# Best practices in Pet Photography

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### 🎥 Video Tutorial

{% @arcade/embed flowId="uj09hO57cak8Is6eLPHz" url="<https://app.arcade.software/share/uj09hO57cak8Is6eLPHz>" %}

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### ✨ 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.

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#### 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)&#x20;
* [**Clone tool**](https://support.skylum.com/editing-tools/professional-tools/clone)&#x20;

{% hint style="info" %}
&#x20;For clearly defined objects like a leash, try the [GenErase](https://support.skylum.com/catalog-tools/generative-tools/generase) tool for best results.
{% endhint %}

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#### 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) **→ 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.

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#### 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

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#### 5. Enhance Contrast & Pop

Use:

* [**Develop tool**](https://support.skylum.com/editing-tools/essential-tools/develop-raw-develop)  → **Smart Contrast** slider
* [**Enhance AI tool**](https://www.notion.so/Pet-photography-1d07e27bdcd18008a638f81c6eecb3c2?pvs=21)  → **Accent AI** slider This helps your pet stand out, especially against clean backgrounds.

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#### 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)  → **HSL** → **Saturation**

  ***Example**: remove blue from white fur, or tone down yellow in green grass.*

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#### 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)  → **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)&#x20;

{% hint style="info" %}
These tools can also help sharpen key props like pet’s toys — just mask the object before applying:

<img src="https://1995628866-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FMnf78856iSLiLJsiJgyq%2Fuploads%2FAzVE1YSNCGK6r1FBlNBT%2Fimage-6.png?alt=media&#x26;token=458e9c6b-31e5-42da-a092-28dcc08af1b1" alt="" data-size="original">
{% endhint %}

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#### 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** → paint highlights and glares
* **Darken brush** → enhance shadows

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*Ready to try it out on your own photo?*

Let your creativity shine and share your best pet edits! 🐶📸