How to take a photo that makes a great Mustache Baby video

Start with a clear, front-facing photo

The model needs to see the whole face straight on. A photo taken at eye level, with the baby looking toward the camera, gives it the most to work with.

A slight smile is ideal. A neutral expression also works, but avoid photos where the face is turned more than a few degrees to one side.

Use soft, even light

Window light or a bright, evenly lit room is best. You want to see the eyes clearly and avoid deep shadows across the cheeks or forehead.

If you are shooting indoors in the evening, move closer to a lamp rather than using the flash. Direct flash flattens the face and creates hard shadows.

Keep the face unobstructed

Remove sunglasses, pacifiers, hands and toys from in front of the face. Hats are fine if the hairline and eyebrows are still visible.

The mustache is added by the model, so the photo should show a clean mouth and upper-lip area.

One person per photo

Group photos make it harder for the model to decide which face to animate. Crop to a single baby before uploading.

A recent phone photo is usually more than enough. JPG, PNG and WebP are supported, with a 5 MB limit per image.

What to avoid

• Side profiles and faces turned away from the camera.
• Heavy beauty filters that smooth away the eyes or mouth.
• Very dark photos, or photos with a bright window behind the baby.
• Sunglasses, masks or hands covering the face.
• Screenshots of other screens, which lose detail and add moire patterns.

A 10-second checklist

• Is the face front-facing and fully visible?
• Can you see both eyes clearly?
• Is the light soft, with no harsh shadows?
• Is there only one person in the frame?
• Is the file under 5 MB?