Start with a recognizable face
Choose a recent original in which the person looks like themselves. A simple head-and-shoulders photo is often easier to inspect than a distant full-body shot. Keep the whole face visible, including the hairline and chin. Avoid sunglasses, hands over the face and strong beauty filters. A photograph with an ordinary expression is useful even if its background is untidy: the scene can change, but the reference needs to describe the person.
Check the actual pixels
Zoom in on the original before uploading. Increasing a tiny image’s file size does not create missing facial detail. The uploader accepts prepared references with a short side of at least 512 pixels and a long side up to 2048 pixels. A face about 200 pixels tall is a useful target, while a face below 96 pixels triggers a blocking quality check when detected. These are preparation rules, not a guarantee that the final portrait will preserve identity.
Use even light and a helpful angle
Soft window light or outdoor shade makes facial features easier to compare. Avoid a face lost in backlight, colored party lighting or a flash reflection across glasses. A front view or a gentle three-quarter angle usually gives you more visible information than a strong side profile. Match the intended age to the reference: an old childhood photograph is not a reliable description of how an adult looks today.
Give each person their own slot
Add one slot per person and put that person’s photo in it. An optional second angle belongs to the same person, not to another family member. Pets have their own slots. The product supports up to eight people, three pets and ten total reference photos, including second angles. You can reach the reference-photo cap before reaching both subject caps; remove unnecessary extra angles if that happens. Review the displayed people and pet counts before generating.
Choose one person from a group photo
Open the crop control if your best reference is a group photograph. When local face detection finds multiple faces, choose the intended person and review the highlighted crop. Detection only suggests positions; it does not know names or relationships. Make sure a neighboring face is outside the selected region. If detection is unavailable or misses someone, use manual cropping. Crop selection happens on your device before that prepared image is uploaded.
Prepare pets and second angles
Use a clear pet photo that shows its face, coat color and distinctive markings. Do not force a human face-quality rule onto a pet. For people, add a second angle only when it contributes information missing from the first image. Two blurry photos do not compensate for the lack of one clear photograph. Keep age, hairstyle and appearance consistent across the references you assign to one person.
Review permission and privacy
Upload photographs you are allowed to use. Confirm permission from the adults shown, and confirm guardian permission for children. References are private and have a limited retention period; results remain in your library until you delete them. The generator sends the necessary reference images to its processing provider. Review the privacy information beside the upload control before proceeding, especially if you are preparing a portrait for someone else.
Make one careful comparison
Keep the originals available when reviewing the result. Compare face shape, eyes, mouth, hairstyle, age, skin tone and distinctive details one person at a time. A sharper output is not automatically a more faithful portrait. If the source is clearly unsuitable, replace that person’s reference before trying again. The paid-task replacement-photo redo has eligibility limits; check the result controls rather than assuming every new attempt is free.