FAQ

  • PortraitWorks automatically combines professionally hand-drawn artwork of weapons, armor, gear, clothing, hairstyles and facial features to create unique character portraits. The app and expansions include thousands of artwork elements, most of which can be combined with other elements to create nearly unlimited unique portraits. Because our artwork elements were hand-drawn, the final portraits also look hand-drawn, not computer generated.

    Is this just a collection of pre-made portraits?

    PortraitWorks does include some pre-made portraits, but it is much, much more than just a gallery. All portraits in PortraitWorks can be fully edited and customized.

    The Basic Select feature displays a collection of pre-made portraits created by our team. You can use these portraits “as is” or press the Edit button to customize any of these portraits to match your vision of your character.

    The Advanced Select feature creates truly unique portraits from scratch every time by programmatically combining artwork of weapons, armor, gear, clothing, gear, and individual facial features (eyes, nose, mouth, etc.). Any of these portraits can then be fully customized.

    Does it work offline?

    Most features of PortraitWorks work offline when you’re not connected to the Internet. Certain features, such as the Store, do require an internet connection.

    Does it work on my desktop?

    PortraitWorks is currently only available as a mobile app for iOS and Android.

    What can I do with the portraits I create?

    You are welcome to post the portraits you create to your Facebook page, YouTube videos, Twitch streams, use them in your personal game campaigns, as avatars for online play, etc. You can also distribute derived works, such as doing additional work yourself to a portrait with Photoshop.

    You may not distribute content from PortraitWorks as individual pieces, or use the artwork to create or distribute any related product which allows users to select, create or customize portraits.

    The Publisher License, available on the app’s Store screen, grants you the right to sell something that includes a portrait, such as a book or adventure module, whether in print or digital form. A good rule of thumb: If it’s for profit, you need the Publisher license.

  • You can use the app for free to make an unlimited number of customized portraits.

    There are currently 20 different expansions you can buy to unlock additional races and add more choices for outfits, armor, weapons, gear, familiars, backgrounds, and more. Most expansions cost $1.99 each, or you can buy a bundle of all 20 for $29.99 (vs. $45 if purchased separately).

    There are no subscription or per-portrait fees; once you buy an expansion, you can make as many portraits with it as you like.

    If you wish to use your portraits for profit, the Publisher License is available for $299.

  • You can use PortraitWorks to illustrate a broad and inclusive range of player and non-player characters for fantasy games such as D&D, Pathfinder, and more.

    The free version of the app allows you to create portraits with limited gear and clothing options; paid expansions give you many more options. The in-app Store provides a good preview of what is included with each expansion so you can tell if an expansion has what you want before you buy it.

    Races

    PortraitWorks covers all the races in the D&D Player’s Handbook® and more. The free app allows you to make human portraits in a range of ethnicities. You can purchase expansions to add more races, including elves, half-elves, dwarves, halflings, gnomes, orcs, half-orcs, half-devils, fairies, dragon-folk, lizard-folk, cat-folk, and bird-folk.

    Some of the race expansions also include sub-races. As an example, the expansion with elves includes High Elves, Wood Elves, Dark Elves and Aquatic Elves.

    With some of “half” races, such as half-elves and half-orcs, you can specify the race of both parents. For example, you can make a portrait that is half black human + half elf.

    You can also change the skin tone of any race, so if you prefer your dark elves to be blue skinned instead of black skinned, you can do that.

    Classes

    PortraitWorks covers all the classes in the D&D Player’s Handbook® and more, including artificer, barbarian, bard, cleric, druid, fighter, monk, paladin, ranger, rogue, sorcerer, warlock, and wizard. You can also manually create NPCs, such as a black smith or barmaid, by customizing a portrait with the appropriate clothing and gear.

    Given the incredible range of customization options, you can create characters that go far beyond the typical archetypes... So if you want a battle wizard wearing plate armor with a sword and staff, go for it!

    Clothing

    You can dress your characters in a wide range of garments suitable for both adventurers and NPCs. You can layer up to five items of clothing to create a wide variety of different looks. Many garments have different options, such as different versions of trim, different collars, and more.

