Creating a Custom Puzzle they'll ACTUALLY Enjoy
Custom puzzles are one of those gifts that feel really thoughtful… but they can also be a little intimidating if you’ve never made one before. Recently I've gotten a lot of DMs asking if the image they are thinking of using as a custom puzzle would be a great fit. I love giving feedback on this type of thing. Especially if you are not a puzzler yourself, and are thinking of gifting a custom puzzle. You may not consider if the puzzle would be fun to put together. I get these types of questions all the time. What images work best? How hard they are? What piece count to choose?
The good news is that Puzzle Warehouse recently made the whole process super simple. You can now create a custom puzzle in just a few steps, and there are some great options if the person you’re gifting to isn’t a regular puzzler. I thought I would make this blog post in case you are considering making a custom puzzle yourself and want to make sure the puzzle you are creating is one that you'd want to put together.
Making a Custom Puzzle at Puzzle Warehouse Is Pretty Straightforward
If you haven’t tried it yet, the custom puzzle tool walks you through everything step by step:
- Upload your photo
- Choose your piece count (300, 500, or 1000 pieces)
- Pick landscape or portrait and preview your puzzle (Also pick what box design you want)
That’s it. No design experience needed, and you can see exactly what your puzzle will look like before you order.
If you want to check it out yourself, you can find it here: Puzzle Warehouse Custom Jigsaw Puzzles
Picking the Right Image Makes a Huge Difference
I've been gifted some puzzles in the past or have even purchased some and thought - oh no. The image may look gorgeous or maybe even super busy. Then I'll open up the box of 1000 tiny pieces and totally regret my decision. Just because a photo is beautiful doesn't mean it will be a good puzzle. Here are some ideas and tips when picking out which images to put onto your custom puzzle.
Photo Collages Are Your Friend
Instead of using one single photo, I almost always suggest making a collage. You can use a free tool like Canva to combine several pictures into one image.
This works really well if you want to include:
- Photos from throughout the year
- Wedding or anniversary memories
- Multiple family moments instead of choosing just one
- A collage of your child's artwork that has been sitting in a box in the closet (My favorite idea!)
Collages add built-in variety, which makes the puzzle more enjoyable to put together.
High-Contrast Images With Lots of Detail Are Your Best Bet
When it comes to custom puzzles, contrast and detail matter a lot. Images with clear color differences, patterns, and texture give you more visual clues once the pieces are mixed together. A photo can look amazing on your phone and still be tricky as a puzzle. Before uploading, zoom out and ask yourself if there’s enough variety once the image is broken into hundreds of tiny pieces. Clear shapes, color changes, and details usually puzzle better than soft or blurry backgrounds.
I wanted to show you a quick example of how just a few minor tweeks can make the puzzle experience much better. Above is a photo I took when I was in St. Louis at the art park. The photo is on the darker side, so it lost a lot of it's detail. Also with it being zoomed out there is a huge area of just plain grass on the bottom of the image. It may not look so bad now, but as a 1000 piece puzzle we now have 300 pieces of plain green + the trees around the eyeball would be another 200 pieces.
Next, this is the same photo but I zoomed it in and I made it a lot brighter. You can now see a lot more detail and with the high contrast can see clear lines and color. This image would be a lot easier as a puzzle without all the grass pieces, and you can see some nice shadows in the dirt that would be easier to puzzle than grass pieces (In my opinion anyways).
Photos that have a mix of light and dark areas, different colors, or interesting details tend to be much more satisfying to puzzle than images where everything blends together. Think patterned clothing, colorful artwork, busy backgrounds, or photos with strong lighting.
If you’re deciding between two images, the one with more contrast and detail will almost always be the more enjoyable puzzle.
This photo of me and my husband is a great example of a great custom puzzle option. There are different patterns, colors and is very crisp & clear. You can easily sort things out but there is a lot of detail that you would very seldom be stuck while puzzling.
Watch Out for Big, Repetitive Areas
One thing to be mindful of is to be careful with images that have huge areas of one thing. Think big grassy fields, open sky, or very dark backgrounds.
If your photo has a lot of that, a few small tweaks can help:
- Crop the image to reduce those sections
- Add a border around the photo
- Use a collage to break things up
Those changes can make a big difference once you’re actually working on the puzzle.
This image, while gorgeous, is one I'd stay far away from. While there is a slight gradient in the sky, it still leaves half the puzzle as blue pieces and the other have are grey rocks. This would be very tricky for me. Again, would be beautiful in the end, if you like tricky puzzles, you may LOVE this, but for me I'd want something with a lot more to work with.
Lighting Matters More Than You Think
Very dark photos, heavy shadows, or nighttime images can all blend together once they’re turned into puzzle pieces. If you have options, photos taken in natural light usually translate better and are more enjoyable to work on.
Why I Usually Recommend 300 or 500 Pieces for Photo Puzzles
Here’s something I always like to point out: photo puzzles are usually harder than illustrated puzzles. Even really good photos can have a lot of similar colors or soft transitions, which can make things trickier once everything is mixed together.
That’s why I love that custom puzzles come in 300 and 500 pieces. Those sizes are perfect if:
- You’re gifting the puzzle to someone who doesn’t puzzle very often
- You want it to feel fun and relaxing, not frustrating
- The image has sky, grass, or darker areas
You still get the experience of building something meaningful — just without it turning into a struggle.
Custom puzzles are such a thoughtful gift, especially when you take a little extra time choosing the image and piece count. Whether it’s family photos, kids’ artwork, or a collection of favorite memories, turning it into a puzzle makes it something you can actually sit down and enjoy together.
If you’re thinking about making one, my biggest advice is to keep it simple, choose an image with variety, and don’t be afraid to go with fewer pieces. You’ll still end up with something really special.