Nano Banana Pro

Pet in a Santa hat by the tree prompt

Your dog or cat in a tilted Santa hat by the tree, their own name stitched on a stocking and a chewed ribbon on the rug as evidence. It is the pet photo for the Christmas card, the profile picture or the yearly post, made without trying to get a hat to stay on a real pet.

Gemini and Nano BananaOpen Gemini

Keep my pet from the uploaded photo exactly as it is: same breed, fur colours, markings and eyes. Show the pet sitting by a decorated Christmas tree wearing a small red Santa hat tilted to one side, looking at the camera. A red knitted stocking with "[PET NAME]" stitched on it hangs from the mantel behind, and a few wrapped presents and a chewed ribbon lie on the rug. Warm fairy-light bokeh, soft window light on the fur, sharp eyes, pet portrait photo, 4:5 frame.

Replace [PET NAME] with your own text before you send it.

Photo to upload: Use a sharp photo of your pet at their eye level, with the face and markings clearly visible. A photo taken in daylight keeps fur colour accurate; indoor lamp light can turn white fur yellow.

Christmas photo4:5Example made with Nano Banana Pro

More inspiration

Try this prompt

What each part of the prompt does

Breed and markings: "Same breed, fur colours, markings and eyes" lists what owners notice. Without it, the model often returns a generic dog or cat of the same colour.
A tilted hat: "Tilted to one side" makes the hat look like it sits on the head rather than floating above it, and it adds a bit of character.
Name on the stocking: [PET NAME] on the stocking puts the pet's name in the picture without covering any fur or face.
Chewed ribbon: A chewed ribbon on the rug is a small joke that makes the scene feel like a real home with a real pet.

Variations to try

Same idea, one thing changed. These have no example image yet.

Reindeer antlers
Keep my pet from the uploaded photo exactly as it is: same breed, fur colours, markings and eyes. Show the pet sitting by a decorated Christmas tree wearing soft brown reindeer antlers on a headband and a red bow on the collar, looking at the camera. A red knitted stocking with "[PET NAME]" stitched on it hangs from the mantel behind, and a few wrapped presents and a chewed ribbon lie on the rug. Warm fairy-light bokeh, soft window light on the fur, sharp eyes, pet portrait photo, 4:5 frame.
Peeking out of a gift box
Keep my pet from the uploaded photo exactly as it is: same breed, fur colours, markings and eyes. Show the pet peeking out of a half-open gift box under a decorated Christmas tree, wrapping paper torn around it, a small red Santa hat on its head. A red knitted stocking with "[PET NAME]" stitched on it hangs from the mantel behind, and a few wrapped presents and a chewed ribbon lie on the rug. Warm fairy-light bokeh, soft window light on the fur, sharp eyes, pet portrait photo, 4:5 frame.
Pet Christmas card
Keep my pet from the uploaded photo exactly as it is: same breed, fur colours, markings and eyes. Show the pet sitting by a decorated Christmas tree wearing a small red Santa hat tilted to one side, looking at the camera. Make it a printed Christmas card: the photo on top, and below it in red serif lettering "Merry Christmas from [PET NAME]" on a cream background. Warm fairy-light bokeh, soft window light on the fur, sharp eyes, 2:3 portrait card.

If the result isn't right

If the markings change, describe them in words: "white patch over the left eye, brown ears".
When the hat floats, ask for "the hat resting on the head, ears through or under it naturally".
For two pets, upload a photo with both and change the first line to "keep both pets exactly as they are".
If the eyes look glassy, add "natural eyes with a small catchlight".