How to choose photos for a family portrait
Match your photographs to a group, couple or solo style, using the current upload guidance for three Fable portrait examples.
A family portrait begins with two choices: who you want in the picture, and which style you want to try. Make those choices before settling on the photographs. A style intended for a group can ask for different references from a couple portrait or a solo profile.
Start with a style intended for a group
Renaissance is currently classified as a group portrait style. Its upload guidance asks for each face to be clearly visible, good lighting for everyone, and full faces without cropping.
The catalog illustration shows one person. It illustrates the look of the style, not a finished multi-person portrait.
Use that as a checklist while comparing photographs. Look at every person separately: can you see their whole face, or is someone partly outside the photograph? Is one person much harder to see because of shadow? A photograph can be a favourite memory while still leaving an important face difficult to inspect. If you have another reference, compare that person in both before choosing.
Check whether the style asks for a shared photo or separate references
The current instructions for The Chapel ask for both faces to be visible and for clear, well-lit photographs. They explicitly allow a photograph together or separate photographs of each person.
That option belongs to this couple style. Do not assume every style has the same reference requirements. When considering separate photographs, inspect each face for visibility and lighting, then follow the upload instructions on the style you choose. The number of files an upload control accepts is not a promise about the number of people in the finished portrait.
A people portrait style can still be for one person
à la Silhouette is a solo style. Its current instructions ask for a photograph taken from the side of the face, with good lighting and a clear silhouette. Those requirements are different from the group-photo checklist above.
If your aim is one portrait containing your family, choose with the intended subjects in mind. Browse the people portrait styles, then read the individual page’s instructions rather than relying on the category name alone.
Keep your references beside the preview
When a preview is available, compare the faces you care about with the photographs you selected. Consider each person as well as the overall composition. Make your purchase decision from the result and the current options shown on the product page.
For a group portrait, start with Renaissance and check its current instructions. For a couple, review The Chapel. Keeping the style’s requirements and your own reference checklist together gives you a clearer basis for choosing.