Miss your pet at work? Bring a tiny version to your desktop.

Pick the photo that looks most like them

The best starting point is not always the most polished photo. Choose the one that shows the details you would recognize immediately: uneven ears, a dark patch around one eye, a familiar expression or the shape of their face. Use a clear, well-lit picture with one subject and as little obstruction as possible.

A full-body image gives the generator more information about proportions and markings. A face-only photo can still be a starting point, but the unseen body has to be interpreted. If the paws, ears or tail matter to you, include them in the photo rather than expecting the app to infer them exactly.

• Use your own photo or one you have permission to upload.
• Avoid faces hidden behind hands, toys or heavy filters.
• Keep a copy of the original so you can compare the result.

Choose a look, not an exact copy

Peekoo offers nine styles. A plush or chibi interpretation emphasizes a rounded silhouette; pixel art simplifies the character into fewer shapes; semi-real aims for a less stylized look. None is a promise to preserve every strand of fur or every marking.

Start with what you want to recognize at desktop size. A small figure has less room for detail than a photograph, so a distinctive face and silhouette often matter more than tiny accessories. You can preview the available visual directions in the photo guide before choosing.

Give your tiny coworker a place to hang out

Install Peekoo on your computer and try its built-in companion first. That lets you see whether you enjoy a character sharing your screen before paying for a custom generation. The app is for macOS 14 or later and Windows 10/11, not an iPhone or Android desktop overlay.

For your own pet, open New Pet, choose the photo and style, and activate a paid plan. Custom generation is subject to generation limits. Once the companion is ready, it can walk, climb, type along and nap. Scale it to a comfortable size and adjust the available behavior settings if the movement competes with your work.

Share the little resemblance, not your whole desktop

A simple before-and-after makes the idea easy to understand: the photo, then the tiny companion doing something familiar. Use an empty desktop or a blank document when recording so messages, client names and work files stay private.

Give the moment a specific caption: “He has joined the meeting and has no useful feedback” is more personal than a list of app features. If a friend asks how you made it, send them the photo guide rather than an unexplained download link. Your pet is still the story; the software is just how you made the little reminder.