The preview is not the thing you receive
Before uploading a photo, choose the deliverable that fits your home, your budget and the person who will keep it:
- A downloadable file: Ask for the file type, usable dimensions and personal printing rights. A digital file is not automatically a framed or shipped object.
- An artist-made original: Ask who makes the marks on the final surface, whether you see a proof and what revisions are included. A painterly-looking mockup does not answer those questions.
- A kit you paint yourself: You receive a project to complete, not a finished portrait. Check who will do the painting, what materials are included and whether a frame is supplied. For example, B2H’s one-pet paint-by-numbers kit includes a 40 × 50 cm numbered canvas, paints, brushes and a reference image; it is unframed. Small areas need patience, and the result depends on your photo and painting. Already have your kit? Follow our first-session paint-by-numbers guide to match one number, paint one clear area and leave a note for next time.
- A print or framed piece: Check the actual material, finished size, mounting and a real finished example—not only a digital preview.
- A window-hung photo piece: Check the photo treatment, display size and real-unit images. B2H currently offers a listed 6.3-inch photo suncatcher with “Keep the source photo” or “Stained-glass-style treatment.” Its on-page preview shows layout only. The listing includes a photograph of the finished Apollo front in its packaging.
Want a window piece? Check B2H’s actual finished front, options and current policies. Want a file, an original painting or a print instead? Use the comparison questions below with a maker who sells that format. You do not need to buy anything to make this choice.
The photo you love may be the wrong one to upload
Before comparing portrait styles, use this photo to choose your next step—not to predict a finished piece.
- Can you see what makes this pet recognizable? Check the face and the markings, ears or posture you would miss most. If they are blurred, hidden or lost in shadow, try a clearer source photo or ask the maker what they can actually use.
- Is there room around the pet? If a tight crop cuts off important features, go back to the original image before choosing a display shape. Do not rely on a preview to restore details that are not in the source.
- Is this your image to share, and would the recipient want it displayed? If permission or the recipient's preference is uncertain, ask first. A private photo or a non-photo gift can be the better choice.
For a shaped pillow, check the whole outline
A favorite close-up can miss the outline this format needs. For B2H's one-pet photo pillow, choose one clear main photo with the whole pet visible and no parts cropped off.
- Look at the edges. If a hand, furniture or another pet hides the outline you want to keep, choose another photo or ask about that photo first.
- Keep reference views separate. You can add up to two reference photos of that same pet; those slots are not additional pets in the design.
- Check the space. The listed 90 cm is nominal; the finished shape follows your photo. Compare the intended spot before ordering.
Considering a photo suncatcher? If the important features are visible, there is crop room and sharing is welcome, try your photo in B2H's layout preview. If not, choose a different photo, ask permission or compare selected artwork instead. No purchase is required to make this decision.
This is a preparation checklist, not an automated image-quality test. B2H's preview shows crop, position and name layout only.
Before ordering a custom pet portrait from a photo, check seven things: which source image the maker will use, how the portrait is made, who reviews the likeness, whether a proof and revisions are included, what file or physical object you receive, what rights and storage rules apply to the photo, and what happens if the result or timing is wrong.
“Custom” can describe very different processes—hand-painted, hand-drawn, digitally illustrated, AI-assisted, filtered, template-based or mixed. None of those labels alone tells you whether the result will feel specific to your pet. Clear process and deliverable information lets you compare like with like.
1. Choose the identity details before the art style
Pick one primary photo and list the details that must remain accurate:
- coat, feather, scale or shell color;
- distinctive patches or markings;
- ear, tail, wing or body shape;
- eye color only when the photo shows it clearly;
- collar or tag, if it belongs in the portrait;
- one familiar expression or posture.
A style sample can look beautiful while missing what makes this pet recognizable. Ask whether the maker wants more angles or a higher-resolution source. If they can work only from one weak photo, ask which details will be interpreted rather than observed.
