How to choose the best photo for a lost pet poster
Pick a recent, sharp photo that shows the face and the whole coat, in good light. Then crop it so the animal fills the frame.
The photo that works best
The best photo for a lost pet poster is a recent, sharp, well-lit shot that shows your pet’s face and most of its body, taken from the animal’s own level. Ignore how cute it is. Choose the one that would let a stranger recognize your pet running across a road. If you can only pick between a beautiful old picture and a plain recent one, choose the plain recent one, especially if your pet’s coat, weight or haircut has changed. Then crop it until the animal fills the frame.
Check the five things that matter
Go through your candidates and ask five questions. Is the whole face visible, with both eyes? Can you see the main coat color and any markings? Was it taken in the last year or so? Is it sharp enough that you can see fur rather than a blur? And is the background plain enough that the animal stands out? A photo that passes four of these usually beats one that passes only two, however appealing it looks. Print your top two candidates, tape them up and see which reads best from a distance.
Think like a stranger, not an owner
You know your pet from its expression and the way it moves. A stranger has only a shape and a color. That is why the best poster image is often not your favorite. A dog with its mouth open at the beach may look nothing like a dog slinking past a parking lot with its ears back. Pick an ordinary standing or sitting pose if you can. A full-body side view is often the best for size and coat, and a head shot is best for faces. If you have both, you could put the second image in your online post.
What to avoid
Avoid photos with costumes, holiday sweaters or heavy filters, which change the color and shape people expect. Avoid pictures of your pet asleep or curled up, because they hide size and markings. Avoid shots from above, which make most animals look small and short-legged, and flash shots that give shining eyes. Group photos with other animals can confuse people about which one is missing. If the only good image has another dog in it, crop the other one out. Make sure your own children’s faces and your house number do not appear in the image.
Photos for dark or pale coats
Black dogs and cats often turn into a dark blob, especially on a home printer. Look for a photo taken outdoors in shade or bright window light, so the eyes, nose and shape of the face show. Lighten the shadows on your phone before you use it. For very pale animals, avoid bright sun, which can wash out the outline, and try a darker background so the edge of the coat is visible. If your dog’s coat is a mix of colors, choose the side that shows the most distinctive pattern.
Show what makes your pet different
If there is one feature that would make a stranger sure, show it. That might be a white blaze, a bobbed tail, one blue eye or a notch in an ear. Keep in mind that you should hold back one identifying detail so that you can test callers. So choose your public photo with that in mind. If your cat has a small white spot on its belly, leave that out of the picture and off the poster. A feature visible on the face or side will be seen by anyone who looks anyway, so that is the one to show.
Edit it quickly on your phone
You do not need any special software. Open the photo, crop it so that the animal fills about three quarters of the frame and raise the brightness a little. Do not add filters or heavy smoothing, because you want the true coat color. If you are printing in black and white, turn the photo to black and white on your phone first to see how it holds up. Markings that rely on color alone, such as red on brown, can vanish, so a different photo may work better.
Test it before you print many
Put the photo into your poster and print one page. Hold it up at arm’s length, then tape it to a wall and step back ten paces. Show it to someone who has never met your pet, then ask them to describe the animal. If they say a brown dog when your dog is brindle with white paws, try a different image. Five minutes of testing can save a whole batch. Keep the chosen photo in a folder with the same name on your phone, so anyone helping can use the same version.