Your photo, painted by hand on canvas. Keep the details that matter, change the background or bring several images together. Choose your dimensions, discuss oil or acrylic, and review your painting before it ships.
Send your photo, preferred width × height and delivery country. If you are unsure about size or style, send the photo first and tell us where the painting will hang.
Bringing people together from separate photos? Send a clear image of each person and describe who should appear together. We discuss scale, lighting and placement before painting.
Choose the crop before the canvas dimensions. A phone photo’s ratio may differ from the wall space, so decide what can be trimmed or extended and keep important subjects inside the front face.
What changes this commission’s quote
Painting detail
Main subject, number of people or objects and usable reference detail.
Surface & presentation
Changes to the photo, chosen painting treatment and finish.
Delivery planning
Physical painting dimensions, recipient location and required arrival date.
From a Floral Lettering Reference to a Hand-Painted Canvas
A colorful floral image with Hebrew lettering becomes a physical painting. Compare the flower shapes, color areas and letter placement with the finished canvas photographed in the studio.
For lettering in your own painting, send the exact text and a clear visual reference. Discuss the layout, colors and details to preserve before painting begins.
Choose the Right Route from Your Photo to a Painting
People or pets lead the picture
Start with the expression and likeness you want preserved. Use the portrait or pet guide below for close-up photo requirements and combining subjects.
A place leads the picture
Identify whether the house, landscape or travel memory is the focus. Mark features to preserve and decide how faithfully the setting should follow the photo.
Several photos become one scene
Label one image as the composition reference and the others as supporting details. List additions and removals rather than sending an unexplained folder.
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.
Made by
Hand-painted to order in our Shenzhen studio, oil or acrylic on canvas, never printed
Source
Your photo, several photos, a digital file, a render, an AI image or a Pinterest board
Size
Any size. 60 standard sizes from 24 by 20 up to 80 by 60 inches, plus custom measurements
Painting time
7 to 10 business days for 1 to 5 pieces, 10 to 15 for 6 to 20
Approval
Progress photos while painting, finished-canvas photos before release
Payment
Usually 50 percent deposit, balance before release. Wire, PayPal or card
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.
People and families
One person, a couple, children, a wedding photo or a whole family. We paint one photo as it is, or build a group from several. See custom portrait paintings.
Pets and animals
Dogs, cats, horses and any other animal. Several pets from separate photos can sit together on one canvas. See custom pet portraits.
Houses and places
A family home, a first house, a holiday cottage, a storefront. Realtors order these as closing gifts. See custom house portraits.
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.
Tell us whether the photo is yours or identify its photographer and usage permission. If several sources are combined, label them separately along with the details to take from each.
Photo to Painting Process & Approval
Send your photo or photos on WhatsApp or through the quote form, with the size you want, any changes, and whether you prefer oil or acrylic.
Confirm the plan. We agree the composition, medium and finish with you, then schedule painting once the deposit is paid.
Painting takes 7 to 10 business days for 1 to 5 pieces. We send progress photos while your commission is on the easel.
Approve the finished canvas. We photograph it and send you the photos. Nothing leaves the studio until you approve. Check the likeness, composition, requested details and colors against the agreed brief, and flag anything that needs attention before release.
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.
MORE WAYS TO START WITH AN IMAGE
Image Reference to Painting: Figures, Color and Texture
A reference can also be a design or an AI-generated image. These examples show how an image becomes a physical canvas, with the source identified for each pair.
Compare the artwork view with the physical canvas in these separate studio examples. Canvas edges and framing show how each composition reads as a finished object.
Artwork viewFinished painting in the studio
Neutral waves and speckled texture
Cream, gray and taupe curves combine sweeping marks with darker speckled passages.
Send the original photo file where possible, with eyes and facial features in focus. Tell us which expression to keep; add another angle if an important detail is unclear.
For the composition
Mark the people or objects to include, anything to remove and the background you prefer. For a group portrait, identify each person and their intended position.
For a gift deadline
Give the date the painting needs to arrive and the delivery country. Ask about rush availability before confirming an order; drying, finishing and transit all need time.