2. Ask how the image is actually made
Useful descriptions are specific:
- hand-painted on the final physical surface;
- hand-drawn and scanned;
- digitally illustrated by an artist;
- generated with AI and then reviewed or edited;
- produced with a filter or template;
- designed by one party and printed by a production partner.
Do not assume a brush texture in a mockup means the final work is hand-painted. Do not assume AI use means no human work. Ask for an accurate description of the steps and who is responsible for the final review.
Etsy's current Creativity Standards, for example, allow seller-prompted AI work but require AI use to be disclosed in the listing description on that marketplace. Other sites may use different rules. The practical buyer principle is broader: the process shown and the process delivered should match.
3. Look for source-to-result evidence
Examples are most useful when they show:
- the source photo;
- the finished portrait;
- a short explanation of the method;
- whether the example was a real commission, a sample or a concept.
A gallery of polished mockups without source images may demonstrate style but not likeness. Reviews can add context, but a review count does not explain the current process, revision policy or production partner. Read the current listing and policy too.
4. Understand proof and revision rules
Ask before ordering:
- Is a proof included before printing or shipping?
- How many revisions are included?
- What counts as a revision: color, crop, text, pose or a new photo?
- Can the customer cancel after the first proof?
- What happens if the maker misses an agreed identity detail?
- Does approval start production, and what changes become impossible afterward?
“Unlimited revisions” sounds generous but can be unclear. A smaller, defined process with examples and response times may create less risk.
If no proof is provided, review the source-input form, examples and remedy policy more carefully. No-proof production is not automatically wrong, but the buyer should know that before paying.
5. Separate the digital file from the physical product
A low headline price may cover only a downloadable file. A physical order may add a print, frame, canvas, acrylic, wood, blanket or other object.
Confirm:
- digital file type and pixel dimensions;
- how and when the finished file can be downloaded, whether the link expires or requires an account, and how to retrieve it again;
- who will help if the download or file will not open, and what correction or refund is available if delivery fails;
- whether a high-resolution customer-owned file is included;
- physical material and finished dimensions;
- whether a frame or hanging hardware is included;
- where and by whom the physical item is produced;
- current production and delivery estimates;
- whether the listing image is a mockup or the exact final form.
Compare prices only after the process, revision scope and deliverable are equivalent.
6. Check photo rights, storage and reuse
The source photo may be emotionally and personally sensitive. Ask:
- Who can access it?
- Is it sent to a production partner?
- How long is it retained?
- Can the maker use the portrait or source in marketing?
- Do you receive a file you can keep and reuse?
- Are personal-printing rights included, and are commercial rights excluded or separately licensed?
Keep your own original file. Upload a copy rather than making a seller platform the only place where the image exists.
The Preserve a Memory path explains how to keep a customer-controlled source before choosing a finished form.
7. Protect the recipient's choice when it is a gift
A personalized likeness can be meaningful and still be wrong as a surprise. The recipient might prefer a different photo, have no space for another display, or want to keep that relationship private. A birthday, a thank-you and a bereavement gift call for different choices.
When the portrait is for someone else, confirm the pet's name, source image, desired visibility, address and timing. For an everyday gift or celebration, compare a portrait with other formats in our gifts for dog lovers guide and two-candidate shortlist, or use the cat-lover gift-fit card when shopping for a cat person. If direct confirmation would spoil the surprise, give the recipient a choice they can make later. If the pet has died, use what to give someone who lost a pet for a recipient-led decision that also leaves room for a note or practical help.
A pet portrait brief you can use
Fill in the note below and copy it into your own notes. Use it with the maker you choose, and keep the agreed version. Leave an unanswered field open until it is confirmed.
Download the free fillable pet portrait brief (PDF, 2 pages). Type into the fields or print it, then save a copy to keep with your photo. No sign-up needed. If your PDF viewer cannot save entries, use the copyable note below.
Prepare your portrait brief
Edit the note here, then select and copy the text before leaving the page; edits are not saved here. This is a note, not an order form.
