How to check an AI portrait’s likeness before you order

An AI portrait can be attractive without looking enough like its subject. Before ordering, compare the preview with the reference photo and inspect it in a consistent order: identity first, anatomy second, composition third, then the finished product. This prevents a beautiful background from doing all the persuading.

1. Ask whether the subject feels familiar

Look at the preview at an ordinary viewing size. Do you recognise the person or animal immediately? Then compare the shape of the face, eyes, nose or muzzle, mouth and ears with the source.

For a person, check age, hairline and expression as well as the most obvious features. For a pet, look at coat patches, ear shape, muzzle length and the relationship between the eyes. A dog of the right breed is not automatically the right dog.

Avoid demanding that a painterly image behave exactly like a photograph. Brushwork and colour can be interpretive. The question is whether the artistic treatment still preserves the characteristics that matter to you.

2. Count the subjects

For a group portrait, make a list of everyone intended to appear. Tick them off one at a time. Check for omissions, duplicates and mixed features, especially when several reference photos show the same people.

For a family with pets, review the animals separately. In a two-dog scene, make sure markings have not been exchanged and relative size remains plausible. Our two-dog Christmas guide gives a specific checklist for that situation.

3. Inspect contact points and anatomy

Enlarge the image and check hands, paws, fingers, sleeves and where subjects overlap. Look at a hand resting near a shoulder, two figures holding hands, or a pet standing beside a dress. These small areas can reveal a problem that is easy to miss in the full scene.

Also inspect glasses, jewellery and any visible lettering. If a detail is important to the subject's identity, do not assume it is correct just because the overall image feels convincing.

4. Check the composition at a small size

Return to a normal phone-size view. Can you see every important face clearly? Is someone hidden in shadow or pushed against an edge? Does the main subject remain the focus?

With a Christmas card, add another check after lettering: the greeting should not cover a face, and the sign-off should remain readable. Use the separate card print checklist before ordering that product.

5. Decide what to change

If something is wrong, use the changes offered in the creator or choose a clearer source photo. Check the current allowance and any paid options in the interface rather than assuming unlimited revisions. If you are unsure what to do, ask Fable support.

A second person who knows the subject can give useful feedback. Ask a specific question—“Do the ears and muzzle look right?”—rather than only “Do you like it?”

Order the result you have actually reviewed

Fable's free preview is watermarked; finished artwork is paid. Confirm that the selected image and product are the ones you approved before continuing to payment. A larger product does not improve the underlying likeness.

The Presence catalogue example shows one painterly pet direction. Try it with your own photograph, then apply the checklist to your result rather than comparing yourself to somebody else's example.