# Best practices in Pet Photography *** ### πŸŽ₯ Video Tutorial {% @arcade/embed flowId="uj09hO57cak8Is6eLPHz" url="" %} *** ### ✨ Step-by-Step Instructions #### 1. Frame Your Pet Perfectly Make sure your pet is either: * In the center, or * At one of the rule-of-thirds intersections for a balanced composition. *** #### 2. Remove Distracting Objects Get rid of unwanted elements like people, leaves, or bright objects using: * [**Erase tool**](https://support.skylum.com/editing-tools/essential-tools/erase) * [**Clone tool**](https://support.skylum.com/editing-tools/professional-tools/clone) {% hint style="info" %} For clearly defined objects like a leash, try the [GenErase](https://support.skylum.com/catalog-tools/generative-tools/generase) tool for best results. {% endhint %} *** #### 3. Add Bokeh for Depth If the background is quite sharp, it’d be better to create a slight bokeh effect (to keep the sharper focus on the pet) using: * [**Blur tool**](https://support.skylum.com/editing-tools/creative-tools/blur) **β†’ Gaussian Blur** * Use [**Masking**](https://support.skylum.com/editing-tools/masking-options) **> Mask AI** to select the background around your pet before applying the blur. *** #### 4. Adjust Lighting To brighten or darken your pet’s image, use: * [**Studio Light tool**](https://support.skylum.com/editing-tools/portrait-tools/studio-light) – brighten shadows on darker pets * Decrease exposure slightly if your pet is overexposed *** #### 5. Enhance Contrast & Pop Use: * [**Develop tool**](https://support.skylum.com/editing-tools/essential-tools/develop-raw-develop) β†’ **Smart Contrast** slider * [**Enhance AI tool**](https://www.notion.so/Pet-photography-1d07e27bdcd18008a638f81c6eecb3c2?pvs=21) β†’ **Accent AI** slider This helps your pet stand out, especially against clean backgrounds. *** #### 6. Remove Unwanted Color Casts Remove/decrease some predominant hues from the fur or the background to ensure the natural colors: * Go to [**Color tool**](https://support.skylum.com/editing-tools/essential-tools/color) β†’ **HSL** β†’ **Saturation** ***Example**: remove blue from white fur, or tone down yellow in green grass.* *** #### 7. Sharpen Eyes & Fur To enhance detail, use the following tools with [**Masking (Mask AI/Object Select)**](https://support.skylum.com/editing-tools/masking-options) to target only your pet: * [**Details tool**](https://support.skylum.com/editing-tools/essential-tools/details) β†’ **Small details** * [**Supersharp AI tool**](https://support.skylum.com/editing-tools/image-quality-tools/supersharp-ai) (use **Universal** or **Low** setting) * [**Structure AI tool**](https://support.skylum.com/editing-tools/essential-tools/structure-ai) {% hint style="info" %} These tools can also help sharpen key props like pet’s toys β€” just mask the object before applying: {% endhint %} *** #### 8. Add Depth with Dodge & Burn Use the [**Dodge & Burn tool**](https://support.skylum.com/editing-tools/professional-tools/dodge-and-burn) to bring more volume to your subject: * **Lighten brush** β†’ paint highlights and glares * **Darken brush** β†’ enhance shadows *** *Ready to try it out on your own photo?* Let your creativity shine and share your best pet edits! πŸΆπŸ“Έ --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://support.skylum.com/luminar-neo-tips/best-practices-in-pet-photography.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.