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How to Choose a Photograph for a Custom Diamond Painting

A custom piece is only as good as the photo it starts from. Sharp, well-lit, a clear subject, high resolution — and why size still matters.

A custom diamond painting is only as good as the photograph it starts from. A little care choosing your image makes a real difference to the finished piece.

Sharp and well-lit

Choose an image that is in focus and evenly lit — soft, natural daylight is ideal. Harsh shadows or heavy filters make a subject harder to translate into diamonds.

A clear subject

The strongest custom pieces have one clear focus — a face, a pet, a single figure — that stands out from its background. Busy backgrounds compete for attention and lose detail.

Resolution matters

Send the highest-resolution version you have. A small, heavily compressed image leaves less to work with; a large, crisp file lets fine detail survive.

Think about size

Because detail depends on canvas size, a face is best at 50×50 cm or larger. Our Custom Atelier page walks through the whole process, and we review every image by hand before production.