A frame measurement does not tell you the size of the portrait inside it. Keep both when they matter. Your preferred arrival date is also different from a maker's delivery estimate.
The brief helps you make and keep an agreement; it does not guarantee a maker's result or delivery. Choose only a format the maker actually offers.
Coordinating several portraits? Keep each handoff with its photo.
If several people are making portraits, keep the individual brief above for each piece. A separate allocation sheet can connect each photo and brief to an artist, the return plan and the intended recipient. Use this optional sheet to coordinate your own portraits; it is not a B2H portrait service or order system.
Use a simple allocation and return sheet
Download the portrait allocation CSV and open it in your own spreadsheet app. If your existing Google Sheet or order list already records these handoffs, use that instead. Nothing is uploaded or saved on this page.
1. Give each portrait a code. Start one row per portrait; use its code with the photo filename and saved brief. Map every portrait_code to its intended recipient in your existing private records. Before dispatch or collection, check the artwork, agreed brief and intended recipient against that same code. Keep contact details, addresses and permission records outside the CSV. The download contains a header and one empty starter row, not participant data.
2. Confirm who is making it. Set “assigned” only after the artist accepts. Record the artist code and the agreed date the organizer should physically receive the artwork in “return_due.” If the artist will send directly to the recipient, leave “return_due” and “return_received_on” blank.
3. Separate completion, dispatch and receipt. “artist_complete” records the artist’s report, not a returned or delivered piece. “returned_to_organizer” means the organizer has physically received it. “sent_to_recipient” means dispatched; “received_by_recipient” needs confirmed receipt, including collection or direct delivery. Direct delivery can skip organizer return. “handoff_due” is the agreed dispatch or collection deadline, not promised arrival. Keep dated dispatch, collection and receipt references in the private note linked by “handoff_reference”; tracking alone does not establish recipient receipt.
4. Name who follows up. Use “needs_attention” for an unresolved question. In the linked private note, record that question, the next owner and the next check date. Agree changes with those involved; this sheet does not authorize reassignment, charges or photo use.
Fictional example: P001 links to P001-photo.jpg, a saved brief and the intended recipient in private records. Artist A has accepted and returned the artwork. The status is “returned_to_organizer”; recipient_received_on stays blank until the recipient confirms. If collection is undecided, use “needs_attention” and record the coordinator as follow-up owner with a check date. This is an illustration, not a reported event.
Other manual labels: “unassigned” means no artist confirmed; “in_progress” means work has begun; “cancelled” means the portrait work is cancelled.
Use YYYY-MM-DD dates. Blank means unconfirmed or not recorded, not failure. The nine-column sheet has no reminders, live checks, cloud sync or automatic saving. Keep filled copies private and agree supplies, delivery and charges separately.
Where B2H fits today
If a physical window keepsake fits your space, B2H's photo suncatcher lets you choose “Keep the source photo” or “Stained-glass-style treatment” on its listed water-ripple glass. The preview helps place the photo and name; it does not simulate final production.
Check the product gallery before deciding. One image shows the actual finished Apollo front in its packaging. Use this photo to inspect the finished front and packaging; check your selected photo and treatment against the listing before ordering. B2H does not offer a standalone hand-painted portrait or downloadable portrait file.
Before ordering, check the listing's source-photo requirements, current material and size, photo treatment, delivery information and remedy policy. The on-page preview shows layout only. Do not assume that proofs, revisions, file delivery or photo-use rights are included unless the listing or policy explicitly says so.
If you prefer selected artwork rather than a pet photo, compare the photo-based and selected-artwork suncatchers. The acrylic artwork model uses dog or cat artwork and a moon background; those choices are not the Photo model's input system. B2H does not offer a digitization, digital-archive or reusable-file service.
If the portrait is a memorial and you are deciding whether it belongs on display, start with the pet memorial ideas at home guide. Keeping a photo privately is also a complete choice.