It is very important that we start with the best source photo possible! Our final composition will be heavily dependent on the quality and clarity of the photos you send us. So please follow these standard guidelines for best results. Important! These guidelines apply to all art EXCEPT our watercolor portraits! For watercolor portrait photo guidelines, see the product page for watercolor portraits.

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• Full head and face visible and in focus. See examples on this page.

• Pay particular attention to the template you have chosen, and the position of the subject's head in your photo. For the most realistic result, choose a source photo in which your subject maintains a similar head position. It's OK if it's slightly turned to the left or right. And don't worry; if we feel the photo you have provided doesn't work well with your chosen template, we'll let you know and either request an alternative photo, or suggest an alternative template.

• 300 pixels per inch is ideal, and at least 900 pixels wide. The file size can also be a good indicator of quality. If your photo is 2 MB or larger, it's likely of sufficient quality and resolution. If it's 300 KB, it's likely not. Photos from social media are resampled and compressed to reduce file size. What you see on your computer display is not directly relational to the size and quality of a printed image. However if the face is large and clear enough, it should be fine. We do recommend original camera images whenever possible. Cell phone pics are fine, as long as they are clear and follow these general guidelines! If we don't feel your photo is of adequate quality to produce the art, we'll email you to request an alternate photo.

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