How to choose a photo for your Fable portrait
A practical checklist for faces, pet features, group photographs and homes—before you begin your preview.
The best starting point is a photograph in which you can clearly see the subject you want to recognise in the finished portrait. You do not need to choose the most elaborate photograph in your camera roll. Choose the one that gives you useful detail and an expression you want to keep.
Choose the style for your subject
Pet, solo, family and house examples have different reference-photo requirements.
Presence
Portrait style
A close pet portrait with a quiet dark ground: inspect the familiar ears, muzzle and markings first.
Fruits of the Garden
Portrait style
The solo people style named in the photo guide is not interchangeable with a family composition.
Renaissance
Portrait style
The group portrait named in the guide: check each intended face against its own reference.
Larsson's Summer
Portrait style
Your own house in an imagined Scandinavian summer: compare the roofline, windows and entrance with the reference.
Greenwater
Portrait style
A watercolor-style portrait of your own home, with straight-on facade guidance on its style page.
Check the face before the background
Open the photograph at a comfortable viewing size. Can you make out the eyes, nose and outline of the face? Is a hand, another person or a strong shadow hiding a feature that matters to you? For a pet, check the eyes, muzzle, ears and distinctive markings.
Fable's current portrait guidance recommends clear faces or pet features and good light. It also advises avoiding hidden subjects and heavy shadows. Use those points as a selection checklist, not a guarantee that any particular photograph will produce a particular result.
Compare similar photographs
If you have two versions of the same moment, compare sharpness and visibility before choosing between smiles or backgrounds. A slightly different pose may give you a clearer view of the features you care about. If a filter strongly changes skin, fur or facial detail, consider the original photograph instead.
Keep the original file when it is available. Enlarging a tiny screenshot on your screen does not give you additional detail to judge. Look at the source itself before deciding that it is the strongest reference you have.
Give every subject a clear reference
For a family portrait, the current Fable guidance supports a group photograph or separate photographs of the people you want together. With a group image, inspect every face. Someone small in the background may be difficult for you to assess even if the person nearest the camera is clear.
When using separate photographs, choose a useful view of each subject and finish adding the intended references before creating. Follow the limit and controls shown in the current uploader. For style selection, check the individual page: Fruits of the Garden, for example, is currently described around a solo subject rather than a family group.
For a house, show the building you want to keep
A home portrait needs a useful view of the architecture. Consider whether the roofline, windows and entrance that make the place familiar are visible. Where you have a choice, compare photographs taken in clear daylight and avoid an important part of the building being obscured.
The current Larsson's Summer page specifically recommends a clear daylight home photograph. Check the guidance for your chosen home style before uploading.
Use the preview as your final check
Fable creates digital portrait artwork from your photos. Before purchasing, compare the preview with the reference: face shape, eyes, pet markings, the people included and any details you consider essential. Then assess the artistic treatment separately. A style you like and a result you recognise are both part of the decision.
If you are still choosing a treatment, explore the style guide. To try a pet portrait with your selected photograph, open Presence and follow the current upload controls. Presence is the featured example in this guide; choose a people or home style when that is your subject.