

⚠️ Cons:

  • Very large files — sometimes best shared via Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive.

WebP

❌ Not recommended. Designed for web display, it lacks the color and data depth needed for detailed compositing.

❤️ Summary

Our pets fill our lives with love, laughter, and unforgettable stories. A custom portrait preserves that bond forever — capturing not just how your pet looks, but who they are.

Ready to begin?
📧 Email: funanimalgraphics@gmail.com
🌐 Visit our homepage: funanimalgraphics.com 

See examples and commission your custom portrait → Fun Animal Graphics

📝 Notes: Sharing Large Files

When working with Fun Animal Graphics if you’re sending RAW or TIFF or other large images, Fun Animal Graphics can handle them directly. For sharing elsewhere however, you may need to upload to a third party such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive .

⚡ Quick Tips: Choosing the Best Photo for Your Pet Portrait

  • Lighting: Use natural light (early morning / late afternoon). Avoid harsh midday sun. Indoors? Turn on multiple lights and adjust camera settings.
  • Angles: Shoot at eye level and capture the whole pet.
  • Expressions: Candid shots work best — tongues out and sparkly eyes show personality!
  • Location: Focus on your pet — we’ll handle the background.
  • Multi-Pet Portraits: Send individual photos; we’ll combine them into one composition.
  • File Formats: JPEG / PNG / RAW / TIFF accepted — large uploads supported (tested to 25 MB). WebP not recommended, (layered files will not upload).

✨ Remember: Personality matters more than perfection. A professional artist can work magic with almost any image!

See examples and commission your custom portrait → Fun Animal Graphics

Back to blog