Tips for sending us your photos:

• We can accept image files as a jpeg (jpg), bmp, png or psd. or .gif. However, we recommend not using gif files as they are generally not good enough resolution.
•For best results send your image at 300 dpi or higher. If you are using a digital camera use your camera's highest quality setting.
• If you don't know how to check your resolution try checking the file size itself before you send it. Your file should be a minimum of 1MB, and can be even larger.
 

If in doubt, email it to us and we can check if the resolution is high enough to produce quality artwork. If not, you can always mail us the original photograph. (We return photos with a self-addressed stamped envelope.)

Tips for taking good quality photos:

• Use a good quality digital camera. If you are using a very inexpensive camera designed only to share web images you may not end up with an image that will have enough resolution to enlarge your image to your desired print size.
• The better your photo is in detail the better your final portrait will be. So try to capture your pet up close and in natural outdoor lighting if possible.

A few words about image resolution:
If you care about your portrait's print quality, your images should be a minimum of 300 dpi (dots per inch).

Q: Can I just change my 72 dpi image in Photoshop to 300 dpi by changing the number?

A: Well, Not exactly. When you "change the number" from a low resolution to 300 dpi, you are not really fixing the problem. Doing this is called "interpolation". Interpolation means that you are asking the computer to calculate the pixels that are not there. Computers cannot add new data to sharpen or enlarge your image, it can only add pixels that "fill in the gaps." What you will end up with is a jpeg that is at 300 dpi, but very, very blurry.

Q: OK. So then how do I fix low resolution?

A: The best bet is to learn how to use your camera's settings to take photos at the desired print size and at a high resolution. Avoid setting your compression too low. Sure you can take more photos on your Smart-Media card when you use a lower quality setting, but what if you capture the photo of the century and can't print a good copy larger than 4 x 6?

If you are scanning your photograph from a 35 mm, you can change the scan resolution setting on your scanner. Again, if you are in doubt, mail us your photo and we will scan it at a high resolution dpi. for you.

Q: I can’t even tell what the resolution is on my photo, let alone fix it..???

A: Just send your photo via e-mail and we will let you know if the image you send is too low in resolution. Chances are we will be able to do something with your image even if it means creating an more abstract and fun pop art portrait. We do our very best to work with all images sent to us. And don't forget you can always just mail actual snapshots to us, and we will scan them at the proper resolution for you. We also can accept your photo cd discs, just let us know the number of your desired photo.

Tips for photographing pets:

Lighting is everything:

Try to take the picture in a well lit area, such as the outdoors, especially on a bright overcast day, or in a sunlit room. Keep the sun behind your back and watch out for shadows (especially your own)! Make sure your pet is comfortable in the environment. If they are calm it will be much easier to capture the expression you want.

A tip for photographing black pets:

Outdoors works best for black pets. Try to place your pet in a contrasting area like a white wall or in the grass outside. Avoid flash photography for black dogs and cats. Remember that the camera sees what you see and so if there are no highlights showing on your pet's coat then they won't show up in your shot. Try hard to get a shot where your pet's eyes show up nicely, and the face is well lit.

Red Eyes in your photo? Something in the shot that shouldn't be?

If your photo(s) have red or green eye, don't fret! We can fix it for you no sweat! The way to avoid red eye is to NOT use flash but if you are indoors and need to use flash don't worry too much. You may send us as many shots as you wish and also specify those you prefer and we will select from those. 

Don't worry about leashes showing or your friends hands on your pet's backside. We can eliminate these things later.

Please remember that we will have less to work with if the photo is blurry or your pet is extremely small in the frame. Your pet is to be the focal point of your picture, so get as much of their body in the image field as possible.

We can work from any photograph, but remember that well focused shots where the pet is the largest thing in the photo will result in the best possible Pet Portrait of your pet.