An AI pet portrait generator takes a photo of your dog, cat or rabbit and paints a new picture of them in the style you ask for: a royal oil portrait, a soft watercolor, or a joke print for the bathroom wall. In Toybox AI, you make one in Image Generator. You add up to 3 photos of your pet, describe the portrait, and get one image back. Below are the styles to try, how to describe dogs and cats so they stay recognizable, and what to check before you print one as a gift.
What you can make with an AI pet portrait generator
Each idea below starts from one to three sharp photos of your pet. The description you write decides the style, the outfit and the setting.
- A royal portrait. Queen Victoria commissioned Edwin Landseer to paint the royal pets: three dogs, Hector, Nero and Dash, and the parrot Lory. The oil on canvas was finished in 1838 and is now in the Royal Collection. Landseer went on to make more than 40 works for Victoria and Prince Albert.
- A watercolor or pencil portrait for a card. Loose washes on white paper suit a birthday or sympathy card, and the empty paper around your pet leaves room for a handwritten line.
- A bathroom portrait. This one is a framed joke for the bathroom wall: your pet in a clawfoot tub full of bubbles, in a towel turban, or at the sink with a toothbrush.
- A holiday picture. A dog in a knit sweater by a lit tree, or a cat in a paper crown at the table. For a finished card with a greeting on it, see the AI Christmas card maker.
- Two or three pets in one portrait. Add one photo of each pet and say which is which, such as "the gray cat from the second photo sits on the left".
- A memorial portrait. Older photos of a pet who has died can become a painted keepsake. Use the sharpest ones you have, including one that shows the markings.
- A painted version of one exact photo. When the pose and the background matter, edit the photo itself instead. The guide to turning a photo into a painting covers that route in Smart Editor.
- Your pet as a person. The coat becomes hair and the breed's temperament picks the outfit. The pet as human AI page has prompts for it.
Pet portrait styles with prompts to start from
Each prompt below goes into "Describe your image" after you add your pet's photo under "Reference photos". Swap in your own pet's coat, markings and name. The dog and pet portrait prompts collection has more, from charcoal sketches to a birthday party.
Royal court portrait
A royal oil portrait of my dog from the reference photo, painted like a 19th-century court portrait. He sits upright on a red velvet cushion with gold tassels, wearing a short cape trimmed with white ermine and a gold medallion on a chain. Deep umber background, window light falling across him from the left, an ornate gilt frame. Keep his breed, his tan and white coat, the black patch over his left eye and the shape of his ears.Watercolor for a card
A loose watercolor of my cat from the reference photo on white cold-press paper. Head and shoulders only, soft gray and peach washes, a few pencil lines left showing, and plenty of empty paper around her. Keep her green eyes, the orange and white patches on her face and her long white whiskers the same as in the photo. No text.Bathroom pet portrait
A funny portrait to hang in the bathroom: my dog from the reference photo soaking in a white clawfoot bathtub full of bubbles, a yellow rubber duck balanced on his head and a folded towel on the edge of the tub. Pastel green tiles behind him, soft daylight from a frosted window. Photorealistic. Keep his face, his coat color and every marking from my photo.Two pets together
A formal painted portrait of two pets together on a green velvet sofa. The dog from the first reference photo sits on the left and the tabby cat from the second reference photo sits on the right, both facing the viewer. Oil paint, warm lamplight, dark green striped wallpaper behind them. Keep each animal's own coat colors, markings and eye color.Describing dogs and cats for AI pet portraits
Describe the features a stranger would use to tell your pet apart from another of the same breed. The photo shows them, and your words point to the ones that matter. An AI dog portrait generator and an AI cat portrait generator need different details from you:
| What to describe | Dogs | Cats |
|---|---|---|
| Ears | Upright, folded, or one up and one down | Ear tufts, a notch, pink or dark inner ears |
| Face | Muzzle color, eyebrow spots, a gray chin on an older dog | Eye color, nose color, the stripes above a tabby's eyes |
| Coat | Length and texture: wiry, curly, silky, double-coated | Pattern: tabby, tuxedo, calico, colorpoint, solid |
| Markings | A white blaze, white socks, a chest patch | A white bib, a spot on the nose, a ringed tail |
| Build | "Small enough to fit on one cushion" or "a big, broad-chested dog" | "Long and lean" or "round and fluffy" |
Solid black and solid white pets have fewer markings to go on, so give them more words: the eye color, the shape of the face, and any gray hairs or a crooked ear. For rabbits, say whether the ears stand up or lop down. For birds, list the feather colors from head to tail.
