How to Choose the Best Photo for Custom Paint by Numbers
Choosing the right photo is one of the most important steps when creating a custom paint by numbers kit.
You do not need a professional photo. What matters most is that the people, pets or details you care about are clear, visible and easy to recognise.
At Paintarthub, every custom image is checked before production and may be adjusted to help it work better as a paint by numbers design. However, editing cannot recreate important details that are missing from the original photo, so starting with a suitable image still gives the best foundation for your finished canvas.
Your photo does not need to be perfect.
The tips below are recommendations to help you choose the best photo available. Our designer will check your image and make suitable adjustments where possible, but the final level of detail still depends on the quality, lighting and composition of the original photo.
If you have several photos to choose from, the following tips can help you pick the one most likely to give a better result.
1. Start With a Clear, High-Quality Photo
The clearer your original image is, the more detail there is to work with when creating your custom paint by numbers design.
Whenever possible, upload the original photo from your phone or camera.
If you have a choice, it is better to use the original image rather than:
- a blurry or out-of-focus version;
- a screenshot of the photo;
- a small image downloaded from social media;
- a heavily compressed image;
- a photo that has been repeatedly saved or heavily edited.
Try the zoom test: Open the original photo and zoom in on the main subject. Can you still clearly see the eyes, nose, mouth or important pet features?
If these details are difficult to see in the original image, choosing a clearer version of the photo can help preserve more detail in the finished design.
Image resolution also matters. Two photos can look similar when viewed at a small size on a phone, but a heavily compressed or low-resolution image may reveal much less detail when enlarged.
It is also usually best to start with a natural-looking version of the original photo. Strong filters can change skin tones or hide details. Simple cropping is fine, but heavily cropping a low-resolution image may reduce the amount of usable detail.
2. Make Sure Your Subject Is Easy to See
Keep the Subject Close Enough
One common issue is a good-quality photo where the person or pet is simply too far from the camera.
A holiday photo may look beautiful as a whole, but if two people occupy only a very small part of a large landscape, their faces will also be relatively small on the finished canvas.
For portraits and pet paintings, a closer photo usually gives more room for important facial details.
Key takeaway: The main subject does not need to fill the whole photo, but if you have several similar images, choose the one where the subject is easiest to see.
Choose Good, Even Lighting
Good lighting helps show facial features, colours and smaller details more clearly.
Photos taken in natural or evenly distributed light usually work well.
If possible, choose a photo without:
- very heavy shadows;
- strong backlighting;
- faces hidden in darkness;
- extremely bright or overexposed areas;
- strong filters that change the natural colours.
A portrait taken in front of a bright window or sunset may look attractive, but the person's face can become too dark to show as much detail.
Choosing between similar photos?
Pick the one where you can most clearly see the features you want to appear in the painting.
Keep the Main Subject Distinct From the Background
The background does not need to be plain. Gardens, beaches, wedding venues and landscapes can all work well.
However, a simpler background or clearer contrast can help the main subject stand out.
This is especially useful for dark-coloured pets. For example, a black dog or cat photographed against a dark background may have less visible separation between its eyes, nose, ears and fur.
This does not necessarily mean the photo cannot be used. But if you have another photo with better lighting or clearer contrast, it may provide a better starting point.
Ask yourself:
What do I want people to notice first when they look at the finished painting?
3. Choose the Right Canvas Size and Shape
Consider the Shape of Your Photo
Your photo and your selected canvas will not always have exactly the same proportions — and that is completely normal.
Square photos, portrait photos, landscape photos and panoramic images all have different aspect ratios. Choosing a canvas with similar proportions can help reduce cropping, but this should be treated as a recommendation rather than a strict requirement.
Good to know: If your photo and selected canvas have different proportions, we will normally crop and adjust the composition where appropriate so that the important content fits the chosen canvas as well as possible.
