How to Pick a Photo That Actually Works on a Mug

Most disappointing photo mugs were disappointing before anything was printed. The design was fine. The photo was the problem.

The good news is that you do not need a camera, a photographer, or any skill whatsoever. You need to avoid about four specific mistakes. Here they are, in the order they matter.

1. Use the original, not a forwarded copy

This is the one that catches nearly everybody. When a picture travels through a messaging app, the app shrinks it to save data. It still looks fine on a phone screen, which is two inches across. It falls apart when it is printed at four inches on ceramic.

So go into the camera roll on the phone that took the picture and use that file. Not the version somebody sent you. Not a screenshot of it. Not a photo of a photo on another screen.

If the only copy you have came through WhatsApp or Messenger, ask whoever took it to send the original - most apps have a way to share the full-size file, and it is worth the extra message.

2. Size is almost never the issue, if you follow rule one

People worry about this far more than they need to. A modern phone camera shoots somewhere around 3000 by 4000 pixels. We need a minimum of 1000 by 1000. So any straight-from-the-camera photo is already three or four times bigger than it needs to be.

Old scanned photos and pictures pulled off social media are the exceptions. Those are worth checking.

3. Fill the frame with the face

A holiday photo taken from across a beach has a face in it roughly the size of a grain of rice. Enlarging it does not add detail that was never captured - it just makes the blur bigger.

What you want is a face that takes up a decent share of the picture. A selfie is ideal. So is any photo where somebody leaned in.

4. Flat, even light beats dramatic light

Harsh midday sun carves black shadows under the eyes and nose. A dim room forces the phone to guess, and it guesses grainy.

Near a window on an overcast day is the best free lighting in the world. Outdoors in shade is second. Anything indoors under one ceiling bulb is the one to avoid.

5. A daft expression beats a good one

This is the part people get wrong for the right reasons. They pick the flattering photo - the one from the wedding, hair done, proper smile.

It is the wrong choice. The whole joke of a personalized photo mug is the mismatch between the face and the costume it has landed in. A dignified face in an elf suit is funny. A face already pulling a ridiculous expression in an elf suit is very funny. Go for the one where they are mid-laugh, or squinting, or looking mildly appalled.

What about pets?

Same rules, with one addition: you want them looking roughly at the camera. A dog in profile is a lovely photo and a poor mug, because you lose one eye and most of the expression. Hold a treat above the phone and you will get two seconds of perfect eye contact.

Flat-faced breeds and very dark-coated animals both benefit from more light than you think. Take five and pick the best - they are free.

You get to see it before you pay

None of this has to be a guess. Upload the photo and the finished mug appears on screen, with the background already removed and the face dropped into place. If it looks wrong, try a different picture. Nothing gets printed until you are happy with what you are looking at.

Have a go on any design in the full range - the people designs if it is for a person, the dog and cat designs if the face in question has whiskers.