How we compare

Canvasly, weighed honestly against the alternatives.

If you are deciding where to commission a custom oil portrait, here is a factual side-by-side. There is no single right answer — a traditional artist with a brush will always be a different kind of object than a Canvasly painting — but the trade-offs are knowable, and you should see them before you choose.

	Canvasly Studio	Traditional oil artist	Generic photo-to-painting	Consumer AI generator
Starting price	$49 (8×10" raised UV-relief rolled canvas)	$300–$2,000+ depending on artist	$120–$250 for comparable size	Free–$20 (digital only)
Turnaround to first proof	About 3 minutes	1–4 weeks	3–10 days	Seconds
Turnaround to finished painting	Usually within 15 business days of approval	4–12 weeks	3–6 weeks	Not shipped — digital only
Painterly proofs before commit	3 proofs side-by-side; unlimited revisions	Usually 1 sketch, revisions billed	Often a single proof or none	Unlimited generations, no quality control
Identity locked, style relaxed	Yes — coat, face shape, eye colour locked from source	Depends on artist; varies wildly	Often poor likeness on pet/family commissions	Hallucinations common, no QC step
Canvas / substrate	380 g/m² acid-free cotton gallery canvas	Cotton or linen, artist's choice	Often unspecified or generic poly-blend	Not applicable
Archival pigment	12-channel UV pigment, rated 120 years	Oil paints, archival	Varies; often 5–30 year fade rating	Not applicable
Raised brushwork / impasto	UV-relief, up to 1.8 mm, applied locally where called for	Real impasto if requested	Almost always flat print	Not applicable
Framing	Solid wood, five profiles, included	Usually separate; $80–$300 add-on	Optional add-on; quality varies	Not applicable
Shipping	Free tracked in contiguous US	Calculated, often $30–$80	$10–$50	Not applicable
Returns	30-day refund or reprint	Rare — commissioned work usually final	Varies; often store credit only	Not applicable
Privacy of your photograph	Stored only for your order; never used to train external models	Held by the individual artist	Varies — read ToS carefully	Most consumer AI tools train on your uploads

When Canvasly is the right call

You want a real archival painting on canvas — not a digital file or a poster print.
You want three painterly proofs to compare side-by-side before committing.
You want it on the wall within 15 business days of approval, framed, free-shipped.
You want raised brushwork you can feel — UV-relief impasto up to 1.8 mm.
You want refundable: 30-day reprint or refund if the painting is not right.

When to commission a human artist instead

You want one specific named artist's hand on the canvas.
You want an in-person sitting and conversation as part of the work.
You are willing to wait four to twelve weeks and budget $300 to several thousand dollars.
The provenance of the work — that it was painted, brush in hand — is important to you.

Both are valid. They are different objects.

Common comparison questions

›How is Canvasly different from a traditional commissioned oil portrait artist?

A traditional artist paints with oil paint and a brush, takes four to twelve weeks, and usually charges $300 to several thousand dollars. Canvasly uses AI to compose painterly proofs from your photograph in about three minutes, then finishes the approved proof with raised UV-relief brushwork on archival gallery canvas. The result is a faster, more affordable made-to-order painting with side-by-side proof options before committing.

›How is Canvasly different from generic photo-to-painting services?

Most photo-to-painting services apply a single filter to your photograph and print it. Canvasly composes three distinct painterly proofs from your photograph — different brushwork, palette, and light — and finishes the one you choose with archival materials. Revisions are unlimited and free; framing, free tracked US shipping, and a 30-day return are included.

›How is Canvasly different from running an AI image generator myself?

A consumer AI image generator returns a digital image with no quality control on likeness, no archival output, and no painted artifact at the end. Canvasly's pipeline locks identity from your source photograph (so the painting actually looks like the subject), gives you three curated proofs to compare, and usually delivers a real archival-canvas painting framed in solid wood within 15 business days of approval.

›Is Canvasly cheaper than commissioning a human oil painter?

Yes, significantly. A traditional human-painted oil portrait of comparable size typically runs $300–$2,000 or more. Canvasly's raised UV-relief rolled canvas starts at $49 for 8×10". Same archival materials, faster turnaround, more proof options.

›Will the painting look like a real oil painting, or like a print?

UV-relief brushwork — physical impasto up to 1.8 mm, applied locally where the painting calls for depth — reads like a painting from across the room and rewards a close look and a hand. The brushwork is real, raised, and you can feel it.

Try it without committing

First three proofs are free to see on screen. Nothing prints until you say so.

See proofs for your photograph →