Dog pumpkin stencil from a photo

Photograph the dog, not the walk

Get the camera at the dog's eye level. Fill the frame with the head. Ears need to be fully visible, even if one is mid-flop. A sitting dog against a door or a sheet is better than a dog on grass, because blades of grass become a thousand tiny cuts.

If the dog will not hold still, take a burst and pick the frame where both eyes are open and the tongue, if you want it, is a clean shape. A motion-blurred ear becomes a blob. Crop it out rather than carving mush.

What to cut and what to shave

Cut the pupils, the nostrils, and a simple mouth. Shave the cheeks, the brow, and the darker patches of fur. Leaving those as gray keeps the head's silhouette attached to the pumpkin. Cutting every dark hair turns the face into lace, and lace does not survive October wind.

Eyes are the usual floating problem. A pale catchlight inside a dark pupil is an island of skin surrounded by a hole. The tool bridges it back to the eyelid. On the pumpkin that bridge is a thin bar. It is supposed to be there.

Floppy ears should stay attached at the top of the skull in the stencil. If the threshold eats the connection, lower detail or nudge the threshold until a neck of white or gray remains.

Breeds with strong markings

Boston terriers, boxers, and huskies already look like stencils. Use the Pet preset and keep three tones so the white blaze stays skin and the black mask becomes a mix of cut and shave. Solid black dogs need a rim of kept skin around the head, otherwise the whole face is one hole. Turn off background removal only if the backdrop is already white. Otherwise tap Pick background on the wall, not on the dog.