FAQ's

The turnaround depends on three factors:

1. Whether you use normal service or express service
2. The medium of the painting
3. The size of the painting

We ship all over the world at the same cost of 23$ which includes the shipping, the handling and the insurance of the shipped paintings. (Some countries have significantly higher rates in Fedex / DHL, so we charge 49$ for shipping to these countries. Please check the following list) *The turnaround is similar to all countries.

Yes we do. For only 15% more, you can order an express service which will give your order a priority over other orders and will improve the turnaround time. For exact turnaround, please check the answer for the question above 'what is the turnaround time'.

When ordering several paintings in a single order you will only be charged ONCE for the shipping (same shipping charge as for 1 painting).

Yes, we can! You can send several photographs and have subjects from each placed together into a single painting. Simply give us detailed instructions when placing your order. You can upload up to 3 different photos in 1 order, and in the comments box tell us how you want us to combine these photos into one painting. We don't charge extra for this service.

Yes, you can. Simply send the photos as attachments to  and we will get back to you. You can also place your order, and if we think that the photos are not good enough, we will ask you for better photos and if you will not have such we will simply refund your advance 

When we write 16"x20" we refer both to 16"x20" and 20"x16". If you send us a horizontal image, the painting/print you’ll get will be horizontal. If you send a vertical photo, the painting will be vertical.

Yes, you can! We do it at no extra cost. When you place your order you will see a drop-down list which allows you to choose a different background for your painting than the original background of your photo.

Click here to see the background options that we offer

If you would like a different background than the ones we offer, you may simply write it in the remarks text box when uploading your photo. You can also upload a reference photo to support your specific request.

Check this page for all kinds of free photo manipulations that we offer.

Yes, we can! We do it at no extra cost. If a photo requires restoration, we will automatically do it before starting to paint it (you don't need to ask for it). If you have a Black & white photo and you want us to paint it in color, please mention it in the remarks text box that appears on the page in which you upload your photo(s). Please mention any details that can help our editors to colorize it correctly (like: "The hair should be blond and the eyes should be blue"). We will send you the colorized photo for approval before starting to paint it. Check for your Photos.

The best medium to choose is, above all, a matter of personal taste. This is why we suggest that you browse our galleries of oil painting, charcoal, watercolor, pencil portraits, and see which is th one you like the most.
*The most popular mediums among our customers are Oil and Charcoal.

You may send your picture in .jpeg, .gif, .bmp, or .tiff. We suggest sending the highest resolution and quality photo available, no matter how big the file is. The better the image is, the better will the artist be able to create your painting.

The most common subjects for photo to painting artworks are:

• Couple portrait - photos from weddings, honeymoons, travel , or any other moment that a couple wants to cherish. Sometimes one of the couple buys it as a surprise for the other. Sometimes a couple receives a painting as a wedding gift or nniversary gift. You can just imagine the reaction of the person who receives such a special personal gift.....
• Child / baby portrait - Surprise someone with a painting from photo of his grandchild. Friends of yours celebrate their little boy's birthday - surprise them with their child painting so they will have an everlasting memory of him at that age.
• Family portraits - Family oil portraits are a beautiful present. A painted portrait of your ageing parents, a painting from photo of your whole family together, you and your kids, etc.
• Friends - You want to buy your friend a present which is personal and which will always remind him of your great friendship? Find a photo of the two of you from a trip or a party, or any special moment that both of you would like to cherish.
• Pet portrait - Your beloved dog, cat, horse.... The photo can be of both of you , or only your pet. A pet portrait can be a very unique gift for the pet lover.
• Scenery - Instead of buying a painting of scenery which means nothing to you, why won't you choose a beautiful scenery photo from one of your trips and hang it on the wall to remember always. Buy it for yourself or for a friend who loves a special landscape as much as you do.

There are many other photo to painting ideas: A painting of the house you grew up in, your first car, etc. Any photo that you love for yourself or as a special gift for your loved ones, we will be happy to turn into a painting.

Basically, if our artists can clearly see the details of your photo we can make a painted portrait from it. Still, from our experience, we recommend to pay attention to:

• Send photos that flatter the photographed person. If you don't like the way you look in the photo, if you think that your smile doesn't look real, try to pick another photo. Don't expect the artists to make the person look much better than he looks in the photo,after all, we artists aren't in front of you.
• Try to send photos with the highest resolution. If your photo is less than 100 KB size, its resolution may be too low and our artists may have difficulties to make a good painting from a photo that doesn't clearly show details.
• Pay attention to the background. You have a beautiful photo of your little boy, for example, but the background is filled with details that will detract from the painted portrait. In such a case, you can tell our artists to use a one color background of any color you choose. Just mention it in the comments box, ight after you upload the photo.
• Choosing the right kind of photo click here

Yes you can. This will expedite the whole process and we will be able to start painting right away.