    Each garment can be colored in many different ways. As a starting point, PortraitWorks applies one of our professionally designed, color-coordinated palettes. You can change palettes with a single click, or with the Masterwork Tools expansion, you can select every color individually.

    Armor

    The free app includes basic types of armor, such as leather, chain, and plate. Expansions provide many more options, covering all the armor types in the D&D Player’s Handbook® and more. Many pieces of armor have multiple options, such as different decorative fluting and trim, optional scratches, and more.

    As with clothing, multiple layers of armor can be combined to create a wide range of armor looks. Each piece of armor can be colored in different ways. You can change the overall color of your portrait’s armor with a single click, or with the Masterwork Tools expansion, you can select every color individually.

    Weapons

    The free app includes a limited number of common weapons, such as axes, swords, bows and more. Expansions provide many more options, covering nearly all the weapons and equipment in the D&D Player’s Handbook®, plus more exotic weapons from various cultures.

    Instruments and Gear

    The free app includes a limited number of common instruments and accessories, such as a lyre, drum, coil of rope, and more. Expansions provide many more options, covering nearly all the weapons and equipment in the D&D Player’s Handbook®, as well as more unusual instruments such as bagpipes.

    Spells

    You can add spells by purchasing the SpellCaster Gear expansion. This expansion has hundreds of spells including Chromatic, Dark, Divine, Fire, Force, Lightning, Nature, and more.

    Bodies

    People come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. PortraitWorks covers a range of bodies, from fantasy archetypes to more “everyday” body shapes. You can also make young, middle-aged, and old portraits.

    Gender

    PortraitWorks supports male, female and non-binary portraits.

    Hair

    The free app contains dozens of hairstyles, as well as facial hair and stubble. The Hairstyle expansion nearly/more than doubles the range of hairstyles and facial hair.

    Familiars & Animal Companions

    The free version of the app does not include familiars and animal companions. You can purchase the Familiars & Animals expansion to add a wide range of common familiars and animal companions to your portraits.

    Backgrounds, Tokens, and Frames

    The free app creates portraits with white or color backgrounds.

    The Backgrounds & Frames expansion adds:

    • The ability to create custom tokens for use on a Virtual Tabletop (VTT) like Foundry® or Roll20®

    • Backgrounds: Scenic, Texture, Painterly, Splash, and Paper

    • Frames: Simple, Elaborate, Graphic (Thin, Thick, Sketch), Fade, and Filigree

  • PortraitWorks provides a range of output options and is integrated with select 3rd party applications.

    Export / Output options

    PortraitWorks outputs 600 x 600 pixel images that can be saved to your device’s local photo storage or exported through your device’s standard export menu.

    The free version of the app allows you to create portraits with solid-color backgrounds. The Backgrounds & Frames expansion adds many more types of backgrounds, as well as support for making tokens and adding frames to your portraits.

    Foundry

    PortraitWorks™ Basic is available as a free Add-on Module for FoundryVTT.

    Once you install the PortraitWorks Basic module in your server, you and your players will have access to over a thousand character portraits and tokens from PortraitWorks — without even clicking out of Foundry. If you’d like access to all the art and features of PortraitWorks, including editing every aspect of a portrait, you need the PortraitWorks mobile app.

    For more details, please see the PortraitWorks Basic Foundry Module [add link] page.

    Publisher License

    The Publisher License is available in the Store in the app. This license grants you the right to sell something that includes a portrait, such as a book or adventure module, whether in print or digital form. A good rule of thumb: If it’s for profit, you need the Publisher license.

  • If you previously supported our KickStarter or pre-ordered the app, please go to Settings / Previous Rewards and follow the directions to activate your previous rewards.

  • We are currently finishing up some things that have been in the works for a while, including:

    • Helms

    • Hoods & Cloaks

    • Jewelry

    • New races: kobolds, turtles, and Children of the Wilds

    • Expressions and Scars

    After those are done, we may do a second Kickstarter to develop a new batch of expansions. Watch for more news on that in the coming months.