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, up to 5 meters (about 16 feet), 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
When comparing photo-to-painting services, look at real reference-to-canvas examples, how revisions are discussed, the available dimensions and the complete delivered cost. Here is how our studio works.
One studio, one team
At PaletteMomento, your photo stays with our painters in Dafen, and you talk to the same team from quote to delivery.
You see it being painted
Progress photos during painting, photos of the finished canvas before release, and your approval before it ships. That is our process, and we do not promise more than we do.
Dimensions chosen for your project
Choose the width and height your project needs. Our standard sizes run to 80 by 60 inches, and larger single canvases, up to 5 meters (about 16 feet), are quoted case by case.
One studio for one or twenty
A family ordering one portrait and a realtor ordering twenty use the same painters and the same quote form. Trade pricing starts from one piece.
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. It is a separate single-piece order, and the larger order is quoted on its own. Full trade terms are on our trade page.
Popular starting points
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.
Let’s discuss the details
A date to work toward. Send the required arrival date and destination. We will check rush availability, production, drying and delivery before confirming what is possible.
Comparing formats. This service is hand painting on canvas. Tell us which surface, finish and delivery requirements matter to your project.
Shipping, payment and if something goes wrong
For most countries you can choose duties included in the delivery quote (DDP), or pay the duties yourself on arrival. 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. If a painting is damaged in transit, we help you make the claim with the carrier, then agree with you on a repaint or refund depending on the damage.
Confirm the applicable requirements for your reference or destination before ordering. Other China-origin measures can apply, so please confirm with a customs broker before you order.
Photo to Painting Questions Answered
Which photo-to-painting service should I choose for my image?
Does photo to painting mean a filtered photograph printed on canvas?
Here it means a physical painting made by hand from the agreed reference. Tell us how closely to follow the photograph and where you want visible brushwork. The canvas finish and delivery format are confirmed separately.
How long does it take to turn my photo into a painting?
Painting takes 7 to 10 business days for 1 to 5 pieces and 10 to 15 business days for 6 to 20 pieces. Pieces 36 by 48 inches and larger sit at the top of their band because thick paint has to dry between layers, and oil takes longer still. Express shipping by FedEx or DHL then takes 5 to 10 business days. Tell us your date and we will say honestly whether it works.
Do I get to see it before it ships? What if I do not like it?
Yes. We photograph every finished canvas and send you the photos, and nothing leaves the studio until you approve. During painting you also receive progress photos, so you can flag anything early. If a finished piece has a defect that is our fault, we repaint it at our cost. Tell us what is wrong and we will put it right before release.
My only photo is old and blurry. Can you still paint it?
Send it anyway, along with any other photo of the same person or place, even from a different time. Tell us what matters most in it. We look at it and tell you honestly what we can paint from it before you pay anything. The more detail the photo holds, the more detail we can paint, but an old photo is often enough for a good portrait.
Can you put people from different photos into one painting?
Yes. We combine several photos into one composition. Families use this to add a grandparent who has passed away, or to bring all their pets together on one canvas. We can also change the background, remove someone, resize the composition, recolor it and add personal elements. We confirm the plan with you before painting starts.
Should I pick oil or acrylic for a portrait?
Both oil and acrylic are available. Send your reference and the finish you prefer; we will help you choose the medium and confirm it with the quote. Oil takes longer to dry between layers.
Can I order 10 house portraits for my clients at once as a realtor?
Yes. There is no minimum order, and trade pricing improves at 6 pieces and again at 21. Mixed designs count together, so 10 different homes are priced as one order of 10. Painting takes 10 to 15 business days for 6 to 20 pieces. For a first order we can paint a sample. It is a separate single-piece order, and the larger order is quoted on its own.
Will there be customs duty when it arrives in the US?
Confirm the applicable requirements for your reference or destination before ordering. Other China-origin measures can apply, so please confirm with a customs broker before you order. Freight is quoted separately at cost. For most countries you can choose duties included in the delivery quote (DDP), or pay the duties yourself on arrival.
Discuss Your Photo to Painting
Send the main photo, identify the subject, list changes, and include canvas dimensions, destination and any deadline.