Tips for better AI pet portraits
Crouch down for the photo. A picture taken from standing height shows mostly the top of the head. At your pet's eye level, the face, chest and front paws are all in view.
Turn off the flash. Use daylight from a window instead, so the eye color in your reference photo is the real one.
Give each photo a job. One close-up of the face, one full-body photo for the coat and markings, and a third for a second pet or a favorite toy. Say which is which ("the first photo shows her face"). The page on how reference photos guide a new image explains what a photo can and can't carry over.
Keep both ears in the frame. An ear cropped off at the edge of the photo has to be guessed.
Choose the Size first. Portrait (3:4) fits a frame, Square (1:1) suits an Instagram post, and Story (9:16) works as a phone wallpaper.
Switch on "Enhanced quality" for words. For your pet's name on a brass plaque under the painting, open "More options" and turn it on. The switch reads "Sharper text and logos, best for designs with words" and adds 45 credits. Check the spelling on the result.
Printing an AI pet portrait as a gift
Toybox doesn't set a pixel size for Image Generator, so check the file before you order a print. For a print you can plan around, tap the three-dot menu under the result and choose "Open in Smart Editor" (Pro plan, currently 110 credits at 4K). Set "Quality" to 4K and "Shape" to Social 4:5 under "More options", and ask it to keep the picture the same. That file is 2560 x 3200 pixels. Smart Editor redraws the image rather than enlarging it pixel for pixel, so compare the face again afterward.
Mpix lists optimal and minimum pixel sizes for each print, and accepts JPEG and PNG files in RGB. Toybox downloads are PNG. Here is how a 2560 x 3200 file compares:
| Gift | Print size | Mpix optimal (px) | A 2560 x 3200 file gives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Card or small frame | 5 x 7 in | 1250 x 1750 | About 457 pixels per inch, with about 0.6 in trimmed from the width |
| Desk frame | 8 x 10 in | 2000 x 2500 | 320 pixels per inch, no trim |
| Wall frame | 11 x 14 in | 2750 x 3500 | About 229 pixels per inch, with about 0.2 in trimmed from the width |
The 11 x 14 print lands a little under Mpix's optimal size but well above its minimum of 1100 x 1400. The print resolution guide shows how to work these numbers out for any size.
Limits to know
The face can drift. Toybox doesn't promise an exact likeness. Image Generator treats your photos as a guide, so a patch can move or the eyes can change shade. List the markings in words and create another version if it's off. For a portrait built on one real photo, edit that photo in Smart Editor (Pro plan), which works from your picture instead of painting a new one, though each edit still redraws the whole image.
Fixing one detail needs a Pro plan. The "Want to change something?" box under a result is a Pro feature and currently costs 85 credits. On the Free plan, change your description and create a new portrait for 50 credits.
A print is flat. The brushwork is part of the picture, so a canvas print has no raised paint. If the gift should be a one-of-a-kind painting, send your best photos to a pet portrait artist.
Text can come out wrong. A name on a plaque or a banner can be misspelled, even with "Enhanced quality" on. Read every letter before you print.
How to make a pet portrait in Image Generator
- Sign in to Image Generator. A free account works, and you verify your email the first time.
- Add your pet with "Add reference photos". Pick up to 3 JPG or PNG files, 10 MB or smaller each.
- Write the portrait in "Describe your image": the medium, any costume or props, where your pet is, and the markings to keep.
- Pick a "Size". Portrait suits a frame, Square a feed post, and Story a phone wallpaper.
- Leave "Enhanced quality" off under "More options" unless the portrait has words on it, such as a name plaque.
- Tap "Create image". The page shows "Usually about 30 seconds" while it works. A portrait currently costs 50 credits, or 95 with "Enhanced quality".
- Check the result against your photo, then keep it in your gallery or download it as a PNG. Portraits you don't save are deleted after 24 hours.