Not sure how a tattoo will look on your arm, wrist or shoulder? This free virtual tattoo try-on lets you place any tattoo design on a photo of your own skin. Move it, resize it and rotate it until the placement feels right, then save the picture and show it to your tattoo artist.
How to try on a tattoo
- Take a photo of the body part. Use daylight or bright, even light, keep the camera straight to the skin and fill most of the frame with the area you want to tattoo.
- Add your tattoo design. Any image works. Designs on a white or transparent background look the most realistic; you can create one with the Tattoo Stencil Maker or the Mandala Drawing tool, and both can send their result straight to this page.
- Place the design. Drag it with your finger or mouse, then use Size and Rotation to fit it to the body part.
- Make it look like ink. The design is blended into the skin so that skin texture and shadows show through. Lower the Ink strength for a faded look, raise Softness for a healed tattoo, or choose Black ink only for blackwork and fine-line previews.
- Download the result and compare a few sizes or positions before you book your appointment.
Tips for a realistic preview
- Remove clothes, watches and jewellery from the area and avoid strong shadows across the skin.
- Take the photo from the angle people will usually see the tattoo from.
- Remember that a flat photo cannot show how a design wraps around a curved arm or leg. Designs on the forearm, calf and ribs bend around the body, so ask your artist how the shape will flow.
- Very fine details shrink and blur over the years. If small lines disappear when you reduce the size here, the design may need to be bigger on your skin too.
Frequently asked questions
Are my photos private?
Yes. Your photos are processed only in your browser and are never uploaded to Artwoonz or anywhere else. When you close the page, they are gone.
Does this show exactly how my tattoo will look?
No preview can do that. Ink colour, skin tone, healing and the artist's technique all change the final result. Use the try-on to decide on size, placement and orientation, and talk the details through with your tattoo artist.
Where can I find tattoo ideas?
Have a look at our tattoo articles, including anime tattoo ideas and sacred geometry tattoo ideas. When you find a style you like, ask a tattoo artist to draw an original design for you.