The five photos that make a personalised pet book look right

A good likeness almost always comes down to the reference photos, not the illustration style. Here's what actually helps.

One: a clear, straight-on face shot in daylight. No hats, no filters, no wide-angle phone distortion up close. This is the photo the whole book's likeness is built from.

Two: a full-body side profile. This fixes proportions — leg length, chest depth, tail carriage — that a face shot can't show.

Three: a photo that shows their markings honestly. Flash and heavy editing shift coat colour more than people realise.

Four: a photo of them doing their thing. Mid-zoomie, curled in the one forbidden chair, staring at a closed fridge. This is where character comes from.

Five: a photo with you in it, if the book includes you. Scale and relationship both read better when we can see you together.

You can upload more, and more is usually better. But those five will get you most of the way there.