It can still be helpful to leave some space around important parts of the image, especially:
- the top of a person's head;
- hands and feet;
- pet ears and tails;
- people positioned very close to the edges;
- important objects close to the edge of the photo.
If the image cannot be adapted well to the selected canvas size without losing important content or creating an unsuitable composition, we will contact you before production. Depending on the photo, we may recommend a different canvas size or ask whether you would prefer to provide another image.
Consider the Number of People or Pets
Canvas size is especially important when your photo contains several people or pets.
A larger canvas provides more physical space for faces and other small details.
These are practical recommendations based on our experience with custom orders, not strict rules.
A close-up photo of three people may work differently from a full-body photo of three people standing far from the camera. The size and position of each subject in the original image still matter.
For group photos, it is helpful when faces are clearly visible, people are reasonably close together and no important person is hidden behind someone else.
Key takeaway: The more people, pets or small details your photo contains, the more useful a larger canvas can be.
4. Special Photos and Details to Consider
Can I Use a Black and White Photo?
Yes. Black and white photos can be used to create custom paint by numbers kits.
A black and white photo will not simply use pure black and pure white paint. Different shades and tonal variations can be used to represent highlights, shadows and details in the original image.
When choosing between 24, 36 or 48 colours, you can simply choose based on the level of detail you would like, just as you would with a colour photo.
The colour option does not mean that a black and white photo will be turned into a colourful painting. It reflects the amount of colour and tonal variation available to represent the image in different levels of detail.
Simple answer: Choose the detail level you prefer in the same way you would for a colour photo. A black and white image does not require a special colour option.
What If My Photo Is Old or Not Perfect?
Not every meaningful photo is technically perfect.
Sometimes an older family photo, a photograph of someone special or a favourite picture of a pet may be the only image available.
A slightly old, soft or imperfect photo does not automatically mean that it cannot be used. The most important question is whether the key subjects and details are still recognisable.
If you have several versions of the same photo, try to use:
- the clearest version available;
- an original digital file or high-quality scan;
- an image where important faces are still visible;
- a version with reasonable brightness and contrast.
Whenever possible, avoid using a screenshot of an already low-quality image if a better original file is available.
Avoid Very Small Text
Small text can be difficult to reproduce clearly in a paint by numbers design.
This may include:
- small words printed on clothing;
- shop signs;
- licence plates;
- detailed logos;
- handwritten messages;
- decorative lettering in the background.
A custom paint by numbers design converts your image into separate paintable colour areas, so very small letters may not remain clearly readable.
If text is important: Choose a photo where the lettering is large and clearly visible.
Quick Photo Checklist Before You Order
✓ Is the main subject clear and in focus?
✓ Can you clearly see important facial or pet details?
✓ Is the lighting bright and even enough?
✓ Is the person or pet reasonably easy to see?
✓ Does the main subject stand out from the background?
✓ Is there enough space around the most important parts of the image?
✓ Is the canvas size suitable for the number of people or pets?
✓ Are you using the best-quality version of the photo available?
✓ If the image contains important text, is it large enough to see clearly?
You do not need to meet every recommendation perfectly. The purpose of this checklist is simply to help you choose the strongest photo available from the images you already have.
Not Sure Whether Your Photo Is Suitable?
You do not have to decide completely on your own.
If you are unsure about your image, email your photo to support@paintarthub.com.
Our team can help check whether the photo is likely to work well with your preferred canvas size and can provide suggestions where appropriate.
After an order is placed, every custom image is checked before production. We may make suitable adjustments to the crop, composition or image where possible to help the photo work better with the selected canvas.
If we find that the selected canvas size cannot accommodate the important content of your photo well, we may contact you before production to discuss a different canvas size or a replacement image.
Ready to Create Your Custom Paint by Numbers?
Once you have chosen your photo, explore our Personalised Paint by Numbers UK collection or create your own custom paint by numbers from a photo.
Upload your image, choose your preferred canvas size, colour detail and kit format, and we will check your photo before production.
