Yes, if the face is clear and not distorted. A selfie taken at arm’s length can widen the face slightly; a photo taken by someone else from a few feet away usually gives a closer likeness.

Can I use an old photo?

Yes. The character will look like the person in the photo, so an old photo gives you the person at that age, which some people want on purpose.

Is my photo used for anything else?

No. It is used to draw the character and for nothing else. It is not used to train models and it is not sold.

The Best Photo for a Personalized Storybook

What the drawing takes from the photo

The character is drawn from one photograph, so everything the photo shows clearly can carry over: the shape of the face, hair color and length, glasses, beard or stubble, and skin tone.

The clothes usually carry over too. The outfit in the photo tends to become the character’s outfit on every page, so a photo in a favorite shirt or jacket is worth looking for. In one of our test books, a red plaid shirt in the photo was on the character in all twelve pages.

What a good photo looks like

The face is clearly visible, looking at the camera or turned slightly.
Daylight or even indoor light, without hard shadows across the face.
Only the person in the book. Crop everyone else out.
No sunglasses, no hat pulled low, no hand in front of the face.
Sharp, not a screenshot of a screenshot or a heavily zoomed crop.
Waist up or full length, if you want the clothes to come through.

An ordinary phone photo is fine. The order form takes JPEG, PNG or WebP files up to 8 MB.

Photos that cause trouble

Group photos. With several faces, the drawing may borrow from the wrong one.
Filters and beauty apps. The drawing follows what the photo shows, smoothing and all.
Very close selfies. A phone held at arm’s length distorts the face. A Rutgers and Stanford study found that a selfie taken about 12 inches away makes the nose look about 30% wider than a photo taken from 5 feet. A photo someone else took from a few feet away is closer to life.
Costumes and heavy makeup. The character will wear them.
Very old photos. They work, but the character will be the person at that age.

For a dog or cat

Take the photo at the animal’s eye level, in good light, with the whole animal visible and only one pet in the frame. Markings, ear shape and coat color come through best when they are clearly lit. More in the guide to pet storybooks.

If the first drawing isn’t right

You see the character before any story pages are made. If something is off, say exactly what: longer hair, thinner glasses, no beard. One correction is included, and the preview is free: if the character still is not right after it, you pay nothing.