Short answer: Attach a clear photo of your pet, say "the dog from the reference photo", and add one line: "Preserve the dog's exact breed features, markings and colours." Then describe the scene, the camera position, the light and the aspect ratio, and end with "no people, no readable text, no watermark".
AI image models know what a golden retriever looks like, which is the problem: without the right line, you get a beautiful golden retriever that is not yours. Your pet is in the details, a white patch on the chest, one ear that folds, the exact shade of the coat, and the prompt has to ask for them.
How do you keep it looking like your pet?
Ask for the markings by name and let the model keep everything it cannot see. The gallery's pet prompts all carry one line for it:
The photo matters as much as the prompt. Use one where your pet fills much of the frame, in daylight, with the face and coat clearly visible: no flash, no harness covering the chest, no second animal. If your pet has a mark the photo does not show, name it: "a white blaze down the nose, the left ear darker than the right".
Pet portrait prompts to copy
All four are in Prompt Gallery, written for Nano Banana, Flux, Midjourney and Imagen. Attach your photo, change "dog" to "cat" where it fits, and paste.
Studio portrait:
A studio portrait photograph of the dog from the reference photo sitting upright and looking just past the camera, against a hand-painted canvas backdrop in mottled teal and grey. Preserve the dog's exact breed features, markings and colours. Framed from the chest up, eye level with the dog. Photorealistic pet portrait photography, soft directional window-style light from the left, deep teal and warm fur tones, sharp eyes with catchlights. No collar tags, no people, No readable text, signage, labels or numbers anywhere in frame, no watermark, no logos. Aspect ratio 4:5. Keep it original: do not depict any celebrity or real public figure other than the subject of the reference photo, and do not copy any existing painting, artwork, film or game character, mascot, logo or trademarked design.Royal oil painting:
Paint the pet from the reference photo as a regal classical oil portrait: seated upright on a crimson velvet cushion, wearing a small ermine-trimmed royal cape and a delicate gold chain, a dark green damask background behind it. Preserve the pet's exact face, markings and colours. Three-quarter view, framed from the chest up in a portrait composition. Classical oil painting with visible brushwork and old varnish glow, deep crimson, gold and forest green palette, dramatic single-source light. No crown text, no frame, No readable text, signage, labels or numbers anywhere in frame, no watermark, no logos. Aspect ratio 4:5. Keep it original: do not depict any celebrity or real public figure other than the subject of the reference photo, and do not copy any existing painting, artwork, film or game character, mascot, logo or trademarked design.Sunbeam nap:
A photograph of the cat from the reference photo curled up asleep in a warm rectangle of sunlight on a wooden floor, paws tucked in, fur glowing at the edges where the light catches it, the rest of the room soft and dim. Preserve the cat's exact colours and markings. Seen from floor level close to the cat. Photorealistic, warm late afternoon sunbeam against a dim room, honey and umber palette, shallow depth of field. No people, No readable text, signage, labels or numbers anywhere in frame, no watermark, no logos. Aspect ratio 3:2. Keep it original: do not depict any celebrity or real public figure other than the subject of the reference photo, and do not copy any existing painting, artwork, film or game character, mascot, logo or trademarked design.Muddy action shot:
An action photograph of the dog from the reference photo leaping through a shallow muddy puddle in a green meadow, ears flying, mouth open in a happy grin, droplets of muddy water frozen in the air around it. Preserve the dog's exact breed features and colours. Seen from ground level as the dog comes towards the camera, slightly off centre. Photorealistic sports-style photography, bright overcast daylight, fast shutter, green and earthy brown palette. No people, no leash, No readable text, signage, labels or numbers anywhere in frame, no watermark, no logos. Aspect ratio 3:2. Keep it original: do not depict any celebrity or real public figure other than the subject of the reference photo, and do not copy any existing painting, artwork, film or game character, mascot, logo or trademarked design.Why say where the camera is?
Because it decides how the picture feels. "Eye level with the dog" makes a portrait of an equal; "seen from floor level close to the cat" puts you in its world; "from ground level as the dog comes towards the camera" makes an action shot. Without it, you often get the view from a person's standing height, looking down, which is how most phone snapshots of pets already look.
Why "no people" and "no collar tags"?
Because the model fills empty space with what usually goes with the subject: an owner's hand at the edge, a lead, a name tag with made-up letters. Ruling them out keeps the picture about the animal and keeps fake text off it.
Where can you check this?
Where can you find more pet prompts?
Prompt Gallery has these four with their results, and a Pet Character Sheet among its character sheets, for drawing your pet the same way in every picture. Open one and use Customize to add your details and pick one of five aspect ratios before you copy it.