If you have chosen to send your photo(s) by email (remember that you can also upload them while placing your order), please email them to:  .

Yes you can. If you would like to get your hard copy photo back, please write it at the remarks box which you'll find while placing your order.

One of the main goals of PaintOurLives is to make painted portraits affordable for as many people as possible. All our work is 100% handmade and created by top artists; still we manage to offer very competitive prices.
For a complete price table please click here.
Please note: When placing your order, you have to pay only 35% of the total price!

You can order a custom size. For doing that, simply choose the closest size in the drop-down list of sizes on this page and in the remarks text box on the following page, let us know the exact size that you want. The price will be calculated according to the closest size chosen.

Click Order now page and choose as the Type field: 'People & pets combined' and then choose the number of pets and the number of people in your painting and see the price below.

We don’t count vehicles or houses. Only people & pet figures. If the painting has 2 people and 2 vehicles, the price is of a painting of 2 people. If it has 2 people, 2 dogs and a house, the price is of 2 people and 2 pets. IF the painting doesn't include any people or pet figures, simply choose the painting type as 'landscape / house / vehicle' and then the number of figures doesn't matter.

No, we don't charge extra. All modifications are free of charge.

Sorry, only one discount or gift certificate may be applied to each individual painting order. For example, if you received a 15% discount coupon code and you already have a $40 gift certificate earned for submitting a photo testimonial, you may apply only one (whichever is worth more) to your next painting order. If, however, you purchase two paintings you may place two separate orders and apply the discount to one and the gift certificate to the other.

After you view your painting online and approve it, you pay the 80% balance payment and then we ship it to you.

PayPal - Use your existing PayPal account, or open a new PayPal account. PayPal Security and Protection - Fraud Protection and Online Security!Payment with VISA/MasterCard via PayPal.com!

Don't have a PayPal account? You can also pay with your credit-card directly on PayPal website without opening a PayPal account. In order to do this, please look for the line: "Don't have a PayPal account?.

Please DO NOT send us checks.

We offer three shipping options:

1. Rolled - the painting will be shipped rolled in an art tube. This option is free of charge.
2. Stretched - The painting will be stretched on a wooden form (this option is available only for Oil and Acrylic paintings). 
3. Framed-the painting will be framed according to a chosen design. See our frame samples.

You can choose any of those options when placing your order.
You can view images of these options here

Yes. Once the painting from your photo is ready, we will contact you for you to review it online. Most of our customers are happy with their first preview. However, if you feel that any modifications should be made, we receive your feedback, make the requested modifications and send it back to you for confirmation. Only then, the custom painting is sent to you.

When you place your order, just after uploading your photos there will be a special instructions text box where you will be able to explain what your special request is. We can create "magic" with your original photos: we can combine figures from different photos into one painting, we can change the background, eliminate figures and objects, create color paintings from black and white photos and even paint from damaged or old photos.

Yes you can. Simply choose a painting that you especially liked from our online galleries, and upload the image of this painting as a reference photo when placing your order, and ask us in the remarks text box to assign the same painter to your painting. We will do our best to do so.

To view the status of your order, please login to your account: click on ‘order details’ and see the status at the bottom.

Please don’t send us confirmations or requests for modifications via email / contact form, as this will slow down the process. Pleaselogin to your account: click on ‘order details’ and use the links there for confirmation or for modification requests.

• Please allow 2-4 days from the day you pay the balance until we ship your painting and send you the shipping notification email. We need to make sure that the painting is dry and ready to be shipped before we can ship it.

• To track your order, pleaselogin to your account: click on ‘order details’ and see the tracking number along with a link to track it online at the bottom of the page.

• The painting needs to pass your confirmation before we mail it, so after you receive the painting, unless the painting is damaged in transit, or we do not support the refund.We would never ship paintings until our customers are 100% satisfied with it. If your paintings arrives damaged, please contact us. We’ll fix the problem as fast as possible.
• You can return your paintings for an exchange or refund within 365 days from the date of shipment.

• Yes it is. All the information gathered through our secure server will be used solely to process your orders. We don't share your private information with any 3rd party.

• You may use our email form to send us any questions, or try our live chat.

• PaintOurLives runs an affiliate program which allows any website owner to send visitors to our websites and receive commissions. 
• nd visitors to our websites and receive commissions. To learn more and to signup to our affiliate program please click here.

• PaintOurLives promotes partnerships and provides various ways to enable a profitable relationship. A large percentage of our orders come from our long term relationship partners so we do everything possible to ensure that our partners receive high quality products and great service.
• Who is a PaintOurLives partner?
• PaintOurLives partners are businesses with customers that are interested in painting from a photograph. Among our many partners are: photographers, wedding studios, photo processing labs, gift shops, framing stores, memorial foundations and art galleries.

• We welcome link exchange from any relevant websites.