Guides, songs and portraits · Couple portrait

A couple portrait from a photo: how to pick the picture of the two of you

The hardest part of a couple portrait is not the painting. It is finding the one photo where you both look like yourselves. This page helps with that, lists a few ways to have it painted, and explains how ours is made.

What makes a good photo of two people

Both faces at a similar size. If one of you is close to the camera and the other far behind, one face gets all the detail.
Both faces in the same light. A photo where one of you stands in shade and the other in sun paints unevenly.
Close together. Cheek to cheek, side by side, or one behind the other. A wide gap between you leaves a lot of empty canvas in the middle.
Eyes visible. No sunglasses, no hat brim over the eyes. The eyes are painted last and carry the whole portrait.
A real moment. A laugh at a wedding, a selfie on a mountain, a kitchen dance. Posed photos are fine, but a candid one often feels more like you.

Photos that are harder to paint

Very dark photos from a bar or a concert lose detail in the faces. Group shots cropped down to two people are often too small and blurry. Heavily edited photos with beauty filters can paint oddly, because the filter has already smoothed away the features the brushes look for. Old screenshots from social media may be tiny. If you only have a few options, choose the one with the clearest faces, even if the background is dull; the background matters least.

Choose a ready-made artmoovik · $35 Order one made for you · $25

Ask the other half, quietly

If the portrait is a surprise for your partner, the photo is of the two of you, so permission is mostly yours to give. It gets less simple if the photo also shows friends, children or an ex in the corner. Crop them out, or ask them first. And if your partner hates a particular photo of themselves, do not choose that one, however much you love it. Ask a friend who knows them if you are not sure.

Ways to get a couple portrait

A portrait painter or illustrator who works from photos, delivering a canvas or print by post.
A caricature or quick-sketch artist at a fair or wedding, for something fun and fast.
A photographer for a new couple shoot, then a print of the best frame.
A digital oil painting that appears stroke by stroke to a song: Sendajoy's artmoovik, described below.

How ours is made

We paint your photo with code, the way a painter would. Broad strokes lay in the background and the light first. Smaller and smaller brushes follow, but only where the picture needs them: the line between your faces, the hair, the eyes. The finished film shows the whole process, from blank canvas to final highlights, while a new song plays. The song is made with AI from the story you tell us, in the voice you choose; a duet is a natural fit for a couple. At the end your letter appears with a certificate number.

When to give it

Your anniversary. The photo can be from the day you met or last month.
An engagement. Paint the photo from the proposal.
Valentine's Day or just because. It arrives as a link, so the timing is yours.
A gift for another couple. Friends who just married, or parents on their anniversary, using a photo you took of them.

What it costs

A couple portrait in an artmoovik is $25, including the new song and the painting. You get the first sketch of the final frame within 24 hours; once you say yes, the finished piece usually takes 1–2 days. Full refund if it is not made, and one redo if the first sketch is not right. It is digital: nothing is shipped, and you can save the last frame and print it for a frame at home.

Ready letters you can use

Paste one under the film as it is, or change every word — the letter appears at the end of the artmoovik, after the last stroke.

“This is us on the ferry, two hours into the rain, both laughing at nothing. I have looked at that photo a hundred times. Now I can watch it being painted, while a song about us plays. Happy anniversary. You are still my favorite person on any boat.”

“We don't have many photos together, because one of us is always holding the camera. This is the best one. I wanted to give it a little more life than a phone screen can. I love you, and I would take the rainy ferry all over again.”

“To Anna and Mark, on your first anniversary. I took this photo at your wedding when you weren't looking, and it has been my favorite ever since. Now it is a painting with its own song. Thank you for letting us share that day.”

Questions

Which photo is best for a couple portrait? One where both faces are clear, close together, a similar size and in the same light. A candid moment often works better than a stiff pose.

Can you paint us from a selfie? Yes, if both faces are sharp and well lit. Hold the phone a little higher than eye level next time; it helps.

Do we need permission to use our photo? For a photo of just the two of you, no one else needs to agree. If others appear in it, crop them out or ask them.

Is it a physical painting we can frame? It is a digital piece. Save the final frame as an image and print it, then frame the print.

Is card payment possible? No, not at the moment. Payment is in USDT on the Ethereum network (ERC-20) only.

Choose a ready-made artmoovik · $35 Order one made for you · $25