Photo to Painting, Hand-Painted from Your Photo

Send us a photo and we paint it by hand. Our studio in Dafen Art Village, Shenzhen, turns your photo into an oil or acrylic painting on canvas, in any size you need. You see progress photos while it is painted and photos of the finished canvas before it ships. Nothing leaves the studio until you approve it.

Photo to painting, in plain words

PaletteMomento is a hand-painting studio in Dafen Art Village, Longgang District, Shenzhen, China. Every photo-to-painting piece is painted by hand, to order, in oil or acrylic on canvas. Nothing is printed. There is no print underneath and no painted-look filter. The brush marks are real, and you can feel them. To see who paints your canvas and in what order the work happens, read how we paint.

You choose oil or acrylic. Both are available, and you tell us which you prefer when you send your photo. There is no minimum order. WhatsApp replies are usually immediate; email replies usually arrive within 12 hours.

What we can paint from a photo

Most orders are about a person, a pet or a place. A view from a trip or a city street you love works too.

Combining several photos into one painting

We can combine several photos into one composition. This is how a grandparent who has passed away joins a family portrait, or how all your pets end up on one canvas. We can also resize the composition, recolor it, and add personal elements such as a pet, a place or an object that matters to you. We confirm the plan with you before painting starts.

We paint only from photos you own or have permission to use. Professional wedding photos are usually owned by the photographer, so please check with them first. We do not paint celebrities, brand logos or another company’s artwork.

How it works, step by step

1. Send your photo or photos through the quote form, with the size you want, any changes, and whether you prefer oil or acrylic.
2. Confirm the plan. WhatsApp replies are usually immediate; email replies usually arrive within 12 hours, agree the composition and finish with you, and schedule painting once the deposit is paid.
3. Painting takes 7 to 10 business days for 1 to 5 pieces. We send progress photos while your commission is on the easel.
4. Approve the finished canvas. We photograph it and send you the photos. Nothing leaves the studio until you approve.
5. Finish and ship. We stretch, frame or roll it and book your freight. Express by FedEx or DHL takes 5 to 10 business days.

Pieces 36 by 48 inches and larger sit at the top of their production band, because thick paint has to dry between layers, and oil takes longer still. Tell us your date and we will say honestly whether it works.

Getting the photo right

A good photo makes a better painting. Sharp, well lit, and close enough that faces are clear. Our painters work from what they can see, so more detail in the photo means more detail on the canvas.

If your only photo is old, small or a little blurry, send it anyway. Tell us what matters most in it, and we will tell you honestly what we can paint from it before you pay anything. A second photo of the same person, even from another time, helps our painters get the features right.

Want a different background, someone removed, or a jacket changed? Write the changes in your request. We confirm every change with you before painting begins.

Choosing size, medium and finish

Oil or acrylic

Oil blends softly, so skin tones and shadows can be worked smoothly, and it takes longer to dry between layers. Acrylic dries fast and gives cleaner edges and brighter, flatter color, which suits modern and graphic portraits. If you are not sure, tell us the look you want and we will suggest one. The choice is always yours.

Size

There are 60 standard sizes from 24 by 20 inches up to 80 by 60 inches, plus sets of two and three. Any other size is painted to your measurements at the same rate. For a lobby or a stair wall, larger single canvases beyond 80 by 60 inches are quoted case by case, and we can paint one photo across two or three panels. See extra-large paintings.

Finish

Your painting can arrive rolled in a tube, stretched on solid wood bars, or framed in black, white, wood, silver or gold. All five frame colors cost the same. Rolled is the cheapest to ship. Stretched is ready to hang. Framed is ready to give. Heavy texture ships stretched or framed, because rolling thick paint is not recommended.

How we compare with photo-to-painting marketplaces

You may be comparing us with PaintYourLife, Instapainting, PortraitFlip or Paintru. We cannot judge them. Here is what is different about one studio.

For realtors, funeral homes and companies

There is no minimum order. Trade pricing starts from one piece, the rate improves at 6 pieces and again at 21, and mixed designs count together. So 10 house portraits for 10 different clients are priced as one order of 10.

• Realtor closing gifts. Send the listing photo of each home. Ten house portraits take 10 to 15 business days to paint, and rolled canvas is the cheapest way to ship them together.
• Memorial portraits. Families and funeral homes send us a favorite photo of someone who has passed. We treat these photos with care and take time to get the face right. From a group shot, we can paint the person alone.
• Corporate gifts. Retirement portraits, the first office, an award piece from a company photo. Six or more moves you to a better rate.

For a first order or a large project we can paint a sample first, and the sample cost is credited back on any order of 10 pieces or more. Full trade terms are on our trade page.

Good fit

• You want real paint on canvas, not a print, and you can wait 7 to 10 business days plus shipping.
• You want a size the big brands do not offer, or several photos in one scene.
• You order for clients and want one studio and one invoice for the whole batch.

Not a fit

• You need it in your hands in under two weeks. Painting plus express shipping takes longer than that.
• You want a printed canvas with a painted look. We do not make prints.

Shipping, payment and if something goes wrong

Delivery terms are EXW our Shenzhen studio. Freight is quoted separately at cost, and we do not add to it. Express by FedEx or DHL takes 5 to 10 business days. Air freight and sea freight are available for larger orders.

We quote each piece by size, finish and quantity. Payment is usually a 50 percent deposit, not the full amount up front, with the balance before the goods are released. We accept wire transfer, PayPal or card, and terms are confirmed on the invoice.

If a finished piece has a defect that is our fault, we repaint it at our cost. Under EXW, risk in transit passes to the carrier once the painting leaves our studio. If we arrange the freight for you, we help with any claim.