How to turn your pet photos into stunning custom portraits

Turning photos of your cat or dog into a custom pet portrait is a decision you’ll never regret. Having a beautiful keepsake that captures your pet’s personality, spirit and memory is more than art, it’s a memory preserved for a lifetime.

Let’s look at how you can turn your pet photos into a portrait you’ll hold dear forever. 

There are various ways that you can turn your photo into art, from apps that’ll ai your picture into a portrait, to artwork that has a more human touch.

I believe the human touch is really important if you want a bespoke piece of art that really focuses on your pet’s personality. AI can produce some fun graphic prints and portraits, but they’re not going to evoke the same emotions as a piece of art curated by a human.

 

The human touch

When you choose an artist to create your pet portrait, you are getting not just the skill and expertise but a real life human to share information about your pet with. 

You can tell the artist which features you adore, share stories about your pet’s personality and have a back and forth about what you want the finished portrait to communicate. 

I work on a lot of pet memorial portraits, which really benefit from the human touch. When your pet sadly passes over the rainbow bridge, often the photos that remain are your most cherished memories.

 

Usually those photos will need some retouching and clever colour correcting in order to produce a portrait that really shows the pet off in a realistic way. Lighting, shadows and details can all be worked with through editing to produce a piece of art that truly takes you back in time.

 

Artificial lighting often creates a colour cast which, if it isn't corrected, becomes VERY obvious once the subject is placed onto another background. Romeo also needed brightening to bring out more detail in his face and rosette.

 

How long does a dog portrait take?

The time taken to create a bespoke pet portrait from a photo can vary depending on the amount of editing and retouching required.

For my letter print portraits and name portraits, the actual letters used can increase the amount of time needed in editing! Cutting out and editing an image to fit perfectly into a T for example, can actually be trickier than other letters such as an O, S or C.

All of my custom pet prints are shipped within a maximum of 14 days from order date, but they often arrive sooner.

What makes a good dog photo?

The photo you use for your portrait has a big effect on the portrait you end up with. Ensuring the lighting is right, there are no shadows and no objects obscuring the view of your dog mean you’ll enjoy a better result.

That said, if you use a clever portrait artist, they will be able to work from the images you have to create a stunning portrait even if your photos aren’t perfect.

Here I have moved the puppy, Mabel, to sit more snuggly with her mum so they both fit in the heart shape. I have also lightened the top of Hetty's head so the shadow of the table is no longer visible.

 

How to make a pet portrait for free

If you don’t want to invest in a pet portrait then there are a range of free apps you can try. The result won’t be the same as a custom pet portrait but they can be a bit of fun to play with!

A low cost alternative which gives you the quality of a bespoke pet portrait that’s edited and retouched by a human are my digital portraits.

From as little as £35, you can get a bespoke digital portrait that’s had the same love and attention as my printed options.

You can use your high quality digital portrait on your social media, or have it printed onto items such as cushions, mugs or even clothing!

 

Why choose a custom pet portrait? 

How many photos do you have of your dog or cat? We all take loads of photos of our beloved companions, but sadly most don’t ever make it off our hard drives or out of the cloud!

I always say that if my house was on fire, the one thing I’d grab after my pets would be our photos. Because they’re our memories, aren’t they? 

They’re the moments in time we don’t ever want to forget. And they deserve more than gathering dust in a digital archive somewhere! 

You can take your favourite photos and send them to me in an instant, and sit back whilst I turn them into a beautiful custom portrait you’ll treasure forever.

Benefits of choosing a fine art print

My range of pet portraits are printed on fine art paper which is guaranteed for decades. This means as long as you keep your print out of direct sunlight, your memories will be preserved and enjoyed for many years to come.

If you’re ready to transform your pet’s photos into artwork you’ll cherish for decades to come, why not have a browse of your options.

 

Take a look at the Heartfelt pet prints

Take me to the Digital Only option

Browse the Pets in Letters