Send a single subject, or up to three close together, facing the lens with the eyes clear. Daylight helps. Sharpness matters little: the average source is a phone snapshot of a dog on the rug. What cannot be drawn is a back turned to the camera, or a group too large for one panel.
What makes a photo work?
The eyes. A subject facing the lens, eyes clear, in daylight, gives the drawing what it needs; it reads the face, and above all the eyes.
- One subject, or two or three close together in the frame.
- Roughly facing the camera, both eyes visible.
- Daylight, or a room bright enough that the face is not in shadow.
- Sharp enough to see the eyes; it does not have to be a good photograph.
- JPEG, PNG or HEIC, as the phone saves it.
Everything on that list is about the face being visible, because the design is drawn from the face. A photo that passes the first two points and is otherwise ordinary beats a beautiful one taken from behind.
What cannot be drawn?
A subject facing away, and a whole crowd in one frame. The relief is a face, and it needs a face to work from.
A back view has no eyes to shape, and a crowd leaves each face too small to carry a relief. If the only photo you have is of a group, crop it to the two or three people who matter before you upload it, or send the one of them on their own. The photo of Biscuit the golden retriever at the top of this guide is the kind of picture that works: one dog, looking at the camera, in daylight.
Does it need to be a good photograph?
No. The average source is a phone snapshot of a dog on the rug. It needs a visible face, not a studio.
Blur, a cluttered background, a lead in shot: none of it matters, because the design is a portrait of the face, not a copy of the photograph. What it cannot invent is the eyes, so if you have two photos and one shows them better, send that one. The making guide shows what the drawing does with it.
Can I change the photo, or add to it?
Yes. An optional AI touch lets you describe a background or a detail, a bow tie on him or a flower behind her ear, and the design is drawn with it.
If the result is not right, alter the photo, the name or the touch and redraw; repeats are unlimited and nothing is owed until one is approved. And with no photo to send, the describe tab draws from words instead: a dachshund in a yellow raincoat, say. The create page has both tabs.
What happens to my photo?
Your photograph has one job here, drawing your piece, and we remove it the day the order closes.
Nobody resells it, nobody publishes it, and it trains nothing. The only other use it has is ours: once the order clears, we lay the design beside your photograph and compare them before the cutting begins, so the face on the wall is the face in the picture. That is the whole of it: Tedooo draws from the photograph, we compare the design with it, and then it is removed.
Questions this leaves
Can I send a photo of someone who has died?
Yes. Many of the portraits we make are of a pet or a person someone has lost. The same rules apply: a face turned toward the lens with the eyes clear, and an old photo that shows them is better than a new one that does not.
Can two pets or two people go in one portrait?
Yes, two or three close together in one frame. One of the buyers' photographs on our home page shows a golden retriever and a tabby cat in one piece. Give each face room in the photo, and the create page shows the design before you choose a size.
Can I add a name to the photo?
Yes. Type up to 20 characters under your photo on the create page, a name or a short line, and it is set under the portrait in raised lettering. Or add a quote of up to 80 characters. Both are optional, and a ready-made piece carries nobody's name.
