Supported file types

• Images: .jpg, .png
• Videos: .mov, .mp4 (Note: We currently only support videos of dogs)

How to Add a Pet Photo

1. On the animal dashboard, tap the blue "Add Animal +" on the right. The Animal Modal will pop up.
2. Select your animal type, type in the unique identifier (or A-number), add the animal’s name (optional), and then select the media type you’re using (photo)
3. Hit browse and select your image file.
4. Hit submit and your image will process. Your edited image will load on the animal page.
5. Click the edited image to save it to your downloads folder. Note: see Using your mobile phone or tablet for information on uploading via your phone

Uploading Videos

• Adoptimize can find and edit the best shot of a dog from a video. The best way to use Adoptimize with video is to live-record with a 4k USB-enabled webcam plugged into a computer. Please note that uploading videos can take longer that photos due to larger file sizes and that Adoptimize does not capture sound while recording video from your webcam.
• Recording a video
  • After you have recorded your video, you can check the status of your recording along with the first 9 seconds of the video at the bottom of the page.
  • Keyboard shortcuts
    • Spacebar during a video recording takes snapshots that will be saved as pictures. You are not required to take snapshots. Adoptimize will try to select the best pictures from your video automatically.
    • Number keys 1 through 6 during a video recording plays various squeaky toy noises.
  • Tips
    • Please try to record the animal for as long as possible - at least 15-30 seconds. Short videos may result in few pictures being generated.
    • We can process live recordings from a webcam the quickest, so we encourage you to use a webcam as opposed to uploading pre-recorded video.
• Uploading a pre-recorded video
  1. First, record your video of the pet on your phone with your camera app.
  2. On the animal dashboard, tap the blue Add Animal+ button on the right. The Animal Modal will pop up.
  3. Select your animal type (dog), type in the A number, add the animal’s name (optional), and then select the media type you’re using (video)
  4. Select “Library”. Open the camera roll, select the video you’d like to upload and tap “done” in the upper right corner. You’ll see a preview of your video. Select “choose” in the bottom right corner.
  5. DO NOT record a video. The recording via wep app is not high enough quality for Adoptimize to produce great shots.
  6. Hit submit and your video will process. 
  7. You edited image will appear under “Finished Gallery” and any additional shots will appear under “Raw Shots”

Changing the background color

• Quick colors: You can use our background color picker located directly below your edited image. Click the rainbow swatch icon to open the color picker.
• All colors: You can use our manual photo editor to change the background to any color you want. Click on the Raw Shot image you’d like to edit, adjust your crop and select the Edit Picture button. The manual editing suite will open. To change the background color, click background in the lower left-hand corner. This will open the color picker.

Editing the pet’s lighting

• You can use our manual editor to adjust the pet in the image. Click on the Raw Shot image you’d like to edit, adjust your crop and select the Edit Picture button. The manual editing suite will open. To adjust the pet’s color, click colors in the lower left-hand corner. This will open the color adjustments panel on the right.

• You can use the manual editor to add or remove elements of the image that you don’t want, like a leash. Click on the Raw Shot image you’d like to edit, adjust your crop and select the Edit Picture button. The manual editing suite will open. In the upper left-hand corner, select the red minus sign (to remove) or the green plus sign (to add). Tap the element of the photo you’d like to add or remove and the selection will adjust on the right hand side.

• On desktop: click the edited image to save it to your downloads folder.
• On mobile: Tap the save icon under the image, then tap and hold the image to save it to your camera roll.

You can add a team member to your shelter’s workplace to collaborate on images. Under the profile dropdown, select Add Team Members. Type in their corresponding information and Adoptimize will send them an invite to set up an account associated with your shelter. Note: adding team members is available for admin-level accounts only.

How to access Adoptimize on your phone or tablet

• In your internet browser (Chrome, Safari, etc), type in app.adoptimize.co
• Type in your name and password to login.

1. On the animal dashboard, tap the blue “Add Animal+” on the right. The Animal Modal will pop up.
2. Select your animal type, type in the unique identifier (or A-number), add the animal’s name (optional), and then select the media type you’re using (photo)
3. Select the location of the photo (or at this step you can also choose to take a photo). Open the camera roll, select the image you’d like to upload and tap “done” in the upper right corner.
4. Hit submit and your image will process. 
5. Your edited image will load on the animal page.
6. Tap the save icon under the image, then tap and hold the image to save it to your camera roll.

Return to the dashboard, and try uploading the image again. If that doesn’t work, send an email hello@adoptimize.co, and we’ll help you troubleshoot.

Try uploading the image again, upload a different image or reach out to us at hello@adoptimize.co, and we’ll help you troubleshoot.

Try uploading the image again, upload a different image or reach out to us at hello@adoptimize.co, and we’ll help you troubleshoot.

This can happen when your internet connection is slow or the file size is too large. Try creating a new record and uploading the image again. If that doesn’t work, please reach out to us at hello@adoptimize.co, and we’ll help you troubleshoot.

Try reloading the page or uploading a new record. If that doesn’t work, please send us an email at hello@adoptimize.co, and we’ll help you resolve the issue.

• For a quick fix: use our Natural filter. Under the edited image, click the Natural Filter leaf icon. Adoptimize will automatically generate your original image with a better crop and a blurred background to make the pet stand out.
• There are a few reasons your image might not have turned out well:
  • There isn’t enough light in the image. . Our algorithms need enough light to detect the edge of the pet.
  • There are objects in the foreground or background (including humans) We use foreground and background detection, and we can’t guarantee a clean image if non-pet items are also in the picture.
  • The image is blurry If your pet is too wiggly or stressed out to take a still image, we recommend taking them for a walk or waiting for them to decompress.
  • Your camera lens is dirty
    • We see this a lot– Adoptimize is used in animal shelters after all! Use a dry cloth to wipe your lens free of dust and fingerprints.
  • Your image has multiple pets.
    • Our technology supports single-pet images. We recommend giving each pet their own opportunity to shine!
  • You uploaded a photo of a rabbit/horse/unicorn/other animal.
    • Right now, Adoptimize only supports dogs and cats.
  • Your pet is wearing a costume.
    • We trained our algorithms on images and videos of dogs and cats without costumes. Our technology is looking for regular dog and cat shapes, and thus works best without costumes or objects on pets. We do, however, love a good Hairy Potter and Great Catsby, so feel free to experiment!

If you can’t find your pet’s record, here are the possible reasons:

• You have another Adoptimize user account
• The record has been deleted. Deleting records from your account will remove them from the entire Adoptimize system (we do this for security reasons). It is also possible that the record has been deleted by another user of this account or the shelter admin account.
• You have been removed from a shelter team. If you’ve been removed from a team, you won’t be able to access shelter records associated with that account. Contact your team owner to re-establish your access.

Please contact the Adoptimize team at hello@adoptimize.co to help you with this.

Please contact the Adoptimize team at to help you with this.

If you’re not receiving account-related emails (ex: password reset), you have a couple options:

• Check your email’s junk/spam folder. If you found the email in the spam folder, mark as “not spam” to ensure future emails go directly to your inbox.
• Reset your password
• Check with your IT or leadership team to make sure emails from Adoptimize are not blocked. In some cases, emails from outside your organization can be restricted.