A ceramic portrait, which families also call a porcelain portrait, is a kiln-fired photograph set on a monument. The words ceramic and porcelain both describe that kind of fired portrait. The picture you send is what the portrait will be. Choosing it with the finished size in mind matters more than which of those two words you use.
Use a photograph where the face is clear, sharp, and large in the frame. A portrait cropped at the shoulders or the chest gives the maker a face that still reads when it is reduced to an oval or a small rectangle. A group photograph, a distant snapshot, or a face lost in a crowd does not. If the person is one of several, the face will shrink when the others are cropped away. Start from a closer picture if you have one.
Light should fall evenly on the face. Strong shadows from a hat brim, a bright window behind the person, or a flash that washes out the features all fight the portrait. Sunglasses hide the eyes. Heavy filters, beauty apps, and extreme color casts change the person your family remembers. A straightforward photograph is kinder than a dramatic one.
Printed photographs can be used when the print is sharp. A phone photograph is fine when the face is close and in focus. A tiny file saved from a social media preview is the one to avoid. It has already thrown away the detail a portrait needs. Send the largest clear version you have, not a screenshot of it.
Think about the shape before you fall in love with a crop. Ovals and rectangles cut the corners of a rectangular photo. Keep a little room around the head so the forehead and the shoulders are not clipped. A hat, a collar, or a uniform can stay when they are part of who the person was. Tell the maker if a uniform cap or a particular expression is the one the family wants kept.
Ceramic photos on this site are ordered by shape and size. They are not designed in the monument Personalize tool. After you order, the store contacts you for the photograph and emails a proof of the portrait before it is made. Look at that proof for the crop, the face, and the expression. That is the moment to say if the wrong picture was used.
The portrait is an accessory on the stone. The name and dates are still cut into the granite. Choose the photo for the face. Let the inscription carry the name.