Preview tattoo placement on your body photo.

By the Sten AI team · Updated October 26, 2026

Explore how a tattoo design could look on a photo of your body. Use Sten AI’s tattoo placement preview on iPhone to plan the conversation with your artist—not to guarantee an exact size or final appearance.

Preview a tattoo in three steps

1. Choose a design or stencil from your library.
2. Upload a clear photo of the body area.
3. Select the placement and create a preview to discuss with your artist.

What this preview is for

Placement previews are a planning tool: they help you compare scale, orientation, and general positioning. Your tattoo artist should make final adjustments for anatomy, skin, and the design itself.

Get a more useful preview

Take the body photo in good light with the area unobstructed. Keep the camera roughly parallel to the skin and include enough surrounding space to judge scale.

Compare scale and orientation—not just appearance

Keep the same body photo when comparing design variants. Compare how the shape relates to nearby landmarks, whether the orientation feels intentional and whether the main silhouette is clear. For wraparound areas, one flat photo cannot show the complete result.

A preview is not a physical measurement

Camera perspective, lighting and pose can change the apparent proportions. A rendered preview is not a guarantee of exact tattoo size, placement or healed appearance. Bring the original artwork and the preview to your artist, and decide dimensions and placement in person.

Prepare the two references

• Design: use the cleanest version available, without unrelated borders or text.
• Body photo: use even light, an unobstructed area and a comfortable neutral pose.
• Review: compare the preview with the original design for changed details before sharing it.