Look for even light before looking for dramatic style
For a source portrait, even light generally makes it easier to see the person's features and expression. A window facing the subject, open shade, or a softly lit indoor area can be more useful than a high-contrast scene that hides one side of the face. You are not trying to recreate a professional shoot; you are choosing a readable starting point.
Avoid treating lighting as a formula that guarantees an outcome. A clear source can help you review the suitability of a request, but a creative Studio direction still depends on the selected template and the image itself. Use lighting checks to reduce obvious ambiguity, not to promise a particular appearance or level of polish.
Check that one person is visible and unobscured
Choose a portrait with one visible person and a face that is not covered by dark glasses, heavy shadows, extreme blur, or a very small crop. This helps you confirm whose portrait is being submitted and whether it is appropriate for the intended Studio direction. It also avoids the confusion of using a group photo where another person's likeness appears incidentally.
If the only available image includes other people or is too unclear to review, take or choose a different source rather than attempting to work around the limitation. This protects consent as well as visual context. A new simple portrait in ordinary light is often a more responsible choice than repurposing a memorable but unsuitable photo.
Keep the pose and framing easy to evaluate
A straightforward head-and-shoulders frame makes it easier to judge whether the source reflects the person and the purpose of the Studio request. Very extreme angles, obstructed faces, or cropped foreheads can make the input hard to assess before creation. Choose a pose that lets you see the overall framing without assuming it will dictate the generated portrait exactly.
Review the image at normal size before you submit it. Ask whether you would be comfortable having this portrait handled for the selected creative purpose and whether the person depicted would understand that use. That question is more important than trying to optimize every visual detail from a single source photo.
Use per-request confirmation as a final check
FocalYou's creative workflow asks for confirmation before each upload to OpenAI and the other named services needed for the generation request. Use that moment to check the source, the selected Studio template, and the planned audience. Selecting a photo by itself does not upload it, so you can stop before the request if the context no longer feels right.
This repeated confirmation matters because a consent decision for one image or use does not automatically carry over to another. If you choose Cancel, FocalYou does not upload the portrait, create a job, or deduct credits for the proposed request. A careful stop is a valid creative decision when the source or use case is uncertain.
Review the result for fit not for perfection
After a Studio request, review any generated image in the context where you might use it. Check whether it feels professionally appropriate, whether it represents the person honestly, and whether you have permission for the intended audience. Do not assume a generated image should be used merely because the source photo met your basic lighting checks.
Keep only the results that serve the actual purpose, and leave others private or delete them. FocalYou stores generated photos in the private Gallery for up to 30 days unless you remove them sooner. The feature creates a Studio portrait direction after consent; it does not guarantee a specific visual result or replace a real-world professional decision.